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So here it is. . .
My first attempt at radio journalism.
I tried out my ‘radio voice’ and have survived relentless ridicule from my very grownup 27 year old brother!
Radio News by Wizzi
Remembrance Day Vox Pop evaluation
Our first group task was to decide on the question(s) to ask the public. The first thing I learnt was that closed questions cause problems.
The public were responding with yes/no answers, which meant we had to ask the interviewees to expand. Yes/no answers, although good for gaining qualitative results, for use when for example you are conducting a survey, in this case simply made our job more difficult. Beginning with an open question where the public would have had to give wordy answers in the first place would have saved us time and editing. The initial questions could have been better prepared so that they instigated a more flowing response.
Changing the initial question to, ‘What is your opinion on the relevance of remembrance day?’ would have probed fuller replies and made it easier to edit out our own voices, without leaving the material ambiguous.
Asking people to ‘spare a few minutes’ makes them less likely to talk to you than if you approach them directly and confidently. Going straight up to them, telling them you are from the university and then asking if they would mind answering a couple of questions worked much better. I learnt that it is important for the group to all know what they are going to say when approaching people. Time is wasted by ambiguity in roles within the group.
The equipment we were using cut out and we lost two good interviews, which was extremely frustrating. From this I have learnt to always fully charge equipment before going out and take time to ensure equipment is working (recording) prior to pressing record. I have learnt how to use a mini disk recorder (the HHB Portadisk MDP500), how to transfer data onto a computer and how to edit a soundbite.
I have learnt that editorial skills can be transferred across sound and video, so once you understand the basics of one programme it is easier to use other programmes. Having previous knowledge of Premiere Pro helped me pick up the basics of Soundbooth.
The microphone must be close to the person being recorded but does not need to be so close that it puts people off. The ability to alter sound levels when editing means that volume differences inevitably recorded when asking a variety of people (who will have varying natural voice volumes) are not an issue so long as they are all recorded within a certain range.
Each person in my group had a go at holding the equipment, directing the microphone and asking the questions. I began editing the voxpop in class where we were told to begin removing our voices. The interview I put in at the beginning does not sound like an answer to our questions so I have left it on it’s own to introduce the piece. After that I put the best sounding questions (clearest) in before the corresponding answers and grouped together various responses, so that the piece makes sense.
Remembrance Day Vox Pop evaluation
Our first group task was to decide on the question(s) to ask the public. The first thing I learnt was that closed questions cause problems.
The public were responding with yes/no answers, which meant we had to ask the interviewees to expand. Yes/no answers, although good for gaining qualitative results, for use when for example you are conducting a survey, in this case simply made our job more difficult. Beginning with an open question where the public would have had to give wordy answers in the first place would have saved us time and editing. The initial questions could have been better prepared so that they instigated a more flowing response.
Changing the initial question to, ‘What is your opinion on the relevance of remembrance day?’ would have probed fuller replies and made it easier to edit out our own voices, without leaving the material ambiguous.
Asking people to ‘spare a few minutes’ makes them less likely to talk to you than if you approach them directly and confidently. Going straight up to them, telling them you are from the university and then asking if they would mind answering a couple of questions worked much better. I learnt that it is important for the group to all know what they are going to say when approaching people. Time is wasted by ambiguity in roles within the group.
The equipment we were using cut out and we lost two good interviews, which was extremely frustrating. From this I have learnt to always fully charge equipment before going out and take time to ensure equipment is working (recording) prior to pressing record. I have learnt how to use a mini disk recorder (the HHB Portadisk MDP500), how to transfer data onto a computer and how to edit a soundbite.
I have learnt that editorial skills can be transferred across sound and video, so once you understand the basics of one programme it is easier to use other programmes. Having previous knowledge of Premiere Pro helped me pick up the basics of Soundbooth.
The microphone must be close to the person being recorded but does not need to be so close that it puts people off. The ability to alter sound levels when editing means that volume differences inevitably recorded when asking a variety of people (who will have varying natural voice volumes) are not an issue so long as they are all recorded within a certain range.
Each person in my group had a go at holding the equipment, directing the microphone and asking the questions. I began editing the voxpop in class where we were told to begin removing our voices. The interview I put in at the beginning does not sound like an answer to our questions so I have left it on it’s own to introduce the piece. After that I put the best sounding questions (clearest) in before the corresponding answers and grouped together various responses, so that the piece makes sense.
Sounds BBC ready to me!
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