Live To Air I

03-05-16

 

Weeks of preparation finally came to fruition on our edition of Room With A View. Presented as a collective effort by everyone in Group 4, we went live to air in week 9 (Monday 2-5-16). Having locked down our songs, interviewees and script for the session, we went into the weekend prior to our edition with a somewhat confident outlook.

 

This confidence was soon shattered as we faced a late minute crisis – the contact for The Lupus Foundation (Aisha Stevens organised interview) pulled out the day before we were due to present. Aisha managed to organise a replacement interviewee, however due to her location, the interview would have to take place over the phone.

 

This last minute change prompted us to head into the RRR studios 2 hours prior to our allocated time slot in an attempt to generate new questions for the replacement interviewee as well as practicing the flow of the new running sheet. Throughout the practice we were constantly addressing problems that arose and building back the confidence we lost. A test of the phone lines confirmed our ability to conduct the phone interview and enabled us to have a quick chat with the new interviewee.

 

This practice was conducted in a different studio to the one we were due to present in and it managed to run overtime, this resulted in a slightly rushed beginning to the program and further resulted in a few mistakes straight away.

 

Having been somewhat flustered at the beginning, we accidentally let the previous song from the ‘The Grapevine’ run into our session as well as managing to accidentally reset the ‘Room With A View’ theme. These two mistakes were apparent when listening back to the program, however they weren’t too major and didn’t affect the intro and first interview.

 

The ‘Grandparents Playgroup’ interview ran relatively smoothly, with Bek conducting the majority of questions and interplay with our guest. Although Lyn (the interviewee) didn’t get to touch on any majorly poignant points, we still managed to generate a relatively engaging interview that ran for 10 minutes.

 

Being cautious of time, our producer Amalina and our online producer Laura signalled to wrap-up the interview and move on to the next segment of the edition.

 

The second segment/interview was a pre-recorded interview conducted approx. a month prior to the live to air. Having already conducted the interview prior to presenting, it enabled us to know exactly what was happening and how long the piece would run for. This prior knowledge enabled us to settle back into a rhythm and regain focus before we conducted our phone interview with the new interviewee.

 

Coming out of the Helping Hoops pre-record and the subsequent music tracks, we launched into the final interview with Keren at approx. the 33-minute mark of the program. Hoping to have a 10+ minute interview, we were confident that we had structured our segments well and would finish perfectly around the 1:00pm finish time.

 

The interview was introduced by Bek and ran relatively smoothly, however its running time ran shorter than expected and landed us with a greater amount of time to fill than we initially had planned for. This was coupled with the premature play of the next song, which forced Bek and Myself to abandon the outro of the Lupus Foundation interview and loose 2 minutes worth of material.

 

This resulted in a slightly disjointed and somewhat awkward last quarter of the program due to improvised narration and having to generate new listening material for the audience too. Although we managed to adlib quite well and select songs that stuck to our theme, the panic in the broadcasting suite was somewhat evident when listening back to the program.

 

Although we faced a lot of challenges prior, during and after the segment, I feel that we managed to present a relatively smooth program that covered a broad range of topics. I feel that everyone put their best efforts in and although we all could definitely improve on certain things, we still managed to generate a show with only a few mistakes.

 

On a personal level, I feel as though my presenter skills and ability to engage an audience could do with some work. Upon listening back to the program, it is somewhat evident that I was reading some sections from a script, which resulted in a more robotic and programed tone.

3….2…..2. We’re in Studio 2.

D-DAY!

 

After numerous weeks of preparation, the day had finally come. We went live to air on 3RRR and surprisingly it went relatively alright. Having faced a few last minute set backs, we were able to put forward a full 1 hour show containing 3 interviews and all the relevant information required.

 

There were a few technical difficulties that arose during the the hour.. but although they felt like they dragged on forever while we were on the air, upon listening back to them, they actually didn’t sound too apparent.

 

I am happy to have it behind us so we can now focus on the feature and our 2nd stint at R.W.A.V.

Feature Plan

Having passed the first half of the semester, it has come time to submit the plan for the feature we wish to present in week 12. Pertaining to the rise in sexual assault at music festivals, the feature will aim to highlight the serious societal problem while also drawing on expert opinion to support any claims made.

 

The production plan for the feature will go as follows:

 

TOPIC:

 

Sexual Assault at Music Festivals and the apparent lack of policy implemented to help curb and address such a troubling problem.

 

DURATION:

 

10 – 15 Minutes

 

AIM:

 

To highlight the lack of policy and surrounding support for people who have been Sexually Assaulted at music festivals and the victim blaming mentality that forces many victims to repress and deny their own sexual assault experience.

 

SUMMARY OF STYLE:

 

The piece will oscillate between a soundscape and interview based style. The interviews will be used to address serious psychological and legal frameworks, while the soundscapes will immerse the listener into the ‘scene’ that we are attempting to depict. The use of Vox Pop’s may be helpful in relating our views back to that of the Melbourne Public, however we will decide on this later.

Interviews to be conducted are with – Rainbow Serpent Festival organizer, Ballarat Police Officer and C.A.S.A (Centre Against Sexual Assault). Following the C.A.S.A interview, there may be the potential to interview a sexual assault survivor.

 

RESEARCH:

 

We have compiled a list of statistics and documents pertaining to sexual assault at music festivals, however we are yet to research the greater psychological effects of Sexual Assault in detail.

 

ADDITIONAL SOUND SOURCES:

 

We will source all sound effects from a royalty free website or record them ourselves (Foley). We have gained permission from a few local bands / producers to use their music throughout the piece, however we are waiting to hear back from the Rainbow Serpent Festival organisers to see if we can use the stems from their recordings of the actual festival itself.

 

 

PRODUCTION ROLES:

 

Patrick – Recording, Interviewing & Mixing

Bek – Interviewing & Research

Aisha – Research & Mixing

Amalina – Interviewing & Research

Laura – Recording & Mixing

 

PRODUCTION RESOURCES:

 

2 x Portable Recorder (H4N)

2 x XLR Cables (3m)

2 x Microphones (SM58 or equivalent)

1 x Binaural Microphone

1 x Editing Platform (Protools)

 

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE:

 

4-5-16 | Interview Carolyn (C.A.S.A)

6-5-16 | Record Foley sound of Newlyn (the area Rainbow Serpent is situated in)

 

We are still waiting to hear back from the other interviewees; however once we have heard back from them we can commence a more thorough production schedule.

 

27-5-16 | Submit Feature to Bruce and Sam.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Having just worked 11 hours straight, coming home to a rush of Facebook notifications isn’t exactly what I had expected late on a Sunday night. Neither was the subject matter contained within the notifications.

 

Aisha (our panel operator) had received an email from our interviewee at the Lupus Foundation stating that she would no longer be able to come in tomorrow for the live to air. This effectively had left us with a 10 minute gap in our show and no alternative segment to fill it.

 

Fortunately the rest of the group went in to crisis mode and have managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat. They have not only managed to notify everyone necessary (Elizabeth, Sam and Bruce) about the conundrum, but they have managed to procure another interviewee from the Lupus Foundation.

 

Although this is fantastic news to have come out of a bad situation… it also leaves us with a couple of problems. Namely the fact that the new interviewee is located in N.S.W and will have to do the interview over the phone, and we have centred a lot of our questions around the previous contact.

FEED-BACK TO THE BASICS

After a few weeks of anticipation, the day we have been waiting for is only just around the corner. Presenting this coming Monday – the nerves and excitement can be felt by everyone in the group. It is for this reason that receiving feedback from both Sam and Bruce, pertaining to the DEMO, the weekend before our show proves to be vital.

 

After reading the comments they had both left on the DEMO, the group felt slightly more comfortable that we would be able to pull off a relatively smooth program that is both interesting and technically sound.

 

It did, however, give us a few extra things to think about. We noticed that a lot of the feedback centred around the interplay between both Bek and myself. Knowing that we need a greater connection and chemistry to keep the listener informed on what is happening, whilst also sounding less jarred resulted in a rework of the script and the necessity of booking in more time on Monday before the live to air.

 

 

ANZAC DAY

As mentioned in previous posts: the beginning of the year brings with it an enjoyably, yet annoyingly high number of public holidays. Having fortuitously (insert rolling of the eyes) been allocated Mondays for our R.W.A.V classes, this meant we had to forgo another weeks worth of studio time and tutorials.

 

Knowing that our live to air was only a week away, the group thought it best to head into the 3RRR studios to get some more practice with the console, presenting and running of the show.

 

This proved to be a brilliant initiative, as we were able to work out some kinks with the script and allow our panel operator a greater chance of getting familiar with the operation of the desk.

 

We orchestrated a mock interview with our Media Producer and that also enabled us to scope our questions so that they pertained to poignant subject matter which would keep the listener engaged.

Interview Ideas

14-4-16

 

All Systems Go.

 

After receiving conformation from Elizabeth in regards to the interview ideas for our live to air, the whole group quickly sent out confirmation emails and started generating scripts, introduction and outro’s.

 

The first interview pertains to Grandparents becoming a carer for their grandchildren while the parents go out to work. We chose this topic because there has been a societal shift requiring Grandparents to take a more active role in the early life of their grandchild – this is due to a number of factors including economic and financial pressure on the parents stemming from the increase in living expenses. We made contact with Lyn Clemments – Volunteer Coordinator at The Conniston Street Childcare Centre, in regards to her coming in for an interview.

 

The second live interview centres around a relatively unknown // under documented disease – Lupus. This topic was chosen because international Lupus awareness day would coincide with the week we are presenting our live to air as well as the fact that the disease effects a wide variety of individuals and often goes undiagnosed for years. The aim of the interview is to both raise awareness of the disease as well as offering the Lupus foundation a wide audience to help debunk some of the myths associated to Lupus. We have made contact with the Lupus foundation and are currently awaiting a response as to whom will actually come in to the studio on the day.

 

The third interview we are going to use will be a pre-recorded interview fro our DEMO. Having received positive feedback from Sam & Bruce in regards to the interview, we will employ it in our live to air. Adhering to the advice of Bruce, we will make sure to trim the interview with Helping Hoops down to a more engaging 7 minutes.

 

Watch This Space.

Whats On In The Blurbs

After receiving relatively positive feedback from both Bruce and Sam regarding the “whats on in the burbs” segment of or DEMO, we have unfortunately found out that Elizabeth will not be allowing us to present this piece for our live to air segment. This cut is due to the fact that apparently a number of different programs at 3RRR already cover similar content.

 

This comes as quite a blow as this segment was the time where Bek and myself were able to engage with each other in greater detail and develop not only a report with ourselves as presenters, but the listener too.

 

I feel as though this setback, being an annoyance in the beginning, will ultimately work out for the best as it will give us a greater amount of time to interview another interviewee as a part of our live to air.

 

Hopefully.

DEMO

After Heading into the 3RRR studios to record our DEMO, the task was then to bounce the audio off the computers in the studio and upload it onto a site that could be accessed by everyone involved, as well as our assessors.

 

Having recorded the session in high quality .wav format, the process of uploading it onto a site became a long and tedious one; taking upwards of 5 attempts to get the piece onto soundcloud.

 

After this harrowing ordeal, we did manage to get the piece uploaded for everyones (including yours) audible pleasure:

 

 

MID-SEMESTER DEMO

Having just got into the swing of uni again for 2016, the plight of public holidays reared its head again and before I could register it, we were on a weeks break for Easter.

 

This break resulted in another missed round of classes for R.W.A.V. However, as a part of Group 4 – we all decided it best to head to the studios in the week to record the DEMO and familiarise ourselves further with the hour format ahead of the Live To Air.

 

Hitting the studios at 10:00am, we decide to give ourselves a 2 hour timeframe to work with. Using the first hour as a planning and rehearsal hour – we managed to smooth out a lot of the script and timing of certain segments as well as the use of music. The second hour saw us dive straight in and record our DEMO – having Bek and myself present, Aisha panel operate, Amalina doing the run sheet & Laura focusing on music and social media (although we didn’t have access to the 3RRR account).

 

I felt that the DEMO was a good first attempt at presenting an hour long radio program and that everyone involved pulled their weight to get it at a level we were all relatively happy with. Although I was concerned that my voice would feature too much, having recorded both the interviews – I think that the presenter balance was able to be achieved.