Project - Podcast Series

This project may be completed by the following students:

1st Year Media Arts Majors.

2nd Year Media Arts Majors.

3rd Year Media Arts Majors.

Technology Concepts Students.

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Directions

1. Pre-Production

   1. Brainstorm areas of interest that you feel would provide enough content for multiple episodes.
   2. Common themes for podcasts include, but are not limited to:
   1. Advice/Tutorials
   2. Reviews (Game Reviews, Product Reviews, etc.)
   3. Current Events
   4. Short Fiction
   3. With an area of interest selected, continue to brainstorm a minimum of five (5) episode topics.
   1. While you will only be picking your top two (2) off of this list, you were expected to pick an "area of interest." If you can't quickly come up with 5 topics, you likely didn't pick an area that interests you.
   4. Select a song that fits well with your chosen theme and is licensed for reuse.
   1. Remember that copyright theft is against PGCPS policy and this recording is meant to be PUBLISHED. Your selected song must be one that is used WITH PERMISSION, ideally because it is under a Creative Commons license or in the public domain.
   2. Check this project's Resources section for places you can go to find usable music. You have a significant amount of media you can use for this project with permission. Choosing to steal someone else's art anyway is not a wise choice.
   5. Write out your scripts.
   1. Because this is a series, certain parts can and should be copy/pasted from one episode to the next.
   2. Each episode should include the following portions:
   1. Intro
   1. Includes background music.
   2. Includes introduction of the show name, episode name, and participating cast.
   2. Body
   1. May or may not include ackground music. (Could be the same as the intro to reduce the time spent on citations.)
   2. Should be the longest portion of the episode, where the participating cast address the chosen topic.
   3. Outro
   1. Includes background music. (Could be the same as the intro to reduce the time spent on citations.)
   2. Includes thanking everyone for listening.
   3. Includes encouragement to listen to the next episode.
   4. Includes mentioning of all cast members.
   5. Includes citations for all background music. (Yes, you should read them out loud, if professional podcasters can do it, so can you.)
   6. Show your scripts to your Media Arts teacher. They may have advice to make the recording/editing process easier.

2. Production

   1. Record your script in an area as free from background noise as possible.
   1. A specific app is not required for this assignment, but WeVideo, SoundTrap, Audacity, and GarageBand are all programs that have been used to produce audio projects in the past.
   2. If you are recording from home, make sure no one is playing audio loud enough for your microphone to pick it up. (Almost all media provided via radio, TV, and streaming services is copyrighted and not allowed to be used without written permission.)
   3. Some professionals have had success with placing a comforter or other large blanket over their head and recording equipment to dampen room echos. In some cases, recording from inside a closet can help to muffle background audio.

3. Post-Production

   1. Edit out any bloopers, flubs, long pauses, or other content that would distract from the purpose of this assignment.
   2. Add in your background music and adjust its volume so it won't overpower any spoken words.
   1. Due to the length of each episode, it might be possible to have your selected song play through the entire recording. This will be the least amount of work.
   1. If your song is longer than the recording, the quickest edit is to have the music fade out after the outro.
   2. If your song is shorter than the recording, it is suggested you either cut out the middle (keeping the first and last 15-30 seconds) or at the very least split it in half. Have the beginning fade out during the intro and have the song's ending fade in during the outro.

   3. Export your edited work as an mp3 file and repeat this process for your second episode.

   4. Submit both edited mp3 files along with your scripts.

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Rubric

• 25% Evidence of planning (script) is included with the project.
• 25% Project includes two (2) MP3 files that are each 1-2.5 minutes total run time (TRT).
• 25% Recordings are a series of similarly formatted and themed episodes. The topics should be different, but related. Portions that should be identical (or near identical) include:
• Podcast Name (Episode names should be different)
• Intro/Outro
• Music Selections
• Cast
• 25% Citations for all content not owned by the student are included in the credits, including the media name, creator's name (if known), and where the media is from. (Remember, Pintrest and TikTok don't give permission for reuse elsewhere. Google is a search engine, not a citable source.)

Standards

• Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
  • I:6-8:1: Formulate variations of ideas, goals, and solutions for media artworks by practicing focused creative processes.
  • E:6-8:1: Work independently to create a visual representation of formulated ideas.
  • E:6-8:2: Act on creative ideas to generate artistic goals.
  • E:6-8:3: Predict potential obstacles and generate possible solutions.
• Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
  • I:6-8:1: Organize, design, propose, and evaluate artistic ideas, models, prototypes, and production processes for media arts productions.
  • E:6-8:1: Refine brainstormed ideas into a production plan.
• Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
  • I:6-8:1: Experiment with multiple approaches to produce content and components for determined
    purpose and meaning in media arts productions.
  • I:6-8:2: Evaluate, improve, and refine media artworks by intentionally emphasizing particular expressive elements to reflect an understanding of purpose, audience, or place.
  • E:6-8:1: Improve production plan to include decisions about content and production processes.
  • E:6-8:2: Make judgments and decisions to refine the media production plan to set a purpose and act on creative ideas.
• Anchor Standard 4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.
  • I:6-8:1: Integrate multiple contents and forms into unified media arts productions that convey consistent themes or ideas.
  • E:6-8:1: Curate and analyze multiple types of media (video, sound, still pictures) with academic content to produce one media product that has a consistent theme.
• Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
  • I:6-8:1: Develop, design, and exhibit a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through
    performing various assigned roles in producing media artworks.
  • I:6-8:2: Develop, demonstrate, and exhibit a variety of creative and adaptive innovation abilities.
  • I:6-8:3: Demonstrate adaptability in using tools and techniques to construct media artworks.
  • E:6-8:1: Be self-directed learners to define artistic/technical skill sets and roles for media production plan.
  • E:6-8:2: Develop and act on a variety of creative skills to produce new media.
  • E:6-8:3: Apply and adapt use of tools and techniques to construct media content.
• Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
  • I:6-8:1: Analyze and design various presentation formats for the tasks and processes of the presentation and/or distribution of media artworks.
  • I:6-8:2: Analyze results of and improvements for presenting media artworks.
  • E:6-8:1: Manage the presentation and potential distribution of the media product(s).
  • E:6-8:2: Analyze and critique presentation. Develop a list of potential improvements for future
    presentations.
• Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
  • I:6-8:1: Evaluate and use personal, cultural, and/or external resources to create media artworks.
  • I:6-8:2: Explain and show how media artworks form new meanings, situations, and cultural experiences.
  • E:6-8:1: Make judgments and decisions on which resources (personal, cultural, and/or external) will be used to create media products.
  • E:6-8:2: Communicate clearly how decisions change elements of media (meanings, situations, and cultural context).
• Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
  • I:6-8:1: Research and show how media artworks and ideas relate to everyday life.
  • I:6-8:2: Analyze and interact appropriately with media arts tools and environments.
  • I:6-8:3: Describe the relationships of media arts to theatre, dance, music, the visual arts, and other
    disciplines.
  • E:6-8:1: Research and synthesize how media relates to everyday life.
  • E:6-8:2: Apply technology safely and effectively considering media literacy.
  • E:6-8:3: Analyze how response to media arts is influenced by understanding the time and place in which it was created, the available resources, and cultural uses.

Resources

• https://www.soundtrap.com/ - Web based audio editing tool similar in style to GarageBand.
• Wikimedia Commons (All kinds of media: Images, audio, and even video!)
• AudionautiX (Creative Commons Attribution licensed music.)
• MP3 Downloads from FouloisTech.info, including citations.

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