kyla brettle... B L O G S

Get in on the ground floor as an ABC journalist

2010-09-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

This is a great opportunity for someone ...

ABC Cadetship Journalist Program 2011
Campaign No.: 491842

The ABC's News Division is offering a number of positions in its Cadet Journalist Program. The successful applicants will be offered a one-year training contract and will be trained as journalists for radio, television and online news. Salary circa $45K per annum.

Applicants should have appropriate tertiary qualifications and/or some relevant media experience and potential. Applicants must have initiative, well-developed research and writing skills and good communication skills. A broadcast quality voice is essential. A demonstrated interest in news and current affairs is required as is a familiarity with all ABC News output. You must also be able to work well in a team and take direction. People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are encouraged to apply.

Successful applicants may be required to relocate interstate. At completion of training and based on performance, an opportunity to join a regional newsroom may be offered.

Applications close 5pm (AEST), Friday 24 September 2010. If you are having problems applying, please contact Recruitment on (02) 8333 3334

Advertised: 27 Aug 2010 Aus. Eastern Standard Time Closing date: 24 Sep 2010 5:00pm Aus. Eastern Standard Time

2011 National Film and Sound Archive fellowships

2010-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Now calling for applications.

This is a great opportunity for scholars and artists wanting to work with the archive - I think the only downside is that you have to go to Canberra.

Application deadline: September 30, 2010

See website for details http://www.nfsa.gov.au/about_us/sar.html

000 AMBULANCE in the dark

2010-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

The other day I received an interesting request - an English fellow asked me if he could play my piece, 000 AMBULANCE, in a home-style 'listen in'. It was organised by an organisation called In the Dark. It was sweet of them to ask for permission as it would have been very easy to just do it without consulting me.

The whole idea of people gathering in a darkened room to listen to audio features is quite lovely ... it would be great to start up a similar club here in Australia.

Anway, it appears that the listening session has happened - as I was sent lots of very nice feedback about the program:

EXTRACTS FROM COMMENTS:

Love the rest of the pieces. particulalry ambulance. V. Moving. Felt v.
real, he was so honest and straightforward.

COMMENT:
"Really liked the evening - sitting in a room with others. Like
storytelling"

COMMENT:
000 Ambulance - Great, very moving

COMMENT:
"Utterly fantastic- I enjoyed it immensely- its so unique an experience to sit in the dark and listne other people to a doc, i've never done that before and yet I adore audio. What it forces your imagination and concentration into is completely absorbing and revelatory and JUICY.

000 or whatever the number- loved it utterly but as with almost anything it could have entered later! and left earlier. There were a
couple of natural endings before it did end. And less stuff before irish
guy emerged would have made it stronger.

COMMENT:
Gripped. morbid, but gripping. Cried all through the ambulance one.Who wasn't - and the dawning realisation that the irish man had been the ambulance center on the kids call that he had described in the third
person. Immensely moving. Looking forward to more of these.

COMMENT
this was lovely, particulalry the waxing vignette and the ambulance
piece- that lovely man carried me through. My only thought would be for a ten minute break between the documentaries.

COMMENT:
Really enjoyed that, it felt so real and so human. Its easy to feel
identified with the ambulance show people .

Does this mean I can call myself an artist?

2010-07-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Or how about a sound designer? Maybe not, as I've already been made fun of for the pretension of calling myself a 'media practitioner'.

Whatever you call it - I've just delivered an audio piece for a work by artist, Lyndal Jones. It's called 'whispering wall' and is currently constructed over the disused fountain in Melbourne's Town Square. It looks like an untreated wooden wall with little orange holes in it (the speakers are inside the holes).

The audio was quite fun to make - Lyndal and I went off an interviewed about 50 people on the subject of climate change - and then I scurried off alone to a darkened edit suite to devise 12 tracks of audio. It was really refreshing to think of how the piece would be heard across space as well as time - and to a non-captive audience.

Do check it out if you find yourself in Melbourne city (I hear the piece will be travelling to the Sydney Museum of Contemporary art too).

Where am I at... in Jul_10

2010-07-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

The year streaks ahead - a blur in a complete tizz - even just watching it can be exhausting sometimes.

Semester 2 teaching has just started. Luckily I'm out of the fray for the next six months working of a few research projects. While I enjoy teaching and generally get a lot of satisfaction out of making courses and working with students - it's good too to have a bit of a break.

I've relocated my primary office to the country - the main challenge is to resist the lure of the garden and its associated temptations of building drystone walls and weaving baskets to grow my potatoes in. Other than that, it's a great place to snug down, focus and get stuff done.

And that is, hopefully what I'll be up to over the next six months.

Flight of Being

2008-08-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you missed the 2007 Venice Biennale - recommend you check out the poor-man’s substitute of Bill Viola’s ‘Ocean Without a Shore’ on youtube - amazing piece – real ‘flight of being’ sort of stuff – blew me away... if only to be there in the flesh

LINKS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-V7in9LObI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTakwOpWqG4&feature=related

CALLING NOW - Third Coast Rolls around...

2008-05-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Third Coast International Audio Festival is accepting entries for this years competition... entries close on July 18.

For more info go to the source

Listening to Shocking Sound

2009-07-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

BEYOND THE SHOCK MACHINE by Gina Perry and Sharon Davis... broadcast on ABC Radio National's Hindsight

"In the summer of 1961 Stanley Milgram, a 27-year-old associate professor of psychology at Yale University, conducted a series of controversial experiments designed to test the limits of obedience. Volunteers in the experiment were told to give electric shocks to a person they could hear screaming in pain in the room next door. Seemingly ordinary people turned into torturers.

Much has been written about Milgram and his experiments. But there's a missing part to the story -- the voices of people who took part. Gina Perry goes in search of those who participated in what's been described as the most widely cited and provocative set of experiments in social psychology.

This documentary was awarded a silver medal in the history category at the 2009 New York Radio Festival Awards. It was first broadcast on ABC Radio National's Radio Eye program in October 2008."

This is a compelling audio documentary about a endlessly fascinating and disturbing subject - our capacity for obedience, brutality and doing what we know is wrong. The piece explores layers of discomfort - both the findings of the study and the ethics of the experiment itself.

If you are into psychology and all things neuroscience - you'll find it a bit of a beachy, easy-to-find subject - a famous study that's already received a lot of attention and exploration... but if you don't know much about this - the program is a great introduction.

The show is well structured and neatly put together - the ensemble of interviews is

comprehensive and satisfying - and the archival material is truly excellent. It's a very straight program - the producers maintain a safe distance from the subject and it's aurally very conservative. The online presentation of this program is pretty lame - a few bald words with no images or references - not much chop for a subject with such rich archival resources and references.

IMAGES: Obedience image http://www.mytvblog.org/?p=2735, Milgram experiment http://rogerhollander.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/questioning-a

uthority-a-rethinking-of-the-infamous-milgram-experiments/, Shock machine http://www.usu.edu/psycho101/lectures/chp14socinflu/socinflu.html

CALLING NOW - ABC RN Street Stories/Pool Competition

2008-05-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

Below is the official blurb about the comp...

My Street competition

As well as participating in the My Street project, you can also enter our competition.

The producer of the best My Street story, entered into the competition, will have the opportunity to work with a Street Stories producer, in their neighbourhood, to record and edit a story about their street (or another topic agreed to by the Executive Producer of Street Stories).

The final winner will be announced on Street Stories in late November, and their final program broadcast on the show at a date and time to be confirmed.

A selection of My Street competition entries suitable for radio adaptation will also be broadcast and podcast on ABC Radio National’s Street Stories. Stay tuned for broadcast dates.

Entries close 7 November 2008.

How to enter (click on each link below):

• Learn about the project (link to about page)
• Read our competition terms and conditions (link to separate page)
• Upload your story (anchor link to this sub-heading on the About page)
• Fill out the entry form (separate page)

The judging criteria

• Stories must be no longer than seven minutes’ duration (audio/video) or 700 words (text).
• Originality
• Evocation of people/place
• Storytelling
• Technical Execution

The judges

Claudia Taranto
Claudia is the Series Producer of ABC Radio National’s Street Stories. Her radio programs have been played in Australia, the UK and USA. She lives in a quiet inner-city street in Sydney, with a cantankerous cat and a boat called Quirky Waves.

Nicole Steinke
Nicole is an award-winning features producer with Street Stories and a constant traveller. She's lectured at various universities and says one of the best things about working on Street Stories is helping new producers discover their voice and begin to tell their own stories.

Ronan Sharkey
Ronan currently works as a reporter on triple j tv's Hack. It's a weekly look at current affairs about young people. Previously, Ronan spent several years on triple j radio's version of Hack, putting together stories ranging from profiles of truck drivers to riots in Redfern and working girls in Western Australia.

Further information

If you have any queries about the My Street competition, please email: streetstories_rn@your.abc.net.au

The Night Air wants your radiophonic re-mixes

2008-05-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

The Night Air is asking for contributions - official blurb from its myspace site below...

The Night Air has a new sound sharing zone in our increasingly popular podcast. Its called the Night Share and we want it to be a space for getting your remixes heard by our community. The remixes should be radiophonic text and sound, designed for the deep listening, beyond the mainstream.

What we would be most interested to include are remixes of any of the podcasts of Radio National programs abc.net.au/rn/podcast/ combined with your sounds and ideas. But its also great to be surprised!

Post your sounds on CD to The Night Air GPO Box 9994 Sydney 2001 or by using yousendit.com and emailing nightair_rn@your.abc.net.au

Also - want to make the first half hour of a TNA? See Freelance Guidelines at RN site

TCIAF's 2008 SHORT DOCS Exhibition

2008-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Third Coast International Audio Festival is putting on another Short Docs Exhibition - this year it is called 'Radio Ephemera'.

They are asking you to respond to some quite fun and curly guidelines - and submit the 2-3 minute finished piece to be part of an exhibition on their website.

Travel Scholarship for students...

2009-01-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

WORLDNOMADS.COM 2009 TRAVEL PODCAST DOCUMENTARY SCHOLARSHIP
More info HERE
Applications close: April 5, 2009

The WorldNomads.com Scholarships program is designed to create a dynamic, experiential learning opportunity, which offers mentoring, produces exciting content and facilitates partnerships to publish/ broadcast/exhibit new work. The scholarships aim to attract those individuals who have a passion for travel and a strong desire to learn and contribute to making a difference in the world. Currently, there are 4 Travel scholarships open each year: Writing, Podcast Journalism, Photography and Film Documentary.

Wanna 'blot & scribble' - NOW LETTER VOX - for the Book Show?

2008-07-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to Radio National's most recent 'prosumer' or 'user-generated-content' initiative. Now it's morphed into HERE

the traditional media sprawl into the digital landscape

2009-03-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'm being asked to think about - in both my jobs, actually - is how traditional media producers/distributors, like the national broadcaster, (can) enhance their product and reach though the employment digital media networks and platforms.

We chatted about it in class the other day - and I've put together a little bullet point list for my students...

Additions to the (broadcast radio or TV) program...

on demand or as podcast
blog
facebook
twitter
mobile phone feeds
digg
extended versions of program material - or extended previews - or extended summaries of past episodes...
extra material... including online only material like slideshows and what's being called 'digital features'
discussion boards, forums and guest books
participation or user generated content initiatives/call-outs (also called crowd-sourcing)
links and delicious tag-lists

The tricky thing, of course, is using these platforms in a sophisticated and interesting way (as opposed to simply trying to feed the program publicity through these avenues)

Anyway, beyond (my non-exhaustive list) vague platform categories... it's good to think about how broadcasters are actually using these spaces - why they are using them - and what it adds to the user experience or the quality of the core media object...

For example 'a blog'... is it a faux-blog - written in the voice of a fictional character - being used as an extension of the core story or fictional universe?... a non-fiction blog written by a star presenter giving background stories or links to further information about this weeks show (and developing their profile and audience connection)?... is the blog attached to a show or just generally connected to a network (and able do riskier stuff outside the network firewall - like speechification.com)?... is it a group-written blog (which 'they' say is hard to pull off)?... or is it a project-based transient blog that helps promote the forthcoming project while it's in production?...

After examining what broadcasters are doing - and trying to figure out why they are doing it - and evaluating how successful these attempts are... it's good to get down into a deeper, dirtier level of analysis and start asking... for what sort of 'program plus audience' would a facebook group 'work' for... what sort of programs would a twitter account not be appropriate for... how are successful UGC initiatives (on Pool, for example) framed and why do you think the unpopular initiatives are... ah, unpopular?

The ABC is having a play with different ways to use digital media... students might like to check out the following links - compare and contrast them to digital initiatives they are familiar with... what works, what doesn't and why...

blogs... ABC Digital Futures blog, All in the Mind blog, Kerri Jean blog
twitter accounts... Breakfast News, Pool, All in the Mind, 774 Melbourne
facebook accounts... All in the Mind Life Matters Triple J hottest 100
extra material for online only... Background Briefing slide show, Into the Music Wide Open Road Online Feature
Guest books and discussion forums... Life Matters Australia Talks
mobile phone... MovieTime

I'll end there - not because I've run out of stuff to talk about - but because I'm getting link-fatigue

Triple J looking for Cross-Media Journalists

2009-02-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

ABC Triple j's youth affairs program Hack has 3 vacancies for Cross Media Journalists.

Will you lead the future of journalism? Hack, triple j’s daily youth affairs show, is building a team of next-generation storytellers.

We’re seeking multi-skilled program makers to tackle stories in two environments - radio and online. The two platforms will work together. Radio stories will form the basis for a new kind of online multimedia experience.

As a cross-media journalist, you will publish stories to the flagship Hack radio show, including live crosses and multilayered field reports; you will also publish multimedia showcases to a revamped Hack website. The end result? An immersive web experience with photos, audio and video.

Your stories will originate in brave, accessible and relevant program ideas for young Australians, 18 - 24.

For further information contact James West on (02) 8333 2904.

Digital Stories... in search of the form

2009-03-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT - http://www.sixtostart.com/we-tell-stories/

An interesting mix of digital stories - and ideas for digital story forms - by Penguin.

Stories range from 'choose your own adventure' to tales told through multiple blogs and micro-blogs to 'live online' tellings and a mystery grafted onto google maps.

Personally, I found the google map project the most engaging - short, concise text that reads easily online - as well as a dirty big narrative hook (always helps)... the map aspect was novel, but under-explored - the constant ariel view kept me at a distance - at odds with the intimate nature of first person narratives. In this story, I think audio would have worked better in the places the author had text.

I find 'choose your own adventure' stories a bit lame - I lose the 'suspended disbelief' you need to get wrapped up in the text - it also seems like too much work (it it requires this much effort I may as well be writing my own story rather than colouring in between the lines of someone else's) - and then there is the nut at the end you don't really get... the thing narrative structure is designed to do... the author makes some kind of point or has something to say...

I didn't give the multiple-blog or online performance story much time - the approach was confusing as I didn't know where to start or a sense of what I was getting into - and the whole thing was quite old by the time I got to it for the first time... so it felt like picking over cold, half eaten fish and chips wrapped in yesterdays newspaper.

Social Media Research - Wave 3

2009-03-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Universal Mccann International Social Media Research Wave 3

View more presentations from mickstravellin.

I recommend this slide show research presentation for any interested in social media "online applications, platforms and media which aim to facilitate interaction, collaboration and the sharing of content."

It's the third Universal Mccann global study into the impacts of digital media and technology - 17,000 active internet users from 29 countries were surveyed.

The study encompasses the key platforms: blogging, microblogging, RSS, widgets, social networking, chat rooms, message boards, podcasts, video and photo sharing.

... a rich tub of interesting facts, observations, trends, summaries and recommendations - which concludes with the idea that social media "has to be considered for all advertisers, marketers and content producers as a core part of their communications" p.76

Online experiment... The Daily Planet @ Facebook

2009-05-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

As online producer for the RN Music Unit I've been looking at developing social networking projects. The idea is to uses these sorts of initiatives to develop the culture that surrounds the program, enter spaces where our audience spends time and drawing on the social glue that is networked media to turn our shows into hubs that encourage our audiences to feel connected and part of 'something bigger'.

As part of the job I've been working with The Daily Planet to help set up a Planet Facebook group. Now I don't particularly like Facebook - but it is a space where lots of people are - so that's where the program needs to go.

The DP FB page has been running for six weeks and going well in comparison with similar pages - today we have 294 fans and (for this week) have a post quality rating of 4.1/5 (this measures the percentage of fans who engage when we post content by adding their own comments or by liking/disliking things)... check out our page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Daily-Planet-ABC-Radio-National/6...

Anyway, I've extrapolated few notes below about broadcast programs running Facebook groups:

>> PROGRAM BRIEF - is Facebook right for your show? it's got a commercial feel and is not going to work for everyone... not fabulous for the more quirky or niche programs (I'd recommend a Pool group there)... But for a music program FB is great - music has universal appeal and you can have quite meaningful discussions about music with absolute strangers... it's a subject that carves out social groups anyway... but the real reason FB is good for The Daily Planet is because there are heaps and heaps of music groups/clubs there already (we need this to market our page effectively)... So, before you set up a page I recommend you cruise around looking at similar pages... bother with FB if your audience or potential audience is there and ripe for harvesting - I'd look for another tree if you have to lay the first seed

>>ACTIVE VIRAL MARKETING - I think this is pretty important on FB, it's not an environment for wall-flowers - you do need to look for ways to actively recruit fans (who aren't just your friends or friends of friends - that's a good place to start but won't get you that far)... for your active recruiting to be successful - the fans have to be there in the first place (point above) and you need the content to keep them (points below)

>>PRESENTER ENGAGEMENT - if yours is a presenter-driven show and they want to take their ball and go home - then there is no point in really starting the page... the fans need a star - FB is built around that kind of 'studio' structure. But if the presenter is willing to give it a go - they can find it is not very much work at all and that it is really quite rewarding (NB the space is not mediated but you don't seem to get much nastiness as dissatisfied users are not all that likely to become 'fans' in the first place)

>>POST/CONTENT - You really want to offer something different (but related) to your broadcast - Copying and pasting promo material is not going to cut the mustard... Users smell marketing copy and no one likes being spammed - to avoid this you might try to find an angle on the show or a part of it to feature that is a bit 'off centre'...

>> asking questions and generally giving users some kind of guidelines about what you would like them to do or contribute to is good... people find structure comforting... otherwise they just hold it in or babble about what a great show it is and neither is much of a conversation starter... encouraging simple voting of 'likes and dislikes' is a good 'on-ramp' (as JJ would say) for greater involvement... it is a way for users to contribute without sticking their necks out too much
>> presenters making a few off the cuff, casual comments about nothing much is quite good for business too (in addition to the more serious asks) again, this takes the pressure off users feeling they have to be a genius to post a comment... also responding to users comments is good ettiquite and is something users like... also maybe a behind-the-scenes note about the show or subject... it should be a relaxed but informative space - much looser than the program (but obviously upholding the ABC values)
>> getting stars and featured guests to comment is good - as is experimentation - like Lucky attempting a FB interview
>> links, links and more links flesh things out and turn your page from a limp and useless appendage (hanging off your already whole and complete and tightly sealed program) into a social nexus (open to others) and buzzing with content related to your show and relevant to your research, but not belly-button gazing at your show - links obviously take on greater significance in this space than they do on a program page (they look bigger and are given automatic images) - and they seem to be something users are very interested in... perhaps think about the FB page as being more about the subject you deal with, rather than your particular programs take on that subject...

>> POST FREQUENCY - several times a week is good - too infrequently and you lose engagement and too quick - the material doesn't get time to breath and users feel inundated... just like holding a small bird - hold it too loose and it will fly away, too tight and you will kill it

Convergence Culture guru Henry Jenkins on New Media Literacy Skills

2009-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

it looks kinda small - but click and all will be clear....

Sound recording interviews for radio documentaries

2008-08-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Below are a few elementary notes on things to remember when recording interviews in field:

ALWAYS check the equipment before venturing off to record, even if the kit has been prepared for you by Operations staff – are the batteries fully charged? are the leads free of crackle? are all the bits in good working order? Obviously ensure you feel confident using the unit and understand the response curve and power source of the microphone. Also make sure you have back-up – extra… leads, tapes/recording space, batteries etc. – as well as the power supply and maybe an extension lead.

Good levels peak between -6 and -12db: this leaves you with a minimum of 4db headroom in

case the situation suddenly becomes louder. If the levels are too high and the sound distorts the material is unusable – if you record too low the sound will have an unattractive hiss when you increase the volume in post. Tip; if recording in an unpredictable situation with a single cardioid or directional mic onto a stereo track - set the channels so that one is a little lower than the other – this means that in post you can split the stereo into mono tracks and use the best one.

ALWAYS monitor levels in the headphones – and check how high the monitoring or headphone volume is – if the monitoring levels are set high then you may think you are recording good sound when you are not. If you record often, find the ‘right’ monitoring level for you and reset the unit to it every time you record – this will help train your ears.

Positioning the microphone… during an interview stay close to the sound source by default. Place the back of the microphone to the least wanted sound.

Don’t record without setting the levels and doing a sound check first.

Turn off mobile phones – both yours and the participants. Mobile phones cause interference and usually ring right at the wrong moment.

As a matter of course, get the participant to spell their name, state their position/title and repeat their phone number ‘on tape’ – while you will not use this material in the edit, it means if you lose their details you have an aural copy.

Sounds to avoid… all forms of wind noise – natural wind, wind generated by mic movement, wind from voice (the classic ‘pop’ – when a puff of breath crosses the mic). Handling noise is also unappealing – don’t fiddle with the lead or let the participant hold the mic.

Noisy Locations… if you record in a loud and recognisable location (eg a café) do it for a good reason to do with the story/piece (not just because it’s convenient at the time) – either incorporate that location into the fabric of the piece (by verbal reference, recording atmospheres and spot sounds) or go somewhere else. Also, if you record in a space with a lot of natural reverb – know the verbal material will ‘bleed’, making it a lot more difficult to edit.

Domestic Locations… if it’s a quiet home, the closest you will get to the semblance of a ‘studio sound’ is a room with a lot of soft furnishing – like a living room or bedroom. Listen out for consistent, irritating sounds like a fan or refrigerator buzz – ask the participant to turn it off – but if it’s the fridge don’t forget to remind them to turn it back on again!

Always record an atmos track after an interview – particularly when the space has a little bit of aural movement. For example, if recording outside and the odd car or distant train sounds during the interview – hang around to capture the same sort of sound at the end. For some

reason the cut you want to make in post is always across this incidental sound, so recording a ‘clean’ version enables you to mask this transition.

Recording telephone interviews on a land-line from home is easy if you have a lapel microphone – a hardwire is best but a radio mic. will do. Make a small foam pocket for the mic and use Elastoplast or athlete tape to fix it to the ear piece – secure it well so it doesn’t move around and tape the lead down the back of the handset (you will still be able to hear clearly through it). You will need a second microphone to record your voice – and ensure you record the tracks separately rather than as a stereo mix. This

technique is good if you are desperate, but obviously you will get a better sound if you record a phone interview with equipment designed to do it.

FURTHER INFO

• for delicious links and resources go to sound_recording and interviewing

RELATED SUBJECTS

• post location recording and audio floor plans

• for more general links and posts about the production period see my delicious tag, project_production

IMAGE: sourced from delamar

broadcast... LA VOCE DELLA LUNA

2008-07-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

On July 5, you will be able to hear a program I produced with Music Deli's Paul Petran on Into the Music. I was the sound engineer too.

For the next four weeks you can listen online or download "La Voce della Luna" on the Into the Music site HERE

broadcast... AFFIRS & TROUBLE - An unexpected rpt. on CPR

2008-05-17T01:32:00.000-07:00

Re;Sound on Chicago Public Radio is going to broadcast a repeat of AFFAIRS OF THE MIND and THE TROUBLE WITH RICK. They have called it the "Kyla Brettle Show", which is rather nice.

broadcast... THE AUDITION: INTO THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

2009-02-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Quick note - Chicago Public Radio's Re:Sound is going to broadcast THE AUDITION... Feb 14th, 2009 - details and audio online HERE. The show is available for perpetual download HERE

broadcast... MUSIC; IS IT THERAPEUTIC?

2009-01-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

My latest audio program, Music – is it therapeutic? Will be broadcast on ABC Radio National’s All in the Mind on Saturday 31/01/09 at 1:05pm.

The synopsis runs something like this...

Music undoubtedly makes us feel good. But is it therapeutic? Does it have a place in healing the psychological, even physical, scars of illness? From the intimacy of a neonate ward to the ravages of cancer treatment - enter the world of three Australian music therapists pushing the boundaries of medicine.

The show will be repeated the following Monday at 1pm and will be streamed and downloadable for four weeks after broadcast. For more information, go HERE...

ABC Radio National Features Conference

2009-03-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

Went to Sydney to give a paper at the Features Conference - and go to my cousin's wedding.

The paper is about broadcast programs improving online presence and developing online projects – how distribution via a computer screen rather than a radio changes what we do and how we prioritizes things as program makers.

The shift from radio to online as a primary delivery platform is huge. Time and linearity, the two pillars grounding how radio content works, are completely unhinged in a networked environment – which is both timeless and nonlinear… And then there is negotiating this business of the screen – radio has always had a tricky relationship with vision…

Online functions differently to radio – it’s a multifunctional receptive outlet used as…

a portable media delivery/distributor - where we pick up our freshly baked media...
an information resource - search, find, surf... dig around research interests and news
an audio and multi-media player - engage with immersive and often interactive media objects
as an outlet for self-expression and social interaction - expression through participation and social media and group allegiances

We have to incorporate all think in our thinking about making and delivering programs… So, in a nutshell – the paper looks at…

(Before anything else) making sure our primary media object is spreadable – that the podcast’s ID3 tags are in order - ensuring we have the basics covered. It’s important to understand and work with how our programs live as digital bits in the world

Approaches to developing online features:

Delivery – developing features out of different ways to find and sort through archive material
Multimedia –creating media –enriched programs
Interactivity - developing participatory initiatives