ok ok one more thing.....

one more thing I've snatched from Vimeo. I saw a shorter version of this a while back on youtube, without all the people. It seems that this young man has become a bit of a cult hit!

It just makes me smile! Again I recommend the larger screen on Vimeo. Click here.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Things that I have discovered (4)

What is that I hear you shriek.....
Well I shall reply, it is yet another thing that I have discovered......

Vimeo states that it is a social networking site "connecting people through video". I have spent hours trawling through youtube and other such sites, finding that generally the quality ends up scrambling my head after a while. If you are interested in up and coming filmmakers, shorts, animations, quirky computer effects then Vimeo is a fantastic place to start looking.

Take a little while to find your way around. Have a gander at the "Staff Picks" it just shows how much talent there is out there. The videos are also self uploaded, so you can even get your own work up there. There are some great discussion boards about techniques and equipment.

Other users can comment on your videos and its constructive stuff not the slagging matches you get on other sites.

Yes I am a fan of Vimeo!

Here is an example of what is up on the site. This short (pilot) comes from the HD Channel on the site. It has become quite successful and it scooped up "Best Director" at the New York Television Festival this year.

The Triboro. Watch it here, or even better watch it on a larger screen and in HD on Vimeo! plug plug plug.


The Triboro from Waldom Pictures on Vimeo.

The Future of Broadcasting - Paul Appleby

Paul Appleby is a series producer at the BBC, he has worked on many shows across his 25 year career but a recent example is "Saving Planet Earth" which is an off shoot of the very successful Planet Earth and shows various celebrities visiting endangered animals in the wild. On top of this Paul was even then first person to hire Susan into the dizzy world of television....what a man!

Paul came to talk mainly about Interactive Broadcasting. He is a very audience driven broadcasrer and was quick to point out how the world of interactive broadcasting is bringing the public closer to the programmes they want. More control for the people.

Paul has been working in broadcasting for many years and has seen the evolution of the media. He is becoming more involved with interactive broadcasting. As our televisions switch to digital I feel that this is the future of broadcasting, the kind of broadcasting that we are going to step out of university into, so he was a great person to have in to speak to.

The BBC now broadcasts over 20 different platforms and switching between these platforms is no longer a novelty; it is a common way we consume the media. I am never sure when I'm going to sit and watch television, this means that I am hopeless at watching a series. I'll catch the first episode, get gripped by a thrilling storyline or emotive plot and then find that I'm catching the bus, in the rain, at the other end of town as the second episode is running. Such is life! Now, thanks to the evolution of broadcasting, I can kick back with my lunch a few days later and endulge in the repeat on iplayer. Then I can pause it, grab myself a cup of tea, and carry on watching. It goes without saying that the internet and digital TV has transformed how we choose to watch.

Paul was asked how far he thought this transformation would go and he took a moment to muse over a time in the near future when he hoped we, the public, would be able to use the BBC resources exactly how we want. He used the example of someone wanting a five minute show on Chimpanzees and they'd be able to find it and store it to watch when they desire. He sees developments in broadcasting very much as an evolution. First there is a model, a kind of format created that becomes "the norm". Look how News programmes still follow the basic model of those classic early productions. News reader talking directly to the camera, reports interlaced, finishing with the weather. Then this model is adapted and manipulated to suit the time and the audience. For example, Channel 5 newscasters are much more informal and in some ways approachable. Standing and walking while they present and not even wearing a tie! The concept that television is evolving and keeps its roots is an argument that Paul used to explain why he thinks that sitting down and watching television is not going to disappear. Despite the looming threat of the Internet.

This is something that, personally, I'm not so sure of. Many channels have put a lot of money and effort into keeping their web pages current and the amount of legitimate programmes they upload means that many people are satisfied with simply watching content on the internet. As a new generation, who don't remember a time without the internet, starts to spill into the working world I think that more and more of people will turn away from conventional television. It struck me that, although I own a television, I hardly ever manage to wangle to prestigious position of "remote controller" and usually get out-voted on my programme choices (oh democracy). I therefore don't tend to watch that much television, I usually use iPlayer or similar platforms on the world wide web.


This brings me to a question that I really wanted to ask Paul. With my viewing patterns I don't technically need a television or, for that matter, a TV License but yet I can still legally access BBC content. As people cotton on to this apparent loop-hole the BBC could face losing that vital £139.50 per person. I am in favour of a license fee for Public Service Broadcasting but when I now have a chance to avoid it will I still prove to be such a good citizen and pay up? Either Paul didn't understand my question or he simply didn't know how the BBC were going to tackle this problem, which is understandable. He started talking about how the fee is more a content fee than a license fee. So with this still rattling around in my mind I decided to do some research. It does seem like a problem and at the moment nobody seems to be sure how to tackle it.

Times Online Article : How to dodge TV licence fee: just watch repeats on your computer

In January 2008 Ashley Highfiled, the Director of BBC Future Media and Technology posted this comment on the BBC blog. I agree with his last statement "it's not causing our finance director sleepless nights" but I think his successor may have to invest in some Nytol.


Paul was very passionate and animated. He talked constantly about "The Audience" and I really liked the way he was so driven to provide the people with what they want. He wanted broadcasting to become more of a conversation between public and service provider. Communicating not just broadcasting.

The Pitch

After the distraction of the old computers tucked in the corner of the Library which brought back childhood memories of cramming the big "actually floppy" floppy disks in for hours of black screen and green writing joy, Sean and I managed to focus on the task in hand. Our Pitch. We had both separately researched our project on independent record labels. Both keen to disprove Mike saying that the topic was just too huge, too hard to find a decent angle on for a 5 minute piece. As it turns out he was right, we dug deep and every time we found something that seemed interesting it just became too much. So we conceded defeat and turned to Sean's brilliant idea of an insight into the mind, inspirations and dedication of a songwriter. Quickly we became animated as we felt more in control of the topic and were able to bash out a treatment and a one line hook in no time at all. Sean knows Huwie, the subject of our piece, very well. We feel that this will add much more depth to the programme and allow us to dig deeper into Huwies mindset while writing his songs.

The day came where we had to pitch our ideas to a pannel. Not just any old mucker brought in as they were passing the Gatehouse but three important people from the department. We spent the morning disecting our ideas more, making the show solid and covering areas such as audience.

One of the great things about our idea is that Sean and I are both very interested in the topic so as long as we got the backbone of the show clear in our minds we felt confident that we could field questions from the pannel. This did not stop us feeling a little aprehensive as we entered the room, last of the group and by now the pannel were sure to be keen to escape for a cup of tea and a breath of that Bath Spa air, so we had to deliver. I think it was important for us to approach this not as a project at University, but to imagine this was our little break. Somehow we had managed to wangle a small slot with the Radio 1 exectuives and this was a real pitch not an assignment.

After we outlined the plans we seemed to have a fair amount of interest from the pannel. They were inquisitive and we were encouraged that the questions were not about changing the piece but about how we were actually going to capture what we wanted too. There were concerns that it would be hard to condence into a 5 minute slot. We were able to say with confidence that it contained 3 main sections:

• Interview with Huwie
• A brief look at Commercial Music students who have to write lyrics
• A vox pop "what would you write about" a short section adding a side to the piece that connects it directly with the student audience. Talking to people who wouldn't neccessarily ever write a song.

This would be interlaced with sound bites of music from Huwie's band including the song we are going to probe him on.

If the piece does end up being too much to cram into the time we feel happy to remove the vox pops to allow more time for the details of the project. We want it to be informative and approachable, nothing highbrow. We want to encourage people to listen to lyrics because, like poems, they can be so much more than "words wot rhyme".

It was actually really enjoyable doing this pitch and it made us focus so much harder on the task. Now for the next step and I can't wait.......

Moog

We were all given the task to prepare a presentation on a character, band or invention that has in its own way revolutionized the music scene and led to the music that we hear today. Nathan and I prepared a presentation for the class on Dr Robert Moog. He is a fascinating man and the story goes much deeper than our presentation so if you are interested then check out sites like:

Moog

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

I seem to be experiencing a problem showing the whole presentation. I will sort this out asap.

Microphones.......

Say you are in a rush, you have had this interview with Miss Dion scheduled in your diary for months but you boss is being a drag and now you have to navigate your way through the London Underground system. So you gather your things, grab the Edirol and hurl the first microphone you see into your trendy over-the-shoulder satchel. Its good, you are going to make it. Walking in to the room you find Celine (she asks you to call her that). She has had several coffees and is upbeat and answering your questions better than you could have hoped, she even talks candidly about receiving the Legion of Honor and then thanks Napoleon.
Your boss is going to love you, this interview will surely hit the big time, the prime time, this is YOUR time. As you sit down to edit the piece it dawns on you. This is why you have had the sinking feeling that missing the lecture on microphones was a bad idea. The sound is all muffled, you can only hear your questions and in places there is no sound.....silence? But there wasn't any.

Let me explain. Knowing your microphones and their different uses, strengths and weaknesses is very important. There is so much more to it than this but here is a brief overview of what you will have to know:


DYNAMIC MICROPHONES:
- Fairly rugged and hard wearing microphones
- Much more resistant to moisture and high levels of sound pressure than their Condenser counterparts.
- This makes them a popular choice for vocalists on stage and situations where they can be treated roughly.
- They don't require a power source

CONDENSER MICROPHONES:
- Much more delicate design
- To make sure they have a long life and always maintain a high recording standard they have to be treated with care, kept away from moisture and not bashed around.
- They require a power source (batteries or phantom power)
- When kept well they can pick up a very high standard of recording.

RIBBON MICROPHONES:
- A type of dynamic microphone which is heralded by many as the most natural sounding microphone ever created.
- Extremely fragile and can be damaged by harsh levels of sound pressure
- They do not need a power supply
- Ribbon Mics were very popular in the broadcast industry but more recenly there has been a shift towards condenser microphones as they pick up a high level of recording but are much cheaper to buy.

Then there are piezo-electic mics (low quality used in telephones), clip mics, booms, crystal mics and on.......do your research!

DIRECTIONAL RESPONSE and FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

Different microphones have different Polar Patterns. This is the response they have to sounds from various directions. The frequency response shows which mics will pick up the frequencies that you want. So for example if you are recording a female voice its much better to have a microphone that caters for the rough fundamental frequency of a female voice (around 165 to 255 Hz). Here are the main types of directional response you will experience:

Omnidirectional: This theoretically pics up sounds 360 degrees around the microphone. Good for picking up a natural room ambiance.
Cardioid: This means that the mic has a directional response that favors the front and it will pick up less sound from the sides and almost exclude sounds from the rear.
Super Cardioid: Similar to the Cardioid but it has a wider pick up and also pick up some sound from behind.
Hyper Cardioid: Again similar to the Cardioid but extends the pick up further in front to the sides and lets in more noise from the rear although favors the front.
Bi-Directional: Also known as a "figure of eight". Picks up sound pressure equally from in front and behind but will exclude sound from the sides.
Shotgun: Highly directional to the front and rear. Favors the front and excludes the sides.

Get on to Celine's People and rearrange that interview and invest in some headphones, then at least you can hear it going wrong!

Here is a BBC take on the use of microphones

Things I have discovered (3)

While researching 'Soundscapes" I came across a track by Squarepusher called Vacuum Garden. Reminded me of standing in the temple listening to the piece by Lucier.

Listen to it here

The Big Idea

We have been given the opportunity to create a 5 minute radio package on a subject of our choosing. Yet the process isn't as simple as thinking up an idea and hurrying out the door to record what we can. We have to approach this as if it is going to be broadcast so there are many things to consider.

Ideas
Mike set us the individual task of gathering three ideas for this project. At first I thought it was a very straightforward thing for him to ask us to do in a week but the first thing you think of may not actually be that interesting for a 5 minute segment. In fact I trawled through loads of ideas that just didn't quite hit the mark but I finally settled on three ideas.

1. "Fresh Outlook" - This essentially focused on some of the new trials and tribulations facing Bath Spa freshers. Maybe cooking, bills, meeting new people, studying again. I thought 5 mins may be too short a time to focus on large issues so I hoped to follow around a couple of students for a day and hear all the trivial little new things that they were having to get used to.
2. "Going It Alone" - A short piece on starting up an independent record label. I hoped to drag in a few friends who have recently started a label. Ask them why? how? worth it? I also know someone who established a record label many years ago and hoped to pose him similar questions.
3. "Behind The Scene" - A mini documentary about people that work behind the scene somewhere. My ideas for subjects revolved mainly around the entertainment industry, like roadies, waitresses, cooks, sound engineers, lighting, doormen?

In class we had a detailed discussion about everyone's ideas. Picking them apart, suggesting new angles and generally allowing each person to see peoples reaction to their proposed idea. I found this incredibly interesting and was amazed at the variety of ideas our class had come up with. After each set of ideas we spoke up about which one we thought most suited the task at hand. A vote of hands chose my first idea (Fresh Outlook) but as much as I thought it would be fun I was pretty settled on the idea about independent record labels. Oh, how things change.......

Dr Sanjida O'Connel - Presenter, Director, Writer

We recently met Sanjida O'Connel who is a very accomplished person in several fields of the media alongside this she has a background in zoology and a PhD in Psycology. She has worked on various shows but mainly focuses on scientific programmes.

Her media career started as an assistant producer on Tomorrow's World and since then she has woven her way through directing, presenting and she is a respected colombist and writer. She came in to talk mainly about presenting and talked candidly about the pros and cons of that career choice.

Here are some tips she suggested for budding presenters:

• Passion - Sanjida talked about passion in two ways. She said that she loved presenting because it was a way to convey her passion about topics such as nature, the environment and science. Passion is also important when it comes to long, tiersome shoots. It is no good if there are problems and set backs and then when the camera is finally in position to shoot you lack the entusiasm or commitment to get the shot the crew are desperate for.
• Resilliance - There are going to be knock backs, comments on your performance, the way your hair is. Also long days with not much action are pretty normal.
• Commitment and Willingness- Learn the lines, be professional. Prove to the crew that you were hired for the right reasons and allow them to work smoothly around you.
• People skills - Sanjida mentioned that she has worked with some presenters that lacked this core skill, but it is a joy when the presenter mucks in and is generally a nice person to spend a shoot with.

Sanjida's recent work:

Documentries - (producing or directing)
Presenting

Sanjida's website

Eric Huyton - Camera and Lighting

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have a visit from Eric Huyton, a respected cameraman, who has worked on shoots such as:

• Dr Who Confidential
• Planet Earth Filmaker’s Story
• Grand Designs

Eric is experienced in both camera work and lighting and he has worked on a huge variety of shows, infact he was about to pack up his bags and head off to film a documentry in Iceland! Eric talked extensively about his work and the personal attributes that you have to have to secure yourself future bookings. He focused on the fact that problem solving was a huge part of his work and although he said it could be infuriating at times it was actually something that he really enjoyed about the job.

It was interesting hearing Eric talk about the relationship between the cameraman and the editor. He said that he was always on the look out for how the piece would be edited together and needed to gather as many shots to help the editor as possible. This includes throw away shots which are shots that the editor can include to highlight a point made in the piece or to cover an tricky edit.

Eric then gave us a short masterclass in camerawork. After setting up the z1 and the tripod he focused on setting up and filming a 1+1 interview. He took us through lighting techniques and showed us how to make sure the white balance was correct. He then mocked up the interview and pointed the camera at the person being interviewed, over the shoulder of the interviewer. This is a common way to film interviews. After that he demonstrated how he would then move the camera to film the interviewer repeating the questions he did this without crossing the center line (otherwise the shot would appear reversed and would not be good to watch).

Before he left Eric plugged his website www.eyefish.co.uk it is well worth a look as it packed full of information about television and film production. It's already firmly in my bookmarks!

The Art of Noise - The Futurist Manifesto

The Futurists, like many arts movements of the day were fascinated by 'The New' and focused on changing the status quo of what they saw as dull, rigid and archaic creative world that had led to that point. They were about pushing boundaries, turning heads and scribbling over rules and constrictions.

At the time the futurists could hear so much new noise around them. Not new music as such but machines and industry. Trains, factories, automobiles and they envisioned a time when these would stop just being noises and would actually be considered music. They saw noise as another art where clashes, clangs and rumbles would make up orchestras.

It started me thinking if Russolo's prediction has come true. Popular music today is still heavily gathered around the melodies and patterns that Russolo was so keen to banish. I think they were maybe calling for the rise of digital. Though even with analogue synthesizers you could build up a track using abstract noises but now with electronic music production that process is has unleashed a new side to music where you can crush and expand and play around with sound waves until you create a new noise. Digital means have undoubtedly given experimental music an exciting new route to tinker with. Maybe Russolo would have liked an artist like Aphex Twin?


Apx 237 v.7
This is from the Album "drukqs" released in 2001. I love Aphex Twin but this album does push me. It is hard to like and I have picked a particularly difficult track here that doesn't flirt with convention! Enjoy!

Sources:
Futurist Music 1910-1920
Futurist Manifesto - The Art of Noise
Aphex Twin - if you are interested I suggest maybe starting with "Selected Ambient Works 85-92"

Alvin Lucier

"I try to compose as little as possible, but that means that I have to think about each piece a lot, to avoid any kind of pre-existing musical structures that would take away from the perception and focus of the sonic phenomenon in which I'm interested"

On a very still and beautiful morning we went down beside the lake to listen to a recietal of a piece by Lucier. It was held in the temple where about ten people stood round in a small semi circle. They then began humming into everyday objects such as pots, vases and cans. At first the situation seemed very strange but then after a while as the piece continued and the sounds filled the temple I became transfixed. When I stopped focusing on what was actually happening and listened it became a totally different experience. You could also hear examples of beat frequencies when sound from two of the resonant objects danced around similar frequencies. I thought it was brilliant and not what I had been expecting at all!

Lucier says this about his work with resonant objects:
"I think of the vases as small rooms, in which the sound of the cello gets trapped. We know that every room has a set of resonances, determined by its size and physical dimensions. It’s the same for a pot, where there is one strong resonance frequency. I think of the pots as resonant environments. The theatrical and visual aspect that goes with the piece, comes afterwards. Each player that plays the piece uses a different set of pots. So, there isn't only one visual image, it’s just sounds of the cello getting trapped in the pots, and each pot has its own resonant frequency."

So what else did Lucier get up to?

Well he was fascinated by sound, tone, resonance and the relationships between frequencies. He refered to sound as a sonic phenomenon and this is something that I quite often feel. Sound blows my mind and I would so love to have a deeper knowledge of the physics and maths behind it. Lucier set about conducting several experiments to highlight various qualities that we so often take for granted. We listened to one of these experiments in class "I am sitting in a room"

Alvin Lucier was interested in highlighting the resonant frequencies within the room he did the experiment in. He recorded himself reading a passage in the room, he then played it back into the room and re recorded that. He continued this process until "the resonant frequencies of the room reinforce themselves so that any semblance of (his) speech, with perhaps the exception of rhythm, is destroyed. What you will hear, then, are the natural resonant frequencies of the room articulated by speech."

Ah, sound is fascinating, I agree with you Lucier. Bellow is something that I have wanted to show on here for a while. I was shown this a few years ago and was given an explanation that left me more puzzled than before and I'm sure it included words such as frequency, standing waves, resonance but how it all fits together I'm not sure! Since then I have just decided to accept that its funky and I don't quite understand it! So maybe you lot can help me.......



Sources:
Interview with Lucier
Lucier's Website

maybe its just me but....

It may well just be my computer and its slightly slap dash approach to life but quite often the boxes that include my audio files don't appear properly on my blog. If you are experiencing the same problem then just refresh my blog, it seems to work.

ah technology!

Telephone Interview with Liz Allen

On Friday I had the opportunity to conduct my first telephone interview. Over the past few weeks we have put a lot of thought into how our interviewing technique not only effects the tone of the interview but also the clarity of the recording.

For our first set of vox pops I noticed that I often said "yes" and made small noises to encourage the interviewee into thinking that what they were saying was good and just what I wanted. I made a conscious decision to stop doing that during the second vox pop interviews about poetry and there is a huge difference. By nodding as encouragement, instead of talking, I was able to keep the subject talking without affecting the recording.

Yet, I was faced with a new challenge on Friday. Over the telephone Liz could not see my body language and that I was interested in what she was saying. So it was a lot harder to keep the momentum going without the occasional verbal encouragement from me. I really enjoyed doing the interview and feel that it has come out well. Liz talks openly and there is a lot of material in the interview that would be good for a radio package.

Liz Allen is a successful documentary director/producer. She often does observational documentaries that can be very hard hitting and as she mentions sensitive. I love documentaries like this and was really keen to interview her.

Here is the interview in full:




There are a couple of points that Liz talks about that i find interesting. She mentions going out and getting as many salable skills as possible. Learn how to use a camera, set the lighting etc so that you can be attractive to hire. She also says how important it is to get your work out there, get a name for yourself even if its on sites like you tube. It all builds up and will allow the powers that be to be more confident in hiring you.

One of the key points that she often comes back to is the fact that she had something that stood out. She was a nurse before hand and it meant that she was different and it was almost like a 'unique selling point'.

During the interview she mentions John Grierson who was an incredibly influential documentary film maker. I was first introduced to him a few years ago by a friend who was fanatical about early film making and sat me down to watch films like Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein). It was interesting to hear Grierson's name again and so I did some trawling on the internet to see what I could find.

One of the clips that I found is taken from a documentary that Grierson worked on in 1936 called "Night Mail". I had never heard of it before but the words were written by W H Auden and apparently read by Grierson. So to tie up this post here is the clip. Just thought it was a good thing to find as it seems to tie in with
a few things from our lectures recently! Poetry, documentary and my interview with Liz!

Thing that I have discovered 2

My lovely next door neighbour hypnotised me the other day by playing this song for me on a pretty looking and sounding resonator guitar. I had never heard of Bon Iver before and I'd also never had a go on a resonator until then.

All that put together gives another addition to my series!

Here is Bon Iver with his song Flume

I have decided to do a little series on this blog showing "things that I have recently discovered".

This "thing that I have recently discovered" ties in quite nicely with the stop motion filming we did on the first week of the course so I thought I'd share it with you all.


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

I just think this is a brilliant and mesmerising video. The sound they have chosen to put to it is interesting too. Rather than give it a full soundtrack they have just accentuated certain noises. Sometimes it fits, like when the creature comes out of the fireplace and along the floor sniffing (if you have not watched it yet maybe that last sentence will intrigue enough to do so!). Other times the sound doesn't go with the images and is uneasy and discordant. It almost makes it hard to watch but I think that is exactly what they had wanted to do.

I'm not too keen on all of Blu's murals but some are brilliant. Blu is a graffiti artist from Italy and you can access more of his work here.

Radio Package

In Thursdays lecture we had to construct a radio package about three 3 minutes in length from our vox pop interviews, an interview with Annie McGann and a Ginsberg poem called Howl.

After a few harsh words exchanged between myself and the computer and several crashes (most probably my fault!) I was able to come up with this..... enjoy

Podcasting

What is it?

A Digital Audio File distributed over the internet using an RSS feed.....hang on, slow down what is RSS?!

Standing for Real Simple Syndication, RSS is used to distribute regually updated feeds over the internet. The most common example being news bulletins. Say, for example, you like to keep up on whats going on in the world of Organic Farming, a common desire, you simply type "Organic Farming RSS" into google and up pops the perfect site. In the corner is a small orange logo, the RSS logo. Once you click on it and decide your RSS Reader (such as google or bookmarks) you are then subscribed and updated everytime something is posted. Life couldn't really be simpler and I've just learnt Australia is having an organic fruit boom.

Now back to Podcasts. RSS makes podcasting possible because it means you can subscribe to podcasts and delicious shows of your choosing are automatically downloaded for you, at the moment free and to keep.

In the past the radio you listened to was determined by so many factors the area you lived in, the time you could tune in and the general feeling of the station you were able to tune into. Being for the depths of Mid Wales my choice was always limited! With podcasts I am able to pick and choose. I essentially create my own radio station on a daily basis packed full of the content I want.

Shows range from music to factual to the downright bizzare and enlightening. Anyone can upload, anyone can broadcast which means the choice is unbelievable. You can subscribe directly though applications such as itunes which lists lots of them everyday, or be more adventurous, go find them yourself!

At the moment I am subscribed to hundreds. Djs putting out their new mixes, clothes labels stating their brand through podcasts of their favourite music, clubs promoting themselves, bands trawling through their influences, news and heartfelt shows dragging listeners though the colourful musical past of talented producers.

The Digital Age has transformed the content we devour and I for one think that Podcasts are a fantasic step forward.
Fabric Podcast - One of my favourites! An in depth, warm take on what inspires some of the worlds top djs, from their mouths. Fabric just sit back and allow the djs to play everything from Swing to Grime to Detroit Techno and Chicago House oh and everything else in between.
Hospital Records Podcast - An award winning podcast from one of the worlds most famous dnb labels. A fantastic way to keep in the know and bash your way though a Monday morning bus ride.
Sunday Best Podcast - As eclectic as he is; Rob da Bank's podcast covers ever genre you could imagine and convinces you that you are in love with every last bit of his wandering taste.

Meeting Andy Netley

Andy is a Freelance Editor but what does this mean? Editors turn raw footage into finished film, they are responsible for changing hours of footage into neat packages often including graphics and music. Andy has worked on some impressive shows such as Planet Earth (2006), Mindshock (2006) and Amazon with Bruce Parry (2008).

Andy was lovely and open about his profession. He said that it was cutthroat and the best way in was to try, push, blag and worm your way in until you are noticed and respected. He suggested airing our edits on sites such as youtube so that we could get some exposure.

Directors want to work with editors they can trust. They want to be able to hand over hours of unedited footage and know the editor will sculpt it into something that suits the atmosphere and feeling they want to project from a show or series. After watching many shows that Andy has been involved with I can see why he is respected and in demand, particually with fact based nature shows such as Planet Earth.

I have never considered being an editor before and although he made the job sound unglamourous and often tedious I can still see the appeal. He has quite a large amount of creative imput and an active interest in the music that goes with his edits. Somthing that I have always thought would be fascinating to be involved in.

Cojack Interview 9th October 2008

In our teams we devised an interview for one of the members of the Bath Spa band Cojack. We wanted it to be informal and chatty and were very pleased when Matt arrived and although he was a little nervous he settled into the interview quickly.

As the interview was 1+1 (one interviewer vs. one interviewee) it was important for us not to intimidate Matt and allow him to express his answers. Rich was interviewing and he instantly built up good report with Matt.

After a few technical hiccups were smoothed out we had about 9 mins of interview. I was pleased with this length as we had to cut it down to a 4 min package (meaning a 2:1 cutting ratio). I was able to edit the interview in a linear fashion and not remove too much so it flowed nicely and sounded rounded and complete.

After editing the interview down to the required length I built up a bed track using some of Cojack's tracks. I think that I am generally pleased with the outcome although I would like to go back and reedit so that the voice and the bed track are not fighting for position as they are sometimes in my edit!

ooer here we go!

Well, I'm being let loose blogging! I'm told this is a place to rant, rave and evaluate the goings on of my course. So here it is!

So far I can't stop smiling, our tasks make it like a playground. I guess you know you have picked a good course when the mundane seems exciting! I'm now going to busy myself making this a blog readable.....fun fun fun!