Reading and Writing
In Chapter 8 of The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, Tom Schroeppel gives his key points on what microphones to use in certain situations as well as the science behind sound. There are two ways to break down the way people perceive sound. The first is frequency which looks at how close the waves are to each other. This is measured by Hertz. And the second looks at the loudness of it or amplitude, which is measured in decibels.
The most common way to record sounds is through a microphone. Microphones are able to pick up sound waves and their patterns through omnidirectional microphones and directional ones. Omnidirectional picks up everything around the microphone while directional focuses on one area. Different mics are used for different needs depending on the sound trying to be captured. This can range from a lavalier for interviews to a shotgun mic on a boom pole for wild sounds to be used later in post. Even phones have the ability to record sound now with their built in microphones.
Just because you have the right equipment though doesn’t mean mistakes can’t be made when trying to record sound. Such things could be trying to adjust frequency while recording or making other movements and adjustments while the recording is in progress. It is also important to make sure the sound is picking up good levels and is consistent with recording each type of audio as they will need to line up for editing continuity. And because some microphones are very powerful that means making sure the room is quiet (unless needed otherwise) so that no additional voices or noises outside of what you’re trying to capture are picked up. Sound effects and other room tones should always be recorded on separate tracks.
On the Podcast Host site, Kevin Anderson gives his tips on the pre-production aspects of writing and planning for a podcast. One tip is to write like you talk. A lot of people enjoys podcasts that don’t sound scripted but rather flow like any normal conversation they would be listening in on. This helps to create a feeling of inclusion and visualizing the conversation happening right in front of them. Another tip is to use contractions for the speaker to read the words more fluently and keep the sentences short too so the words don’t become mixed with one another. And as for the story, make sure you keep the listener wanting to stick around for the ending, otherwise it will drag on and they will possibly lose interest in what is being said.
Research to Inform
Before I started planning out and creating my own podcast, I checked out a few podcasts that I found interesting but also different from one another to help determine which direction I would want to take for my podcast.
The Ron Burgundy Podcast
This podcast I first heard about while listening to the radio on my way to work and being a huge fan of Will Ferrell I knew I had to check it out. The podcast starts out with a “cold opening” joke before fading into the main theme. What makes this podcast stand out from the rest is that most are familiar with the Will Ferrell character Ron Burgundy so it makes it easy to visualize him talking. Yet the way he reads the lines and jokes don’t seem scripted at all thanks to the performance of Ferrell but also the timing and spacing between lines. Just like in real life, people analyze what they’re going to respond with before speaking. There are no SFX and music is only used for the intro and outro.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3Nwb3J0cy5lc3BuLmdvLmNvbS9lc3BucmFkaW8vcG9kY2FzdC9mZWVkcy9pdHVuZXMvcG9kQ2FzdD9pZD0yNzk5NzA3&episode=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lc3BuLmNvbS9lc3BucmFkaW8vcG9kY2FzdD9pZD0yNzU5NDMzNQ&hl=en&ep=6&at=1568325262699
Dan has always been one of my favorite ESPN commentators and his show Highly Questionable has always been a must-watch for me when breaking news in sports would come out. But I was curious to see how he translated his style to podcast form which is why I checked out. The film is similar to an ESPN style show but allows for more input from other commentators who time their comments well when interjecting on topics. It is easy to tell that the show is not scripted at all but rather based around big topics in sports. What I like about it though is that one story leads to the next and they relate back to the big topic at hand. This helps when transitioning to a new topic. It is also very easy to visualize the sports moments using key audio from games or describing pictures of the way athletes are dressed coming into the game.
Filmspotting (#737)
https://www.filmspotting.net
Watching and making movies has played a big part in my life so finding a podcast related to film was a definite move for me. But what stands out about this podcast is that it reflects on the behind the scenes of some of the most famous movies in Hollywood and uses a narrative story of what happens behind the scenes for people who already know the “story” of the movie. This podcast helps to put into perspective the effort put into each shot and scene that makes the listeners look at the movies differently. The podcast starts with its intro and music from the speakers but then helps to set the mood with key SFX and dialogue from the movie they are talking about. Background information is then given on the plot and who is in the film. The podcast focuses heavily on music and SFX from movies relating to the film and other projects from Tarantino in this case.
Create (Mind Map)
To help with my pre-production planning for my own podcast, I created a Mind Map on some of the topics I want to touch base on during it.
Pathfinder_Podcast
Below is the full Pre-Production Planning document:
Pre-Production Planning Document for PODCAST
Works Cited
Anderson, Kevin. “The Art of Creating an Invisible Podcast Script: Engaging Episodes #1.” The Podcast Host, 23 May 2019, www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/the-invisible-podcast-script/.
“Chapter 8: Sound.” The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, by Tom Schroeppel, Langara College, 2018, pp. 91–110.
