Brief 4, “Media Idea” Reflection
These couple of weeks have been the busiest and tiring time of the semester as my group and I worked through our brief four media artefact. Despite all the hard, time-consuming work, we have all managed to get everything up together and finished our audio documentary piece. I was one of those people who actually liked setting up google-docs and groups in Facebook. I thought we have been really organised with our management and with the help from both Bianca and Patrick, our team finished on time by the due date. One of the most successful achievements is the texture of the piece presented by adding a diverse range of varied different sounds. Bianca did a really great job in delivering her narration throughout the podcast while her voice is extraordinary in its tone. I’ve also felt grateful and relieved that my contribution by narrating the quotes is a success that I did not expect, from having a soft voice at times. Patrick had been very professional in editing and even had taught me valuable skills in audio editing using the pro tools editing software. Furthermore, these contributions are possible because each one of us tried to make ourselves available even in the distractions from other course projects. Especially when we were all present to record Bianca narrating in the sound-proof studio in building 9, our home of media and communication.
In every success there was a challenge. It was quite a pain during my research however, to find information regarding the future predictions of audio consumption or production. Let alone predicting a future is a challenge itself due to the rapid technological evolution in our generation today. This difficulty may have affected our final audio piece in which according to the feedback obtained from our practicals, it needed more depth in references of peer-reviewed academic texts as the evidences. Another problematic issue I have encountered is getting my voice right in the tone as I record myself in my iPhone reading the quotes. In the other hand, a few practices allowed me to learn a great deal of consistency in voice delivery and a commitment with a positive mind in a period of frustration. Additionally, it was distracting to have other projects obtained from other courses that needed us all a great time management for “Media Idea” project. Having a mini cold flu made me more tired in assisting my group mates that instead, was overcome very easily with the help of technology today. Thanks to Facebook group and google drive.
What I’ve learnt was from what I had done and witness from others. Having both Bianca and Patrick as teammates is one advantageous pros for our production of media artefact. My two group mates have a music background in which I am able to learn so much about sounds and produce one artefact with them along the way. Bianca, after having done a great delivery in narration takes good techniques in body posture as well as voice clarification such that “having milky drink isn’t such a great idea before you sing”. This has allowed me later on as it is my turn to record myself. Having no idea what sort of software used for sound editing, looking at Patrick’s screen is listening to another language. But as he guided me through how to do cuts, volume adjusting, and sound filters with all those many little buttons, it became familiar over time. It was just like editing a film, but only its sound. These are valuable skills in which I’ve learned from both my teammates and made me feel like a broader development is undergone throughout this semester as a media practitioner.
I have always been nervous to do an interview, on anybody. Both Patrick and I decided to go on the weekend to interview Dr. Lawrence at the Design Hub. With all the recording gear that Patrick had booked, we entered Lawrence’s SIAL studio by walking through a couple of high-walled hallways. As I’ve mentioned in previous reflective blogs, it was quite overwhelming and exciting at the same time to discover the idea of soundscape played through travelling around fourteen different speakers surrounding us. We were very successful in obtaining adequate pieces of information from Lawrence as Patrick interviewed him and me holding the mic. Never really using these professional devices allowed me to really have a new experience and a touch at sound technologies, plus discovering the globe microphone that Lawrence had showed us. And as he explained, the constant shift in music or sound production and consumption is the cause of consumer demand for convenience in the availability of music anywhere at any time. These great discoveries and experiences has taught me valuable skills that I will definitely practice in future directions and so far, I’ve appreciate being able to develop throughout producing a media artefact with my group mates.