Media 180
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-Podcast Unit-
-Prep Work-
Task 1:
-film/TV
=trainee finder
=director
=line producer
=director of photography (DoP)
=Archivist
=bookings coordinator
=post- production runner
-graphic design
=motion graphic desinger (post-production)
=computer graphics (CG) supervisor
=web design
-video games
=community manager
=concept artist
=enviroment artist (games)
=game tester
=quality assurance (QA) build engineer
Infographic on directing - Task 2
Task 3 (Podcast research)
-Production process of podcast , consider equipment and tips for "good" podcast
Firstly develop a concept.
-define your goal of why you want to start a podcast.
-have podcast topic, then do market research for the competition within that genre. listen to some of those podcast and consider what you could do differently.
-make it specific, try focusing on sub-category within that genre.
-podcast name should be available and memorable, try relating it to your brand.
-choose podcast format (e.g-interview podcast)
podcast equipment:
podcast mic = dynamic microphones are better. pick up lower frequencies and less sensitivity to surrounding noises.
-USB mic affordable; practical.
TOP MIC RECOMMENDATIONS:
website (buzzsprout)
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Podmic |
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Example podcast setups
1. One-person setup
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Any headphones you have
2. Two-person setup
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Samson Q2U | (x2)
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Audio Technica M20x | (x2)
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RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES:
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RODE PSA1 Boom Arm |
Shock mount | -
Foam ball or pop filter |
Further advice -
choose podcast software
Available free software include, garage Band
or Audacity. And Adobe Audition.
In addition to this -
write podcast outline , even if its a few bullet points- this is to be done before starting podcast to avoid going off topic. if working with co-host share this info with them.
Nevertheless it's also vital to pick a suitable recording place.
- quite, lots of furniture ,curtains, rugs; carpet.
Noise bounces off of hard flat surfaces, so eliminate these where you can.
-run tester trial for USB mic plugging it in and recording audio in software. Attempt to also do this with host if you have any.
Key word-
(Off axis placement of a microphone stands for when a microphone is placed angled to the sound source).
-Reflective Journal -
I found a diverse range of advice and tricks that would help improve the quality of my podcast. This research also allowed me to expand my knowledge on what goes into making a podcast and the different career paths that are available within the growing media industry. I especially found it useful to outline what my podcast would look like as it gave me more confidence that this is a task i can attempt.
More advice:
-record yourself talking at a consistent volume at different positions. listen to the recording to see which position is the best quality.
-Podcast editing
=create engaging intro/outro.
=For music soundtrack use - Royalty free music.
=fix audio issues such as background noise last - firstly focus on the actual content.
=fade between tracks to avoid unwanted noise.
=when editing on second round create list of key timings to go back to beforehand.
podcast artwork -
cover poster - make sure to look at requirements for image (e.g-2 frames etc)
for artwork
- limit words on cover and minimalize the amounts of different fonts used.
-don't show podcast equipment on cover.
-use consistent branding.
-use ( Adobe Creative Cloud Express)- then when done download the file as (.jpg) or (png.)
(tip)- sharing podcast with friends and family and getting there feedback and peer-review with others doing podcast.
IMPLICIT
-The genra of the podcast, wheather it be in a interview formate or documentry style.
OPEN
The media secotor that is of intrest to you as an individual
CONSTRAINTS
Must create a CV. Availability of equipment and the 1 month deadline that we need to meet. The length of the podcast must not be 2-5 mins. During podcast we must discuss job opportunities within that sector as outlined.
EXPLICIT
Create podcast to almost educate the audience on media opportunities. You must also consider your own career plan; create a reflective journal throughout.
-Task 1-
reflective journal:
continuing research into podcasts, i decided to outline the 3 podcast that have personally inspired me. this made me reflect on why these podcasts are so engaging; what makes them appeal to a massive audience. one podcast in particular (the diary of a CEO) is hosted by Steven Bartlett who is a well known entrepreneur. he has made famous appearances on shows such as (dragons' den); his podcast shares insights from different guest that co-host with his every week. i find that i learn so much when listening to life stories of how people made something of themselves even with a difficult background. The podcast is in an interview format and has a "tradition" which Steven mentions at the end of each podcast. this tradition is asking the co-host to write in a diary a question for the next guest to answer. This made me take away the importance of making a podcast unique to stand out from other competitors. furthermore Steven often relates the story's back to his own personal life- and as he is such a public figure we feel privileged get a insight into his own stories. Steven is tactical by revealing information about himself gradually throughout every episode as oppose to mentioning it all in one episode. this prompts listeners to come back every week to know more about him, thus sustaining his followers; giving him opportunity's to expand his audience by making each podcast relevant to a new topic.
podcast research:
some of the podcasts that have inspired me are...
-The diary of a ceo (with steven bartlett)
for more desolate story's shared in the podcast non-diegetic blues is quietly played in the background as the dialogue runs over. This sets the tone for us listeners; drives us to feel emotionally connected to the speaker. Steven's podcast mixes music into his podcast's to occupy our attention instead of getting board of the interview style format.
-on purpose (with jay Shetty)
This podcast has a memorable intro/outro using the same soundtrack through every episode; i feel this is a key element into grabbing the audiences attention to keep them listening. Another aspect which works well is the title "on purpose" - this relates to goal of jay's podcast. he describes his "purpose is to make wisdom go viral". having a purposeful title gives the podcast a sense of meaning and communicates with the audience what they can gain from listening.
-food for thought (with Rhiannon lambert)
using "evidence-based advice", interviews ; statistics Rhiannon cleverly gets her audience on-board making them feel as if they can trust and rely on the information she is providing about "health". having your listeners connect and trust what you have to say also aids in promoting a podcast.
floor runner
-their job is to do anything that needed of them so that the shoot can further progress. This can include errands such as making drinks or ensuring that the cast and crew are looked after.
skills
(Communication- knowing faces and names of all the crew,have a pleasant manner+ appearance about you , be able to coordinate large groups of extras in pressured situations)
(Multi-tasking: stay calm, cope and prioritize )
(Watch film and TV drama)
(Learning by watching and asking)
(Taking initiative)
(Reliability)
training
-A-levels- art and design (photography), drama and theater, and English.
or.. Level 3 vocational qualifications:
-BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Creative Digital Media Production
-Extended Diploma in Art and Design
Alternatively getting straight into a job ...
-BTEC National Diploma in Film and Television Production
-OCR Technical Diploma in Digital Media (Moving Image & Audio Production)
next steps
1) apprenticeship
examples -current vacancies
-Creative and Digital Media (Level 3, Northern Ireland)-
-Creative and Digital Media (Level 3+4, Wales)
-broadcast production assistant (level 3 England)
-well-known apprenticeship schemes= offered by broadcasters such as the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky.
2) other important steps include
-taking photographs and making films building up your portfolio
- be able to drive = useful when needing to get to places (e.g. - on set).
-Take a first-aid and health and safety course
-Work for an equipment rental company: Ask if you can become a kit runner or driver for them. That way you will learn more about the kit and build up contacts.
3) get experience
4) network
-open doors events
-online networking =social media groups for people making films or TV in your area. There might even be groups for runners and trainees.
5) become a trainee
#what about professionals ?
Charlotte Taylor "take every opportunity you are offered, you never know where it might lead... "
-started off as an extra on set and worked her way upwards
Richard Walker "As I reflected on my first day as a runner, I thought about how I was going to get more experience to put on my CV. To anyone reading this who is thinking about a career in television, I would say that saying ‘yes’ opens far more doors than saying ‘no’."
-used the advantages of social media by joining a Facebook group called "people looking for TV work: runners" . again this concept of saying "yes" and opening new opportunities for yourself.
casting assistant/director
-Their job = casting assistants offer genral help finding actors to star in film or tv drama. And the more senior role of casting director is to actually find the individuals to play these characters. casting directors are hired by the production company in order to match actors to roles.
skills
(Knowledge of the industry-recognize talent
(Knowledge of actors and networking)
(operate video cameras in screen tests and use software to edit together clips.)
( office and organisational tasks )
(Communication: working efficiently with the casting director and team)
training
- Its helpful to have a wide knowledge of film or TV productions and be well informed about new and existing actors.
college
- A-levels in drama and theater, English, film studies or media studies.
Or Level 3 vocational qualifications :
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-BTEC National Extended Diploma in Creative Digital media production
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-Extended Diploma in Performing Arts
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If you want to go straight into a job,
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Level 3 vocational qualifications such as:
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-BTEC National Diploma in Film and Television Production
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-Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology
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-Extended Diploma in Creative and Performing Arts
next steps
1) getting a degree
(e.g- University of Westminster)
UK FEES £9,250 *DURATION 3 - 4 YEARS
CAMPUS - HARROW, NORTH-WEST LONDON
2)
job seeking
- starting off as production runner.
How to get a position ? websites that are useful.
-TV Watercooler gives advice from production companies or Some will advertise on their own careers site like ITV.
-Look for a job with a talent agency.
-The Personal Manager’s Association (PMA) provides a list of their member agencies as well as advertising vacancies.
+ events!
Become a trainee:
-ScreenSkills’ Trainee Finder scheme.
-make contacts and build up industry knowledge to get work in film or TV drama.
# what about the professionals?
moving to casting directors...
Kerry barden (well known for casting of "The Help", "spotlight"," winters bone".
"being true to yourself"
Ellen Chenoweth (films such as "men in black 3")
"It’s the fun and the “pop” that you get from seeing someone in a role that you didn’t expect. "
Sarah Finn (films such as "thor: love and thunder", "the avengers", "spider- man: no way home").
"You should really try casting. It's a great combination of acting, producing and directing, all rolled into one."
Sheila Jaffe (films such as "ted ", "alvin and the chipmunks: the road trip")
One negative comment ...
"I like painting the canvas [of a show]," she says, "but then reality sets in and people have other opinions."
-demonstrates that this role is still critical and hard-work.
-my podcast-
(research)
script supervisor
-Their job is to check each filmed scene can be edited so that the final result makes sense.
skills
(being able to Analyse = e.g : braking down time and certain scenes etc.)
(Film making)
(Observation)
(Attention to detail- producing precise notes quickly and efficiently)
(Communication: letting the director, actors, crew, hair, make-up and production know about issues).
training
some start off at junior level
- production assistant or assistant production coordinator in a production company. then step up to assist an experienced script supervisor.
college
-A-levels in a combination that includes= English, art, art and design, drama and theater, film studies, photography and physics .
or...
- BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Creative Digital Media Production.
if getting straight into a job...
-BTEC National Diploma in Film and Television Production.
-Technical Diploma in Digital Media (Moving Image and Audio Production).
next steps
1) build a portfolio -make short films etc.
2) work experience
-Contact video making companies
3) a degree
its not essential but helpful. find one that offer training in the relevant software. dedicated time to building a portfolio and have strong links with the film and TV industries.
4) network
Open Doors where you can...
-meet people who work in the industry .Give people in the production or camera departments your details and ask if you can do work experience.
They have industry news, events and opportunities.- some example include
For film and television
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BAFTA guru opportunities
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Channel 4 careers events
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ITV careers
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Production Guild
5) become a trainee
find work in television as an assistant floor manager. This gives you valuable on-set work experience that you can apply to film and TV drama later on.
#what about the professionals?
Doris Grau (films such as "king kong"1976 version)
Jules Mann-Stewart
reflective journal -
This task required me to look into my industry of interest which was film/tv. once i decided on my area of interest i visited numerous websites; conducted secondary research to find job roles within this sector. furthermore i considered the training required to get into these career paths; what skills and steps i could take. overall this day was spent gathering as much information on the 3 desired roles within the film/tv industry that i could potentially see myself going into.
-podcast proposal-
Firstly, I would start off the podcast giving a brief introduction of myself and applying the instructions from the brief I will discuss career opportunities within my chosen media industry (Film/TV). Then I plan to share research on my three specific job opportunities within that sector. I have chosen three roles that were most suited to me - (Script supervisor, Casting assistant/director; Floor runner). For each job I selected I want to talk through the training requirements and vacancies at universities as well as other knowledge that can be beneficial. I also plan to talk over the personal attributes that might be required for each job, as well as touching upon what professionals within each job role have to say about their own experiences. The podcast would give an informative guide into some of the possible steps to take to get into these roles. The USP is a short diversion into conversations about why the roles are so interesting to me personally and the mention of the podcast’s that have inspired me - giving the podcast a more personal touch which will aid in engaging my listeners attention.
The genre of the podcast is (News) as its informative style offers information on career opportunities within Film/TV. The format of the podcast is a combination of (Bite-sized, Repurposed and of course Monologue as I have chosen to have no guest talk with me.) The podcast duration is a maximum of 5 minutes.
The timeline for the production process includes creating a script to follow covering vital points; key information about each job. This would be ready before any trial recordings take place. An unedited recording would be completed by November 29th; the fully edited version by December 2nd. Within the editing process I intend to incorporate non-diegetic sound through the use of a musical soundtrack for an intro/outro. The soundtrack would be sourced legally and have an upbeat tempo to tie into the swift but educational podcast.Overall, the podcast would be finalized on: Friday 2nd December.
-podcast call sheet-
-podcast recording-
reflective journal -
Today I recorded a demo of my podcast using my phone whilst following the script I had written out. I felt that although the podcast flowed well and the quality was average, it could still be improved.
Reflective journal-
Upon reflection I found that I should record the podcast at home to the best of my capabilities, as I wanted to begin the editing process on Audobie Audition. I changed the location to record a few times and played it back numerous times until I was satisfied.
I found from my research that a room which contains a lot of furnishings such as (curtains, carpets etc..) would provide the best results. So I recorded in my living room and uploaded my work to teams. Now I'm ready to start the editing process, and I already have an idea of what might need to be improved.
I understand that I might need to make a noise reduction as my voice may come across too loud destroying the sound of the audio quality. Furthermore I need to look into an appropriate intro/outro for my podcast, as well as any other additional non-diegetic sound that will enhance my podcast.
Magpieing ideas from other podcast i acknowledge how they use non-diegetic music to fade between conversations. Perhaps this is an element i could include in my own work by using sound the shift between new topics that i discuss.
-Podcast editing-
Reflective Journal
I spent the day editing my poodcast in Adobe Audition following notes that i had pre-planned; tutorials from (Mike Russell's) Youtube channel. I learnt how to clip out unesssesacry pauses and breaths as well as adding effects to enhance the quality of my audio. Some of the methods i used was applying a noise reduction to remove the bacground noises. I also explored the ffects pannel expirementing with certain features like adding a parametric equalalizer; dynamic proccessing not to mention ajusting when audio fades in or peaks.
Furthermore once i was pleased with the audio, i moved onto adding music in the additional track below; finding ways to blend in the sound so that it does not overide with my dioulouge. Alltoughther i think tody was productive, and next lesson i look forward to ppinpointing where to improve on my podcast.
Goals,CV
and cover letter
:Goals:
Short Term - 1-2 years on current Media course. Aim is to achieve highest grades on assignments through hard-work. At the end of the course gain A-level certificates, as well as soft skills in having learnt new skills (through teamwork,communication and organisation). I want to be able to take away knowledge on software (such as Photoshop) ; to understand what it takes to go into the media industry and the career path that is best suited to me. I plan to complete required tasks in this course to the best of my ability; find what I enjoy learning about.
During this time I also want to progress in my cadets training, through both practical trips as well as certificates earned based on (BTEC LEVEL QUALIFICATIONS). I also want to have passed my theory test for driving; to have carried out practical training via driving lessons.
Medium Term- 2-3 years in university course within the film/tv industry as a development in accomplishing hard skills to portray to future employers. Although currently unsure about what I would like to study, I'm aware I would want to specialise in a career that's headed by the film/tv industry. This could comprise in working on set or writing; organising events.
During this period I aspire to be carrying out work experience within the media field building upon soft skills (even as a floor runner)- gaining valuable on set experience; responsibility. This would of course be alongside studying my chosen course at university.
Long term- now after having earned a degree in university, I plan to get a full time job in film/ tv production . I'm aware that I would need to start off at an entry-level position and progressivly work my way upwards to executive positions. I plan on doing this by not only obtaining a job, but also taking further training in courses that could aid in me gaining more knowledge about media as a whole. Thus allowing me to build up more qualifications; expand upon soft skills (such as scheduling times to carry out both work life/additional study) becoming a well rounded person.
I equally feel that I should attend open door events in my free time as a method of building up connections. I will network by handing out my details at social events (such as film festival’s etc). My end goal would be to have a job where I perceive growth as an individual.
I intend to keep my free time as an opportunity to explore; master new topics such as (sociology; history), by attending short lectures and visiting attractions like museums. In conclusion my end goal would be to feel; be successful as an independent career driven individual.
CV
cover letter
-Podcast Editing-
reflective journal -
now having finalised the edited version of my podcast i can move towards my next steps for this unit (this consists of creating a cover letter; writing up reflective journals for any other additional stages).
In order for me to finish my podcast i added a (drum-roll-please) sound effect using the website (pixabay). In addition to this i made other adjustment to the volume of the backing track so that it blends into my voice.
A difficulty i faced today was, after re-listening to my podcast i noticed that the soundtrack i was using had an already built in speech that repeated every few seconds. This meant i needed to go over the audio section by section to cut it out. Once this was settled the edited version was complete. Upon reflection there are still some beats in the soundtrack that sound inaccurate due to the mix and match of different cuts i had to do, therefore distorting the quality . in conclusion there was nothing left that i could further do to refine my podcast, and i look forward to receiving feedback from my teacher to guide me in how i can improve.
reflective journal -
I've been progressing further in researching how to create a cover letter. At the moment i found one job application on (indeed) which could help me tailor my cover letter to the job application and refer back to the key words that would appeal to the hiring manager.
Reflective journal-
i have now completed my cover letter but i still want to get additional feedback before handing any work in. The job that i have tailored my cover letter to is (https://uk.indeed.com/cmp/Bafta?campaignid=mobvjcmp&from=mobviewjob&tk=1gjjbh5qkkjgu800&fromjk=b6615f2bc865aa3e) application for production assistant. This was sourced from (https://www.indeed.com)