Producers Marc Casale and Elliot Ward obviously had fun collecting sound and asembling this documentary. It's an example of youthful enthusiasm and idealism at work. It's fun to listen to, despite some technical weaknesses.

The piece is assembled from audio collected while the guys made a cross-country roadtrip. The production is done as a two-parter but could easily air as a one-hour program, with plenty of time for a top-of-the-hour newscast.

The script and delivery are thoughtful and informative although I have a problem with the clearly revealed bias against the Bush Administration and "the government." Despite the producers' personal opinions, there is a way to do a piece like this while letting the interview subjects mouth the politically-charged comments. I also didn't hear any effort at including "the other side." This flaw is a result of youthful inexperience..something Marc and Elliot need to learn before their work goes "mainstream." Having said that, I believe these fellows clearly have the ability to go farther with their audio documentary work.

Technical issues in this production include: rough edits; uneven levels and use of a poor quality microphone for narration. I assume that all the narration was done on the same portable gear that was used in sound collection. I would strongly recommend taking the script to a studio to create consistent voiceover tracks. While I am a big fan of appropriate use of stereo audio, there are left-right shifts between "acts and tracks" that I suspect are unintenional. I liked the use of recorded music in transitions but again the mixing is inexperienced with late up-fades and the music running much louder than the preceding audio.

I would like to hear tighter editing of interview bites, especially at the beginning of segments and more "natual sound" from the many interesting sites the producers visited.

These guys have the right idea and a good start on possible careers as documentarians. I'll look forward to hearing more of their work as they continue to hone their skills.