Creating a voxpop for the radio show

Most of our team were assigned to gain some research and content for one of the 10 things that make Sunderland , Sunderland. For mine , I created a vox pop , so I could get the impressions of the students at the university. It was challenging to interview others , as specially as I was unfamiliar with the equipment. However , with practise , I learnt that you had to check the levels consistently in order to ensure that the discussion was not too loud or quiet. Below is a  BBC video explaining and introducing vox pops.

Visit to The National Glass Centre

As it is now two weeks until the live programme , I decided that the group should concentrate on focusing and planning on what we were going to do to be diverse and original from the others. The concept of 7 things that make Sunderland ,Sunderland allowed us to utilise each segment with something new and different , like a live interview or voxpop.The decision was that we should all visit the National Glass Centre in order to see if we could find a special guest for the live aspect. We did , as a representative of the centre kindly volunteered to appear , which will hopefully make our show a lot more varied and less repetitive.

 

National Glass Centre promotional video

Prezi on making a radio show

 

                                                               
                                                           Making a Radio show Prezi

The link above will take you to the Prezi that was designed by myself in order to review my progress and look at each part of the process of eventually making a completed piece. This was enjoyable as I was free to brainstorm which role in the studio I was going to undertake and see what was suited to myself.

what I have learnt so far (week 4)

This week I gained access to the studio and began to understand the RCS Zetta programming. I found it difficult to use , but hopefully I can understand how it operates in the coming weeks.This software will be essential for editing our show effectively , and saving any pre recorded content onto the system. This week we also made the final decision regarding our musical choices for the show , which will include Frankie and the Heartstrings and Lilliput. Additionally ,  the group also reviewed how we were going to progress, as it is currently only two weeks until the live show and little has been planned. Going forward ,  we need to create a script , a running order and some pre recorded content.

The music for our show

                                                  Frankie and the Heartstrings -Hunger

 

Little Comets-Dancing Song

 

 

Emelie Sande-Next to Me

 

 

Lilliput-Waiting to go

 

 

In fitting in with the regional theme of the show , it was decided that we should chose bands and artists that originated from the area of Sunderland. This would add an additional layer of authenticity to the proceedings and we specifically chose most of the tracks to create a similar tone throughout.If we simply chose random pop anthems, there would not be much synergy between the components.

What I have been listening to

                                               Ask Ryan Reynolds (BBC Radio 1)
                 

 

                                                  Out This Week (BBC Radio 1)

BBC Radio 1 is a personal favourite, as it is with the younger generation due to its huge focus on upcoming music. However , this is not its only interesting unique selling point, it also interviews popular celebrities and creates features with them as special guests. Capitalizing on the recent Deadpool film , Ryan Reynolds  stars in this first  particular feature. This feature also encourages audience interaction, as listeners phone in and contribute to the discussion. Also interesting is the "out this week" section , which continues to use film and popular culture as a platform for captivating their core audience.

What makes good radio?

This is an Animoto video  , in order to summarize what has been learnt over the previous weeks studying radio.It contains key qualities for how a successful show is created and the roles needed to make the final product. I chose to use this particular video technology to increase my awareness of internet media as a whole.

What I have learnt so far-week 3

This week I began to reach the planning stages of the project. I was assigned a group and we decided how we wanted to structure the final show. The decision was made to focus solely on content that related to Sunderland for one of our segments, as many of the stations listeners were familiar with this surrounding. The concept was "10 things that make Sunderland Sunderland " in which we would have conversation, voxpops and more. Additionally , with this idea , we still need to decided whether or not to use recorded content as this would be an easier method of making the show run smoothly.

Main feature- What makes Sunderland , Sunderland?

 

The main feature of our radio programme will be called "10 things that make Sunderland , Sunderland". Due to its longevity , the decision was made to extend the feature to the entire show , as each of the "10 things" could be come a segment  on its own. Going with this regional theme , the music would all be from upcoming and

famous bands that have come from the area. For each section , we have to plan whether to use interviews , voxpops or to simply have a conversation on each topic. 

Timings Chart

This screenshot below is of the timings chart I created when planning the radio programme. I needed to predict the duration of each features length and make sure we had enough content for the thirty minutes. As you will notice , the music tracks were not yet decided , but we knew we wanted to include local music from the region and most importantly Sunderland. We knew bands like Frankie and the Heartstrings would prove popular and adhere to this gimmick , but we needed to research other artists that could potentially appear. This chart was  a helpful way to brainstorm our concepts and check which work was and was not completed as the live show loomed.

what I have learnt so far (week 2)

In the second week ,  I discovered how to interact with the equipment inside of a radio studio. I challenged myself by trying to converse with others on the microphones , and realised how to check my voice levels were not too quiet or too loud. I felt that by gaining practise with this studio, I was able to engage in a more practical section of the course, which helped me to gain experience rather than simply taking notes. Additionally, I was able to consolidate what I had been shown in the first session , now remembering how to transition from music to speech and back to music again with the dials. This variety of skills I had been shown made me able to adjust to any of the roles in the studio from presenting to producing to editing. I also gained information on the roles in the industry that this module opens up , as we ran through their importance to the medium's success.



                                                             Tour of the BBC Radio 1 Studio
                                               This example of a real radio studio is similar to the
                                                one I encountered and this video establishes this
                                                                    busy working environment .

 

Mark Kermode reviews Creed

This BBC Radio 5 film programme gives us a glimpse of the radio studio and how radio can be used for conversation and review purposes rather than simply being a platform for music. 

What is the difference between FM and AM radio?

Radio stations are comprised of various types of frequency. Frequency in this case refers to electromagnetic wave frequencies that are between 3 kHz to 300 GHz.


AM-This is a lower frequency and is also known as medium wave analogue or mono. It is the process of amplitude modulation. It was the original system to carry  sound over a radio signal and was prominent in being the basis for the later FM frequency.


FM-is a higher frequency overall and is also known as an analogue frequency. It was pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong and is generally considered a more efficient method of broadcasting radio to audiences. FM carried the template of the AM frequency and strengthened it.

DAB-stands for digital audio broadcasting audio , which is becoming increasingly popular.

 Click here to view all the FM stations in the UK





What are podcasts?

 

A podcast is a new discovery within the world of radio, consisting of a general discussion of a few people debating issues that relate to audiences. Podcasts , including  as Rooster Teeth, have gained recognition due to the presenters endearing personalities that reduce repetition over the podcasts extended length. Other podcasts discuss popular culture as it is something most of us can relate to and helps connect us to programme. These include the Schmoes Know podcast which discusses films and movies which are popular in the episodic podcast format. To immerse the audience  they often include competitions to make the podcast more interactive. Overall , podcasts are almost a form of downloadable radio that we can access at any time without listening to it on a live broadcast, Also , they have altered the restrictions of having to keep to a time schedule that on air shows are hindered by. Two examples of great podcasts are included below-

                                    

                                          Rooster Teeth 

                                   

                                       Schmoes Know

                                                         

Radio Stations I listen to

An example of a varied station , Metro Radio is successful as it chooses to play current hit singles alongside old classics which prevents the station becoming overly familiar even over hours of listening. Therefore , it targets a large range of generations and refrains from topic based discussions in order to grab attention from the listener. Therefore , it is a commercial radio station as it relies heavily upon advertising to continue and fund broadcasting. Personally , the station offers a varied range of genres , instead of focusing on a single specific , making its strength that it is less repetitive to listen to.

Another frequency I occasionally listen is Smooth Radio, although this example has a less expansive audience than the former as it plays mostly 1960's and 70's singles. This station opts to offer an alternative to the frequently upbeat pop and dance music circulating presently in  that it is relaxing and soothing. The advert to the left cleverly uses Michael Buble to market the station , someone who is influenced by the past but is still well known within modern popular culture.