Evaluation Part 2 - UNIT 16

Strengths of my first edit 

When looking at my first edit, I had conducted a focus group to find out what went well and what needed to be improved. When looking at the strengths of the first draft, I had found out that:

• The brief was met successfully

When looking at the brief, it had stated that "radio drama that informs, educates and entertains a family audience about the dangers and benefits of social media". From looking at this we can see that I have been able to meet the brief successfully as I was able to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using social media. Furthermore, one of the students in my focus group had stated that it was like listening to a radio show. This meant that it was realistic and was understood by the audience successfully. 

• The voice actors were good 

When the students were listening to my radio show, they understood that it was about social media, however to make the radio show even better they had stated that they liked the actors using a posh voice. This allowed the radio show to be more entertaining and therefore made it more enjoyable for the audience. They liked the technician's voice the most as they felt it was very posh and he delivered a good performance.

• Majority of sound effects and the voices were clear

Lastly, another improvement they were happy with was that they were happy with the levels of sound that was used. This was because it was clear and easy for them to understand. This allowed the radio show to be understood well and allowed the message to be brought across good. 

Weaknesses of my first edit

However, when I had told them this is my first draft, they were open to tell me what I could to improve this even more for my final draft. Some of the weaknesses they have stated for me to improve were the following: 

• Background was a bit loud at the beginning

At the beginning of the radio show, the background noises of the train and cars were a bit loud. This had made it difficult for the audience to understand what the actors had said. 

• A bit static

When listening at the actors, you could hear some static in the dialogue. This made a bit of confusion as they were wondering why that is included.

• Edit the sound 

When I was asking for some weaknesses, they had stated that the sound needed to be edited more. This included the sound levels of certain scenes that need to be increased to make sure everything was heard correctly. Another weakness was that some of the dialogue was repeated twice consecutively. 

• Add a sound track

When I had asked them what else I could do to improve, they had asked me to add a sound track. This is because it would introduce the radio show better. 

Improvements to my final edit 

When taking on the feedback of my focus group, I had decided to make the following improvements:

• Background was a bit loud at the beginning

In the image below, we can see that I was able to decrease the levels of the sound effects and increased the dialogue. This had allowed the sound to be more clearer for the audience. 

• A bit static

Due to me using the school equipment, I was not able to get rid of the static. This is because the microphones I had used for some of the scenes was old. The picture of the microphones I had used are shown below. Furthermore, the actors were not available to re-record. This led to me not being able to re-record scenes for my radio show. 

• Edit the sound 

I was able to change some of the sound and edit the levels of them. This is shown in the screen recording. This allowed the audio to be more clear. 

• Add a sound track

I loved the idea of using a sound track to end of the radio show. For that reason, I had decided to put the sound track in both the beginning and the end. This had allowed the radio show to be more memorable. This is shown in the screenshot below. 

Technical and auditory qualities

When thinking about the technical and auditory qualities of my radio show, I had to really think about the sample rate and bit rate. They are:

• Sample rate - The rate of the capture and playback.
• Bit rate - The number of bits used to describe each sample. 

Advantages of using technical and auditory qualities: 

When I was producing my radio show and for my final edit. I had decided that it would be an MP3 version. The table below shows the sample and bit rate for my radio show. 

	Sample rate	Bit rate
MP3	128 k/bit tate	0.13 Mbit/sec

This had allowed the quality of my radio show to be clear. 

Disadvantages of using technical and auditory qualities: 

However, due to the equipment being old, I was not able to produce a top level radio show compared to BBC Radio 4 which can. Next time if I was to improve my radio show, I will ensure that the equipment I use is up to date. This is so that my radio show can be clearer and eliminates the static. 

Overall using technical and auditory qualities meeting the brief: 

Overall by being able to use technical and auditory qualities allowed my radio programme to meet the brief. This is because I was able to create a programme that was good quality so that it can "entertain, inform and educate" the audience. 

This is for Unit 16.

Task Allocation 10

Production Week 10

 

Evaluation

Production Journey

When I had first started my production, I wanted to familiarise myself with all the resources I was going to use when I was going to record my radio drama. This included; starting up GarageBand, understanding how to use the microphones and understand how to record other sounds on my iPhone. When I started to record other sounds from my iPhone, I had wanted to know how to do it, so that it would become easier throughout my production. When starting up GarageBand, I had saw different areas which showed different sections of recording which was specific to the type of sound. This was incredibly useful, as I was able to ensure that if I had wanted to record dialogue, I was able to chose the voice area. This had allowed me to ensure that the audio was nice and clear and good quality. 

When recording different sounds in my production, I wanted to ensure I was able to get them myself. This was because I wanted to ensure that I do not get copyrighted from others. I had then decided it would be best to record the audio I needed on a Sony sound recorder and my iPhone. This helped a lot as I was able to go to different locations to record and be able to get the sounds I had wanted. 

To ensure that I was able to stick to my idea as much as possible, I was able to print out all of my pre-production material. This had ensured that everything was sticking to the idea as much as possible and saved time from going back to my blogger to look at what else I had needed to film. Furthermore, when I was using the equipment, I was able to bring it outside school with the permission of my teachers. This had allowed me to record all of the audio tracks I had needed instead of going to YouTube and extracting the files from there.  

After I had completed my focus group, and analysed my feedback, I then needed to go and record some extra audio. This was because when I was discussing everything with my peers, they had mentioned that the audio was really low compared to other audio tracks that were played. As a result of this, I had to use the equipment to go and record more audio. This had included the cars on the highway, the train departing from the train station and some of the actors voices. This had allowed me to replace the files I had in my first edit and made changes to them as much as possible. However, during that weekend, I wasn't able to use the equipment due to me being busy with other personal matters. However, I was able to still continue to work and rerecord some of my audio and add them to the final draft. This had allowed me to finish off my final edit and meet the deadline that was set by my teacher. 

When I was collecting feedback, one of my peers had spoken to me and said to make my edit better, to add a music track for the beginning and the end. I had thought about this and I had decided that it would be a good idea to do this as this will get more of the audience engaged with the story. Due to me thinking of using a music track, I thought it would be a smart idea to use the BBC Radio 4 theme music. This is because everyone knows BBC Radio 4 and it would be able to increase the overall audience. However, one problem was that I had to ensure that it was copyrighted music. This was because I wanted to ensure that I didn't get in trouble. So for that reason, I had went to my teacher and asked him. He was incredibly helpful and helped me find a wild track that could be used in my radio programme. 

When editing my edits for my radio programme, I wanted to ensure that everything was done to a good standard. In order for that to happen, I had decided to ensure that I would cut clips and ensured that they all made sense and linked together. This was so that any audio and sounds I didn't want can be deleted so that I can use the rest for the edits. 

When coming to upload both of the drafts, I had exported the file using an AIFF format. This was because I felt it was most suitable to use as I was editing on an Apple iMac. This had allowed the sound to have really high quality and didn't damaged or lower the rest of the other sounds in the process. 

When looking at the sounds of the audio tracks, I had to ensure that everything was loud and clear for the audience to understand. This had meant that I had to lower down the volume on certain sound effects to ensure that it was heard clearly. As a result of doing this, I was able to click on the clips and was able to adjust the sound to the correct volume. This was incredibly useful when putting together my final edit for my radio programme. 

After everything in the production stage was completed, I was able to upload it to Final cut and placed it onto YouTube. I was able to add a background and create a screen recording to show to the audience what the radio show was about and how far they were in the video. This is shown on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlMmqELfZHk

 

Final edit

 

Audio assets

 

Audio Assets	Description of audio assets
Dialogue	There will be dialogue throughout the entire radio programme which is voiced by the actors.
Sound of the train	When Harleen and Fajar are talking at the beginning, they are leaving the train station and there will be the sound of the train departing.
Sound of the automatic doors	When Yunus, Harleen and Fajar are walking into the school, the doors will start to open.
Sounds of crowd chatter	There will be a lot of crowd chatter from the beginning of the radio drama as its set in the train station and in the school.
Sounds of the Phone ringing	This will be when Yunus gets his phone out and tries to get Harleen and Fajar’s numbers.
Sounds of the cars on the highway	When Yunus, Harleen and Fajar are walking to the school, there will be the sounds of the cars passing by on the highway.
Sounds of the office phone ringing	This will be when Yunus presses the button to get the office people's attention to gain access to the school.

Sound formats

Sound formats

When recording audio, there are different types of file formats that are stored on your computer. The reason for this is that sound formats are used for different purposes.  These formats could be used for web distribution to a playlist for music and production. Some of these examples are: 

• WAV

WAV for Waveform Audio. This is an audio format that is used to store any audio bitstream on your personal computer. This file is lossless, high quality and has an uncompressed format. One advanatge of using WAV audio files is that since it is lossless, it allows the file to be close to the original audio. This can then be converted into other files such as AIFF and MP3. Despite this one disadvantage of using this is that it has a big memory space.  

• AIFF

An AIFF audio was made by Apple. This format is also lossless. This is very similar to the WAV format. Since the AIFF is lossless, it produces very high quality sound. However, this audio does take up a lot of space on your systems. 

• MP3

MP3 is the compressing and downloading of files. An MP3 is a common a lossy format. This means that there is more space available and can be supported by a range of different devices. However, one disadvantage of using MP3 is that the sound quality is reduced significantly compared to a lossless file. 

• WMA

WMA stands for Windows Media Audio. This sound format is used as an audio file container and could be served as an audio codec too. One advantage of using this is that it is an efficient audio file format. This means that it will take less storage from your computer compared to a lossless sound format. One disadvantage is that you can only use this format if you have a Windows computer as this was made by Microsoft. 

Storage

When storing audio files, it can be saved on digital drives and hard drives. When producing audio it is vital that you back it up incase the files get lost or corroded. When saving and importing your audio files it is vital that you save it in the same folder as the raw audio to prevent audio files from not placing. Some of the drives that you can save your files on are:

• Flash drive/USB 

A flash drive/USB is a small rectangular device that is placed into devices to help store files and data. Also using a flash drive allows the transfer of files from one device to another. One advantage of using a flash drive/USB is that it is portable. This means that you are able to carry this with you and be able to save everything in one place. However, one disadvantage of using the flash drive/USB is that it has limited storage. This means that there is only a limit on how much a flash drive/USB can store before running out of space. 

• Hard drive 

A hard drive is different from a flash drive/USB. Although they have the same purpose of storing files and data, hard drives are built into a computer. This means that you can only access the hard drive on a specific computer. This is a disadvantage as if there is a problem with the computer, the end user will not be able to access the files and data.  Despite this, hard drives have the advantage of having more capacity than a flash drive/USB. This means that you can save more on the computer. 

• Cloud backup services 

A cloud drive is a web-based service that holds storage online on an online server. One advantage of using a cloud drive is that it can be accessed anywhere on any device. This is useful as you can use it to save specific files and get them from another device. However, one disadvantage is that it requires an internet connection. This means that you cannot access the files without a connection which can bring a delay to projects. 

Compression 

Compression is reducing sounds that are above a certain threshold. There are different types of compressions. They are:

• DRC 

DRC stands for Dynamic Range compression. This allows the volume of loud sounds to be reduced or increases the quiet sounds. 

• Downward compression

Downward compression reduces the volume of loud sounds above a certain threshold. 

• Upward compression 

Upward compression focuses on increasing quieter sounds that fall below a certain threshold. 

Size versus quality 

• Lossy - This is where the file is compressed and the quality of the sound is reduced permanently due to some of the elements being eliminated. 
• Lossless - This is where the file is compressed and every single piece of data is still there. This shows that there is no loss of quality from the original recording. 
• Bit rates - Are a measurement of the amount of data that is processed per second. 
• File size - This is showing how big the file is on any device. There a different file sizes depending on the amount of recording it has.

Considerations

When putting all of these files together in school, I will be using the apple iMacs. This means that when exporting this, I will be using an AIFF sound format. This is because Apple has ownership of this format, making it easier and more suitable for us. This also has the feature of lossless. This means that when using this it will copy the original sound and be easier to hear everything compared to using other formats. 

When looking at the sound files and where I am going to store it, I am going to save it on my cloud account on the iMac. Cloud drive is a remote server which is wen-based. This will help me as I will be able to access the files from anywhere as long as I have an internet connection. Since the accounts we have desktop folders, it will be easier for me to drop and drag files between the cloud server and the local server. 

Finally I will be using upward compression. This allows me to ensure that I can make other sounds quieter to ensure that other sounds that be heard when producing the first and final edit. Therefore this will be incredibly useful for all audiences as they will be able to hear a variety of sounds throughout my radio programme. 

Funding

When looking into funding there are many different ways that this can be done. This is because funding can come from a variety of different sources. Some of these sources are:

• Grants

A grant is where the government or the local council looks at your ideas and projects and decides whether to give you the money to fund the idea. This is a useful source of funding as the receiving the grant means that it doesn't need to be paid back. This is useful for companies as they don't need to give the money back to the governments or local council. 

• Advertising 

Advertising is a way of sending messages to people to receive funding for their projects. The ASA regulate all of the adverts. This means that when advertising the idea, the ASA will need to look at the content of the programme that is going to be shown around social media before it is released to the public. 

• Sponsorship 

A sponsorship is different from a grant and advertising. Sponsorships are when the company commits to paying money or giving resources to a program in exchange for the companies promotion. This allows the business to get the funding from other companies but have to give the companies promotional benefits. 

When looking into the funding for my idea, I would like to have advertising on this. This is because social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat are strong platforms that majority of people use. By getting help from these platforms will help me fund my overall radio programme. Furthermore with the help of these platforms I will be able to increase the awareness of my radio programme by the features of publishing this on stories and reels. 

Feedback Analysis

After conducting my focus group, I was able to collect feedback about my overall first draft. The main points that were made were:

• There was a lot of static when the actors were speaking 

I agree when hearing my first draft again that there was a lot of static when the actors were speaking. After speaking to the technician, I had found out the reason for this is that the equipment that we were using to record were quite old. Due to this the quality of the sound from the actors wasn't the best. However, from looking and finding out this information, the teacher had told me that there is a way to reduce the audio, which I will carry out in my final draft. 

• Some of the audio files were higher than others making hard to hear what was happening 

This was shown to me at the beginning of the short film. When looking at this I could understand where the students were coming from as there were a lot of sounds that was used to get the effect of the actors leaving the train station. Now thinking about it and what one of the students said, I can understand that, however the scene is taking place in the train station. In order to make the student happy, I will increase the volume of the audio so that I can ensure that the audio can be heard more clearly. But I will not decrease the other sounds as it will not be identified by the students watching the radio programme.

• Could you add the sound track that is used on the radio shows to make it link it all together?

I loved this idea. This is because it will allow the audience to know where this show is from and where to find it. In my focus group one of the students disagreed with this idea due to me potentially getting copyrighted but also because he did not think it was necessary. But I have decided to place this in my final draft as I believe this feature is a good idea to put in. 

• The teacher who was in it made the radio show more funny 

This was good news to hear when conducing my focus group. This is because I had asked the teacher to put on an accent and therefore I was taking a big risk. Luckily the audience was happy with this and loved the fact that I had a teacher who placed comedy in my radio programme. I am going to keep this in my final draft but may add a bit more sound effects to make it more entertaining for the audience. 

This is for Unit 14 and Unit 16.

SWOT Analysis on first draft

Focus group

 

First edit

 

Offline edit

 

Setup reflection

When filming my radio programme, I had to set up different types of equipment. This is shown in the pictures below. 

When looking at these pictures, I had to set up GarageBand. This allowed me to record the dialogue I needed for my radio show. I had also set up the microphones to ensure that I can get more clearer audio. Finally I had used a Sony sound recorder to ensure that I was able to record other sounds and export it to my computer. 

Task Allocation Week 9

 

Production Week 9

 

Rushes log

 

Rushes video

 

Task Allocation Week 8

 

Production Week 8

 

Task Allocation Week 7

 

Production Week 7

 

Cast and release forms

Task Allocation Week 6

 

Production Week 6

 

Script

 

Storyboard

Task Allocation Week 5

 

Production Week 5

Treatment

Your Name:  Yunus Ahmed-Khan

Date: 02/05/2024

Contact Details:  Mobile phone number: 07722940306      

SCRIPT TITLE – Social Media – A closer look

LOGLINE  -  My radio show is about students returning to the school and meeting each other after a few months from leaving the school. They then start to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of using social media.

KEY CHARACTERS – The main characters of my story is Harleen and Fajar. They are going to be acting as ex-students and how they are making their way into school and discussing social media. The antagonists in my radio show is the teacher and myself. This is because we will have less lines and the story is not really based on them.  

PLOT SUMMARY

When looking at the beginning of the radio show, it will start of with the protagonists leaving the train station and making their way to the school. When looking at the middle of my radio show, it will be the protagonists and the antagonists talking about social media and how it effects students in school. The ending of my radio show is the characters finishing off their discussing and the scene fading out with music played in the background.

ACT ONE

My story begins in the train station and the protagonists leaving making their way to their old school. As they are making their way to the school they happen to bump into an old friend from school and find out that they are going to the same location. They have further discussions and have a small catch up. The scene then cuts out. This engages the listener as they will be able to relate to the school experience and meeting past friends.

ACT TWO

The radio show continues to the characters reaching the school and is welcomed by a teacher. The teacher then accompanies them to the media room so that they can record their experience with social media. Then they start to record. This allows the story to continue and makes the listener engaged with the show.

ACT THREE

The story ends with the students finish recording and the radio show fades out. This allows the listener to not get annoyed by the show to being that long. This allows another radio show to be made do the listener wanting to find out more and what is going to happen next.

Task Allocation Week 4

 

Production Log Week 4

Rational

I have decided to go for my initial idea number 2. This is because I believe that my radio programme idea has met what the brief has asked me to do. Moreover, the main reason I have decided to go with this idea is that I am able to complete it on time and use my skills from previous years to ensure the success of the radio show. Lastly, another reason why I had decided to go for this initial idea is that I am able to film it in school. This will allow me to film during lesson time and be able to meet deadlines.

Initial ideas

Initial idea mind map

Task Allocation Week 3

Production Log Week 3

 

Launch date

The launch date for the programme will be suitable to have it scheduled around Summer as the younger audiences will probably be getting phones as they are at the age where they are about to enter secondary school and will need to communicate with their parents. This is a great time for this audience to explore social media and listen to a programme like mine to inform the audience about the benefits and drawbacks of using platforms online. This makes it relevant to the timings of the launch of the programme as the younger audiences are making a transition to a new school and will need as much information as they can. 

Launching the programme around Summer can be quite effective for both adults and children as they are usually are on holidays. Furthermore the adults will have a deeper understanding of social media and can allow adults who are parents to monitor how their children use social media. The children will be able to gain a better understanding of social media and be able to know the benefits and drawbacks of using it. This will allow them to put prevention methods to ensure the safety of themselves. 

Scheduling and alignment to programme genre

When thinking about the scheduling of my radio programme, I will have to think about where it is most appropriate to allow all audiences; children and adults to listen to them. In this instance, due to the summer time approaching, children and adults decide to upgrade or purchase new mobile phones. This means that I will be able to schedule my radio programme in the summer time and get as much exposure as I possibly can. Lastly, I will launch my radio programme in the early afternoon. This is because it is the time students and adults finish their day of working. 

Furthermore, when looking at how my radio programme is going to align, it is about the students entering the school and sharing their views of social media. This means that it can draw in a variety of different audiences and can lead to a greater chance of the audience listening to the programme. 

Legal and ethical grid

Task Allocation Week 2

                       

Production Log Week 2

Running order

Budget

 

Production schedule

 

Dates and Time	Activities	Personnel	Resources	Equipment
16/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
18/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
22/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
25/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
29/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
30/04/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone
02/05/2024	Voice recording	Yunus, Fajar, Harleen	GarageBand	iMac and microphone