I am not a professional musician but I do have several friends who are, so learning some of the ‘life hacks’ Filippo Gaetani offered in his blog, “7 Secrets for Getting Pro-Sounding Vocals on Home Recordings” was an interesting topic to learn about. As it turns out, you don’t need a big budget or the luxury of living near a recording studio in order to pursue your art. I was fascinated to learn that a few pieces of equipment (i.e. a quality microphone, some computer software, etc.) and a room with enough padding and fabric-y furniture that doesn’t allow sound to reverberate too much will do the trick.
But I found more practical information through Hal Robertson’s 2002 article “Sound Advice: Editing Audio and Video.” In learning the difference between A-roll and B-roll (A-roll is the main focus of a video project, such as an interview with a subject who’s just witnessed a newsworthy event, while B-roll is footage that supplements the main product; i.e. panning over a crowd, a busy intersection, foot traffic, etc.), a good audio/video editor will know that both may perform different functions or have different purposes but are both critical to the finished product. As long as the transitions between each of these scenes is seamless (using fadeouts, cross-dissolve techniques, etc.), it’s more than possible for the film project to incorporate varying elements that are made cohesive and add to the story as a whole. Perhaps most importantly, Robertson recommends that editors edit for the ear first, rather than the eye: “I want you to forget the way you’re "supposed" to edit video and think about the sound first,” he writes. “It can change the whole look of your productions and will certainly transform the quality of your sound.” Research to Inform 1. Netflix’s “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” Official Trailer
I chose this clip because it incorporated the imaging and branding of what Billy McFarland touted as a luxury music festival that of course never quite materialized. It utilizes snapshots of compelling interviews by those who were involved with FYRE either as guests or planners, which are alternated with footage of the island, partying scenes, soundbites, and festival music. The entire 2-minute trailer neatly packages what the documentary is going to be about and leaves viewers all the more curious.
By the way, I highly recommend watching both Netflix’s and Hulu’s documentaries about the FYRE Festival. Very fascinating, especially from a marketing perspective. 2. “30 Rock” clip: Liz Goes Corporate “30 Rock” is a fabulous, satirical comedy and was one of the first examples I thought of for this blog. Each episode always uses music that matches the feel or emotions conveyed by the characters (such as in this scene, when Liz resolves to join the corporate world), and the jazzy music used in the restaurant scene, which conveys a sense of elegance that she feels when she’s commandeering the business meeting. 3. The Woody Show Animated Podcast: “Greg Thinks about Death Constantly”
Last module, I used one of my go-to daily podcasts as an example of a great audio project. The creators of that same podcast, The Woody Show, occasionally create animated versions of the the hosts’ personal stories that they share on the air. For this one, the host Greg is the focus of this particular animation. I love that the animation uses suspenseful music, commentary from Greg, and basic sound effects such as a vibrating phone, pouring coffee, and traffic sounds” to make the story about his unnecessary panic come to life.
Create For this module, I created The ClinkCast podcast, a one-time podcast project where two of my friends and I discuss the trials and errors of online dating and how we predict digital dating will change the future. The hardest part of this project was figuring out what to share. Originally, I recorded the three of us having a casual, non-scripted conversation over glasses of wine and breadsticks around 11pm, and ended up with 45 minutes of material. Condensing that into just 3 minutes was the most difficult aspect. The second most difficult part was very quickly learning how to use Audacity and using music and ambient sounds to add something special to my podcast. I didn’t use any special equipment other than my laptop’s microphone and Audacity. I did use some free, public domain music and sound effects to enhance my overall product, as well as the help of some of my friends (and their stories) to help create the podcast.
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