Last Entry

This project had ended, and so I'm retiring this blog. I can't say my blog was terribly coherent, jumping between how I felt about trying other journalistic mediums and what I actually found when I was reporting. Also, many times I felt uncomfortable putting my reporting in a public forum. It's not that I have anything to hide. Maybe I'm just territorial about my notes. Either way, it's time to go on to other subjects.

GNews Audio Podcast

And finally, the audio podcast. Anne Noyes made some suggestions this morning, and under the conditions (this being my first time creating an audio podcast; I never listen to audio podcasts) I think it turned out ok. In the future I'll definitely put more time into both listening to podcasts and editing them.

Producing the Audio Podcast

I haven't listened to the radio since high school, and even then I never tuned into news programs. So when working on my audio podcast, I had the most difficult time. Quite simply, I didn't know how to put a story together in this form.

A while back I had gone to PS 328 to capture some audio. My classmate Anne Noyes was kind enough to give me a quick lesson on what to look for: ambient, ambient, ambient (getting close to the sound to record, meaning if people are stomping their feet get down to the ground with the mic). So that day I went to the gym and got some sounds of kids playing basketball in the gym, interviewed a few of the younglings, sat in on a magazine club, and then interviewed the director of the program. Luckily, a parent had come and I got her on tape also. In theory, I have multiple sources and background sounds, all the parts I need.

Stitching these together wasn't so easy. Audacity, the free audio software, proved easy enough to use (but again Anne gave a tutorial). Still, with a near zero idea of audio storytelling, I had to resort to the most basic structure. I edited down my audio to blocks, with each person speaking in turn, mixed with some ambient. Nothing revolutionary here, but still a fun endeavor.

New Video

The video's about David Adekoya, a native East New Yorker, who had gone through Groundwork's college prep program and still works there now.

My original idea was to follow him from East New York to City College in Harlem, an hour and fifteen minute commute. Then jump back to East New York and talk about his work there. I thought it would illustrate how far he'd come in life, which would say something about Groundwork.

Well that didn't really work out narrative-wise. My rough cut was six minutes plus and it really dragged. The version I posted here earlier was just a quick cut so I could post something.

This version uses more of a back and forth between David and Mary Adams, Groundwork's college prep program director. I think the story is more clear, I use the b-roll better, and it's an improvement over the previous versions. Thanks to Adrian and Ed for all their suggestions.