Shaping Stories With Sound

A song, a chirp, cheering, the beat of drum, a cat’s purr, a scream, a laugh, a whisper… We live in a sound rich world that often directly impacts our emotions, but because it’s so present we hardly notice how much these different sounds affect us.

It’s only in the absence of sound that we begin to feel peculiar. If you’ve ever been home alone, you have probably experienced that feeling of a heavy weighted silence. You may begin to “hallucinate” sounds or hear a creek that will make your imagination immediately point to- ghost or robber.

While searching for news related slideshows for class, I noticed a common trend in those that were more and less effective.

Audio brought the photographs to life. They were still shots, but somehow the sounds opened my mind, took me into the story and created motion and feeling.

Timothy Allen created a compelling presentation of his photography for the television series Human Planet.

The subject alone provided him access to extraordinary places and people. He traveled across the world to about 40 different countries and experienced some of the most extreme environments. Overall it portrayed the differences in which people experience the world, but also showed how they are the same in many ways.

In his narration he explained how he was able to take certain shots. At one point Allen recalled how he was standing in water tied to ropes that were attached to trees from all angles in order to take a photograph of a man crossing the rushing waters of the Mekong River.

In addition, the background music moved the story forward. It made you feel a sense of hope, and understanding and awe.

The third element was by far the strongest, and could have been used in even greater amounts. Natural sounds like the ones I mentioned above were played throughout the slideshow. At one point there were villagers talking in the background, and you could feel the sense of community building through the sound.

The photographs were stronger and resonated with me more when narration, music, and natural sounds were used to help shape the story. 

A Surprising Destination

While driving around in Bothell today, I found this quaint little block off a busy road of fast-food chains and traffic lights. 

With one right turn through an archway entitled “Country Village Shops” I felt as if I had time traveled.It had a very Leavenworth affect. 

The streets were surrounded by wooden-made sidewalks and blocked stores of antiques and boutiques that gave it an old-time feel.

Stretching behind it was a wide field with horses further out and train rides being offered.

It made for a pleasant afternoon, walking in the sun,stopping by a little café
and being pleasantly surprised
with where my drive took me.

It's a Zippy's Night

Over the last year Thursday nights have become what I look forward to most in the week. It’s a break from the busy and an escape into a small-town atmosphere. I can sip down a cup of bitter coffee, take a seat on a sofa, swap artistic views and know most everyone by name. It’s this atmosphere that makes open mic at Café Zippy’s so great.

Last night was no different. I grabbed my Art & Lutherie and headed to downtown Everett. While I’m what you can call an amateur musician, it’s always interesting to see what talent will walk in through the door each week.

Just as much as the paintings on the wall and the bikes hanging from the ceiling make the café, so do the regulars. Some of the poets are published writers. In fact, it was yesterday that Peggy Larsen, a former EvCC instructor, shared a book that she was recently published in called In the Company of Woman.

There of course are your key characters- the host whose jokes deserve a drum and a symbol crash, the painter who cannot help but take up a pencil and sketch, the Buddhist whose goal is to spread joy and love, the off-key/off-beat musicians as well as the on-key/on-beat musicians. It’s a variety of people from different stages in life that are brought together through their interest and passion for poetry, music, and new perspectives.

Interested? Join me at Zippy’s next Thursday night around 7:30 p.m.

Get Your Tweet On

Since Twitter was first founded in 2006 it’s started a revolution for how we obtain and spread news, which in turn has changed the relationship between viewers and the media.

Today there are nearly half a billion users tweeting and following. In 140 characters tweeters use the web to share what they’re doing and feeling, market themselves and their business and update themselves on the latest news.

Personally I was reluctant to join this crowd, but more and more I am realizing the genius of the idea.

Twitter allows news to be more accessible. By following others, such as specific news organizations, the latest stories are sent directly to you.

It also works as a pool for raw data. It’s where people can express their thoughts on subjects and is becoming the new forum for public opinion.

The Twitter community is growing in strength and numbers, and is becoming a block of voices and opinions that not only consumes news, but creates it.

As a working journalist it’s a great tool to share articles and to find ideas for new stories and story angles, but it also adds an element of pressure.

Twitter demands immediacy, which adds more friction to the aged dilemma of speed versus accuracy.

There’s a responsibility and reputation to uphold while presenting news – to remain balanced, and fair, and unbiased in addition to accurate. These same standards are demanded, but the need to satisfy the “now release” factor makes them increasingly harder to uphold.

In the last ten minutes of writing I’ve read the following tweets:

“Chinese teen sells kidney to buy iPhone,” “Average teen will spend $1,000 on prom this year,” Iran nuclear talks set to begin.”

What we see on Twitter shocks us, makes us roll our eyes, as well as stop and think. The important thing to realize is that Twitter is just a starting point. 140 characters is far from the whole story. As a journalist, even as the pressure to break new news increases, I remember that follow-up stories with greater detail can be just as valuable.