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!
Monday, 27 October 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, 26 October 2008
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
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.
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.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
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
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
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!
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!
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