Wednesday 4 January 2017

P6 - Radio edit

Transcript:

Okay, so this is my radio documentary on the Brexit vote in the UK and its aftermath. My first question is about what you voted for and why you voted for it.

Okay so I’m probably in quite an unusual position in that I voted to leave the European Union, on the basis of an anti-racist position and a pro-public service position and for greater equality and more internationalism, now lots of those things are related to, and were used to push back against the no campaign, and the Brexit which is how it’s being described is not what I was voting for, but I felt we needed to vote on face value should we be in or out of Europe was Europe as a institution, the European Union a good thing for ordinary people in the world not just in Britain but in the world, and I feel that it’s not, and that’s why I voted to leave.

Okay, I’d also like to ask how you feel about the end result, presuming you were happy with it because of the way you voted?

The vote was just a vote, I’m not happy with the situation full stop. I wouldn’t have been happy had we voted to stay because of the climate that we’re in, and I’m not happy that we voted to leave because of the climate we’re in. We’re in a climate where mainstream politicians are quite happy to blame migrants for the ills of the economic situation of many ordinary people not just in Britain but across Europe and so forth and that’s a very dangerous position to be in. I don’t think we’d be in any worse a position had we voted to stay inside Europe, that debate was going on and is separate in some measure to whether or not we voted yes or no, the two things are obviously related to each other but there are two ways in which you can leave Europe, you can leave Europe in a completely reactionary way which closes up the borders and says no one should come in and boots all European union citizens out, and ferments racism and nationalism, and you can leave Europe in a way that says it’s not fair that the European union makes you have to not borrow money to invest in public services, that structurally ties you into the banking system of Europe, that is going to pass laws like T-tip that means if you privatise your public services like health and transport you’ll be sued if you take them back into public ownership and, all the other problems with Europe like it’s major problem with not letting in refugees and with backing NATO and other armed conflicts in the middle east, all of which you know I’m opposed to. So I’m for left-exit, the exit from the European union on a progressive basis okay, a basis on which we say we are with internationalism, we are with people across Europe, we are with people in Greece who are being smashed by the banks, and we want proper distribution of wealth which I don’t think the European union’s about.

Okay, my next question is why do you think there was such a severe social media reaction to the result?

I’m not aware that there was a major social media reaction to the result, maybe it’s cause I don’t spend a lot of time on social media. My understanding is that there was initially some street based protests and quite a number of you know people who were very upset about the fact that we were leaving Europe. I understand why people are upset because the people feel that Europe perhaps, and I think it’s misguided but perhaps Europe offers some kind of internationalism and some kind of outward looking approach for Britain and I just think that that’s not the case. I think that those things happen because people are people not because of the European union per say, I think people are very scared about European migrants being sent back but I’m looking at this from a global perspective and as I’ve said before you know I think it shouldn’t just be French and Swedish people who are allowed into Britain, I think it should be Syrians and North Africans and Eritreans and you know Sudanese people who are in a lot of trouble and they should be allowed into Europe just like Europeans think its fine for us to go and work all over the world.

Okay, would you say that Britain’s future is brighter now than before?

No the vote is not the key factor in that, the key factor in this is about whether ordinary people with put up with having our health service taken apart, having cuts to public services including education, having bankers and billionaires and bosses get away with hiding their taxes, not paying for stuff and you know becoming even more rich than they were before the financial crisis of 2008, and that’s gonna change depending on whether or not people resist and struggle and fight back and that’s the key question. The key question is not yes or no in the European union, the future of Britain is not bright in the current climate, the current political leadership of the country, but I think the election of Jeremy Corbin as the leader of the Labour party clearly indicates that people do not want to put up with having their health service trashed, their trains run for profit, their energy companies run for profit, the environment run ruff shot over and so forth and there’s a sign that you could fight back but people have to stand up and shout about it a bit more than just voting in an election.

Okay, and do you regret your decision in any way?

Not in the slightest, the only other decision would be to abstain and I don’t think it’s really a question to abstain on. You have to take a position, but I think the European union has far too many major problems and it’s set up in the interest of industry and business, private business and private enterprise and it’s not set up in the interest of the citizens of Europe. The things that Europeans have won out of the European union have happened as a concession, not as the main thing. The European union was not set up to help working people and you know we have to tell it like it is.


Okay, thank you very much.

Paper edit:



Narrative: The narrative of this podcast is simplistic and politically relevant, the subject speaks about the recent Brexit vote to leave the European Union. During this interview segments of media coverage of the event are sliced into the audio timeline to provide context and extra information. I removed the questions because the answers given were self sustaining and independent.

Script Evolution: In the original audio script I had intended to discuss the media's coverage of Brexit but in the end I decided that the interview should be more of a free flowing discussion which relies less on a structured line of questions. This decision lead to the cutting of other topics such as the perspective of youth and the opinions of those who have turned on the European Union.

Completed Podcast:

Tuesday 3 January 2017

P5 - Sound elements

Following the audio script:

Whilst recording and editing my podcast I tried to remain as loyal as possible to the original audio script. However one of the main changes I made was to change who was speaking at the beginning of the podcast. Originally I had intended to use an audio clip from BBC or another news organisation which talks about the confirmation of the vote results. In the end I decided to change it so that Nigel Farage. I also decided to remove other news commentary sound clips from the middle of the edit, as I believed it would confuse the narrative. Instead following the initial beginning audio clip, the rest of the podcast is simply the interviewee answering questions.

Equipment:

I used my own personal headphones and a college provided mic system to record the interview. I also used my phone as a recording device in case something were to go wrong with the mic recording. I used my headphones to listen to the audio as I recorded the interview, and I made sure to keep the mic at a distance to avoid audio peaking and to make sure both voices were level.





File and editing screenshots:

Below are screenshots of the editing process and the filing system which I used whilst putting this project together. I used Adobe Audition to put the podcast together in a multi track session, I also stored all the media such as photos of the set, the interview audio and the script PDF in a single folder.



P4 - Production plan

Audio Script:


VIDEO
AUDIO
N/A
SFX (00:00): Audio of BBC coverage of the Brexit vote results. Atmospheric background sound of cars moving and general traffic. Music featured is the national anthem.

INTERVIEWEE (00:05): Discusses his feelings about the vote and his opinion on the media’s coverage of it.

INTERVIEWEE (00:34): Talks about the social media reaction to Brexit, and how youth felt toward the situation.

SFX (010:28): Audio from Nigel Farage’s winning speech.

SFX (02:45): Sounds of static that acts as a transition between audio clips of coverage and the interviews.

INTERVIEWEE (03:47): Discusses how the European Union affected the UK and the way that it’s citizens have turned their back on the union.

INTERVIEWEE (04:57) Finishes his speech on the EU and elaborates on his final opinion on the subject.


Legal/ethical:


Foley, dialogue and atmospheric sounds will be recorded by myself, however some sound effects need to be obtained from online sources such as the BBC or other news sites. This includes discussions of Brexit and various announcements made by important politicians involved in the decision. These sound effects are needed to help enhance the storytelling whilst having no image component. Some audio clips on the internet are copyrighted so I will collect these sounds from a non-copyright sources and websites which allow their content to be used by third parties. I will also avoid asking any sensitive questions in the interview that may offend the guest or the listeners. Questions such as "Do you not care about the consequences" will not be appropriate as the wording may cause offense and reveal a bias. Depending on the guest's preference, I will ask him whether or not he wants his name to be revealed.

Risk assessment:


Hazards
Persons potentially affected
Potential damaged property
Risk controls in place
Risk assessment
Action required if risk occurs
Water bottle
N/A
Any and all electrical equipment
Keep water at a safe distance away from technology
Low
Dry equipment and apologise to owner
Hard flooring
Myself or my interviewee could be harmed if they were to walk across the floor and be tripped up by equipment that hasn’t been appropriately set up
If an individual were to fall over they could also damage necessary equipment to the recording of the podcast
Make sure there is a fair amount of space between the interviewee and the technology at hand
Low
Seek a medical doctor to help with any injuries
Equipment and wires
Myself or my interview, either of us are at risk but I am the most likely to move around and potentially be tripped up
If I or my interviewee were to trip we’d likely snap the wire from its source therefore potentially damaging it and other equipment
Looking where I’m going is the best defence against a risk like this. Same goes for my interviewee. I would also inform my interviewee of the cables.
Low
Seek a medical doctor to help with any injuries

Production schedule:

Day
Activity
26.09.16
Studied a range of sound elements from media products.
27.09.16
Found examples of how certain sound elements are produced.
28.09.16
Developed five separate ideas for a radio podcast.
30.09.16
Specified two ideas to develop.
07.10.16
Record interview based on and around Brexit.
10.10.16
Transcribe the interview for paper edit purposes.
12.10.16
Find online sources which can offer Brexit commentary such as the BBC and ITV.

Location assessment:

The location is a college classroom and the interview will take place there. I will be recording the interview during class time therefore avoiding large amounts of corridor noise. This is crucial, as I need to record the dialogue with as little to no background noise as possible as the additional noise could compromise the quality of the podcast. Any additional sound for SFX sequences will be taken from online sources, and not from this room.

Monday 26 September 2016

P3 - Idea development

Ideas

Idea 1 - Taxi Driver
Interview taxi drivers about dealing w/ the public and the abuse they suffer with certain citizens. I will interview a taxi driver from the company Panther, and discuss with him his experiences in the area.

Idea 2 - Brexit Opinion Piece
Discuss with a member of the pub their opinion on the EU vote and the final decision.

Idea 3 - A Day in the Life of a Punter
Discuss with punters their experiences whilst punting. What kind of customers they deal with, what kind of day to day issues they face.

Idea 4 - The Most Hated Man on the Street
Discuss with car ticket officers their experiences whilst dealing with the public. How they deal with abuse and delivering punishments.

Idea 5 - A Homeless Outlook
Interview homeless people on the streets on Cambridge about their outlook on the rest of the world. Also discuss with them what they think of themselves.

Extended Development of Ideas

Taxi Driver

- Sound Effects

Sounds of a busy street will be recorded and implemented into the final track. This will add to the realism of the radio podcast.

- Atmospheric Sounds
There'd be a basic backround track with nothing but room noise, this is there so that there are no audio gaps in the final mix.

- Music
A down to earth "right's free" guitar track will work as background music reinforcing the tone of the interview and the normaility of what the interviewee describes.

- Dialogue
The dialogue will go back and forth between the interviewer, and the interviewee. The questions will require context and therefore the voice of the interviewer will be crucial.

Brexit Opinion Piece

- Sound Effects

Not many sounds effects will be used in this podcast, the focus of the sound is the voice of the Brexit voter.

- Atmospheric Sounds
A basic background room track will be used so that there are no dips in the sound mix, simply for continuity purposes.

- Music
The music will be a "right's free" piano piece, a somewhat emotional background piece to accompany the passionate opinion of a voter.

- Dialogue
The dialogue will be one sided, the voice of the interviewer will only be used very briefly, the track for the majoirty of the time will feature only thte interviewee's voice.

P2 - Understand how sound elements are produced for media products

Definitions

Sound Effect: A sound effect is a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, film, or other broadcast production.



Atmospheric Sound: Background noise that can be heard based on where the source of the sound is in the environment.




Music: A combination of instruments play to accompany scenes and the emotions shown within them. Music is often created by an orchestra, but can also be created digitally. Typically an outside composer is hired by the studio to come in and create a score, which usually contains at least 10 tracks to be sold as an album on platforms such as iTunes.

https://www.beoplay.com/~/media/MP3/SoundMatters_Episode3.mp3

Dialogue: Words/sentences that are spoken by actor's or dubbed in the post production process. Dialogue is sometimes used in narration, to help an audience understand the context of the film/tv show e.g. Morgan Freeman in War of the Worlds. Typically dialogue is recorded on set, with the actors present, but sometimes the on-set sound isn't good enough for the final edit. This is when a process named ADR is utilised, which involves actors coming to a small sound booth and re-recording some lines which weren't audible on set.

http://transom.org/2016/tinkering-with-sound-design/

P1 - Understanding how sound elements are used in media products

Drive Film Clip

Purpose: The purpose of the sound is to immerse the viewer in the world of the driver. Diegetic sounds are used to keep the scene realistic and grim. The purpose of the sound is to show the viewer what the characters are seeing.

Elements: The majority of the sound featured in the clip is created in post. Only dialogue sections will have been actually recorded and used. Sounds of police sirens, radio chat, and engine exhaust are featured heavily throughout the opening scene. Diegetic sound is the primary sound element although there is a small non-diegetic piece of music that plays in the background.

Meaning: The scene lacks dialogue, reiterating the focus of the driver. The sound of the police radios means that they are looking for someone. The sound of the game on the radio, implies that the driver is timing his escape in a very specific way.





Radio - The Harvesters (1565) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Purpose: The interview focuses on informative and factual dialogue rather than ficional content. The purpose of the sound is to educate and inform the audience about the artist's work. The presenter's dialogue is somehwhat clearer which helps to differenciate the different voices.

Elements: Various atmospheric sounds can be heard throughout, sounds of birds can be heard as well as non diegetic dialogue from the interview. This helps the audience become immersed in the scenery and environment, whilst also being informed and learning from the dialogue.

Meaning: The dialouge boosts the audience's knowldge of the paiting and how it portrays certain elements that the artist expresses. The would educate the audience with the artist's knowledge as well as with their own interpretations of the painting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0476m4n



Podcast - Welcome to Night Vale

Purpose: The pilot is from a fictitious podcast that looks into a small town through the perspective of a radio announcer. This podcast is rather descriptive in it's dialogue and the presenter announces news thats happening around the town. The use of dialogue allows audiences to become immersed in the story. Sound effects/music music also add to the immersion and tone.

Elements: Atmospheric sounds can be heard throughout the podcast to change the mood of the story. Other sound effects can also be heard to accompany the ambience as the presenter speaks. Music is also on every podcast to reinforce the feel of a radio podcast. At the beginning of each episode, a short piece of dialogue is heard for introduction purposes.

Meaning: These sound elements affect the way the listener feels, wether they're tense or relaxed, excited or bored. The mixture of the sound effects also change the mood of the audience. Dialogue serves to inform the viewer with what is happening and what the characters are experiencing.