W E E K L Y . S U M M A R Y

Not-so busy week consisted of:

• Dating Someone 10 Years Older - Audio project 1
• Interviewing a House - Audio project 2
• Images Review
• Two Visual Creates

This week the course load wasn't too heavy for this class, mostly because the audio creates took a bit of work to complete. I'm happy with the end result of my two projects, and I liked working with and editing audio for our class. Mostly I'm glad I found a new appreciation for radio, and while I may not listen to it hardly at all, I definitely know it's there and I hope it doesn't die out! Radio is and has been important to many people for many years, and I'm all about stickin' to your roots.

Mainly I'm excited for the visual portion of this class. A while ago I used to be a photo-editing fiend (we all had the middle school phase, don't deny it), but since then I have lost most of my abilities. I used to use photoshop all the time, but I now don't have the software and am not too keen on buying it anytime soon - it's pretty expensive, and buying it illegally is (of course) out of the question. 

I think this section of class will be interesting because photo-editing is always interesting to work with, and I have always been interested in graphic design. Since the two go hand in hand, I can't wait to see what else we get to work with and discover in this section of class.

AUDIO PROJECT TWO - interviewing a house

Here is my final audio project, wrapping up our audio section for class!
My final project is pretty simple. I went around my house and recoded the sound from different appliances and other little things – I won't tell you exactly what they are, because I want to be annoying and keep people guessing (ha, ha, ha). Although this project is pretty simple, I had a lot of fun recording different things in my house and seeing what they sounded like on tape. These are the little sounds you hear everyday and don't think twice about, the little sounds you might as well not hear because you have been desensitized to them. I wanted to make these sounds more apparent - give them a voice, if you will. These little sounds deserve some attention too, you know.
I first got the idea to do this project when the two speakers from Michigan radio came to class on monday. One of them mentioned that she wanted to include the sound of a glass of water being filled into her episode. At first I thought this seemed silly, but after some reflection I realized that I really appreciated some recognition of the little sounds that go on in everyday life. Since we are focusing so much on sound, how it sounds, where it comes from and why it's important, why not also pay attention to the sounds we hear everyday? They don't have to be completely original, they can definitely be something we hear all the time, and not know what it sounds like exactly.
Anyways, I hope some people can appreciate this project although it seems a little basic...I'm not a slacker I swear!

FINAL CUT - Dating Someone 10 Years Older

Finished my first audio assignment!
Working with Audacity has proved to be pretty interesting. It is simple to use once you know how, but learning is a little bit difficult. I think that if it were a little bit updated or gave you more options, I would find it not only easier to use but also a lot more visually appealing - this layout looks like it's from the 90s.
Other than that, working with audio has been very interesting. I wouldn't say I love it more than video, but it has been relatively easy. The only thing I feel like (and maybe it's because I haven't experimented with audio enough) is that there is less room to be completely creative in audio. Maybe this is because there are less components to audio, but I just couldn't find as many options as video. Obviously, I enjoy both, but in completely different ways. It's a little hard to explain, but both definitely have their positives and negatives. They are, after all, completely different domains - at least through my eyes.
For my audio assignment on dating, I asked people if they would ever date someone 10 years older than them. Answers varied, but a majority of the people I asked said that they would not. This actually surprised me a little, especially since I thought the 20s were right around the age when age differences start to not matter so much in romantic interests; apparently, 10 years is a little too much. I personally don't know if I could date someone who was 30 right now, but I think it all depends on personality and similarities and, I suppose, the normal things you would look for in a partner - if they just happen to be 10 years older than you, but everything else checks out, then why not? Let's get busy. (hahaha)

"Living with Cancer" - Review

TheJCB - Breast Cancer Cell

Unfortunately, this was quite a sad topic for a radio show. However, I think it was very interesting and informative, and managed to keep listeners entertained throughout the whole three-part episode.
I was so surprised to hear about the legal problems involved with cancer. I would never have thought that people with cancer would go to the courts in order to sue people ruining the environment around them - it makes sense, but I can't imagine it is very easily to do, which the radio show did also mention. Since cancer is an interaction of our genes and environment, how can we blame one or the other? Take the nature vs. nurture debate - how can you choose just one? This was a difficult topic for me to grasp throughout the show, but perspectives were given from each side, eventually relating and realizing that the two work together in causing cancer.
I was also surprised to hear about Holland Michigan (where I went to high school), shout out to them!
In listening to this radio show I was conflicted with what makes the style of radio so unique in comparison to other mediums. I figured there must be some sort of "radio script", which we touched on when we read about how radio really tries to have a personal experience for listeners (using "you" instead of "everyone out there"). I came to the conclusion that radio is and isn't like writing in a couple ways. First of all, radio is more conversational (obviously, but still...). In that, I mean that you can start sentences with "So," and "Well", where you probably would not in formal writing. I think radio is more laid-back than writing because in writing, you have to form a voice; in radio, you already have a voice. This allows radio hosts to put their own twist on news, episodes, interviews etc. that they may not have been able to in writing - everyone reads things differently, but it is harder to misinterpret a voice heard on the radio.
I am starting to appreciate the differences of radio. This episode was actually very interesting, and I enjoyed learning about living with cancer. Listening to a show about something so personal almost brings it to a different, more personal level, which I thought was unconventional and not like simply reading a news article. Thanks Michigan Radio!

SOUND and STORIES review

flickr user all that improbable blue

So I've been a little bit cynical.

In my weekly review I talked about how radio doesn't really do it for me. I can't seem to focus on it and I don't see the need to. However, I have recently had...a change of heart. I wouldn't say that my opinion is changed completely, but in a way I almost feel bad for radio. It's been through a lot. 

That being said, I guess you could say I have found a new appreciation for radio after reading this piece, mostly because I was looking at it through the wrong lens - radio isn't necessarily about picking up every specific detail, it's just about listening to a story. When someone tells you a story, you might not pick up every word and sentence and intonation they use, and that's fine, because that's life. You can't always be alert to every detail of your life, thank god.

One of the things I liked about this article that I hadn't noticed (mostly because I don't listen to radio very often) is how personal radio DJs make the radio experience. It hadn't occurred to me that when listening to radio, one is often times alone, so being catered to on an individual level is something important for full listening pleasure. By forming questions with "you" as opposed to "all listeners out there", the relationship between radio and its listener is intensified – we're practically dating.

In all, what I generally want to say is that appreciating the difference between auditory storytelling and print/video/other media is important. Each have their own positive and negative qualities, all of which are appreciated in different ways through different lenses. Not everybody can write a broadcast for a radio show that engages, inspires and entertains, but most people would find it easier to write a short story – not that writing is a walk in the park, because it isn't, but something about radio, its relatability, voice, and personal experience takes us to a different place than certain stories can and ever will.

w e e k l y . r e v i e w

This week I:

• Wrote "create" creatively
• Responded to Valentine's Day 2013
• Posted my fist Vox Pop pop pop
• Shared some ideas for our radio show on dating
• And posted a photo of my favorite daydreaming window, and favorite window in general

It's spring break woooo! This week before our break has really been one of the busiest in a long time. From midterms to papers to readings to other various unnecessary homework assignments, let's just say I'm pretty happy this week is over and I can relax over spring break. 

I don't know how I feel just yet about this audio section of the class. On one hand I do like listening to radio shows that talk you through a story or show you something new, but on the other hand my inability to multitask (that is, listen attentively to the radio and do something else) gets the better of me when listening to a radio episode. In turn, it becomes hard for me to simply sit down for an hour and listen to a radio special such as "Valentine's Day 2013". Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the work being put out there, but I can't seem to appreciate radio episodes as much as visual episodes. It's probably just because I've been so accustomed to a certain level of stimulation - I completely blame the entertainment industry that my generation has been raised by. Why sit and listen to a radio episode when you can race through a track in Need for Speed or watch the stomach-turning dramas of Mad Men?

Sorry radio, I don't think you're making the cut (I'm sure someone still loves you, though).

Radio On - A Review

Flickr User peetje2

"You will never understand radio by listening to it."

I liked reading this article a lot, mostly because it gave me a whole new outlook on the whole medium of radio. The line quoted above really embodies the main aspect of the article, which is that radio goes far beyond simply listening - it is a dream that you are guided through by your auditory senses.
The thing I enjoy a lot about radio, especially when broadcasted as stories (like the one in the article, and the one we heard in class), is how personal the experience ends up being. In that I mean that when listening to a story, your mind has a way of taking you there so you experience it on a whole new level. I think that by listening to a story you become so much more engaged by it, only because that is how we originally were exposed to stories - by word of mouth. Listening to a story through radio broadcast brings back these animalistic senses we once were so fond of and now have through reading, video, watching and more (not to undermine these mediums, which also have their own unique qualities). This is exactly what I think puts radio aside from all other mediums of storytelling - the familiarity. We understand, learn about, and interpret our world through listening and hearing, so when we listen to a story we are automatically transported to a place where other mediums would have trouble taking us. I believe this is the magic of radio, which is far, far too often underrated.