Sound is the highest value multimedia asset that modern journalists must master. Audio quality is the first thing an audience will judge you by and instantly brands you as an amateur or a professional.
I have been doing audio multimedia consulting for correspondents who cover the EU Parliament in Brussels for the last few months and I’ll share some of the expertise I have gained in recording and mixing sound for better the part of my life.
Sound recording in the field is one of the high demands now for more and more digital journalists. So where are we with the state of the art? How important is great audio and what are people using for their VOX pops and field podcasts?
What makes great audio? Consider for a moment just how much technology, technique and expertise goes into making sound, uh, sound good. Here’s an INXS track posted by my friend Diana into her Yahoo! feed.
We take it for granted that vocals sound like this - as a society we have been raised on professionally produced audio for the last 40 years since the advent of FM radio.
It takes an incredible amount of technology and talent to make a vocal track sound this “natural.” The sound passes from the lips through an exquisite suite of electronic gear that processes it and compensates for many, many faults along the way.
March 10-12 - AMERICA EAST - Video and audio master classes
Video: Beyond the Basics (Two-day advanced master class) March 10-11
Instructors: Craig Dufff and Robb Montgomery
- Advanced camera techniques — “Getting out of auto mode for better results”
- Getting the Sequence - Gathering enough of the right images to let the story tell itself.
- Running and Gunning - strategies for getting video images when things are moving fast
- The video interview - what makes a good video interview different from print
- Story structure - moving past the pyramid: how best to structure a video segment.
- Trade Secrets - 10 helpful tricks of the video trade that come in handy when doing multi-platform reporting.
Robb Montgomery works with top media houses in Europe, North America and the Middle East to develop new prototypes for news products and to design multimedia and cross platform newsrooms.
He also produces training that grows visual and digital literacy within organizations.
