CJ 241

AUDIO AND VIDEO PRODUCTION

Assignment 1

 

A TWO-FOUR MINUTE SOUND NARRATIVE    (Worth 35 Points)

Due: In LAB THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH  

 

The assignment is to tell a story or convey a process/information using ONLY sounds recorded on location.

 

The objective of the assignment is to stimulate your appreciation of sound and the presence it has in our everyday lives. And give you a sense of how it can be manipulated to provide meaning. With this exercise hopefully you will develop a skill and understanding you can use in other course projects.

 

Your process for accomplishing this task should be as follows: formulate an idea, figure out how you will convey the idea through SOUND ONLY. THEN sign out a mini-disc recorder and do the recording. You will hand-in the mini-disc with your narrative on it.

 

Mini-disc recorders and microphones are available for sign-out in the TV Lab, (Room 106A in HHH). Come to my office (105A HHH) if there is no lab assistant.

BECAUSE WE HAVE ONLY FIVE MINI DISC RECORDERS, THEY CANNOT BE OUT MORE THAT TWO HOURS AT A TIME!! KEEPING ONE OVER THE TIME LIMIT WILL BE NOTED AND COULD RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN YOUR PROJECT GRADE! Requests to keep recorders longer than two hours (including overnight) will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by Professor Kapfer.

Requirements:

1.                  It must be no shorter than 2 minutes (120 seconds) and no longer than 4 minutes

 (240 seconds).

2.                  Narration and/or scripting are NOT allowed.

3.                  You must have at least five different types of sounds. Two minutes of a bell ringing or three minutes of a car driving with the radio on does not count.

4.                  No editing other than pausing or stopping the recorder is allowed. This is why it is important to have a plan BEFORE you do the recording.

5.         Include a one-to-two paragraph typed statement outlining what you were trying to communicate in your sound narrative. I will read these after I have listened to your work and written my impressions.

 

To be more specific defeats the purpose of the assignment. Think about the nature of sound and the audible environment. What do everyday situations sound like? How can you tell a story using natural sound only? Please make these in good taste. Be creative

 

The assignment will be evaluated on:

1-Communication Clarity (10pts) – how easy was it, overall, to figure out what you were trying to                            convey?

2-Distinct Sounds (10pts) – were the individual sounds distinguishable? Were there at least five                                           different sounds? Was there any “scripting/dialogue?”

3-Audio Levels (5pts) – did you record the sounds loud enough? Was the volume level                                                        consistent?

4-Written Summary (5pts) -- typed summary turned in on time.

5-Time Limit (5pts) – Were you within the required time limit? How long did you keep the recorder?

 

As always, any questions please feel free to ask.