The third project will build on the first two, and will focus on the recording of the voice.
1. Work in groups of 2. You will be each be engineering. Each partner may "perform" as a speaker, or only one, or neither, if you can get someone outside of the class to do it.
2. Your project should be exactly 3 minutes long. I am basically contracting you to make a 3-minute radio spot. You will deliver a 3-minute stereo .aiff file, as well as the ProTools file, audio folder, and any other supporting files—Reason, etc.
3. The project is divided into 3 phases: preproduction, recording session, post-production.
Preproduction: Compose a script for the 3-minute spot. Include directions for the speakers, music, sound effects, etc. Practice the speaking parts or have whoever is "performing" the parts practice. You must be ready to go during recording. There is no time to rehearse "on-stage".
Recording Session: You will have 10 minutes of studio time. Everything will be set up to run efficiently at the studio. If you cannot get all your material recorded in the 10 minutes, you will have to make some fixes in post-production.
Postproduction: This is the phase where you will mix your audio from the session and add any sound effects, music, etc. You may compose your own music ahead of time in Reason if you want. The final mix should incorporate some of the multitracking techniques we discuss in class in the next few weeks.
**One note: you may wish to incorporate a little more material into your script than you need for your piece. These optional parts can make it easier to edit for time and give you some flexibility.
4. The script is due on October 31st (at the latest—preferably earlier). The recording session is set for October 31st during class. There are 8 groups * 10 minutes, so we should be able to fit it in during class. I will be scheduling the first sessions starting at 3:30. Attendance is mandatory. We will use one of the computer music studios to do these sessions. You may turn in your script early. I'll look at each script, so that I can see that you will be using your session effectively.
5. The timetable is purposefully short. In a real-world situation you may be asked to do a commercial spot on an afternoon's notice. Your 3 minute piece can take on many forms. Here are some ideas: a commercial, a public-service announcement, an info-mercial, an interview, a newscast, etc..., or a spoof on any of the above. You can do a project with 3 solid minutes of speech or a mix of speech, music, sound effects, etc. The only thing that you cannot do in the radio/recorded speech medium is recording "dead air". Dead air is tolerated on college radio (you know what I'm talking about if you've listened to WBFO), but is unacceptable at a professional commercial station.
6. I will be grading you on your finished project for this and the final project. I still require your session files and audio files, because I will look at them if anything doesn't seem right. I can tell where there are problems before I even look at your session; if there are no problems, I may no't even need to look. If you use your own ProTools setup, be ready to show me the session.
7. We will talk about this project in class. Start planning your piece today. You must email or hand me a typed copy of your script Monday the 30th. There are no extensions or exceptions. We'll schedule the session slots in class this week.
8. Important NOTE: Use an additional track(s) to make at least one submix for your perceptual processing, and use automation if you feel comportable with it...