Category: Assignments

Discussion

Today we’re going to talk about the podcasts you chose for your blog assignments and listen to some excerpts. As we listen, pay attention to the editing choices the podcast’s creators have made.

How does the host (or hosts) introduce themselves?

Is any part of it scripted?

Is there music? What kind? How is it used?

Is there an intro or outro? How does the podcast host sign off? Are there any announcements at the beginning or end?

Assignment: Pitches for Assignment #1

Pitches for your first podcast will be due on Monday, September 9. 

Requirements: The podcast will follow a host interview format and should be 10-15 minutes long. The editing involved in this assignment will be relatively minimal compared to the scripted, narrative podcasts we do later in the semester. Even though it’s just one episode, imagine that it is just one of many in a series; the podcast should have a name and an edited intro/outro. It will be posted to SoundCloud along with an image, which can be either a graphic or a photograph.

On this assignment, the scripting will mainly be limited to the intros and outros, and the editing will mainly involve streamlining the interview so that you keep the most interesting bits and leave any irrelevant tangents or digressions on the cutting room floor. You can also clean up excessive amounts of “ums” and the like.

The intros/outros don’t need to be complicated, but having a polished, professional-sounding intro and signoff to a podcast really makes it sound legit.

This assignment will be a chance for you to focus on the foundations of audio storytelling: your interviewing and hosting skills, basic editing, and high sound quality.

For the pitch, post a paragraph or two on the blog telling us who you intend to interview. Confirm that you have or will be able to get access to this person. Tell us what you plan to discuss, why it is interesting/relevant, and who your target audience would be for a podcast like this.

We will workshop the pitches as a class on Monday. The podcasts will be due on Wednesday, Sept. 18.