Lindsey Komson

Reading & Writing

In The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, Chapter 8 discusses the anatomy of a sound wave, a microphone, and a recording. I learned a lot from this chapter, as I’ve never really thought about what makes a recording look and sound the way it does.

I took an earth science course during my second year of college, and we learned about the amplitude and frequency of seismic waves. I learned that it’s pretty similar to how sound recordings work – the amplitude is how tall the soundwaves are, signifying volume, and frequency is how close together the soundwaves occur, determining pitch. I have done some audio editing for the podcast I work on, so I definitely notice the height and distance of the soundwaves on Adobe Audition. However, now that I understand what they mean, I will be knowledgeable going into editing.

I also learned about the different types of microphones that exist and how they all capture sound differently. When recording one person, multiple people, in a quiet or busy location, or in rooms with porous/non-porous objects, it’s important to choose microphones that will record clear audio and allow for seamless editing.

The Podcast Host is a website that seeks to help people start and grow podcasts of their own. By reading several of their articles, I learned a lot about what it takes to prepare for a podcast recording. Many successful podcasters prepare an invisible script before they record, but these scripts can be written in several formats. There are fully fleshed out scripts that people read from start to finish, scripts with certain parts written out and other parts outlined, and some with just a basic bulleted outline. There are pros and cons to all methods – some sound monotone like you’re just reading into a microphone, some are too off-topic, and some are a great balance of both.

These days, attention spans are at an all-time low. This is why podcasters need a good “hook” to capture listeners’ attention and keep them listening for the whole episode. A hook can be written as a personal introduction, a tagline, a mix of both, or in several other ways. A good hook makes or breaks a listener’s experience with a show, so it needs to be entertaining and intriguing. Once you’re past the hook, it’s important to keep your audience’s attention by using different storytelling techniques. For example, “The Mountain” technique brings listeners on a journey up to the main event and back down to the end.

Research to Inform

To get an idea of how successful podcasts incorporate different types of audio, I listened to some audio projects online.

NPR’s Music Respawn features discussions with composers of video game soundtracks. The episode “Tim Wynn’s music shines in ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’” begins with an engaging snippet of the game’s music. It then fades as the host begins speaking but it plays in the background for another 20 or so seconds while she continues to introduce the podcast. The episode is mostly interview-style, but there are points where they discuss a certain piece of music and then play it for the audience to hear. I think this is an engaging format because it hooks the audience in right from the beginning, and then continues to play the music/use it in the background throughout the show.

This ad for Uber uses audio incredibly effectively to describe how their services can benefit your life before even saying a word. The advertisement, called “Your Night Awaits” begins with a sporadic, faint drip sound (or the second variation with a typing sound), that picks up and appears to the tune of “New York Groove” by Ace Frehley before the song itself syncs up perfectly and begins playing. This audio sequence signifies how Uber can transform a boring night in into a fun night out. The CTA at the end does its job, but the ad itself perfectly conveys the message before anyone starts talking.

We should always appreciate music in movies. But when you experience a scene without music, you realize how much it impacts the viewing experience. Watching the final scene of Star Wars: A New Hope is extremely powerful when you really pay attention to the score. The sounds are upbeat and heroic as Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca walk towards Princess Leia, but once she awards them their medals, the music becomes softer and more regal. Watching the clip without any music really drives the point home, as it feels awkward and quiet. The music not only makes the scene less awkward, but tells the story of the scene regardless of the clips on the screen.

Create

To get an idea of how I wanted to structure my podcast, I filled out this podcast pre-production planning document. You can read through my ideas and outline here: