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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
First SoundSlides and some ?s
Philip Bowen, Photographer
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Kampala | UG | Uganda | Posted: 4:54 PM on 02.24.09 |
->> I just got my digital audio recorder last week so I threw this together. Very raw and all very new to me, but no excuses I guess. Well, maybe a few: I didn't really take any photos because I was paying attention to the recorder, so I would like to have more images...at least one every five seconds or so. Three minutes is a long time to look at 15 photos. Anyway, I would love any criticism. Try to refrain from telling me that I'm a mean person, though. :)
http://philsgood.com/mubende/
I'd also like to know any tips for image optimization from those of you that have used SoundSlides. I like how simple the program is, so now I'm going to buy it.
Thanks! |
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Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
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Palm Desert | CA | USA | Posted: 1:55 AM on 02.25.09 |
->> Hi Philip, I'm certainly no expert, but since you haven't had too many replies, I thought I'd give you some remarks.
First of all, congrats on making your first Soundslides project. The more you do them, the easier they will get. You may find yourself getting more creative with the medium once you get used to it.
The following impressions are written after viewing your slideshow for the first time:
I thought your audio quality was pretty good. There were a few moments where the mic was a little too close to the music and it sounded a little splattered, but I thought in general it was nice quality.
I live in Southern California, USA and I found the accent of the man (men?) talking hard to understand. I really didn't know what they were saying and I didn't know what you were trying to say with this piece. I'm used to a narrative or title screen that sets the scene or at least gives an idea as to what the story is about. For instance, "Charlie Brown is the founder of a new movement in Uganda called Puppets for People. He is educating the local residents about the destructive force of HIV/AIDS by presenting puppet shows for masses of local townfolk. He is hoping that education will stop the spread of the disease."
If this is the case, I'd like to see photos of the show, and more importantly, photos of the people reacting to the show. I realize you were concentrating on the audio more than the images, but for the future, you might work on more captivating photos.
The text below was written after viewing the slideshow for the second time:
After viewing the slideshow the 2nd time, I felt I understood it more. It seemed like the man was talking about using the puppets to educate people about the importance of sanitation. Washing hands, boiling water, not going poopoo out in public, but using the latrene instead.
It seemed more like a dress rehearsal this time around.
There are a couple of things that you can work on to get the slideshow to seem a bit smoother. First of all, you could make the show shorter. Cut out unimportant audio or audio that does not make sense to a viewer.
Second, tell a story with your show not only in words, but photos as well. Every good story has a beginning, middle and end.
Third, I liked the rain photos, but what did that have to do with the story? Good audio on the rain, but again, it seemed like it was out of place. There was no link to the story.
Fourth, your show and audio end abruptly. What kind of audio editing program are you using? I was taught to fade the sound into the project and also fade the sound out of the project. By fading, I mean lowering the volume.
Fifth, your show ends abruptly on the visual side as well. Create a black frame and use this black frame as a "fade-to-black" frame. In other words, after your last photograph, insert the black frame before your closing title image so that it looks like your show is fading to black. Your audio should match this quality as far as timing goes.
There is a lot more to work on, but these should get you started. Keep me informed of your next slideshow.
Best wishes, Rodrigo Pena |
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Shelley Cryan, Photographer
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New England | CT | USA | Posted: 8:27 AM on 02.25.09 |
->> Hi Philip,
Rodrigo's given you some good, practical advice.
Instead of repeating what he said, I'll just offer a tip about the audio. I agree with Rodrigo that it's difficult to understand the accents of the speaker(s) in your Soundslides show.
I had the same issue with a Soundslides show I did last year. One gentleman was a bit difficult to understand, yet what he said was important to the story, and, I thought, needed to be included. I think it helped to add matching written text using the "lower thirds" feature of Soundslides. Soundslides makes it pretty easy to add. You have to experiment a bit to get the timing just right, but it's not rocket science.
See what you think -- here's a link to that example, so you can see what I mean:
http://www.shelleycryan.com/AfricaSchool/
Good luck, and kudos to you for expanding your skill set and for being open to feedback.
Shelley |
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Philip Bowen, Photographer
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Kampala | UG | Uganda | Posted: 4:01 PM on 04.07.09 |
->> Thank you both for your excellent advice. It is greatly appreciated - my $25 to SportsShooter has definitely paid off. Love it.
I just finished shooting a project and recording interviews for my first audio slideshow assignment. I will post the finished product when it's done. Deadline approaching too fast and I feel like I'm in a bit over my head. Hopefully will get a good result, but i'm sure there will be some things you can pick apart. Again, I totally appreciate the feedback.
Thanks!
-Phil |
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Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
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Palm Desert | CA | USA | Posted: 5:36 PM on 04.11.09 |
->> You're welcome Phil. Like Shelley said, good job for expanding your skill set and for being open to constructive criticism. I can't wait to see your next one. Good luck!
Rodrigo Pena |
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