Reading & Writing
This week’s Audio & Video Design module gave an overview of one of the most important but often forgotten elements when it comes to media - sound.
In Chapter 8 of Tom Schroeppel’s “The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video,” he describes the anatomy of common audio equipment, which he likens quite literally to the anatomy of the human ear canal.
“Microphones are imitations of our ears,” Schroeppel writes, “Every microphone has an ‘eardrum,’ called a diaphragm, which vibrates when hit by sound waves. The vibrations are then converted to an electrical signal which can be broadcast or recorded” (Schroeppel, p. 92). What I found additionally interesting is that speakers work almost like microphones, just in a different order. With loudspeakers, electric signals hit the diaphragm, creating sound waves. Although I have attended many a concert over the course of my short lifetime, I had never bothered to understand how I was able to hear the various musicians I’ve seen perform. The main types of microphones used for sound productions include a lavalier (or a hands-free mike), a standard hand mike, and the supercardioid/shotgun mike (used commonly in television news segments), (p. 98). Schroeppel recommends a dynamic hand mike (p. 102) as the top pick, as it is the most versatile of the microphones. When it comes to the actual sound/podcast production process, Square Tree Marketing owner Kevin Anderson proves that planning what you’re going to say is just as important as how it sounds. For reference, here is the intro to his six-part series, “Engaging Episodes: The Powerful Podcasting series.” As someone whose primary medium is the written word, I find it a bit nerve-wracking to rely on the bullet-point scripting method Anderson recommends. Writing gives me the opportunity to filter what I want to say, and of course, put my best self out there, even if the words I say don’t necessarily convey the ‘real’ me. This is why he recommends the “Invisible Script” method of writing. This method, he says, “comes across so naturally that the listener thinks it’s been ad-libbed.” This is because writing for the ear is much different than writing that is meant to be read - something that sounds great on paper may not necessarily be executed as well in the sound booth. As I think about this, I realize that most of my favorite podcasts or radio shows are near and dear to me precisely because of the conversational flow of the hosts’ talking points and banter. More on that in the next section. Because there is no such thing as the ‘right’ type of podcast, there is a lot of room for someone to decide the rundown of their podcast. But as long as the podcast incorporates all (or most) of these basic elements that Anderson outlines, it’s on the right track:
Final note: I had seen the Star Wars “throne room” clip without sound, which I can only describe as eerily hilarious. Humor aside, it illustrates the importance of sound in film! Research to Inform I’m not a diehard podcast listener as most people in my town seem to be, but I do gravitate towards the following three podcasts the most: 1. “The Woody Show” https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-woody-show-26318098/ (Note: it appears that the podcast that is listed on the site changes every day, so it may be slightly different depending on the day my audience reads this. But the format is pretty much the same for every podcast. The one I’ve linked is from July 11, 2019). Almost every morning I listen to the Los Angeles-based radio station Alt-98.7 and from 6am-10am, I get a dose of “The Woody Show.” The show uses a couple different taglines, such as “Number-one in (insert name of city)” and “Insensitivity training for a politically correct world.” The morning podcast is spearheaded by Woody (hence the name of the show) along with co-hosts Greg, Ravey, Menace, and Seabas. A few reasons why I like this particular podcast: Firstly, all the hosts/co-hosts have unique ‘radio voices,’ personalities, and I enjoy their unfiltered approach to life. Being part of the iHeart Radio enterprise, the show is well-produced and has the budget to match. I’d say that the format is conversational, somewhat of a panel-style podcast. The show also incorporates a variety of fun segments - some of which involve listener participation - including the News segment (usually involving reports about not-so-smart criminals), Redneck News (again, highlighting not-so-smart law-breakers), listener polls, “Throwback Thursday” hits, “Rock Traffic (report),” and my personal favorite, the “Craigslist Freak of the Week” (listeners vote for the creepiest/funniest personal ad. Occasionally, there are interviews with well-known musicians and comedians. Because all the personalities on “The Woody Show” have considerable radio experience, their conversations, transitions, and commentary all flow well. 2. “Getting Curious” with Jonathan Van Ness - “What Makes a Cult a Cult? With Dr. Natalie Feinblatt” (released April 15, 2018) For my fellow “Queer Eye” fans who need something to consume between seasons, “Getting Curious” is a treat. I *believe* this podcast was made even before the Netflix “Queer Eye” revival. Each podcast is about 30 minutes and involves one-on-one interviews between Jonathan and a guest who specializes in subjects he’s curious about - hence the podcast’s name. His guests range from Olympic athletes to art historians to scientists to his fellow co-stars and to people like Dr. Natalie Feinblatt, a cult researcher. The production is high-quality, and Jonathan’s personality alone makes the podcast fun to listen to. Everything sounds conversational and natural and not at all forced. 3. “The Dollop” - “Uber” (released June 5, 2017) Described as “a bi-weekly American history podcast,” “The Dollop” is a hilarious podcast hosted by comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds. Each podcast centers on a humorous or bizarre moment of history (though some episodes focus on recent events, such as the Trump administration). Dave Anthony conducts the research while Gareth Reynolds hears the historical facts for the first time, on-air, and gives his commentary at the same time. One of my favorite episodes is on the longer side - I highly recommend listening to the podcast about Uber if you can spare the time. Fair warning - it may make you think twice before supporting the Uber empire. It probably helps that Dave and Gareth already have an established friendship, which adds to the quality of their interactions. The format is nonfiction, narrative storytelling, with a healthy dose of discussion, and the part that appeals to me most - it makes learning about weird American history fun. The podcast is also well-produced in terms of sound (even when they record live episodes), as I know they record in their private home studio. Create Below is the Mind Map I created for my developing podcast project:
Below is the Pre-Planning Production document (with the Mind Map included) I created for my developing podcast project:
I chose this topic because it's one that I've thought about often, as I found that all things digital - including relationships - are becoming more commonplace. I know my own thoughts on the topic and am curious to hear what my fellow peers have to contribute to the conversation. The main challenge will be trying to stay composed and natural as possible, and not relying too heavily on my script.
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