WYSO Behind the Scenes
Deadlines are approaching. This is how I feel.
One month left until Community Voices is over…
Here is a vox pop that I’ve been working on for a while. I still don’t feel 100% satisfied with it. Sometimes you just have be done with one project and keep the things you learned in mind for the next one.
Here is the host intro that would be read before it:
How often do you walk down the street and wonder what a person’s story is, wherethey’ve been, and where they’re going?
What if you could ask them one question that was capable of shining a light on all of these things?
Jennifer Carlson asks Antioch students a question to find out…
Every Friday Charlie Campbell’s voice is sent out over WYSO’s airwaves telling you what’s great in Dayton. I’ve been recording and editing What’s Great in Dayton for the past few weeks now. When he comes into the studio to record his segment once a week, his presence automatically brightens everyone’s day. It’s hard not to have a smile on your face when Charlie is around.
Last year, Luke Dennis set out to do a story on a local band for Community Voices. But after meeting Charlie, things changed a bit.
“The story that emerged once I scratched at the surface just a bit, is much bigger than the birth of a community band. It’s about more than accordions. It’s about life, of course. Well, one man choosing how to live his life. Meet Charlie Campbell.”
Take a listen and I’m sure you’ll understand why Charlie is such beloved part of WYSO.
Audio is now up for our show-long Maurice Sendak tribute. I cried. You might want to have tissues handy.
When you work at a radio station full time, the radio is on full time. Sometimes I tune it out to get work done, sometimes it provides nice background music, sometimes it makes me laugh unexpectedly, and other times it makes me get a little teary-eyed. This was one of those times…
The WYSO crew trying to get a van full of CD shelves out of the mud… never a dull moment.
I finally got my interview with Shane and Jacqui Creepingbear done. I kind of did this in a reverse order. I decided that this was the story I was going to do about a month and a half ago. Before I left for spring break I sat down and just talked with them for a bit to get some background information, no recording involved… just a lot of notes. Then after I got back to YSO I met with them at their brewing space. Not only was this the first time that they were brewing in this space, but it was also the first time they were using a lot of new equipment. I spent a good five hours there with them trying to get the whole process on tape. I came to realize that the warehouse wouldn’t necessarily be a good location for a real interview though because of the echoing sound. But this was a great opportunity to gather “active tape” for scenes. Not only is this going to add to the story, but being there throughout the whole process helped me really understand how much work goes into brewing. The next week consisted of me listening to hours of tape and sorting through all of it. I joked with Shane and Jacqui about how I’d probably edit the whole five hour process down to twenty seconds. It’ll probably be longer than that, but still… ah the beauty of radio. The thought can feel frustrating at times but then I wonder, is it really all that different with other forms of story telling? How long do journalists spend researching a piece and then only use that information for a sentence or a paragraph in a long piece? Perspective helps.
Before the interview, I kept going over handouts and my notes about interviewing from the previous training. I had a list of questions and I had done my homework. And even though I know Shane and Jacqui, I was still nervous about the interview. Sarah told me not to worry and to just treat like a regular conversation. She said that interviewees usually pick up on how you’re feeling and that may transfer over. So if you’re calm and confident, there’s nothing to worry about.
DO:
- Be prepared- do your homework. Know what you need to get on tape before you start the interview. Make a list of questions but don’t rely on it.
-This part was easy since I had already spoken with them about everything. I just had to choose which questions I was going to ask again to get good answers on tape. Luckily, these two are good storytellers. I didn’t have to do that much work.
- Find a comfortable, quiet place. Make good eye contact.
-I got to do the interview with a handheld recorder in one of the new, empty studios here. It was pretty amazing how quiet it was when I closed the door.
- Start simple. Have your subject introduce themselves on tape. Ask an easy question for starters.
-This can be very helpful for the you when editing and doing your narration. Pay attention to how they pronounce their name.
- Ask direct questions. Ask for details, examples, anecdotes. Ask the question the listener would ask.
-Small details like what they were wearing or what was the weather like can really help you paint a picture for the listener while writing your script.
- Ask questions that begin with why, how, what. Avoid yes or no answers.
- Listen closely and ask follow-up questions. Sometimes you only need the simplest of questions: Oh? And then what? Can you tell me more about that?
- Use silent cues that you are engaged and listening- nod your head, make eye contact.
- As you’re wrapping up, ask, “What else should I know?” or “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” or “Who else should I talk to”
DON’T:
- Don’t ask questions that begin with was, did, would, had.
- Don’t ask double barreled questions. One at a time!
- Don’t use the jargon of your interviewee.
-You want the tape to be as accessible as possible, get them to explain it.
- Don’t interrupt.
- Don’t listen out loud (“OK…uh-huh…”)
-This one can be tricky at first. You really have to train yourself not to do this. It’s so frustrating when you go back to edit your tape later, someone says something really golden, and your responses make it unusable. This is why eye contact is so important. Eye contact will also make it easier for the interviewee to trust you . Respond with your eyes so your voice doesn’t have to. Really listen to them instead of looking at your notes.
- Don’t rush to fill in long periods of silence.
-“Discomfort can be the story.” Neenah Ellis
- Don’t be too quick to turn off the recorder!
- Don’t forget to record room tone!
- Don’t be afraid to ask a question three or four times.
-If you don’t understand, the listener won’t be confident in your own incoherence.
The most important part about an interview is really to just listen. You’re having a conversation with someone and you have to build that up. It’s good to go in with questions already in mind, but don’t let it distract you. When someone reveals something that they didn’t even know they were going to say, don’t miss it! The magic is when it goes deeper or in a different direction. It’s okay to allow room for silence. You can get them to keep talking about something by saying things like “what happened next” or even just “really”. Then be quiet. Let people realize that they just said something interesting and go with it. When all else fails you can always just say “tell me a story about that.” People crave stories. One of the greatest gifts you could offer someone is to listen to their story.
For my interview, I know I made a lot of mistakes but I think it still went really well. I’m still getting over the awkwardness of managing the recording equipment, mostly the headphones. I also made a mistake by not choosing a comfortable resting position for my arm. I just sat across from Shane and Jacqui and moved my arm back and forth. This is surprisingly very tiring over the course of an hour. I should have rested my arm on the corner of a table. It’s important to not have the table directly under the mic so the sound doesn’t just bounce off of it. Also, hand cramps! My hand kept cramping or I felt like I needed to readjusted my grip. Be careful about when you choose to fix that because the mic will pick up on the sound. Lastly, turn off the cell phones! Or at least make sure your interviewee doesn’t have it on them. Even if it’s on silent the recorder can still pick up on the signal. I forgot about this and Shane’s phone buzzed while Jacqui was saying something good. Oops.
Now on to editing and script writing, let the learning process continue!
“I bring all of this up to say that if you’re someone who wants to make radio stories (or do any kind of creative work), you’re probably going to have a period when things might not come too easily. For some people, that’s just a year. For others, like me, it’s eight years. You might feel completely alone and lost during this period — God knows I did — and I hope it’s reassuring in some small way to hear that what you’re going through is completely normal. Most people go through it. And there are things you can do during this period of mediocrity that will get you to the next step, that will drive you toward skill and competence.”
It has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened! I am now working at WYSO full time through the end of June for co-op. The move to the new, above ground building is in its final stages. I really can’t get over how nice it is. If you have yet to see the new space, you should definitely come by to the open house in June.
In other exciting news, the Localore project is starting up. Localore is a project focussed on experimenting and inventing new ways to find and tell stories, discovering fresh models blending old and new media, and forging new pathways between stations and their local communities. WYSO got a grant to partner with local documentary film makers Julia Reichart and Steven Bognar and were one of the ten teams chosen around the nation to be a part of Localore. We will be working together to bring you stories about reinvention after the recession in the Dayton area. They will be teaching us about storytelling through film while we teach them about storytelling through sound. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of this project. Another Antioch student and Miller Fellow , Zeb Reichart (no relation to Julia), will also be working with Steven and Julia. I’ll be writing a lot about this experience over the next few months, so stay tuned.
Things are moving along with the Community Voices training. My story idea has changed quite a bit since I last wrote about it. Originally, I was going to do a story about refugees in Dayton. I narrowed that idea down through some research when I found out about the East End Community Center and their mission to end generational poverty in east Dayton neighborhoods. I wanted to spend some time down there and find out how people had been impacted by the work of this organization. After some consideration though, I decided to do a story that was more local since I don’t have a car. Telling stories like these is also something that I wanted to save for a later date when I have more experience. So I switched gears a bit and now I am doing a story on local brewers Shane and Jacqui Creepingbear. They are starting up their own brewing business in Yellow Springs, Vitruvian Brew Company. I’ve been learning a lot about everything it takes to produce your own radio story. More on that later!
