Minnesota Audio Production

SPEECH 325--Friday, May 22nd

2009-05-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

While one group works on their Storycorps interviews, I'm hoping you'll spend an hour or so exploring something relating to the art of interviewing.

You can skip down to the entry immediately below this one and learn more about Studs Terkel, listen to some of David Isay's audio work, etc. Those of you interested in audio work will find all kinds of links here on the blog of potential interest.

Or here are a few other options...

1) Listen to a story on "new" job interview questions...

2) Review the overall job search strategy--much of this was covered by Matt in his presentation..

3) Read a bit about what makes job interviews go wrong...

(I can't speak to the overall quality of this website, but the observations above look good).

4) Many of you seemed to like that first article from Pete Seeger (to Seventeen Magazine). Learn a bit more about him here...

5) And here's a bit about Richard Russo...the guy who wrote the commencement address you read on day one.

6) Back to job interviews--this site from Boston College is excellent. You may want to review those behavioral interview questions a touch

Introduction to Audio Interviewing--SPEECH 325

2009-05-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

This entry outlines a day or two in a 4.5 hour class being taught on interviewing. We spent some time yesterday learning how to use audio equipment, but have done fairly little to think about structuring an interview, writing questions, etc.

Our day (or two) will go like this...

1) Meet Studs Terkel...

Also might check article and video from Chicago Tribune after his death

2) Learn about Storycorps

3) Listen to a couple more sample interviews conducted and edited by students and housed on the Voices from the Valley web page.

3) Practice using the equipment once more. Guide for how to do so is here.

4) Discuss Holding On...We'll listen to one from the book as well--Robert Shields and the world's longest diary.

5) Writing Questions for Storycorps-like interview focusing on your college career. View links above on conducting interviews--several of them relate to writing questions.

6) Practice using equipment once more--asking a few of our Storycorps questions.

7) Listen to a couple samples from Day in the Worklife

Listen to sample from Dan's Barber Shop

8) Assign people to interview for Mankato Works Project--Begin thinking about interview questions

Creating Soundslides Project--John Cross's Class

2009-03-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Step one: Create broad plan for your project...this will evolve as the project moves along, but what story are you trying to tell. Think here about who you are going to interview, what questions you will ask, what sounds you will collect, etc. Here's a good link for creating questions and this site has good info about collecting sounds and other issues.

Step two (or three): Collect Sound. Use Marantz Digital Audio recorders. Instructions here.

Step three (or four): Take photos using all the lessons taught by Professor Cross.

Step four: Log your recordings. Logging is basically a less than perfect transcript. Click here for a how-to on logging.

Step five: Use Audacity (free audio editor) to edit and create your sound file. See links on right side for tips on how to use Audacity. Especially hepful may be the basic hadnout on editing interviews in Audacity and the YouTube video.

Step six: Begin producing your Soundslides project. The YouTube video on the right is very strong, as are some of the handouts.

Step seven: Publish your Soundlides production on the Voices from the Valley website. We'll have a separate page featuring the work from this class for all the world to see. Thanks.

**Here's some info on multi-media journalism you might find of interest--you'll find sample Soundslides here, tips on editing audio, making Soundlsides productions, etc. This is an excellent resource.

Writing for Radio...

2009-02-28T12:25:00.001-08:00

Here's an excellent "manifesto" by Nancy Updike on writing for radio--especially valuable for your Southern Minnesota News Project folks...

Interviews--Editing with Audacity

2009-02-16T04:57:00.001-08:00

**Students in SPEE 440 please read the entry immediately below this post before reading this one. Thanks.

Click here for a handout on how you can use the free audio editing program, Audacity, to create edited versions of your interviews.

**Notice you will find more detailed instructions on Audacity over in the links on the right hand side of this blog.

**Here are a couple samples of the kinds of things you might want to create from your interviews

Interview with Gretchen Waldo
Interview with Ralph and Thelma Norman (music can always be used for personal pieces--more complicated rules apply if piece is to be hosted on website or aired on radio)

**As you search for things to include in your edited (shortened) interviews, look for things like: 1) Great Stories, 2) Any action (maybe the person takes you over to show a photo, etc.), 3) Fun interaction between interview and interviewee, 4) Any great sounds--maybe the person sings her favorite song, etc., 4) Nice unique ways of saying something--the person describes something in a unique way, 5) Important words you want to preserve--person talks about love for family, etc.

Remember, your edited version is a highlight reel of sorts--look for the stuff with some punch--those stories, and jokes, and images that you want to last.

Interviews--What to do Before Beginning to Edit

2009-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The following pertains mostly to those individuals who have recorded an interview with someone and wish to edit this interview into a shorter piece featuring only the best of what was said. For example, you've interviewed a loved one or important member of the community and now want to turn an hour interview into a five minute piece likely to attract a wider audience.

I'm assuming no knowledge of this process and will take you through step-by-step. I'm also assuming you've recorded on some kind of digital recording device and are now ready to transfer those digital files to your computer. Needless to say, the process below is just one method--modify as you'd like...

Step One: Create a folder on your computer into which you will place all the recorded sound. I suggest sub-folders for more complicated projects. For example, if you've conducted interviews with your entire family, create a folder titled "family interviews" and then use a folder to organize each family member, "Dad," "Mom," etc.

Step Two: Use a USB card reader to drag and drop the sound files into the folder on your desktop or external hard drive. Card Readers make this process a whole lot easier (no software) and using them is often better for your machine. Of course, you may elect to skip the card reader and export from machine.
**If purchasing a card reader, I suggest you get one with a cord--the ones without cords will not attach to every computer.

Where you're at now...You should now have your sound neatly organized in a folder (the three tracks I used recording my two hour interview with grandpa are in a folder titled "grandpa" on my desktop, for example).

Step Three (optional): Go into itunes and create a new playlist--give the playlist a logical title ("Grandpa Interview") and drag and drop all your sound files into this playlist. Why do this? itunes let's you easily listen to the file on your computer, clearly indicating time for logging and the like.

Step Four: Listening and Logging: Start at the beginning and listen to EVERYTHING you recorded. People often want to cut corners here, but I strongly suggest listening to the entire interview. As you listen, create a log of the recording. The log is NOT a transcript--you need not write down every word. But, your log should do the following: 1) Clearly indicate the title of the track or track number, 2) Provide a fairly detailed account of what was said when, 3) Use markers to indicate when important things were said. Click here for a sample log--notice how the log does the things I've mentioned--especially important are the lines like "excellent tape" that will help me go back into the log and find the stuff I want to use in my short piece.

**I open both itunes and a Word document as I log the recording--this way I can easily see the time, pause if needed, etc. I believe logging this way is much easier than, for example, logging from the machine on which you've recorded.

Step five: Beginning to Edit. You now have a fairly detailed log and are ready to dump the big sound file into an audio editor to begin making a shorter piece capturing the highlights of your interview. We'll discuss the editing process in the next entry.

**If you'd like to hear the interview detailed in the sample log above, click here and scroll down to the interview featuring George and David Mocol (the fourth interview on the page).

Online Syllabus for Class in Audio Documentary

2009-02-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Professor Gerald Zahavi at SUNY Albany has been kind enough to post his course syllabus online--the class is titled: "Readings and Practicum in Aural History and Historical Audio Documentary Production"

The syllabus is a remarkable resource--some of the materials can only be accessed by students in the class, but the vast majority can be viewed by all.

Click here to check it out...

Work from the Center for Doc. Studies

2009-01-31T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The Center for Documentary Studies down at Duke University posts some of its work, much of it produced by John Biewen, who runs the show down there. John is actually from Mankato, and I think you'll really enjoy his work--there's a lot of other good stuff here as well.

Audio Docs from the Center for Documentary Studies

2009-01-28T18:06:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Just a quick first entry here. Hope this site is of some value to those working to produce audio stories here in Minnesota--especially to the members of KMSU Radio's Southern Minnesota News Project.