Week 4: Multimedia

This week we bring much of what we’ve talked about up to now together into a fully-fledged podcast episode. You’ll be integrating your voice, appropriate music and sound effects, and your knowledge of storytelling into (what you could consider) a pilot episode of a podcast. Get ready, the skills you’ve developed over the past week using Adobe Audition will be truly put to the test this week!

Learning Objectives for Week 3

  • Further explore means for making audio presentations engaging
  • Demonstrate proficiency in the use of Adobe Audition to compile podcasts of a precise duration using multiple supportive voice contributors/sources
  • Communicate an effective message per a strict given time
  • Explore the intricacies of voice alone as a presentation medium
  • Analyze sound in film
  • Identify critical elements of media reviews
  • Plan a presentation using a script template
  • Equate script length to oral presentation duration
  • Identify and utilize appropriate stock audio content

Consumables

Each week there will be a number of items for you to consume, be it reading, watching, listening, or a combination thereof. Note that some of these are local pages and some are links outside the site!

Readings and videos

  • Read part III: Concrete (pp. 92-108) in your TED Talk book.
  • Watch: Why You Don’t Like the Sound of Your Own Voice (12 minutes)
    • “Your voice is indistinguishable from how other people see you, but your relationship with it is far from obvious. Rébecca Kleinberger studies how we use and understand our voices and the voices of others. She explains why you may not like the sound of your own voice on recordings, the differences between your outward, inward and inner voices – and the extraordinary things you communicate without being aware of it.”
  • Watch: Everything you hear on film is a lie (16 minutes)
    • “Sound design is built on deception – when you watch a movie or TV show, nearly all of the sounds you hear are fake. In this audio-rich talk, Tasos Frantzolas explores the role of sound in storytelling and demonstrates just how easily our brains are fooled by what we hear.”
  • Watch: Social Media Storytelling (30 minutes)
    • “Social media tools are being used across all media sources including traditional news outlets and online-based resources. This program focuses on the variety of ways social media is essential to storytelling and news distribution. Each chapter highlights an element of social media used by top journalists who rely on these communication channels to both research stories and broaden their audience. It’s designed to help students and educators understand the growing role of social media in the gathering and dissemination of news and the many ways to make the most of this technology. Social media has changed how we gather and report news in general. It’s a crucial tool in reporting today since we receive many tips and reach many sources to confirm information even before the story ever makes mainstream media. This is more often the case especially when breaking news happens. It’s important for students to use social media to gain and disseminate information and to research each topic thoroughly, read as much as they can and be familiar with every side of the issue. We’ll teach students how to humanize the issues so they’re not just talking about statistics or numbers. How to use Storify, Tumblr, Buzzfeed, Opensecrets.org and different websites like Mashables - that have interesting information and ways for students to get out and tell stories using audio, video and pictures. How to ensure the information they obtain is vetted and accurate and ensure the story is valuable or newsworthy. How to get as many aspects of a story as they can and how to make it different from similar stories out there to help inform their audience. We’ll show students how to use their journalism skills and apply them to this new medium and above and beyond, how to capture the absolute essence in a paragraph - confirm it, attribute it and source it. Subjects covered include: Using Social Media in Politics, Putting the Public back in Public Affairs, Social Media as a Database, The Day in the Life of an Online Reporter and Behind the Scenes of “Storify”. Includes a list of links and websites to help students investigate stories and find out more about newsgathering and dissemination practices.”
  • Read: Two Ways to Say More with Fewer Words
    • “Attention spans have never been shorter it seems. But what can you do? In order for people to value your content, they’ve got to extract the value that’s there in the first place. The problem is, no one’s going to wait around for you to explain at length. You’ve got to get the point across as quickly as possible. Luckily, there’s a solution. All you have to do is say more with fewer words. Here are two communication strategies that allow you to present an entire idea in 10 words or less.”
  • Watch: What is Vocal Fry? A Speech-Language Pathologist Explains (2 minutes)
    • “The ASHA Leader asks Washington, D.C.-based SLP Laura Purcell Verdun four questions about vocal fry and how she treats it in clients. Read more about vocal fry: https://on.asha.org/2CfpEdh"
  • Watch: What is Vocal Sibilance and How To Get Rid of It (5 minutes)
    • “Hearing too many ‘S’ sounds in your recordings? From picking a microphone, techniques for fixing your tongue placement and even a pro tip with recording software, Gabby’s going to ssssave your VO day!”
    • NB: you may feel as though it’s offensive to suggest a method of speech that seems to be mostly cultural. These resources are here to aid in your clarity of speech, not as a cultural critique.
  • Read: CDC Audio Script Writing Guide
    • NB: yes, it’s that CDC. Why? Many organizations and individuals rely heavily on the clear and easily-digestible and -actionable conveyance of information! This is one way to accomplish that.

Assignments

Your assignments for this portion of week 1 are as follows:

  1. Complete Project 3: Presenting a Podcast
    1. Submit your audio file (in mp3 format), the brief reflection described in the mini-project description, and the screenshots of your Audition interface.
  2. Share your recorded practice podcast (the mp3 file) in the Teams #audition channel. Make sure to describe it when you share it, don’t just throw the file in the channel!
  3. Complete Quiz #2.
This course is adapted from ETCV 301: Interpreting and Presenting Digitally, developed for the University of Arizona by Dr. Stephen Arnold.