Identity and Music - ID# 412
Maine West
Natural Audio News Package
Entry Description
This is a news package about how the music programs at Maine West shape student identity now and in the future.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/23 4:03 pm - Lots of great sound bites I loved it. Angies mic level seems to change even within her own interview, but in general not all the sound levels were matched, Angie, Karen and Freddie all seemed to be at different levels. Natural sounds also seemed to vary in levels. The point of B-roll and the natural sound package sounds is to reinforce what the interviewer is saying. I didn’t always sense a connection between what was said and what was seen, the b-roll seemed more generic and interchangeable. For example, Karen is talking about how music has shaped her identity and passionately expressing herself and yet the b-roll was slow moving, wide, and one of the shots the singers just looked uninterested (47). If you are going to talk about passion and expression, let me see and hear it. Also some of the sound bytes were just to short, it ended up giving your piece a bit of a choppy feel, I think your last interview with Jay was the one that worked best, because you let the natural sound help tell the story that jay was communicating in the interview.
- 3/25 7:12 am - Good start to this package with the natural audio from the different music classes. I also liked how each person introduced themselves. You need to make sure you are balancing your audio levels throughout your piece. Never have the level of your natural audio be at the same level as your sound byte - that makes it especially difficult to hear what is being said. At :20, Angie’s audio was low and then it suddenly got louder at :27 - need to watch for mistakes like that and catch it before you export your story. When we see a person speaking on camera, there should be no natural audio from b-roll in the background. The only time we should hear the natural audio from the b-roll is when we are actually seeing the b-roll. If there is music that is bleeding out into the hallway from a music class, that’s a different story. But to purposely put natural audio from a b-roll clip that isn’t being shown in the background while someone is speaking is not right. Good variety of different clips of b-roll from choir, band, and orchestra.
- 3/4 11:33 am - I liked how your story focused on the entirety of the music department. This was a really nice story with a clear focus. Some of the shots of the choir room seemed over saturated and there were a few moments when the audio didn't seem leveled. Interviews were well lit and framed and you had a great variety of b-roll. Keep telling news stories- this is a great start!
Judge 1
Positives: There was a nice variety of shots with different classes to showcase a variety of music. I like the tight shot on the piano of hands playing the instrument.
Improvements: Too many shots before you hear the first sound bite. Make sure to listen to the different audio levels and they are all leveled, and the nat pops aren't higher than the sound bites.
Judge 2
Positives: Nice shot variety to open the story! I liked the nat pops of the music throughout the piece! Really nice sound with some of the students! You captured some memorable sots. Loved hearing about how much has influenced and shaped their lives.
Improvements: I liked your interviews, but next time, put your mic on your subject as they're doing whatever it is they're doing. In this case, mic up a student as they're singing or playing the violin. That'll help you capture clean nats and maybe even a good interaction between your subject and someone else. Music can be tough to work with sometimes. Just make sure you're fading your audio in and out so it blends together. That way, it sounds less jarring to the viewer.
Judge 3
Positives: *The quick bites at the top of the story with the students explaining what ensemble they are in really helped set the stage for the story and explained the breadth of the music program. *The narrative clearly and effectively eplained the "why" for each student.. what they take away and what music means to them!
Improvements: *Try to keep your audio levels uniform. That is tricky with such a variety of music. Good attempt. *Some additional shots of the students who are speaking used as video to cover their sound bites could have helped the viewer feel more connected to the video.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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