READING & WRITING:
For this module, we have started with Chapter 8, which is dedicated to sound. I appreciated the writing in this book – for someone like myself who isn’t as familiar with some of the terminology, it was all explained and laid out very clearly and concisely. For example, things like ‘syncsound’ and ‘wild effects’ are both elements I just kind of understood without realizing they had proper names.
It was also helpful to learn some more about the different types of microphones that exist. I purchased one for this class purely based on the recommendation list, but I kind of wonder if I would have gone with a different now knowing a little bit more about them.
I really like the idea of keeping a sound log. It seems like an obvious thing looking back, but I really should have tried implementing this method in other projects last semester. I had a load of sound files that weren’t labeled properly last semester, and it made it kinda difficult (and time-consuming) to put it all together since I downloaded SFX and music that I never ended up using.
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This series of texts on the creation of podcasts was really awesome because I was able to identify a lot of the tips and techniques that were listed, in podcasts that I listen to regularly. I listen to 99% Invisible almost every week (even if I am a bit behind), and have always really been drawn to their simple tagline: ‘This is 99% Invisible, and I’m Roman Mars.” It’s the kind of line that you say along with the host EVERY SINGLE TIME he says it because it has some sort of unexplainable soothing effect. It’s familiar…you know exactly what you are about to hear. It signifies a sort of reliability in the brand, and I’ve never honestly thought about why this works so well until this module.
RESEARCH TO INFORM:
99% Invisible:
This podcast is by far, my favorite. In fact, I haven’t heard a single Podcast from the Radiotopia family that isn’t perfect. Anyone who is into design needs to check this out as soon as possible.
The Allustionist:
Another gem from Radiotopia that explores the etymology of common and less-than-common words. Fun to listen to, and you always learn something new.
Missing Richard Simmons:
This one was a bit of a guilty pleasure that was a serial story, which followed one man’s quest to find out why Richard Simmons is no longer going out in public.
Ear Hustle:
This a great real-life examination of life in prison in a very interview-centric format. I like it because it allowed a complete amateur an opportunity to create their own podcast from prison, and it has become wildly popular.
Greg Proops, Smartest Man in the World:
Greg Proops is an amazing comedian. That, combined with his encyclopedic knowledge of nearly everything makes for a great hour’s worth of material.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/merits/id401055309?i=1000411707833&mt=2
CREATE:
Mind Map:
Pre-Production Planning Document:
I chose the topic of community soccer in Worcester because there is a push currently, to include the renovation and/or creation of new soccer fields in the city in the upcoming municipal budget. Worcester has a large immigrant community and one of the best outlets for social play is soccer. It is important to expose the grassroots efforts that work to make the sport more accessible to people of every income group and ethnic background.
This was a fairly easy exercise since I was already familiar with this document from work that we did last semester. The one thing that I found the most difficult was the scripting portion since I think that for a human interest piece, much of what I might narrate will depend entirely on what is said by the people I interview.
The mind map was fun though. I wasn’t familiar with http://www.coogle.com prior to this assignment, but I’m already seeing ways that this visualization will be helpful in other projects and undertakings.