Category: Class

You’re not going to believe this.

Our next class is on Monday, November 2nd and it is our last class together. Midway through class you’ll be moving from audio to video until the end of the semester. So sad!

But if you love radio, theres’s a 15-week class in the spring semester called Radio News Writing & Reporting. It’s also the pre-req for the podcast class – a class for people who want to make a weekly show. And there’s also more to learn and listen to here.

Assignments due next class (Nov 2) –

• Write and record a short feature using your work interview.  You should have already picked your favorite tape. You’ve written a script. Now record yourself reading the story and edit it together in ProTools. You should use at least 3 AX, and the story needs to be a good balance between tape and script.
• Next class you should hand in a WAV file of your story onto Network Share. It needs to be between 2 min – 3 min. No shorter, no longer. You should also hand in a script (here’s an example). ** You can have a host intro or not, your choice **
• Please read “Common Newswriting Errors” – I’ll email it to you.

 

NOTE: There’s no class on Monday, Oct 12th.

Assignments due on Monday, October 19^th, 2015:

• Complete a one-on-one interview. Find someone you don’t already know and interview them about their work. Try to find some compelling and surprising stories and details about their job. The interview should last between least 15-25 minutes. Be sure to ask lots of questions including: what does the future hold for their job? We will use their responses for a short news story. You do not need to hand in the whole interview.
• Pull 5 or 6 cuts from your interview that you really like. Each cut should be between 10-30 second. Put the cuts up on the Network Share (the folder is called “Jobs”)

• FOR THE NEWSCAST ON OCT. 19TH: Come to class with three ideas for news we should cover in our newscast. It can be big or small, and at least one idea should be about something happening in NYC that evening.
• Bring your charged cellphone to the class and your dinner

What we listened to in-class:

• On the Media – Pulling Back the Curtain
• Joe Vittaco, Freelance Embalmer
• Walter the Seltzerman

Tips for Interviewing

• Prepare your questions
• Write a lot, weed out the ones that don’t matter
• Put them in order
• Make sure you have the ones you need near the top
• Put the truly difficult ones at the end
• Arrive a bit early, dress appropriately, bring extra batteries
• Tell them the rules of the game: how long you’ll record, how much you’ll use, feel free to say whatever you want, you can also say something again
• Ask them their name, their title, a short title, how to pronounce and spell their name
• Make sure you listen
• Ask them to explain, ask them again
• Ask the questions that the listener are thinking
• Don’t let them hold the mic! Ever!
• Feel free to steer subject back to the subject that matters
• Try to maintain eye contact, don’t go “uh huh”
• Bring paper & pen – write down Qs that come up
• Look at your questions, anything you missed? Anything you should ask again?
• Anything I should have asked?
• Room tone / ambi – at least 30 seconds – if it’s a noisy room get a minute of ambi

Good luck!

Assignments due on Monday, October 5^th, 2015:

1. Record at least 10 people responding to one of the following questions: What did you think of the lunar eclipse? or What did you think of the Pope’s visit to NYC? or What kind of president do you think Donald Trump would be? (OR just write your own question on one of the three topics – the lunar eclipse, the Pope’s visit or a possible Donald Trump presidency. Just PICK ONE QUESTION. Be sure to ask people the same question, the same way. Be sure to record at least 1 minute of ambience. Then listen to your tape and do a rough log (here’s an example of a log here). Edit a vox together in ProTools using your favorite responses to the question. Your final vox should be about 30 seconds to 90 seconds MAX. Please put the final vox on Network Share (along with the log) and label it like this: 20151002_Vox_Aronczyk.wav
2. Please read the This American Life comic book – I’ve emailed you a copy, please let me know if you don’t have it.

Assignments due Monday, September 28th, 2015:

1. Please find WNYC 93.9FM on the radio or online – listen to at least one story in its entirety. If you don’t have a radio, you can stream it online. What did you hear? What did you like? What didn’t you like? What got your attention?
2. This I Believe: Students should write their own “This I Believe” essay. It should be between 60-90 seconds, approximately 150-250 words. Write the essay, then take out the equipment and record yourself reading it. Make sure the sound is okay on the file, if not, record it again. Put the final file on Network Share under “Fall 2015 // Courses // Fundamentals in Multimedia // Aronczyk” folder. Please label your file like this: 20150928_ThisIBelieve_LastName.wav
3. Please read the Scott Simon article, “Writing for the Ear”

What we listened to/watched:

• Anatomy of a Deportation: Marianne McCune
• How To Record Like a Pro
• This I Believe: Always Go To The Funeral
• More “This I Believe” essays