Comm 3010 Final
8 Classic story telling techniques?
1. Monomyth 2. The Mountain 3. Nested Loops 4. Sparklines 5. In media res 6. Converging ideas 7. False start 8. Petal structure
7 universal story plots??
1. Overcoming the monster ie. Star Wars 2. Rags to Riches- i.e. Cinderella 3. Voyage and return i.e. Wizard of Oz 4. The quest - hero seeks goal ie. Lord of the Rings 5. Comedy - highest grossing genre ie. Freaky Friday 6. Tragedy ie. Sweeney Todd 7. Rebirth ie. A Christmas Carol
3 Stages of a pitch?
1. Premise 2. Comparison 3. Genesis
Four interview principles?
1. Prepare 2. Establish a relationship with the subject 3. Ask them relevant questions 4. Listen and watch closely
NPR - 1977?
190 stations
What was the Federal Communication Act (Date) ?
1934 Roosevelt. Regulation of interstate and foreign communication. Replaced FRC.
When did frequency modulation become important and why?
1950's, needed to get listeners back so clear sound through FM was important, also car culture and rise of pop music
What was the Public Broadcasting Act? (Date) Who established it?
1967 Created the corporation for public broadcasting - federal funding for public education TV and radio broadcasting (ie. Sesame street, Mr. Rogers)
When and where did national public radio begin?
1970, Washington DC
First radio station? (Date)
8XK (1919) - Frank Conrad set up powerful transmitter in his garage
NPR - 2001?
9/11 spiked listenership
Pioneer in podcasting?
Adam Curry
Early radio stars? (Date)
Amos and Andy - popular come that stereotyped back characters (racist)
How Podcasts Are Saving NPR??
Attracted a younger affluent audience. Radio becoming outdated and Serial brought in fresh new listeners. The medium in which it was delivered was more important than the story itself. You could subscribe to it so you could listen to new episodes as they came out. Mobile devices - bluetooth tech in cars. Listen to it on demand. Listener has control - can stop, pause,play and it is mobile. Commute time to work increases and people listen to stories in car and Serial contributed to this. Tells a good story - narrative.
Non-commercial radio? (Date)
College radio (1920s)
What was his podcast called?
Daily Source Code
Who developed RSS?
David Winer
First important pioneer? (Date)
Edward R. Murrow (1951-1955) worked for CBS (Columbia Broadcast System)
What was "The Media Doesn't Care What Happens Here" about?
Emphasizes the importance of citizen journalism for revealing truths that law enforcement agencies or the government are trying to cover up during periods of unrest. Police brutality in the favelas in Brazil.
NPR - 1994?
First congressional challenge to federal funding leads to a burt of listener contribution
Who was Adam Curry?
First original VJ (radio DJ) As MTV evolved his interested shifted to software development
NPR - 1990?
Gulf war spiked listenership
Next pioneer in radio and his contribution? (Date)
Hertz (1880s) - German Scientist created a device that permitted an electrical spark to jump across a small gap between two balls
What did the phychological theory suggest?
Id: out unconscious desire for things like sex and violence, forbidden - monsters and antagonist characters in horror films, we are obtaining pleasure from these films ego: our rational self concept influences by the superego superego: morality taught to us by society and the ideal balance between them
Second important pioneer and contribution? (Date)
Jay Allison (2005-2009) NPR (national public radio). Picked up "This I Believe and recorded essays and broadcasted them
Radio act of 1927?
Just because people are licenses they don't own the channels. Established the first federal government oversight group= FRC ( Federal Radio Commission)
Pioneer in radio and contribution? (Date)
Lee De Forest (1901) Americans took over control of the technology from the europeans. Started wireless telephone company in 1902. Started using transmissions instead of Morse Code.
Pioneer in radio and his contribution? (Date)
Marconi (1894) patented Hertz's idea and created a device that could be used to transmit radio waves (used by military and farmers)
Telecommunication Act of 1996?
Media company couldn't own more than 7 AM, 7 FM and 7 TV stations nationally and could only use one staton per market (city) - so one company wouldn't have too much control over the media
Who was interested in radio early on?
Military and farmers
NPR - 1979?
Morning edition program begins First all day news program continued to grow through the 1980s when satellites began to deliver their radio broadcasts
Explain podcasting's relationship with NPR?? (essay question?)
NPR was slipping due to deficits and leadership changes. Podcasts saved NPR. Wanted a younger audience. Form of new new media that expanded the audience for NPR to attract younger listeners. It was free and available 24/7 and you could subscribe to the podcast and listen to it anywhere. Car radio had a major influence as well as smartphones.
Connection between citizen journalism and podcasts?
Podcasts can be made by anyone, free, without permission. Good way to get a story across that is not covered by mainstream media.
What lenses were used in this paper?
Psychological Theory - Freud Feminist standpoint
Federal Regulation act on radio? (Date)
Radio act of 1912 federal government decided you needed to have a license to broadcast radio and your radio must provide a public service
What is RSS?
Really simple syndication A way to constantly update the information you are subscribed to.
First pioneer and discovery? (Date)
Samuel Morse - Telegraph - (1840s)
What show did Sarah Koenig begin? (Date)
Serial (2014)
What was Serial?
Serial was the groundbreaking podcast from Sarah Koenig the creator of "This American Life" that became huge hit. Saved NPR. It was a drama and culture was obsessed with solving crimes. She used investigative journalism to look at non-fiction stories.
What was "Amateur Hour" about?
The expanding field of citizen journalism where non-professionals report news events via their cell phone or mobile devices. Qualifications don't matter, due to new new media anyone can take part in it.
What show did Edward R. Murrow host and what did it focus on?
This I Believe - focused on personal rather than religious beliefs
Why is sound recording important in your recording/documentary?
Voice is used to enhance the piece. Inflection and pausing can be used to get the point across.
Who was Ira Glass and what was his contribution to podcasts?
WBEZ in Chicago - began show called "This American Life"
First campus radio station?
WRUC in NY
What did Ezra get in exchange for selling his idea to Morse?
Western Telegraph Company
What did the feminist standpoint suggest?
Women are normally lengthly tortured or stalked and the ones left at the end of a horror film while males are killed off swiftly. These films glorify male violence against women. Maybe a call for action that violence is a problem and the classification of women as sex objects needs to be addressed.
personal narrative?
a belief system expressed through an anecdote that supports a personal story
What is frequency modulation (FM)?
an amplifying system that enables receivers to pick up distant signals and helped clear up reception from electrical interference. Offered static free radio reception - ideal for fidelity and clarity
Where does the word podcasting come from?
apple iPod
3. Ask the relevant questions
ask relevant questions, don't go off on tangent
Why is it important for your documentary/recording to be brief?
attention span with new new media is shrinking, keep person interested, cut out unnecessary stuff, film festivals want short docs (8-10 min)
Why is it important for your documentary/recording to be positive?
audiences react favorably to positivity, need positive call to action
3 important aspects of a personal narrative?
authentic voice, narrative coherence, communal relevance
How does your "This I Believe" essay/recording relate to your short documentary film?? (possible essay question)
authentic voice, narrative coherence, communal relevance 1. Brief (8-10 min long) 2. Positive 3. Personal rather than religious 4. Anecdotal 5. Avoid cliches 6. Sound recording Tips: good hook to draw reader in, fluid transitions, voice/style, relate to audience, organization, good storyline, easy to read, good punctuation/grammar/spelling
Why were military interested in radio?
because of WWI, allowed for better communication during wartime
false start?
begin to tell a story then have a lull and re start it again
NPR - 1971?
broadcasted senate hearings on Vietnam war All Things considered began
credo? traditional definition -tips
communal texts read and repeated in worship to remind the faithful of common beliefs. Things taught to you by family and friends. Make it original and unique.
sparklines?
contrast the ordinary world with the ideal world
Nested loops?
different characters telling their stories weaving in and out of each other
2. Establish a relationship with the subject
do your research, get them to trust you so they open up to you, don't lead with the hard questions first
Monomyth?
follows the heroes journey
authentic voice? -achieved through?
has meaning to you, honest truthful -dialogue
Things that effect NPR listenership and results of this?
historical political events - presidential elections and wars, challenge to federal funding - listeners don't want to lose their station and so they will write checks
narrative coherence? -achieved through
how well the story stays together, understandable -vivid details
Genesis?
how you came up with the idea and why you are the best person to tell the story
Connection between podcasting and apple? (Date)
iTunes- 2001
Who does NPR get most of their funding from?
individual donation during pledge drives - not the federal government
What is citizen journalism?
inspired amateurs (everyday person) that see a story that needs to be told and using their cell phone or personal device they record the event and want to report the stories because they may be controversial and are in the best interests of the people
4. Listen and watch closely
listen closely because may need to adjust questions, watch closely to see if they are becoming uncomfortable or excited
Why were farmers interested in radio?
needed to be up to date with the weather and changing crop prices
What were some consequences of the Telecommunication act of 1996?
opened up ownership, allowed individuals and companies to acquire as many radio stations as they want
petal structure?
organizing multiple stories around one central concept, easy story in complete - tell someone's complete story then move to another story and at the end find out what they have in common
1. Prepare
outline of questions but don't want to feel like you are stuck in the questions, want to make it conversational
problems of citizen journalism?
physical danger, with massive information there is a reason we have editors (need to know what is really happening)
NPR - 2008?
presidential election spiked listenership
NPR - 2004?
presidential election, Iraq war spiked listenership
What actually ended up happening with the cables?
put them above ground because of the acidity in the soil
What did Hertz's discovery lead to ?
radio waves, and less use of wires to transmit signals
Comparison?
relate it to a common successful product of similar genre
Broadcasting definition?
seed planting
converging ideas?
shows audience how different strands of thinking come together to form one product or goal
The mountain?
small challenges and rising action before a climatic conclusion
in media res?
start in the middle of the action
What are podcasts?
stories made available on the internet that can be informational, nonfiction, or comedy and can be listened to on a portable player at the complete control of the listener via subscription
Why is it important for your documentary/recording to be anecdotal?
storytelling is key to connecting with the listener
What is Ezra Cornell's connection to radio?
through the telegraph Farmer and inventor - interested in science to make farming better. invented plows - one day overheard conversation about Samuel Morse who wanted to lay down a cable from DC to Baltimore and needed a plow Ezra created this device and sold the idea to Morse
Premise?
title, genre, hero, obstacles and conflicts
What is a telegraph?
transmits electrical impulses from a transmitter through a cable to a reception point
communal relevance? -achieved through
why do we care?? How well we connect to a story Purpose, to communicate a larger truth to the reader -universal themes -embrace your first person "I"
Why is it important to avoid cliches in your documentary/recording?
you want to be concise and original
Who is the average NPR listener?
~49 years old, well off, advanced degree education, 25.6 million weekly tune in