Introduction
This piece is an Adobe Audition audio project that I completed for COM 561: Multimedia Content Creation in Summer 2022. My instructor was Justin Barnes.
In COM 561, students learn to develop and communicate ideas clearly, concisely, and effectively through multimedia content.
Multimedia perspective involves the convergence of text, graphics, audio and video, and the distribution of these assets over the internet. It also requires critical thinking, information literacy, communication proficiency, and self- and peer-evaluation.
To create diverse multimedia content requires training in multimedia content creation software. To develop these skills, students will work through a number of tutorials. Students will use the skills learned in the tutorials to complete creative multimedia storytelling assignments. Students will create and manage a course blog on the web where they will post assignments and interact with fellow students through content critiques.
However, skill without an understanding of the underlying principles and theories is not enough. The best communicators practice their skills within a framework derived from principles, theories and research. Therefore, as foundation, principles and theories will be offered in three areas: aesthetics, design and interactivity, including user-centered design and social interactivity.
Students will choose a topic at the beginning of the semester. This topic will be used throughout the semester on each content creation assignment. Students are encouraged to choose a topic relevant to their current position or profession, and use the assignments to create an online portfolio. Regardless of the topic, students must craft their multimedia content to communicate specific ideas to a diverse web-based audience through their course blog.
Students will work in “peer critique groups” throughout the semester. Students are expected to provide constructive feedback about their group members’ draft multimedia creations using design principles and technical advice. These critiques should be focused on helping designs achieve their communication goals, as described in the accompanying written blog post. In addition to self-reflection, this exercise in critical thinking and peer feedback will form the basis for design revisions and final projects.
Project Background
My overall objective in this class was to create content for PeaceHealth Pride, the LGBTQ+ employee resource group for which I was a Co-Chair. This work was intended to illustrate the ways in which visual content can promote diversity, equity and inclusion. I was able to use these projects as a starting point to create multiple campaigns digital and print campaigns. The first two themes were “You Belong Here” and “The Power of Pride.” As someone who identifies as queer, this is a topic that is very personal for me.
June is Pride Month and I wanted to create an audio story that would honor it while putting a human face on the LGBTQ+ community. Since I was struggling with laryngitis (thanks, COVID!) for a few weeks, I had plenty of time to spend listening to podcasts and NPR stories for inspiration.
Design Process
Audio design is something I didn’t have experience in prior to taking COM 561, so this was a challenging exercise for me. My greatest strengths are in visual arts and design, and I had never used Adobe Audition before. The two tutorials took me much longer than I am willing to admit!
Some of the sites I explored were:
- Story Corp: https://storycorps.org/
- This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/
- Fresh Air: https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/
- All Things Considered: https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/
- Code Switch: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
I took the opportunity to interview three of our PeaceHealth Pride members. Kris identifies as non-binary, Steven is a gay man and Courtney is a transgender woman.
I started with about an hour of recorded interview footage so editing it down to three minutes or less was a challenge. Some of the topics we discussed included what Pride meant to them, how to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, raising transgender children, coming out experiences, family dynamics, homophobia, violence in the community and the current political climate.
There was so much great material, but I wanted to create a cohesive story. In addition to removing quite a few “likes” and “ums,” I cut out sections which slowed the pace down too much. I wanted to capture the genuine emotion, so I left in some tears and poignant pauses for dramatic effect.
One of the qualities I admire most about NPR stories is the use of music to break up dialogue. Not having experience in audio editing, I struggled to balance the volume of the two and am still not happy with where I ended up. I like the music I selected but which the fading felt more natural between clips and at the end.
Revisions
The feedback I received from my classmates reinforced my concerns that the fades in and out of the music between clips needed polishing. The reaction to my story itself was positive and it appeared that the emotion was effectively conveyed.
In response to my concerns and feedback I received, I made some adjustments to my audio story. I shaved a bit more off of one of Courtney’s clips so I could add back a few seconds to Steven’s introduction. In my first draft, I had included Kris and Courtney’s names but not his. I spent more time playing with the volumes since Steven and I were loud and Courtney and Kris were quiet. I believe it sounds better now. I also played with the fades between clips and at the beginning and end of the story. I also removed a few seconds from long pauses and added a few seconds where it felt rushed.
Work cited
- Joystock. “Upbeat Summer Electro-Pop.” AdobeStock, 1 Jul 2022, https://stock.adobe.com/search/audio?k=513024056.
- Evlakhov, Valerii. “Wireless headphones and LGBT pride flags on table.” Adobe Stock, 1 Jul 2022. https://stock.adobe.com/images/wireless-headphones-and-lgbt-pride-flags-on-table/504189326.