The entirety of the Room With A View studio embraced the concept of “group work” in every way possible, allowing me to form a thorough understanding of collaboration, specifically within the radio industry. It is crucial in a creative field, to share and contribute as a collective team, utilising each group members’ strengths, playing to them in order to produce the best outcome possible- one that you can each be proud of. I have felt as through throughout my studies at RMIT, group work has often been tedious, group assessments boiling down to oral presentations and written pieces. However, Room With a View has given me a whole new understanding of how valuable a team is in accomplishing a large task that may be at hand. I believe that it comes down to the team as a whole in whether or not a product is successful or not – something that comes from preparation, or lack thereof.

RWAV has taught me the utmost importance of preparation and what happens when it is distinctly lacking. Prior to the studio I was aware that radio does not only include the time that a show is on air, however I was seemingly naive regarding the percentage of work that takes part behind the scenes and prior to going live. Communication, one of the most important things I have found is essential through the studio, is key in preparation- from emailing talks producers for approval, contacting potential interviewees, and first and foremost, communicating with those you are collaborating with.

I have gained a variety of new skills through my time at the 3RRR studios. After taking on the role of producer as our group were facing many difficulties with communicating, I realised the workload that is required in the assembling of a radio show. From learning how to create a run sheet to generating interview ideas and having them approved, I now have a thorough understanding of the organisational elements that are required in the production of a radio show. On the other side of the studio, I have gained skills (of which remain a work in progress) in regards to in studio operations of a show. I have learnt what to and what not to do in order to create an interesting and intriguing interview focusing on a specific topic and how to panel a show from beginning to end. After tackling a range of challenges in the demo recording in regards to dead air and failing to play sponsorships or incorrect songs, I have developed a further understanding of the importance of practice in the production of quality content.

My Groups live- to air show was thoroughly unprepared and this reflective within the hour-long content that we produced. Organisation was absent by all group members in the lead up to our show, individual roles were not understood, contribution at points was lacking and I believe that on many instances, I rose to the occasion in attempt to steer our show in the right direction. This was also reflected in the constructed feedback that the group received from Elizabeth, outlining our sheer lack of preparation (run sheets, interviewees and music changes) and the unprofessionalism that it hinted to. Elizabeth’s comments were difficult to hear, as they were justified. She affirmed many of the thoughts I had already been developing regard what had felt like a  lacklustre effort from a group provided with a rare and beneficial opportunity on a popular and operational radio station. It seemed that the comments instilled a sense of disappointment amongst the group, as there was a collective sense of accomplishment over the show we had managed to produce. However, we appeared to have a joint understanding that in the future, we needed to be better prepared, more organised and exercise the ability to communication with one another more proficiently.

Coming into the last assessment- the Feature, I believed that with the feedback the group had accumulated from our live to air show, we would be motivated in creating a product that would reflect a will to succeed. Despite our interviews being collated perhaps later than I expected, our feature was eventually edited into a succinct and entertaining 10-minute piece. Although we faced the challenge  of where to start in regards to  a tumultuous amount of collected content, and numerous hours dedicated to editing, I am proud of the final product. Some group members contributed more than others, a fact that will not reflect within the feature itself, however as a team we managed to create a piece that we each enjoy and are pleased with.

Whilst creating the final assessment piece, it was evident that we have grown and improved as a group, as I similarly feel as though I have individually grown. Although preparation was still lacking in many areas in regards to pre production of concept and organising interviews, our communication skills have improved thoroughly. There was a vast sense of group effort within our hours in the editing suite, as we worked as a team to problem solve and contribute.

I am certain that the knowledge and experiences I have gained throughout this semester will be beneficial in the future in regards to radio work and generally within all collaboration that I undertake within the any media industry.

Upon listening to Group One’s demo recording a week after the initial recording, there are many things to take from the experience in order to better ourselves for the live-to-air show.

There are many minor issues such as handling the microphone on air – something that may appear as insignificant but actually creates friction and is picked up quite clearly on air. Informal and inappropriate language/speech on air is another thing that (whoever is presenting) needs to be consciously and constantly aware of while speaking to the RWAV audience. The show itself is in need of structure. I believe the run sheet, for majority of the time, worked well. However, I would perhaps alter the structure of sponsorship announcements in order to create a smooth transition between interviews, tracks and prerecorded content. Content wise, our group is in dire need of developing perhaps an overall theme for the actual show, or even different themes to coincide with the interviewees and interview topics. Due to the frantic nature of our groups’ preparation for the recording of the demo we did not develop solid ideas for our interview sections, relying on interviewing one another. Although, in retrospect, I believe it would have been more beneficial to have content mirroring what we intend to use/create for our live-to-air show in order to get a more accurate feel for the content we should be and have the potential in producing. Another issue I believe with the demo is the lack of balance between two presenters. The entirety of the show appears very one sided, dominated by only one presenter. This makes it sound heavy due to a lack of diverse opinion. We need to work on a flow and connection between presenters, rather than only utilise one.

In regards to the panel work (my role), I feel that there were many positives and many things for me to improve on if I am to work the panel in the final show. On many occasions, the transitioning between segments was smooth, interviews flowing into tracks and vice versa, accompanied by backtracking and introducing of track names and the station itself. However, at some points the interviewees and presenter, something that needs to be looked into in regards to positioning in front of the microphone and general loudness of vocal range. Being attentive to speech throughout the show is also crucial in maintaining the levels of all speaking. I also need to make sure the introductions of tracks are at an appropriate level, especially in regards to any build up in pace and volume as a song may progress further through verses and chorus.

The main thing I believe I need to focus on is ensuring that if there are any technical difficulties or mistakes, there is content that can be employed automatically in order to kill any dead air. The conclusion of the demo is clunky and generally messy. It is evidently unprepared, and appears to be filling air time. My intention to fill more time by playing a sponsorship failed due to slight technical difficulty as it did not play as intended. Due to the desperate desire to kill the dead air, an attempt to play the closing track resulted in the mistake of playing the previous song played rather than the track by band ‘The Rubens’. This is quite obviously noticeable, and although slightly painful to hear, is a good example and lesson in what can happen on air at any given time. Always having content queued up is crucial in case of any sort of difficulties and I aim to practice the transitioning between segments, specifically the introduction and conclusion of the show in practice sessions leading up to the live-to-air show.  As a group we need to prepare more in order to create a rewarding and efficient show that appears organised, yet not over rehearsed and obviously practiced. We need to do more research in what topics and tracks are appropriate for the RWAV audience and work on integrating them in an appropriate yet interesting one hour live-to-air show.

Following class today, my group got into the studio to successfully record our demo at 3RRR.

Class this morning was extremely insightful. As each of the other groups presented their demos and received feedback from Bruce and Sam, I noted many things to take into the recording of our own demo. The transitioning between segments, the volume levels of songs as seen on the soundcloud uploads and the balance of presenting/content where only some of the many things that were importantly outlined. The class itself was beneficial, in understanding the feedback directed at others and applying it to our demo that we were recording this afternoon. As the only group member present in class this morning, I was extremely disappointed that I was the only member there to absorb this advice, having to later relay it to the group – who I believe would have readily benefitted from receiving it first hand in class as I had. I believe it was an important class to be in attendance, especially before making our way to 3RRR to actually record our demo – an important part and assessment in the course.

Once I arrived at the Studio at 12pm, as we waited for the remainder of our group, we sourced some tracks to play within the Demo and penned down interview questions to ask one another (our interviewees) within the demo time frame. It was unfortunate that not all group members could attend the session for its entirety, along with developing a solid run sheet and understanding of roles and responsibilities. After a brief practice, we began recording our demo. As panel operator, I felt a small amount of hesitancy from lack of practice and familiarity with my other group members. I feel the demo itself, flaws and all, went quite successfully. There are a couple of moments of dead air, where the queueing of songs/ sponsorship did not run as smoothly as I had hoped, however I believe it was a decent first proper attempt as a group. The lack of a presence of two presenters within the demo is of concern. In this respect, the interviewing although welcoming, appears very one-sided and lacking a different perspective. Obviously in the playback, annotation and reflection of the demo in the coming days, it will become evident what did and did not work in the production and recording of the demo.

I’m anxious to see how the continuing weeks will pan out, as communication, time management and efficiency are crucial in the production of a live to air radio show. Hopefully the entire group can improve on these fronts where we are lacking, so that we can create a high quality show on Room With A View. I would like to organise more sessions in the weeks before we go live to air in order to fully prepare and iron out all of the problems that could possibly occur on air.

Waling into this week, I was anticipating a three hour session at 3RRR following class, where as a group for the first time, we would practice in the studio, and utilise the last hour of our session to record our demo. Initially I was hesitant, as the remainder of my group explained that their panelling session had been quite unsuccessful. Due to their session occurring on the public holiday due to availability, there had been no professionals to assist them, so they seemingly came out of the other end of the session without much more of an understanding of the panel than they had prior. It was important for us to get into the studio and utilise our time together to its full potential before recording our demo.

Due to lack of communication, the studio session that we believe had been booked had not in fact been booked. I believe this was our fault due to lack of understanding that we were to book the session ourself after a discussion with Sam in class the week prior. This was our fault and we should have taken the initiative to book the time slot ourselves. After contacting the 3RRR, we were under the impression that we had in actuality booked a session from 2-4pm, but I came to realise that it was another group’s session. In short, our group was a mess – where lack of communication between each and every member was completely lacking. Our massive clashes in availability does not help whatsoever, and makes it nearly impossible for us to all meet up on any day of the week other than on Mondays straight after class. Honestly, it is extremely frustrating in attempts to navigate the inner workings of a group project, along with undertaking majority of the course content outside of class time at a different location, while different members have booked appointments etc. during the only time that we can actually meet.

After discussing with Bruce and Sam, we were granted an extension, allowing us to book and confirm studio time from 12-3pm next Monday after class.  Hopefully a lack of communication does not hinder the productivity and enthusiasm of the group.

This week’s session included a visit from talks producer from Elizabeth the Talks Producer at 3RRR. After informing us of her expectations of us as media professionals and the ways in which to contact her in regards to interview questions, I  began to develop more interview ideas.

After leaving my MS fun run/walk interview idea behind, I began to think of topics or themes that I would find interesting to undertake in an interview, along with what would come across as interesting to the 3RRR and more specifically the RWAV audience. Currently, the idea of strong and successful women is something that is at a constant forefront of discussion within the media industry. Especially with the ideas and expectations surrounding pay equality etc. I was given the idea of a woman called Hannah Clement through a mutual friend, exploring the idea of a woman in a male dominated industry. Studying a bachelor of engineering at University, and winning the Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2004 – 3 years after graduating with honours, I was intrigued with the person that could be interviewed and the depth it could provide. Leading million dollar projects in Abu Dhabi regarding the F1 Race Track, along with the Melbourne Park redevelopment and currently the State Library renovations, I believe that Hannah will be an extremely intriguing individual to interview. Not only has she created a vastly successful career, but she has built a family. Exploring the balance of family life, obtaining a successful career and being a female in a male dominated industry as she makes her mark on the infrastructure and foundations of Melbourne – the city she was raised in –  I believe will lead to an interesting and personable piece.

Due to difficulties in group availability, I was not able to attend the group panel session on the 6th March (public holiday), so I attended group two’s session on the previous Thursday morning. Having already started upon my arrival the group were extremely inviting in my participation. The entire group rotated in roles, giving each person a chance to experience and get to know the panel and its mechanisms.

My experience with the panel, while a little rusty and unfamiliar at first I believe overall was successful. With assistance from the group, I was able to transition between an intro, to presenters, playing tracks and sponsorships, along with an external track from YouTube. It was great to become familiar with the panel, developing an understanding of how it works from the panel operator’s perspective and from the other side of the desk as a presenter. The session went really smoothly and it was great to have the support of the other group behind me as everyone helped each other when they had questions or queries on what they were doing.

Hopefully when my entire group meet together we will be successful in putting together our demo despite a lack of current practice together.

This week’s Monday morning included a tour of the 3RRR studios, accompanied by a panelling session. After reaching the 3RRR studios, the entire class was placed into their groups for the entire semester. My group, including myself and four other students I had never encountered before – Amy, Elle, Nicole and Penelope. In these groups, we shared our interview ideas. My group had generated some interesting ideas involving comedy acts and meme pages, however, none of them seemed to have a great amount of weight behind them – not enough to pack a punch in a short and sweet interview to go to air. My idea – an interview with a representative of the MS fun walk/run was thought to perhaps have been too large an event to feature on RWAV as an interview, so back to the drawing board it was.

After congregating in our groups, we were given a brief history of 3RRR itself, then given a tour. Having never been inside a radio station, it was personally extremely insightful. After our tour, being split into two groups we were briefly explained by Archie how to manage the panel. Although at times confusing and slightly overwhelming due to the amount of buttons and faders, the panel didn’t seem overly difficult to operate once you were in the correct headspace, and with a bit of practice. I am looking forward to the coming weeks where we can actually get into the studio and experiment with the panel and transitioning between each of the elements in a show.

Our group however is experiencing difficulties finding a mutually available time for everyone to be able to get to the studio to undertake our panelling session.

The first class back of semester 1, 2017 saw the Room With A View studio gathered together in building 9 on a Monday morning. The class itself, the usual introductory class outlining the coming semester and highlighting the assessment tasks was undertaken as usual. After class members introduced themselves, followed by Bruce and Sam, the class was informed of Codes of Practice and Defamation laws that are to be adhered to at all times whilst live on air. It was a gentle reminder on the level of appropriateness when representing a larger organisation, straying from the swearing and slander often surrounding young and budding University Students. The class itself was a small glimpse into the coming weeks, of which I am looking forward to with my lack of radio experience and knowledge.