LAB 8: Continue Editing Audio Interview

Announcement: Quiz Two on November 12!

The second quiz will be during the first half hour of lecture 10 on November 12. We will go over what you should look at on November 5. 

The quiz will be based on the sound lectures, numbers 5, 6, and 7. You should review your notes. And be sure to go over the following parts of the V&V book: Chap 15 pp 329 to 339. and pp 345 – 350. Also Chap 22 p 471-481, Chap 23 491-501.

***

 

The soundwalk: Share your story and experience

• Where did you go?
• Why did you choose this location?
• What did you hear?
• How was this experience (the soundwalk) different from a regular stroll?

***

Audio editing tips:

1. Pay attention to your levels! Ensure that your sound levels fall between the -20 to -12 range on the audio meters.

2. If using music, special effects, or ambient sound on top of your interview ensure that the sounds do not drown it out

3. Use music effectively and sparingly. Try to avoid wall to wall music or effects.

4. If working with MP3 sound files (audio interview, music, effects, etc.), convert them to AIFF files. FCP works best with AIFF. MP3 files can cause clicking and popping sounds, will  need to be rendered, and may experience drifting synch during playback. You can convert MP3 files in multiple ways, including using:

• MPEG Streamclip
• Final Cut
• Compressor
• iTunes

Free Resources:

• Archive
• Audionautix
• Free Music Archive 
• Free Sound
• Sound Dogs
• Vimeo Music Store

***

Next Week: Interviews & Blog 3 due at beginning of class! Please post your blog and project prior to class. We will discuss your blogs and listen to interviews during lab.

DUE LAB 8: Blog Assignment 2: “What I Hear”

This exercise has two parts.
 
Part 1. The Soundwalk
Spend an hour doing a “soundwalk” around a particular neighborhood in NYC.
“Soundwalk” is a term invented by R. Murray Shafer, a musician and professor at Simon Fraser University. Shafer noticed in working with his music students that most of them couldn't remember even five sounds they had heard earlier that day. He created the soundwalk, a kind of walking meditation, as an “ear cleaning exercise,” a way to increase sonic awareness.

In An Introduction to Acoustic Ecology, Kendall Wrightson writes, “In order to listen we must stop, or at least slow down – physically and psychologically. We need to try to be human beings, instead of “human doings.” So – during your sound walk, do not answer your phone, text, browse, read or do anything but be, and listen.
The goal of this exercise is to “open your ears”... New York offers a rich sound environment. Close your eyes and listen.

Part 2. The Blog
What is the texture of the sound? What are the specific instruments in the city symphony? What sounds are clues to a specific neighborhood? A different time of day? What are sounds that are unique or meaningful to you? Just unexpected?

Some of Shafer's terminology might be useful to you in writing about your experience on the soundwalk:

Keynotes: background sounds 
Sound Signals: foreground sounds that attract attention, often intentionally.. 
Soundmarks: sounds particularly regarded by a community or its visitors (analogous tovisual “landmarks.”)

LAB 7: Recording the audio interview

Audio Inspiration:
True Love's First Miss (well, near miss) (from cowbird.com)
The Ladie's Man (from New York Times One in 8 Million)

Today we will record our audio interviews. If you have already recorded yours, or if you wrap up your recording prior to end of class, you can begin to edit your project. 

Those students who are without a partner, will be placed with a partner or in a group of three.

Interview tips:

1. Find a quiet space for your interview
2. Listen with your headphones to hear possible interference or unwanted noise
3. Set your recording audio levels!
4. Test record to ensure you are recording properly and getting good sound.
5. Have a list of pre-interview questions ready, but do not solely rely on them to get the best story our of your interviewee.
6. During the interview, make eye contact and actively listen!
7. Ask follow-up questions.
8. Plan out your ending. Think about how you want to wrap up your interview for your edited project. Consider asking your interviewee if they have anything else they want to add or say. 

Story Corps' Great Questions for Anyone: 

1. Who has been the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about him or her? 
2. What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest? 
3. Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you? 
4. Who has been the kindest to you in your life? 
5. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life? 
6. What is your earliest memory? 
7. What is your favorite memory? 
8. Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind? 
9. Are there any funny stories or memories or characters from your life that you want to tell me about? 
10. What are you proudest of? 
11. When in life have you felt most alone? 
12. If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be? 
13. How has your life been different than what you’d imagined? 
14. How would you like to be remembered? 
15. Do you have any regrets? 
16. What does your future hold?

Extra credit opportunity:

CODES & MODES CONFERENCE

Taking place from 11/7 - 11/9 at Hunter College, the conference brings together scholars, makers, curators, and educators in an interrogation of contemporary documentary culture. All program details can be found using the link above. You may attend one panel or screening and write a 250 word blog on your experience and takeaways for extra credit OR if you will be missing the trip to The Museum of the Moving Image on 10/29.

LAB 6: INTRO TO AUDIO


Audio stories:

http://storycorps.org/listen/annie-perasa-update/
https://soundcloud.com/jay-brunson-1/of-iceland-things


How to get good, clean sound

1. Choose a quiet space to record your audio/interview, preferably with no hum or consistent noise like an AC or generator.
2. Choose a space that does not echo like an open staircase. A classroom may work well.
3. Listen with your headphones! This will help you determine the quality of the space.
4. Determine your subject's audio levels. This requires you to "test" their levels by asking them to say something in their natural voice while you look at your Zoom recorder to see if they are too loud or too soft (peaking past -20dB or lower than -20dB). Based on their loudness, you can then set the Zoom record levels.
5. Test record! Do this to ensure you are recording properly and getting sound when you play back.
6. Record your interview!
7. Don't forget to record room tone!


Types of Questions (adapted from Laura Hadden)
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS 
 *elicit more detailed, nuanced responses [Tell me about your favorite sound...]. 

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
*help you to get more information about a previous answer [Why do you like this sound in particular? OR What is it about the sound that makes it so appealing for you?].
*help to clarify or explain an answer that isn’t clear. 

CLOSED QUESTIONS
*elicit yes or no responses, or one word answers [What's your favorite color?...Green.].
*ask the subject of the interview to remember something specific, but don’t usually help us to get full, complete answers.

LEADING QUESTIONS
*contain the opinion or assumption of the interviewer within the question.
*may sway the answer of the interviewee, because they think you want to hear a certain answer.
*an example of a leading question is: “You were in Boston last week, weren't you?” As opposed to, "Can you tell me if you traveled to Boston last week?" 

LOADED QUESTIONS
*assume or imply some fact
*like leading questions, they may not elicit a neutral answer
*a loaded question can be "So, you still don't like eating apples?"
*a better alternative would be "How do you feel about eating apples?" 

DOUBLE BARRELED QUESTIONS
*contain two questions in one and may confuse the interviewee.
*an example of a double barreled question is: “When did you move to New York and where do you live now?
*it’s better to ask two separate questions: First ask, “Can you tell me when you moved to NYC?” After that question is answered, you can ask, “Where do you live now?” 

EITHER/OR QUESTIONS
*allow the interviewee only two options for answering a question.
*an example of an Either-Or question is: “Which is your favorite kind of music, Hip Hop or Rock?”
*it’s better to ask, “What is your favorite kind of music?” because the answer might be Classical!

Other audio resources:
NPR.org and PRI.org - Radio news outlets that often contains great, documentary type stories and interviews 
Transom.org – Great technical & creative resources for producers of audio/radio
Interviewers on Interviewing – A YouTube Playlist curated by Transom
PRX – Great library of public radio projects
Cowbird.com - Great, community generated multi-media stories
StoryCorps.org - Check out their great questions list!



Next week in lab: We will record project 2. Please come prepared with your question list and headphones for your interviews.

LAB 5: Screening/Reviewing Project 1
 
Hi everyone! In preparation for Saturday lab, please read and follow the below instructions. I look forward to seeing your work...

If you are having any issues with your edit, please try to have a cut you feel comfortable showing in class. I will try to help you troubleshoot issues at the beginning of class. If you come early, that would be best.

During the second half of class, we will screen everyone's projects and allow for feedback and comments. Come prepared to talk about your project and your aesthetic choices. I would encourage each of you to post an accompanying paragraph on your blog explaining your choices along with your finished video. 

Please note that I encourage constructive criticism. Since this is our first assignment, let's use it as a stepping stone to measure our progress at the end of the semester.

By now, everyone should have created either a Vimeo or YouTube account to upload their projects. If you have a Gmail account, your YouTube account will be connected to it. A free account should suffice for this class.

Finally, if you are finished with your project, then you can move on to exporting it for upload. This link provides you with the proper export settings for hosting your video on line. These settings should also work for YouTube. Please note that we will also cover this process in class. When exporting from FCP, you will want to follow these steps: File > Export > Using Media Conversion > Choose your settings according to the Vimeo tutorial.