My voice is gone! That's my main thought right now when I reflect on this project, if I'm being entirely honest with the class! My sister keeps making fun of me because I literally can only croak, and I can't laugh without it turning into a coughing fit. But other than that — again, I have to be honest and say I'm not beyond thrilled about my final product, because tried though I did — determination + countless takes = a dying voice! — I still couldn't quite hit the heights of professionalism I would've preferred; I know professional podcasters speak much more slowly, smoothly, clearly, consistently, etc., and I've just never been cut out for that kind of slow radio voice (but again, I really did try, it was like sewing a quilt; I recorded it so many times that I had to patch up sentences from multiple different takes, whatever sounded best). But besides that nitpick, I'm not all doom and gloom — otherwise, I'm happy with my final podcast, because delivery flaws aside, I think the story is interesting and more than worth talking about. If I could go back and do it differently, I would again try and try at it, even more than I did the first time, to reach that desired pace, something more akin to a pro. While I'm not positive I'll ever have to do a podcast again, it's probable that I'll have to do other forms of oral reports and presentations and what not, so it could never hurt to practise talking more slowly and professionally, and if that ends up being a lost cause, keep my pace fast but practise being like one of those eerily articulate people at the same time!
My main piece of advice for anyone starting this course would be to pick a topic you are passionate about. If I'd had to do all of the above — if I had to temporarily lose my voice over something I didn't even like! — it would've been really painful, whereas right now, even though I'm sort of dramatically whinging about it, I'm seriously just teasing; it's far from the end of the world, just a scratch in the throat. Still, it would undeniably feel more dramatic if I'd worn out my voice on something I didn't have much enthusiasm about to begin with — arguably, the reason I lost it came from being too excited and fired up! It feels great to talk about something you care about, so make sure you pick something like that when the time comes! Even if it's just something that casually interests you, not your whole reason for being or whatever, it's far better than having to struggle to muster up a pinch of interest for something random you pluck out of the blue during crunch time, especially since this is so audio-based — unless you're a fabulous actor, it's hard to vocally convince someone you're interested if you're not for fifteen minutes (or even more than that, with pairs!); it's not like that inevitable essay you have to write at some point, with a topic you could not care less about, and where you can hide it in voiceless text. So, because Professor Bell has orchestrated it so that you get to pick, you get to craft the story, really take advantage of it; pick something you're genuinely motivated to explore. I know it might seem daunting at the start, with all the assignment steps you have to reach, but in the long run, it really helps the final step not feel as pressuring, the draft transcript especially; if you had waited until the last two weeks or so to write a transcript and record, it'd be an absolute mess of pressure.
Like all projects, there was still undoubtedly a sense of pressure, though, absolutely, even if it wasn't as big and looming as it could've been, so a huge congratulations to everyone for finishing (or for being nearly finished — I'm rooting for you, you're almost there)! ♥ It's been fun reading all of your entries, and I wish you all the best. Until next time, guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment