This was one of the most fun I've ever had working on a project for school. I loved having the creative freedom to produce a radio drama with anything I want in it. I decided that for this final project, I would re-create a radio drama similar to the "War of the Worlds." I decided to take this route because I wanted to pay homage to how influential radio dramas once were. In my opinion, there was not a more telling example of how they could influence people than the legendary war of the worlds which sparked fear in thousands of people who were listening. Having that as a historical backdrop, I was very excited to get to work.
The first step of course was the script. This process was easier than I expected. The words just seemed to flow and the script came together naturally. Next came the task of finding actors and recording. This was the best part of the process because I love to record and it is fun to record with other people and play off their emotions. After the recording was done came the most daunting task of this entire project, the editing and adding of sound effects to enhance the story. I underestimated how difficult it is to use solely sound to create a scene. I had to use many different kinds of effects, some seem trivial, such as backround crowd chatter but without them, the story would not be the same. I did have a great time adding the explosions and the sounds of the aliens attacking towards the end. I had to be careful there to not overuse anything and muffle the story. I think that I found a happy medium between the two.
This final project put an exclamation point on a great semester in Audio Production. It had its ups and downs for me but overall I walked away with great hands on knowledge on the process of producing sound as well as realizing the amazing power sound can have on a person or group. That is if they choose to listen and from now on I know I'll have my ears open.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Soundslides
This project was the most challenging endeavor for me this semester. I remember I was a little overwhelmed when I first got the assignment sheet. The idea of finding a Penn State community member and interviewing them as well as taking their picture was daunting for me when I first found out about it. After I took some time to think, I realized that this project would give me an opportunity to highlight a member of the Penn State system who was also a member of my family. That person is my father.
The interview with my father was a little uncomfortable at first. It was hard to see him as a regular person for the duration of the conversation, but after the first few minutes I found the story I was after and the rest of the talk went on without a hitch. Looking back I wish I would have gotten more pictures of him to enhance the final project. The most difficult part of the process I found was adding in the soundbites of my dad into the final project. The task of editing and re-editing was very tiring. The easiest part of the experience was using the soundslides program to put together the final product. It was amazing how simple it was to load everything up and create the story.
This project was the most challenging one this semester. I learned a lot and got some great experience in editing and interviewing. I was glad I was able to tell the story of my father and his determination to receive a degree from Penn State.
The interview with my father was a little uncomfortable at first. It was hard to see him as a regular person for the duration of the conversation, but after the first few minutes I found the story I was after and the rest of the talk went on without a hitch. Looking back I wish I would have gotten more pictures of him to enhance the final project. The most difficult part of the process I found was adding in the soundbites of my dad into the final project. The task of editing and re-editing was very tiring. The easiest part of the experience was using the soundslides program to put together the final product. It was amazing how simple it was to load everything up and create the story.
This project was the most challenging one this semester. I learned a lot and got some great experience in editing and interviewing. I was glad I was able to tell the story of my father and his determination to receive a degree from Penn State.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Sound Effects
After experimenting and playing around with natural sound and my voice, next up was an introduction into the world of sound effects. These effects are all around us when it comes to entertainment. What really surprised me about sound effects was that some of the most noticeable and recognized effects were made by using materials that everyone has in their home.
After gathering all the necessary effects for my advertisement, next came the question of what it is I'll be advertising. After a while, I decided to cross the project with my radio show endeavor and create an ad for my show "The Sports Zone with Spencer Pascuzzi." In doing so, I felt that I was able to put more effort into the project because I wanted to create the perfect ad for my show. After recording my voice, in came the effects. I decided to put the song I would use for my intro to the show as a music bed to give the listener something to recognize when they tune in. I also used such sounds as phones ringing when I talked about people calling in and a gulping sound when I invited people to disagree with me.
The sound effects that I used for this project greatly added an entertainment value as well as credibility to my ad. Its funny how little soundbites, some of them only a second long, can add so much to an audio track when they are used correctly.
After gathering all the necessary effects for my advertisement, next came the question of what it is I'll be advertising. After a while, I decided to cross the project with my radio show endeavor and create an ad for my show "The Sports Zone with Spencer Pascuzzi." In doing so, I felt that I was able to put more effort into the project because I wanted to create the perfect ad for my show. After recording my voice, in came the effects. I decided to put the song I would use for my intro to the show as a music bed to give the listener something to recognize when they tune in. I also used such sounds as phones ringing when I talked about people calling in and a gulping sound when I invited people to disagree with me.
The sound effects that I used for this project greatly added an entertainment value as well as credibility to my ad. Its funny how little soundbites, some of them only a second long, can add so much to an audio track when they are used correctly.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Voice exercises
This exercise exploring the power of my voice was the most fun I have had with a project. The poem that I chose to read for the monotone/excited readings was The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. I decided to use this poem because it was one that I had heard many times in my life but never read myself. For the children's story reading I used The Polar Express because it was a story that I thought fit my voice range.
I started with the recording of the monotone poem. This was more difficult than I had anticipated because I misdiagnosed how much conscious effort went in to reading with limited emotion. I had a much easier time with the excited reading because I was able to let loose and let the story dictate my tone. Both were an eye-opening experience into the power of my voice.
The children's story was equally as fun. I liked this part of the exercise because I was able to focus more on the actual inflection of my voice to aid the telling of the story. It was fun imagining that I was reading to a young child because I was imagining that I was reading it the way I would of wanted my parents to read to me.
These exercises were very fun and enlightening. I had no idea what the power and range of my voice was. It got me thinking on how the inflection in my voice changes without me knowing it. This was one of my favorite assignments of the semester.
I started with the recording of the monotone poem. This was more difficult than I had anticipated because I misdiagnosed how much conscious effort went in to reading with limited emotion. I had a much easier time with the excited reading because I was able to let loose and let the story dictate my tone. Both were an eye-opening experience into the power of my voice.
The children's story was equally as fun. I liked this part of the exercise because I was able to focus more on the actual inflection of my voice to aid the telling of the story. It was fun imagining that I was reading to a young child because I was imagining that I was reading it the way I would of wanted my parents to read to me.
These exercises were very fun and enlightening. I had no idea what the power and range of my voice was. It got me thinking on how the inflection in my voice changes without me knowing it. This was one of my favorite assignments of the semester.
Soundwalk 3
The final part of the recording process for the sound walk to me to the sidewalks of our Behrend campus. After searching for a while, I found the best spot that I felt exemplified the outdoor sounds of the campus. This area was the benches set up outside the Hammermill Building at the science end of the campus.
I chose the benches because it was the perfect spot to pick up the 3 major outdoor sound categories. These categories are building noise, sounds of nature, and the sounds of students and faculty members walking around. This area did not disappoint. I timed it so I set up a few minutes before classes let out for the day so when I got there, there was no human sounds. During this time, I was able to pick up the sounds of the building's air conditioners running as well as the sound of the wind blowing through the branches on the trees. It was truly a serene moment. The serenity only lasted for a few minutes though because after the classes were let out, I was consumed with the sound of people holding their own conversations with one another. The sheer amount of people led to the jumbling of the voices that completely drowned out all other sounds.
This area, like the study lounge, had a great mix of sound. I was able to record great material that really added strength to my project. All in all this sound walk was a very rewarding experience and it gave me some great tools when it comes to separating and identifying individual sounds. I look forward to see what happens next.
I chose the benches because it was the perfect spot to pick up the 3 major outdoor sound categories. These categories are building noise, sounds of nature, and the sounds of students and faculty members walking around. This area did not disappoint. I timed it so I set up a few minutes before classes let out for the day so when I got there, there was no human sounds. During this time, I was able to pick up the sounds of the building's air conditioners running as well as the sound of the wind blowing through the branches on the trees. It was truly a serene moment. The serenity only lasted for a few minutes though because after the classes were let out, I was consumed with the sound of people holding their own conversations with one another. The sheer amount of people led to the jumbling of the voices that completely drowned out all other sounds.
This area, like the study lounge, had a great mix of sound. I was able to record great material that really added strength to my project. All in all this sound walk was a very rewarding experience and it gave me some great tools when it comes to separating and identifying individual sounds. I look forward to see what happens next.
Soundwalk 2
For the second part of this sound walk project I chose to stay within my dorm and record in the area that had the most intriguing sounds to me. That area is the study area/laundry room in Tigress hall. This area intrigued me because there is such a variety of sounds.
Not only do you get the small conversation going on between people studying, you also hear the clicking of the keyboards on the computers, the low hum of the washers and dryers as well as the sound of people playing the old table soccer game located in the corner of the room. When I sat down there with the intention of only listening, It really hit me how all these sounds can mix together and get lost in your head. When you're down there to study, the laundry room sound is lost because of the focus on the books. When you are doing laundry, you don't hear the conversations in the other room. The only time you get the full effect is when you go with the intent to just listen like I did.
This aspect of the sound walk really opened my eyes to the mix of sounds and how they can blend, no matter how different they are. I looked forward to recording the final piece of my project that would take place outside.
Not only do you get the small conversation going on between people studying, you also hear the clicking of the keyboards on the computers, the low hum of the washers and dryers as well as the sound of people playing the old table soccer game located in the corner of the room. When I sat down there with the intention of only listening, It really hit me how all these sounds can mix together and get lost in your head. When you're down there to study, the laundry room sound is lost because of the focus on the books. When you are doing laundry, you don't hear the conversations in the other room. The only time you get the full effect is when you go with the intent to just listen like I did.
This aspect of the sound walk really opened my eyes to the mix of sounds and how they can blend, no matter how different they are. I looked forward to recording the final piece of my project that would take place outside.
Soundwalk 1
With this project I had my first real experience with using microphones to go out and record my surroundings. This "sound walk" project entailed that I go out and find a place that defines me and my day and record. This was an interesting proposal for me. It really got me thinking how and where I spend the majority of my day. The first place to begin my journey was my room in Tigress Hall.
I spend a lot of time in my room over the course of a day but I never had sat there just to listen. In the ten minutes I was listening, I picked up on a variety of sounds that I always had just dismissed as background noise. These sounds included the sound of my air conditioner, the sounds of my suite mates going about their day, and the sound of the electronics humming even when they were turned off.
This introductory assignment to sound walks was a very enlightening experience. It taught me how to just sit back and listen as well as to appreciate all noises that create the symphony that is my room.
I spend a lot of time in my room over the course of a day but I never had sat there just to listen. In the ten minutes I was listening, I picked up on a variety of sounds that I always had just dismissed as background noise. These sounds included the sound of my air conditioner, the sounds of my suite mates going about their day, and the sound of the electronics humming even when they were turned off.
This introductory assignment to sound walks was a very enlightening experience. It taught me how to just sit back and listen as well as to appreciate all noises that create the symphony that is my room.
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