There is a documentary training intensive coming up that is well-worth your time and money. If you’re looking to learn some very strong production techniques, story-telling techniques, connect with other producers in an intimate environment, and build on your networking circle then you should definitely consider taking this 2-day intensive offered by UC Berkeley School of Journalism lecturer. I took the course about a year ago and I not only came away with a great folder of notes and information that I consistently use in my production endeavors but I made some awesome connections with other producers. I feel like it is a rare occurrence that such a worth-while course is offered so when one does come along you know it’s a real treat. Note: this is not a ProTools or other type of technical course. It is more about how to construct, manage, and complete audio documentary stories and productions. But since this is such an intimate course you can easily ask others for more technical how-to’s.
I have to admit, I felt pretty bitter after not getting any favorable responses from a recent story pitch I sent to several radio programs. I know, I know, it’s all about ‘volumizing’ your pitching; that is, pitch lots of ideas and as often as possible because only a small percent will actually get picked up at any given time. I understand that and see the logic but that doesn’t take my bitterness away or answer the nagging question, is there a better way? Anyway, instead of dwelling on all that I just kept pushing with the story and now it’s taking on a new life. So, we’ll see what happens next in the process but it’s sounding good. The new wrinkle? I just got hired full-time for some rather mundane but good-paying, temporary, office work. The folks at the company are great so it’s a good thing…but now I ain’t got the time I had when I started this project. Oh life, you just love to be complicated don’t you?
The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism once again proves that not all free online courses are created equal. A couple of months back I completed a course through them titled ‘How to be an Entrepreneur as a Business Journalist‘ and was impressed by how solid the series of courses was. Today I started another free course titled, ‘Investigative Business Journalism’ and it’s promising to be more of the same quality. My understanding is that the Center received some funding to conduct a series of free, on-going workshops to help further the professionalism of up-and-coming business journalists. It’s a wonderful idea that they have executed perfectly (imho); That is, they don’t appear to be holding anything back in order to hook you into buying “premium” content (the popular Freemium model). Rather, they honestly seem to be offering free, premium content and really want to better the field of business journalism. It is really surprising, at least to me, to see people acting so selflessly in the society we live in. The almighty dollar seems to consistently corrupt most any thought of furthering the human endeavor without a bottom line…but then comes courses like this.
I’ve spent this week taking an online course called “How to be an Entrepreneur as a Business Journalist“. While I am not technically a business journalist, a significant project I am brewing here would definitely put me in that ballpark – but more on that at another time. More importantly I have learned a LOT and here a just a few of my learnings:
Sometimes free content is actually amazing! As this whole week’s worth of classes was free AND amazing.
It pays big time to be part of professional organizations (whether formally or informally organized). For example, I found out about this weeks class through an ad-hoc freelance group I belong to.
Your goal is to work less trying to get work and spend more time working. So stop dawdling by thinking you don’t know enough to get started; but if you feel you really need to learn something you will find a way of getting that information (and sometimes for free).
Those are some of the thoughts that come to mind but of course, I have a whole lot more to process through before the day is over. Have a great weekend!
I was browsing through my new favorite web site “instructables.com” and came across this really interesting demonstration for making your own microphone pre-amp. You see awhile back a friend and I started working on a project of making our own “piezo disc” microphone and a pre-amp from schematics provided by sound artist Richard Lerman. He’s done some really cool stuff so check him out. But we got a little bogged down trying to create the pre-amp from the directions Lerman offers. This leads me to this mornings find.
At Instructables.com is a demonstration (see below) that shows you how to make a cheap microphone pre-amp. This particular project came out of a test that an audio teacher did with his class seeing if people could tell which of 3 pre-amps was the most expensive and which was the cheapest (ranging in cost from $5-$1500). Can YOU tell? You may (or may not) be all that surprised by the findings. Hopefully this will get my own project back on course…
I came across some useful links this morning that cover portable audio recorders, field production, head-worn microphones and a profile of a field, sound engineer. The articles are part of the B&H Email Newsletter, essentially a way for the trusty ol’ New York based professional equipment outlet to reach its customers. The obvious commercial motive aside, I found the articles insightful in that they clearly show some different professional configurations of equipment with simple explanations, pictures and price lists. Check it out:
Head-Worn Microphones – Up Close and Personal (I found this one helpful because I’m looking for a way to mic my self during interviews which allows me to remain able to monitor my recorder as well as hand-hold mic my interviewee).
I came across the Vermont Folklife Center online this afternoon. They have some honest and straight forward reviews of audio recorders (past and present) and some good “how-to” articles. So, if you are interested in reading some helpful and interesting reviews on audio hardware and such head on over to:
Yes, another one of those big “M” words. What would we all do without those we look up to, admire, respect and learn from? I know that for me, I would not be half as far as I am today. So, a big thank you to all those who I have the deepest of respect and gratitude for sharing your brilliance with me (Loretta, Jonathan, Kathy, Eric, Chuck, Devin, Lenny, Dazon and Robynn are just a few).
Today I am embarking on a new mentoring excursion. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a member of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) and as a member I am eligible for a set number of mentoring hours with a selected pro AIR member. I am really excited, and even a bit nervous, because I have been paired up with a local producer whose name I have heard many times on the radio as I have grown up here in the San Francisco Bay Area – Gregg McVicar. He’s got a really chill yet very tight style and has a largely varied musical taste and this is very much where I see myself moving (now I just have to get that “tightness” under my belt ). Anyway, who knows where this will lead but regardless if it lasts just the number of AIR-hours or if it leads to a little more, it’s really inspiring just to be able to sit down with someone who you respect and be able to ‘talk shop’ and ask questions.
Thank you AIR and thank you Gregg! I am looking forward to this day…
The 2007 Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF) officially kicked off this evening with an opening meet-and-greet schmooze of the 400 or so attendees. This is my first time at this event and I have to say it’s been a tad bit intimidating. Don’t get me wrong, the people are all easy going and very friendly but I feel like I’m invading their territory. I keep asking myself, “Do I belong here?” Answer, “If you want to work in radio production you do!”
Tomorrow the sessions start and I am excited. What I have lined up are the following: “Making a Scene: The Use of Verite to Show, Not Tell, Your Story,” “When and How to Sell Out” [a pod casting seminar], and “Stand Tall” [field work seminar]. That takes me up to about 6 p.m. and then at 9:30 begins a party put on by PRX (www.prx.org) and Vocalo (www.vocalo.org) which sounds like crazy fun. Vocalo will be web casting live from the party and will be featuring some of the works of attending audio producers like myself. So on Friday November 2, be sure to be listening to www.vocalo.org between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. (Central Time) and you will hear some of my work as well as a live interview with me. You can also listen to and comment on my SisterLove project any time at http://vocalo.org/node/9055 .
…btw, it’s not hyperbole, the festival truly is international as I chatted it up with one producer from Ireland and another from New Zealand…nice!…
This morning I was reading an article on the Southern California fires and came across this bit:
The lucky ones will find their homes still standing amid a blackened landscape. Thousands of others are not so fortunate.
Robert Sanders returned to a smoldering mound that once was his rented house in the San Diego neighborhood of Rancho Bernardo.
Among the possessions the 56-year-old photographer lost were his transparencies, melted inside a fire-resistant box, and a photograph of his father.
“I’ve lost my history,” Sanders said. “All the work I’ve done for the past 30 years, it’s all destroyed.”
A not so gentle reminder to always back your work up. What you want to do is store your back-ups off site (meaning don’t keep them at the same location as the originals). This should go for any format you are working – film, audio, written…it can be a bit of a pain to do this but what hurts more is the above example – try restoring your work from nothing. But once you set a routine going it gets easier. The minimum schedule for people doing regular work should be a monthly back up. Be aware that not all storage mediums are equal. CD-Roms are more stable than DVD-Roms but yes they have much less capacity…to read more, WikiPedia has a pretty good break down on the subject.
Why not take this weekend to get yourself backed up…in the long run you will thank yourself.
p.s. one tangental point are those movies on DVD and music on CD you paid a lot of money for. under current law the greedy, shortsighted bastards at the RIAA and MPAA have made it “illegal” to back up your legally purchased media. basically, if you lose it you have to pay for it…again. great deal for those guys but the consumer gets screwed big time. totally bogus, i know. the easiest program i know of to deal with this on a PC is SlySoft’s AnyDVD and CloneDVD. AnyDVD is nice as it strips the copy protection off of both CDs and DVDs and allows you to then back up YOUR media using other burning programs like CloneDVD. CloneDVD is a good program for backing up DVD movies and works along side AnyDVD. For you Mac people’s, a popular program called Mac the Ripper seems to be best. So, what are you waiting for? You have two days to get backing up!
p.p.s. share your back-up success and horror stories using the “Comment” link directly under this text..
I came across some useful links this morning that cover portable audio recorders, field production, head-worn microphones and a profile of a field, sound engineer. The articles are part of the 
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