Answers to Question 2

I donno right or not, but as requested by Miss Pilla, here's the answers I got from the internet (for now) on Question 2:

 Question 2

o   What are the characteristics of good sound reinforcement? (check the quality of the sound, sound check, check the PA, mic, speaker, etc…)

o   What is the characteristic of a good audio and video presentation?

Producing High Quality Audio:

·        Eliminate background noise

Directional microphone gives more control

Deaden the room in which you are recording

Some audio systems will cancel wind noise

·        One microphone per speaker

·        Keep the sound levels balanced

·        Sweeten sound track with interesting sound effects

 

Producing a good video presentation/slideshows:

1. Don’t overuse them

Readers will easily start ignoring your audio slideshows if they’re continuously overused and the content is mediocre. Figure out which stories are best suited for a slideshow (i.e. a city council meeting may not be the most appropriate time). Sometimes a slideshow or video is better. Your audio slideshows will have more meaning if they’re used sparingly and effectively.

 2. Send out the real photographers

It’s great to have the emphasis on “the backpack journalist” who can do it all, especially for breaking news. But, if you can get your hands on a staff photographer, do it; an inexperienced reporter using a point and shoot won’t always do the trick. If you send out a real photographer, the reporter can focus on getting good audio without having to figure out how to use the camera.

 A word of caution: make sure the photographer and reporter actually work together.   Send them out as a team and let them discuss the focus of the slideshow, goals for photos and audio and even let them edit it together. It’ll make the entire production more cohesive.

 3. Use text slides

If the audio doesn’t tell the full story, use text slides as transitions between sources, topics, locations, etc. A simple, powerful look is a black slide with plain white text over it, which you can make in Photoshop. Don’t get too fancy; keep words to a minimum so readers aren’t forced out of the slow pace in which they’ve been watching your slideshow. If you have a lot of text, break it up over multiple slides.

 4. Make good use of ambient/environmental noise

It’s easy to forget about ambient noise and it’s hard (if not impossible) to go back to the scene to capture good ambient noise. What am I talking about? Cheering crowds, a clanking hammer, dripping water. Anything that adds to the feel of the environment and captures what your photos and interviews cannot.

 5. Humanize your subject

The best audio slideshows introduce your viewers to a new person, just like a good feature story. Even if you’re covering an event, make the speaker a human among the crowd or show how the audience is made up of many individuals instead of being one big group.

 It seems abstract, but you can do it with photos that capture emotions and audio that goes beyond the standard, “Today’s event was really successful, we had a huge turnout,” quote. If you go into the project with a goal of humanizing your subjects, it’ll be easier to look for those stories that really stand out.

 

o   Find a famous film music score

A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film, which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film. The term soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does not. A score is written specifically to accompany a film, by the original film's composer(s).

Example: Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture (1997), Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

 

o   What is ADR? (what should a sound engineer have?)

ADR stand for "Automated" or "Automatic" Dialog Replacement.. 

Recording engineers operate and maintain sound recording equipment. They may also work special effects equipment. These engineers install, test, repair, set up and operate the electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio signals. They regulate the signal strength, clarity and range of sounds and colours of recordings or broadcasts. They also operate control panels to select the material's source.

Audio engineers operate mixing consoles, microphones, signal processors, tape machines, digital audio workstations, sequencing software and speaker systems.