Forum 4: The Animatic

Introduction

I listened to "In Defense of Ignorance" published by This American Life. In my post I identify and explain four kinds of audio referenced in "10 tips for using audio more effectively in multimedia stories". I also described how the podcast incorporated Ira Glass' "moments of reflection". 

Interview Clips

Interview clips are defined as, "recordings of a story’s subject(s), typically recorded on location or over the phone" (Frechette). Casey Frechette, who posted "10 tips for using audio more effectively in multimedia stories", writes that interview sounds bites help bring the characters in our stories to life (Frechette). In "Defense of Ignorance", Lulu Wang tells us about how her grandmother is dying from stage four cancer, and she interview's her father to show how the tragedy has hit their family. The interview brings more life into the story and gives the listener another side of the story. 

Voice-Overs

Frechette describes voice-overs as, "any scripted narration that’s recorded, usually in a studio, to push a storyline forward" (Frechette). In "Defense of Ignorance", Sean Cole speaks in Act Two called "Ignorance for Dummies". Cole uses a voice-over from David Dunning to show how ignorant bank robbers were in a robbery. The voice-over gives a better understanding about what Cole is trying to say.

Natural Sounds

Natural sounds are the sound effects that we record on location — discrete, specific elements that command the listener’s attention when they occur (Frechette). In Act One of "Defense of Ignorance", the speaker has a cold and his voice is very harsh and it definitely commanded my attention elsewhere as a listener.

Ambient Sounds

In "10 tips for using audio more effectively in multimedia stories", I learned ambient sounds are the background noises that create a sense of place — the sounds that make the character of a city park very different from a dentist’s office or a bank (Frechette). The whole podcast seems to be in a studio. There are not much background noises giving me an idea of where the podcast is recorded. 

Ira Glass' "moments of reflection"

Ira Glass gives the idea of two building blocks to a story, and one is a moment of reflection. He says that at some point you have to ask why are you listening and what is actually the point of the story. An example of Ira Glass' reflection in the podcast is when Lulu Wang in, "What Do You Know" shows us how her family kept their dying grandmother ignorant. The whole family knew about her sickness, but did not let her know about it. Lulu asked her grandmother how she is feeling when she was sick, and her grandmother responded, "If it wasn't for my knees, I would be perfect". We learned that she is still alive, and the fact of not telling her is probably why she is alive. So, Lulu story tells us how ignorance saved her grandmothers life, which is the point of the story. 

Frechette , Casey. “10 Tips for Using Audio More Effectively in Multimedia Stories.” Poynter 10   Tips for Using Audio More Effectively in Multimedia Stories Comments, www.poynter.org/reporting-   editing/2012/10-tips-for-using-audio-more-effectively-in-multimedia-stories/.

“In Defense of Ignorance.” This American Life, 12 Aug. 2019, www.thisamericanlife.org/585/in-defense-of-ignorance.