In the past two weeks I’ve managed to crack the screen on my little camera – again, solve a persistent wind noise problem on my ersatz shotgun mic, and fail at yet another slide show project.
After such a long production time spent on the DLP Learning project, I wanted to try to complete the next slide show as fast as possible from scratch. The next subject to catch my attention was a new city parks and recreation class about mountain biking for kids. All that remained of the class was one session of instruction before the the group of kids ventured onto a real mountain trail to test their new skills. One class and the outing would be all the material I’d need for a slide show.
Participation in that one class taught me three things. For openers, 1) Riding a mountain bike is considerably more complicated than riding my vintage 1979 street bike – not just the additional gears, but the whole body language involved in negotiating uneven terrain. Of more immediate concern, however, 2) You shouldn’t try to operate a camera while riding a bike over uneven terrain. I nearly lost my balance going over a hillock and smacked the camera against the handlebar in the lunge to recover. The same camera that just come back from repair for a cracked screen last week, now had its screen cracked again, and I had to shoot the rest of the class without a viewfinder.
The third revelation from the outdoor class came when I sat down to review my audio: 3) Wind noise that may not sound so bad in the field on ear buds, sounds a lot worse in production. Nearly all of the class audio was tainted with the scratchy rumble of wind noise. Something had to be done to improve the wind screening.
I knew from reading about audio quality control that fluffy “dead cat” windscreens were considered the most effective defense against wind, so I bought a small patch of fake fur from a fabric shop and improvised. Starting with a new Swiffer duster handle to get the benefit of its full extension, I used a heavy rubber band to secure the cabled mic head to the end of the handle extension, then Velcroed the furry ‘sock’ over that.
It worked beautifully – no more wind noise!
Unfortunately, lavender was the only color of fake fur I could find that didn’t have a scratchy glue base that might rub against the mic head. Consequently, my primary piece of outdoor audio equipment was now a fluffy, lavender eight-inch sock at the end of a corded, purple three-foot-long Swiffer handle.
So much for looking inconspicuous.
As for the other two problems, I’d have to separate my bike riding and equipment operations, and I’d have to devise a way to access and secure both microphone and camera as quickly as possible. The camera was simple enough. I used the same Lowepro REZO 15 camera case that attached to my belt with Velcro and a snap, reattaching that to a wrist sweatband on my left hand. With the camera strap already around my wrist, I could simply pull out the camera in one movement and be ready to shoot left-handed.
The audio equipment was another matter. I had to pack and unpack a three-foot shotgun mic at the end of a six-foot cord for each recording session. This is where the Swiffer handle’s combined folding and telescoping design came in handy. The cord could be wrapped around the collapsed handle which could then be attached to a belt loop with a snap ring added to the end of the handle, and Velcro-strapped to my right thigh. I could strap down and unstrap my audio equipment within seconds.
The setup made me feel like Steve McQueen’s bounty hunter with the sawed-off shotgun strapped to his hip in the old “Wanted: Dead or Alive” TV series . . . except maybe for my color scheme.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
DLP slide show completed + minimal gear reaffirmed
Image sequencing for the Dual Language Program production went smoothly enough, but for the frustration of having shot hundreds of images and still coming up short on key shots for points made in the audio track. How could I cover three DLP classes and not shoot more images of Hispanic and non-Hispanic students working together? I wound up relying heavily on informational slides. That was a disappointment, but then again, the production was meant to be expository rather than tell a story. What was surprising was how much time it took to write and rewrite the copy for those information slides. I had to keep the flow of written material supplemental to the audio track without being too wordy or redundant.
For the entire four-minute production, I wound up using only 42 slides due to holding the info slides on screen a bit longer to provide reading time. For this production, I shot everything horizontally and matched the info slides in size to give the entire image sequence a consistent flow. I don’t know if there is an optimal file size for use on the Internet, since Soundslides automatically resizes everything, but I standardized on a 6x4.5-inch frame at 200 dpi.
As for the Soundslides process, I wasted a lot of time adjusting the image intervals, then making changes in the sequence, and then having to readjust the subsequent changes in image intervals. I should have nailed down a final sequence before fine-tuning the timing. What helped with recalibrating after each image shuffle was my project spreadsheet. I wound up using the numbered sequence for images in the first column (a pain to have to renumber with every change, but ultimately useful), then listing the time lapse for each transition, then transcribing each audio segment, and finally, noting the duration of each audio segment.
Here’s my final project spreadsheet in Excel.
Even so, it only took a week to finish the first edition of the slide show, from image sequencing to final image timing. I spent another week incorporating suggestions made by several key people who viewed the initial production, and delivered the final edition of my DLP slide show on March 14: “Learning en dos lenguas.”
A few follow-up thoughts on equipment and quality control . . .
During the lengthy process of repairing auto-leveled audio, I lamented over not having a more professional digital recorder. I even went shopping for the next step-up in audio gear, one that would justify an investment in a decent shotgun mic. I came up with three good candidates: the Zoom H-2 retailing for $200, the Edirol R-09 for $300 and the M-Audio MicroTrack II for $350. Any one of these might be worthy of attaching an Audio-Technica AT897 shotgun mic (another $275).
But then I looked at the quality of images produced with my little Fujifilm Finepix F30 and thought of the sharp, full-toned images I see in most of the slide show entries for the NPPA Monthly Multimedia Contest.
It makes no sense trying to optimize my audio quality when I marginalize the quality of my images with a point-and-shoot camera. I decided to stick with the minimalist gear.
My choice in gear may seem like reverse snobbery, but using equipment with such a low profile in the field is liberating. Rather than entering a story project laden with the heavy-duty slr and totebag of accouterments common to all media photographers, I can walk through a crowded room wearing all my equipment for a slide show project, and not even draw a glance. I can certainly work a room full of kindergarteners or fourth graders without disruption. Imagine trying to shoot with a 35mm camera only inches away from the ear of a five-year-old. The point-and-shoot is silent and the child doesn’t even look up. My “listening stick” draws more attention (Swiffer-mounted microphone – see Oct. 5 blog), and even that doesn’t hold much interest for long among kids.
No, the sense my minimalist gear makes is that all of this – equipment, software, early morning hours and even this blog – is for the sole purpose of providing an alternative to my work for the newspaper. It isn’t practice for freelance work because I don’t expect to earn any extra income from it. It isn’t self-development for the prospect of professional advancement – not at my newspaper, not at my age. It is simply for the hands-on challenge of teaching myself something new about a rapidly changing profession.
Okay, maybe there's just a little genuine snobbery in trying to get the most out of the least amount of “professional” gear.
For the entire four-minute production, I wound up using only 42 slides due to holding the info slides on screen a bit longer to provide reading time. For this production, I shot everything horizontally and matched the info slides in size to give the entire image sequence a consistent flow. I don’t know if there is an optimal file size for use on the Internet, since Soundslides automatically resizes everything, but I standardized on a 6x4.5-inch frame at 200 dpi.
As for the Soundslides process, I wasted a lot of time adjusting the image intervals, then making changes in the sequence, and then having to readjust the subsequent changes in image intervals. I should have nailed down a final sequence before fine-tuning the timing. What helped with recalibrating after each image shuffle was my project spreadsheet. I wound up using the numbered sequence for images in the first column (a pain to have to renumber with every change, but ultimately useful), then listing the time lapse for each transition, then transcribing each audio segment, and finally, noting the duration of each audio segment.
Here’s my final project spreadsheet in Excel.
Even so, it only took a week to finish the first edition of the slide show, from image sequencing to final image timing. I spent another week incorporating suggestions made by several key people who viewed the initial production, and delivered the final edition of my DLP slide show on March 14: “Learning en dos lenguas.”
A few follow-up thoughts on equipment and quality control . . .
During the lengthy process of repairing auto-leveled audio, I lamented over not having a more professional digital recorder. I even went shopping for the next step-up in audio gear, one that would justify an investment in a decent shotgun mic. I came up with three good candidates: the Zoom H-2 retailing for $200, the Edirol R-09 for $300 and the M-Audio MicroTrack II for $350. Any one of these might be worthy of attaching an Audio-Technica AT897 shotgun mic (another $275).
But then I looked at the quality of images produced with my little Fujifilm Finepix F30 and thought of the sharp, full-toned images I see in most of the slide show entries for the NPPA Monthly Multimedia Contest.
It makes no sense trying to optimize my audio quality when I marginalize the quality of my images with a point-and-shoot camera. I decided to stick with the minimalist gear.
My choice in gear may seem like reverse snobbery, but using equipment with such a low profile in the field is liberating. Rather than entering a story project laden with the heavy-duty slr and totebag of accouterments common to all media photographers, I can walk through a crowded room wearing all my equipment for a slide show project, and not even draw a glance. I can certainly work a room full of kindergarteners or fourth graders without disruption. Imagine trying to shoot with a 35mm camera only inches away from the ear of a five-year-old. The point-and-shoot is silent and the child doesn’t even look up. My “listening stick” draws more attention (Swiffer-mounted microphone – see Oct. 5 blog), and even that doesn’t hold much interest for long among kids.
No, the sense my minimalist gear makes is that all of this – equipment, software, early morning hours and even this blog – is for the sole purpose of providing an alternative to my work for the newspaper. It isn’t practice for freelance work because I don’t expect to earn any extra income from it. It isn’t self-development for the prospect of professional advancement – not at my newspaper, not at my age. It is simply for the hands-on challenge of teaching myself something new about a rapidly changing profession.
Okay, maybe there's just a little genuine snobbery in trying to get the most out of the least amount of “professional” gear.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
DLP audio production finally completed
It has taken a ridiculously long time to complete the audio part of the Dual Language Program production, and the end result runs just over four minutes in length. That is more than a full minute over the conventional standard for audio slide shows on the Internet.
Oh, well.
The chief problem with delay in the process of production isn't procrastination or distraction or any variation on writer's block. It simply comes down to lack of work flow discipline. Disorganization seems to be the greatest detriment to my productivity. I can't get up if I don't have a clear task in mind: This morning I will complete this specific task. A good work flow plan sets up the order of what needs to be done, but something as simple as creating a Post-it note at the close of every work session establishes specifically what needs to be done NEXT.
As for the production process itself, if I can't speed up the editing, then audio slide show projects aren't going to be worth the effort, even if the newspaper does eventually develop an outlet for them on the Internet. I see an occasional fully-faceted gem among the monthly entries in the NPPA Multimedia Contest, and I wonder how many hours of editing time are involved. Something as simple as better equipment and perhaps even better software would speed up the process. I spend hours just repairing the dips and clips rendered in audio recordings made with the little WS-300 series Olympus recorder. Without a means of setting the recording level, there is no way to avoid volume clippings and dropouts created by the recorder's auto leveling. Investment in a decent shotgun mic would be pointless under this circumstance, and I can't invest the $300 it will take to move up to the next level in digital recorders. Until I can significantly reduce the learning curve involved in audio slide show production, the minimal equipment I do have will have to do.
The recording sessions themselves went smoothly with both DLP families. The father of the English-speaking student had a very distinctive, guttural voice, but I decided let it stand on the merits of what he had to say. The father 0f the Spanish-speaking student spoke English well enough that I had no trouble conducting the interview. Even so, I had him reply in Spanish, as well. The idea was to go back and dub in his daughter's voice translating his replies to English. When it came time to arrange for her recording session at the school, I also invited the other English-speaking student, too, and recorded them both introducing themselves and speaking in their non-native language. My daughter suggested that prospective new DLP parents might like to see examples of how well their own child might do with a second language skill by the fourth grade.
All of this stretched the audio content well beyond what was originally intended, but then again, this whole project has taken on a life of its own.
Here is what I've added to the original DLP narration track from January 13: Learning final audio.
Oh, well.
The chief problem with delay in the process of production isn't procrastination or distraction or any variation on writer's block. It simply comes down to lack of work flow discipline. Disorganization seems to be the greatest detriment to my productivity. I can't get up if I don't have a clear task in mind: This morning I will complete this specific task. A good work flow plan sets up the order of what needs to be done, but something as simple as creating a Post-it note at the close of every work session establishes specifically what needs to be done NEXT.
As for the production process itself, if I can't speed up the editing, then audio slide show projects aren't going to be worth the effort, even if the newspaper does eventually develop an outlet for them on the Internet. I see an occasional fully-faceted gem among the monthly entries in the NPPA Multimedia Contest, and I wonder how many hours of editing time are involved. Something as simple as better equipment and perhaps even better software would speed up the process. I spend hours just repairing the dips and clips rendered in audio recordings made with the little WS-300 series Olympus recorder. Without a means of setting the recording level, there is no way to avoid volume clippings and dropouts created by the recorder's auto leveling. Investment in a decent shotgun mic would be pointless under this circumstance, and I can't invest the $300 it will take to move up to the next level in digital recorders. Until I can significantly reduce the learning curve involved in audio slide show production, the minimal equipment I do have will have to do.
The recording sessions themselves went smoothly with both DLP families. The father of the English-speaking student had a very distinctive, guttural voice, but I decided let it stand on the merits of what he had to say. The father 0f the Spanish-speaking student spoke English well enough that I had no trouble conducting the interview. Even so, I had him reply in Spanish, as well. The idea was to go back and dub in his daughter's voice translating his replies to English. When it came time to arrange for her recording session at the school, I also invited the other English-speaking student, too, and recorded them both introducing themselves and speaking in their non-native language. My daughter suggested that prospective new DLP parents might like to see examples of how well their own child might do with a second language skill by the fourth grade.
All of this stretched the audio content well beyond what was originally intended, but then again, this whole project has taken on a life of its own.
Here is what I've added to the original DLP narration track from January 13: Learning final audio.
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