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Looking at the rough cut audio pieces from other tutorial members, the importance of good diction becomes evident. To hold the attention of an audience, a piece must be engaging, and a large part of this may be attributed to the voice that is used. A dull, monotonous speech is painful to listen to, whilst a dynamic and colourful one is far more arresting.

As noted in the tutorial, sometimes, even with a highly engaging voice, other elements are needed in order to make an audio piece captivating. Pauses are vital, long enough to create suspense and add drama, holding the audience’s attention, but short enough so as not to be awkward. Often music, soundbites and sound effects are used to create a certain tone within the piece and create texture within, changing up the audio enough to retain audience attention.

We plan to use a variety of different sound elements within our audio essay, including interviews / speeches, readings, found footage, music, newsreel and a voiceover. Hopefully these will draw the essay together to create a cohesive and coherent piece capable of holding audience attention throughout.