This assignment is designed to be prepared in stages and is done in a team of two. STAGE 1: requires you to record your vox pop (montage of voices where people interviewed answer short question/s you will ask on a topic, usually something of interest to general audiences for radio or podcasts). Then after recording your interviews in the field using a portable digital recorder, you will move to Stage 2. STAGE 2: after technical demonstration of editing you will edit your vox pop interviews together as a lively and engaging montage. Vox pops will be edited using Pro Tools software. This combined task requires that you show aptitude for media interviewing and working in a team, while also showing suitable respect for the public in the process. This task requires a basic level of competence with digital recording, digital audio editing software, data transfer and management, and developing skills in editing techniques and journalistic interviewing using portable recorder and microphone.

Your vox pop should be edited on ProTools to approximately 2 minutes and a final copy transferred to the designated lab workstation folder. A word document containing a brief reflection (600 words) on the assignment should be submitted to Turn it in via iLearn. This document should include your topic question, details of where you recorded, along with the number and details/profiles of the interviewees recorded, comment on what you learnt and how you worked in a team, what you did to contribute.

When working in group work, 50% of your mark for this task will be determined individually. Your written documentation will be used to determine this mark. In your written reflection it should also be apparent that you are listening and engaging with the unit content and lecture materials, especially to have gained an understanding of the vox pop form from examples played in lectures and workshops or set as listening homework.

Assessment Criteria

• Quality of journalistic or creative outcomes: clarity and effectiveness of the chosen topic, and diversity of interviewees and answers appropriate to the topic.

• Skills in capturing, selecting, and combining voice elements as a montage.

• Technical proficiency with regards to sound levels and editing (assessed to basic podcast/broadcast standard)

• Well-written reflection on the process which accounts for the process and why you made the decisions you made, and how you worked as a team to share ideas and workload.

NB: The weighting for the technical part of this assessment task will be relatively low: this is an early assessment task using portable audio equipment and audio editing software.

Submission

Audio must be placed in an ISIS assignment folder in the labs by or during the tutorial in week 5 and all work submitted by the due date. Reflection must be submitted to Turnitin in iLearn. You will be shown how to operate the ISIS file management system prior to submission.

You will work on your own 'postcard' for this assignment. This assessment task asks you to convey a place or event through words and actuality (location sound). It should consist of a simple mix between actuality/location sound and voice (recorded on portables in quiet location or at the scene). 

This exercise will  assess your writing/presentation skill for radio and your ability to construct a radio/audio item which uses recorded actuality/'wild sound' and words to take us to a place/comment on an event. Prepare individually. Submit to DAWS correct folder by Week 7 deadline. Audio (even if not yet submitted) should be available to listen to in Week 7 tutes. Written work, the Reflection and including a Cue Sheet, should be submitted to Turnitin by September 17 (accessible on iLearn).

Assessment Note: Programs will be judged on the interest of the subject/content, how well they communicated through choice of actuality sound and voiced presentation, and on demonstrated technical competency. NB: The weighting for the technical part of this assessment task will be relatively low: this is an early assessment task using portable audio equipment and audio editing software.

Duration: Approximately 3 - 4 mins.

Assessment Criteria

• quality of journalistic or creative content & outcomes using sounds sourced at a place you visit and commentary written/voiced by you
• originality and creativity is important in capturing, selecting, and combining sound, actuality/field recordings and voice elements
• research is likely to be important for this exercise. Have you researched the topic/place you are reporting from? What focus have you chosen? What interesting material/details have you discovered that you can include in your script or running commentary. A few engaging points will bring the postcard to life (along with your actuality recordings).
• Developing technical proficiency is assessed in this: ie the editing, voice commentary and the balance between this and the 'actuality' sound.
• Reflection on your process and what you have learnt (500 words).

For this assignment, you will work in pairs to research and produce a short (7- 8 min) radio feature that may include one or more interviews, voices, script, or other sound (music, effects, original actuality recordings). This topic for this radio feature will be negotiated with class peers and academic staff and will relate to the end of semester podcast radio project.

Primary source material will be recorded in the radio studio and/or in the field

Studio: Peter Ring will advise booking procedure and be available if you require technical assistance.

Field: Portable recording kits may be booked out from the department. Please see Peter Ring.

Primary source materials can then be edited and mixed with music, sound effects, or other actuality (on ProTools) to create a radio feature based on your podcast theme.

This assignment requires you to demonstrate competence with story selection, microphone technique, interviewing, recording, editing, and mixing and thinking radiophonically.

It involves being as creative or as factual as you like while remaining clearly focused. In this assignment you will explore how to tell a radio/podcast story and sustain interest using music, SFX/'wild sound' or ‘actuality’ and voice. The feature is designed to be suitable for broadcast on a community radio station or as a podcast.

Assessment Criteria: Programs will be judged on the level of technical skills demonstrated (ideally these should aim to be broadcast quality) & as to their creative/journalistic application to the content and presentation of the subject as rendered in sound. The content and presentation will be assessed as earlier assignments with a higher weighting than for the technical aspects. While students will work in pairs, the individual contribution to the team is assessed through the role you played and the elements of the final product that you contributed. Your individual contribution will make up 50% of the mark for this task then, and the other 50% will be a team mark for the produced program you submit. Individual contributions should be documented in an accompanying 'Reflection'.

Comments on Assessment: To pass, students should have a achieved a minimum level of attainment in the technical skills taught, and in applying these skills (technical, journalistic etc) to this radio form. To obtain a high grade students usually work well in the team and individually to produce broadcast quality work, demonstrating high levels of understanding of creative and professional media (radio) practice in their programs, and how radio communicates well as evidenced in their finished pieces. Highly graded features are also likely to have achieved excellence across a range of aspects which also contribute to the overall impact of the piece: e.g., the writing & spoken communication skills demonstrated, the choice of interviewees and subject, the editing and structuring of the work, the depth and relevance of the research used to inform the content and its development.

NB: You are also required to complete a radio story 'pitch'/with brief synopsis for this feature to be emailed to your Tutor by first week of the break. One A4 page is sufficient.

Must include a written reflection (up to 1000 words) indicating your role; the program aims and scope; and cite some radio/audio programs listened to from the radio or from podcasts, which were inspiring or a model for your program. Include these in your reflection as references; and indicate what you learnt from listening to these models.

Submission

Audio must be placed in an ISIS assignment folder in the labs by Oct 25 23.00hrs. You will be given revision as to how to operate the ISIS file management system prior to submission in Week 11 class. Important: You should have your Assignment as a wav file ready for possible audition in class by the October 25 Week 11 workshop.

Submit Reflection via Turnitin in iLearn by Oct 27, 24.59hrs.

Assessment Criteria

• structure/content
• presentation skills
• technical proficiency
• well-written reflection on the process

Specific role in a team to produce 'radio shows' for podcast. There may be two podcast shows per Workshop class and each podcast show will have a theme to be developed by the team in consultation with the Tutor. Content for podcast shows will come from students' pre-produced assignments and that associated directly with their role if indicated. Students will be marked on their specific role and how effectively they worked in the team environment. A dot point production diary should be completed and submitted which provides an overview of all tasks completed and milestones reached against a timeline.

Roles will be decided upon in consultation with the tutor (and may involve auditions). Shows will be ready/produced in Week 13. Roles include: Presenters, Producers, Panel Operators, Program Opener/Sting Producers...

Assessment Criteria

All roles will have a set of criteria against which they will be marked (iLearn Link). To pass this assessment item, all task requirements must be completed by program deadlines, all production meetings must be attended, and the work associated with each role must be completed to a satisfactory standard. 

Submission

The podcasts will be prepared in class in Week 13, according to a schedule. Students must be available on the day/time of their podcast recording/compilation.

Documentation to submit: A production diary is required (a template will be provided). Students should start this diary in week 7, or when you have been assigned a role. Diary must be submitted to Turnitin as one document by 11pm  Monday the 12th of November.