Module 1: Painting a Picture with Sound – Audio Design and Podcasting.
READING AND WRITING:
From Making Media: Foundations of Sound and Image Production, 2nd Edition, Focal Press, 2008
RESEARCH TO INFORM:
Made Ya Look starts at 1:01
Made You Look
2024 Mercury Awards: Use of Humor in a Single Broadcast Radio Spot: Agency, Production Company, Advertiser, Radio Station or Group.
“Made Ya Look” is part of a radio spot series created by High Dive Advertising for Airhead’s Candy. The recording intentionally mimics the atmosphere of a press briefing, with the deputy speaking through a microphone amidst the sounds of a crowd and subtle shuffling noises. This clever use of sound design effectively paints a vivid picture of the scene for listeners.
The script is exceptionally well-written, adhering to the formal structure of a typical media briefing. The deputy provides details about the crime, the victim and perpetrator, and the status of the investigation, all delivered with a straight-faced seriousness. The satire shines through in lines such as “the victim has asked for privacy,” and the deadpan delivery when the deputy describes the “heinous” crime, stating that the perpetrator “booped the victim on the nosey.”
Overall, the content is both hilarious and effective, showcasing a brilliant blend of humor and creativity.
The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie.
-George Lucas
CREATE:
As I enter my final semester at Quinnipiac, I am working on my Capstone project and currently enrolled in IDN 533: Producing an Educational Video. This week, I dived into a new audio program—Audacity. While it’s a straightforward tool, especially if you’re familiar with working in layers, I did find myself a bit clumsy when it came to moving elements around. The good news is that Audacity is free to download, so I can continue practicing, and you can download it here.
The other challenge I had was to extract audio from several YouTube videos that I had researched for the topic. My process involved screen recording the videos on my iPhone, importing them into Premiere, and then separating the audio from the video to save as an MP3 file. Adobe has a great tutorial on how to do this here.
Looking ahead, I’ve realized that next time I should start by breaking down a 2-minute clip into 30-second segments and clearly defining the message I want to convey in each part. I struggled to keep my piece within the 2-minute mark because I gathered so much information and am so passionate about the subject that I wanted to slam everything in.
nikolaidesigns.com 
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