6th lecture for my course Transient Spaces at RMIT University.

2. Agenda
 More tips on ways to find great online content
 Interview tech options
 Interview tips
 Vox pops v. ‘proper’ interviews
 Using the zooms
 Let’s get the zooms

3. More ways to find
online content

4. Interview recording options
1. Using the voice memo function on your phone
Example:
http://cyclistsvmotorists.tumblr.com/post/18943146494/oscar-
is-a-cyclist-a-motorist-and-most-recently
 Audio quality can be quite good, but remember to keep
the phone close, and find a quiet place.
 But not too close or it might distort!
 The problem is that you can’t test the levels, except by
doing a test recording and listening to it through
headphones.

5. Interview recording options
2. Using a Zoom
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=
T9GIzarhwyE
 Example of outside recording:
http://cyclistsvmotorists.tumblr.com/post/19828660885/intervie
w-with-beck-roy-bicycle-transport
 Most important things:
 Check the levels
 Make sure you are actually recording, not on pause.

6. Interview recording options
3. Recording a Skype interview
 My test with quicktime resulted in poor quality
(http://cyclistsvmotorists.tumblr.com/post/19775280974/the-
second-interview-for-my-melbourne-cyclists)
 As usual, I’m more concerned about audio than video, if the vid
is too bad, you can always just use a still.
 Great tips for audio improvement here, but rather technical –
and you may not be able to get around the Firewall
http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/12/23/skype-
for-interviews/

7. Interview recording options
Summary of the easier things:
 Quit all applications except what you really need
 good broadband
 Make everything as quiet as possible
 Both parties should use a headset USB mic if possible
Eg,
http://shop.skype.com/headsets/#/#categoryid=1&sortby=3&subcategoryid=&fil
ter=&manufacture=&price_range=~30|30~60|60~90|90~&page=1

8. Interview recording options
 They recommend audio recording software called CallBurner
http://www.callburner.com/ Free 30 day trial
 And post-production audio level software called The Levelator:
http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator FREE
 You’d also edit out the clicks, umms, stutters etc in Audacity (or
similar)
Note: don’t edit the audio if you’re going to marry it up with video, it
will get out of sync.

9. Interview recording options
4. Recording a phone call to the Zoom / computer
Example: http://cyclistsvmotorists.tumblr.com/post/20256167726/interview-
with-edward-hore (recorded to computer)

10. Interview recording options

11. Interview tips

12. Interview tips

13. Interview tips

14. Interview tips

15. Interview tips

16. Vox pops v.
‘proper’ interviews
 A vox pop is a stranger off the street who you ask a
couple of questions to as they walk by. You will get
an unreflected, off-the-cuff opinion rather than a
carefully thought through response. They are useful
for capturing the public mood, but it will be
superficial.
 A proper interview is organised in advance, you’ve
given the interviewee warning about the subject
matter, you’ve found a good (quiet, well lit,
uninterrupted) location. You will get more interesting
answers this way.

17. Interviews: things to try
 Recording a phone call to the computer
 Using the Zoom outside (in the wind, for example)
 Do a few ‘vox pops’ outside
 Try out a few of your real questions, to see if people
understand them the way you mean
 If the lab computers have Skype, try recording a Skype
phonecall
 Using the voice memo on your phone