It’s now easy and popular to create an audio slideshow, but it takes training and expertise to create a good audio slideshow story. To best leverage the narrative power of audio slideshows, one needs both production and journalistic skills:
- production skills: how to use audio recording devices; how to use a camera; how to use audio editing program; how to use slideshow authoring program
- journalistic skills: how to find a story that engages audience; what questions to ask and how to ask questions; what photos to take and how to frame photos; how to arrange and edit photos in the slideshow
In Audio Slideshow Storytelling, a free online course I offered this summer, course contents are centered around these two skills and participants were asked to work on a final project – a profile story – by following these guidelines:
Mandatory requirements: slideshows not meeting both requirements are considered incomplete
- a minimum duration of 90 seconds, but not longer than three minutes
- a minimum of 18 photos
Production guidelines: A slideshow that fails to meet at least half of the eight guidelines is considered incomplete
- audio recording is clear and noise-free
- has ambient (natural) sound
- audio interview demonstrates interview techniques (open-ended questions, interviewee repeating questions, no closed-ended questions)
- all photos are properly framed (composition, noseroom, headroom, etc.)
- has a proper mixture of shots (wide, medium, close-up, etc.)
- demonstrates sequence editing
- has photo movements (pan, zoom)
- demonstrates proper pacing (segments of moving/still photos)
Samuel Okocha, a course participant from Nigeria, created a profile story about an artist who uses disposable materials for his artwork. Samuel won a free copy of Soundslides Plus, a $69 value, provided by the software vendor in sponsorship of this free course. Samuel’s slideshow is being embedded below:
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