Some Roles I Undertook In Producing The 'PULT Podcast'

Over the last three weeks or so I have immersed myself into the world of sound production, podcasting and radio while I worked on my sound production project. Due to circumstances which I could not prevent, I was left to complete the project by myself. I was given the opportunity to join another group in the class, sharing my workload and sacrificing my initial idea or, continue the project as planned…on my own. I chose to stick to my own ideas and carry the weight of the entire project by myself. This was a great decision as not only did I have full creative and editorial control over the project, but I also had no-one else to rely on to get work done. I’m briefly going to explain my thoughts and processes during the production process and elaborate on a couple of the roles I undertook.

To launch straight in, I am going to begin with the role of Editor. I really enjoy editing, I believe I have a knack for it and can envisage it as a future career. There are a couple of reasons why I like this process. Editing is not simply the ability to fit pieces of information together like a puzzle. There is an art to it. Editing (especially in sound) requires an ability to execute good timing, a sense of vision in regards to the final product and I believe good concentration. Editing should be an ability to help shape narrative, dictate changes in atmosphere and express creative license. I just really enjoy editing and I don’t think I could ever get bored of. It seems to be a perfect mix of technical and creative work.

I chose to do a podcast for my audio project as I felt that they are a better media to bring across my subject matter. The material I recorded for my podcast was over forty-five minutes in length and I wanted to make a show that lasted between fifteen minutes and half an hour. With this in mind I set about the editing process with a view to pick out the best bits and be brutal with the material that I did not think was appropriate. I faced difficulties during the editing process, for example, once I had chosen the material I wanted to use out of the forty-five minutes, I had to then arrange it into an order which enabled it to flow freely and above all, make sense. Making sure the piece had a suitable sound level running through it was also difficult to achieve. Although we recorded all the dialogue in the same place and surroundings and at the same time, I still had to include various jingles and idents into the piece to give it the more authentic radio sound. As a result of this, the levels had to be mixed coming up and down at various points to equalize the sound.

I had to bear in mind the format of a podcast in relation to my editing. I realized at some point during the process that the nature of a podcast dictates it’s editing. With this in mind I listened to several different podcasts and really thought about straight discussion compared to a show like ‘The Chris Moyles Show’ on BBC Radio 1. My podcast could afford to take a much more laid back style compared to the Radio 1 show which incorporates manic idents, jingles, music and ‘news beats’. (‘Beats’ because they’re so quick) I had the luxury of choosing a style, and pace for my podcast purely through my editing technique. I think I have kept the podcast interesting but laid back.

I edited my material on Soundtrack Pro which I find has a simple interface and navigation system. I find knowing how to use Soundtrack is beneficial not only for the reason that I can now edit sound material but also because I am now beginning to grasp an industry standard program.

Another role I undertook during the project was that of Producer. Obviously being the only person on the project forced me to be the sole producer of the piece. A producer needs an all-round knowledge of the medium that they are working in and various styles of pieces they are producing. The production aspects I undertook were that of researching, assembling equipment and artists, recording material, editing that material and in a way, advertising that material in the form of a logo I designed for the podcast.

Overall I really enjoyed all aspects of making this project, I think one reason I took up this course is because I genuinely enjoy these sorts of projects and can only hope to work on real versions in my future career.