Unit 39: Speech package production

Be able to identify opportunities for producing speech- based packages for radio.

Task one: Have a listen to each of the speech packages above and match each one with a genre, from the list below.
(PI, MI, DI)

Consumer IE: Price Increase of products/ Services/ Commodities
Business IE: Company Acquisitions, Mergers, Administration. Stocks and Shares
Life Style IE: Health, Beuty
Sport IE: Sports results and reviews.
News & Current Affairs IE: Bulletins, In depth reporting, Obituary.
Audience IE: Local, Regional, National, International.

Speech package one- The Genre for this is sport, as it talks allot about the sports and the olympics. The target reach for this is national because it covers all over the world.

Speech package 2- the genre for this is business/Current events. It talks about business people and businesses. The target reach for this is national.

Speech Package 3- The genre for this speech package is sport. It has football news and football coverages. It is for sport fanatics. The target reach for this is national.

Task two: Have a look at the topics below and decide which genre , each issue would belong to and what the reach and target audience might be.
(P1, M1, D1)

The Olympics 2012- the target audience for this would be Young adults up to seniors. This is because the Olympics is a worldwide thing and appeals to a wide target audience. The target reach for the Olympics is national.

Alcohol price rise-Reason for safety- the target audience for this would be again for young adults up to seniors and alcoholics.

This is because they are the ones who would drink alcohol and alcohol is important to alcoholics. The target reach would be national because the price rise is only in the UK.

Asda- where do they stand in the supermarket league tables? - The target audience for this would be adults. This is because they are the ones who would shop their and maybe even be an employee their. The target reach would be national. This is because there are many Asda’s around the world.

West Leeds council owned gyms- Comparisons to national gym chains. The target audience for this is young adults to adults as they are the ones who would use the gym more often. The target reach for this is national as local as it’s only for Leeds.

Smoking Ban- Have the pubs and clubs suffered? What else has the ban affected? - The target audience for this would be young adults upwards. This is because they are the ones who would smoke and who go out to pubs and clubs. The target reach would be national as the smoking ban is in the UK.

Leeds UTD- history, Administration, What’s been happening lately.- The target audience for this would be children upwards as many people of all ages are interested in history. The target reach for this would be local as again it’s only to do with leeds.

Task three: Decide on a topic for you're speech package.
(P1, M1, D1)

Name: A pet is for life and not for christmas.

Genre: Speech Package, Current Affairs, Drama

Target audience: 12 upwards.

Task Four: Choose a professional speech package in you're chosen genre and write a detailed analysis.
(P1, M1, D1)
Analyzing Speech packages.
Genre: Current affairs. Drama
Name: Peta Animal Testing.

Voice-

The pitch of the voices varied due to the different people who were featured in the speech package. They tried to keep a low monotone pitch to anchor the seriousness speech package.

Volume of the voices and sound of the speech package weren’t loud; It was consistent throughout and was at a good sound level.

The voice textures were varied to the different people. The texture of the voices juxtaposed against each other.

Due to this speech package being about a serious matter, the tone of voice was very serious for all the people. Thier serious tone of voice helped signify that this speech package was to be taken seriosuly.

Technical quality

Effects used at the end. To help introduce and end the speech package. The sounds effects at the beginning where beep noises on the changing titles to give them an impact and fix you’re focus on them. Animal noises used through out. To create impact and so the noises contrasted with what was on screen.

Cultural codes

The people in this speech package had an American accent. But they spoke Standard English so they could appeal to people of all accents and dialects. Due to the words used and the serious tone, the speech package is aimed at young adults upwards.

Code of context

There wasn’t really a jingle for this speech package; it went straight into the sound effects and music bed. This could be because the quick sharp method represents the quick sharp tone of the speech package. it instantly grabs the audiences attention.

Lots of repetition was used. This was a clever way of getting their point across, due to repetition being a great way of memorizing things. The music bed played a large part of the speech package. It was mainly serious, and changed depending on the content. However, there was a slight bit of comic relief during the speech package. This was done by by having a serious subject presented in a slightly humorous, sarcastic manor. The music bed for that part helped set the mood, due to the music bed being light hearted for those parts.

Task 5: Have a listen to the speechpackage, and answer the questions below.

Who is interviewwed and why?
Are there any other contributers or correspondents?

Are the interviewers as- live, or pre-recorded?

Are the interviewers recorded on locaion, via telephone or in a studio?
(P1, M1, D1)

The person in this speech package was mainly Jess Burns, the presenter of this speech package. Her tone of voice was monotone. The anchored that the subjects in the speech package should be taken seriously. She was recorded in the studio, due to the clarity of her voice throughout. There where correspondents in this speech package, who followed up on Jess’s headlines, and gave the listeners more information on the headlines. Again their voices where very clear and sounded like they were in a studio. The tone of their voices were also monotone to connote that their chosen topics where serious. Interviews were featured in this speech package. Leaf Hillman, who was interviewed by Hipa Daywood (one of the correspondents), sounded like it was an over the phone interview signifying that it had been pre- recorded and the two haven’t met in person.

Task Six: Think about you're chosen topic and identify the interview materials you will require to produce you're speech package?

(P1, M1, D1)

For my Speech Package, I shall be interviewing a vet member of RSPCA. This interviewer can tell me all about animal cruelty and the cases they have had to deal with regarding this matter. Other correspondents may be a vet as they can tell me about the injuries of animals they have had to deal with regarding animal cruelty.
My interview will probably be held on location as I think it would be tricky getting my interviewer in the studio. The usual conventions for this Genre include: Facts, Statistics of animal cruelty and how to look out for signs of animal cruelty as long with an interview with key members regarding this topic. Other people included in my interview would be class members and students; these will be my vox pops, which introduce my speech package. The usual features for this genre are voxpops and facts/statistics.

Be able to generate suitable ideas for specific contexts and target audiences

Task Seven: Create a short report focusing on a variety of radio stations that boradcast speech packages and provide the relevant information for each station.
(P2, M2, D2)

Radio 6 is a digital station that is all about new music. It can be listened as a listen now from the Internet, and you can also download pod cast episodes to your ipod. The age range for this station is 16 upwards, with the target reach being national. It has a multitude of genres and also features lots of podcasts that you can download onto you’re IPod or PC and listen allowing you to listen to it anywhere any time.

Task Eight: Write a treatment for you;re speech package.

(P2, M2, D2)

Treatment.
Genre: Current Affairs
Date:
Duration: 3 minutes

Voices: my own, interviewers. Voxpops.

Volume: loud enough for people to hear, but not too loud.
Pitch: low pitch, sets a serious tone.
Rhythm: normal rhythm.
Accent: Yorkshire accent, all people interviewed will be from Yorkshire.

Actuality\Ambience: sounds of animals during the interview, want to give the impression I’m in a vet.

Music: I will have some, music playing during my voxpops and intro.

Sound FX: -

Silence: a few slight pauses to set the serious tone.

Additional Notes:

My Speech Package is going to be an Informal but serious and educational speech package.

The target audience would be for 11 years upwards.

The audience members viewing my Speech Package

Genre

Target audience – age/gender/class/education

local/national - Primary target audience- 12 years upwards, Both genders, all classes,

Purpose – inform/entertain/advise etc- Informative.

Program title- A pet is for life, not for Christmas.

Details of specific content (plot/discussion topics/facts and stats/ interviews etc)- Facts and stats about animals and how they’re treated. An interview with a vet on how animals are abandoned and mistreated. Also about some of the injuries on animals she’s had to deal with, and if she’s ever come across an abused animal.

Music – Theme tune/as a bed/sound effects etc

Style and instruments

Who is in it? What do they do?- Other students for my voxpops, they read facts and statistics and a vet who I shall interview.

Locations – where do different parts of the programme take place? What are their effects?- The interview with the vet will either be in the vetanery or a studio. I will be adding some animal noises to emphasise or to make it sound like a vet.

Be able to research, Select and Evaluate Appropriate Factual Content.

A chart I found that helped me figure out how exactly what different forms of animal abuse was taking place, and how many animals are hurt.

Risk Assessment:

Preparing and producing appropriate speech packages.

Evaluation

The aim of this speech package was to raise awareness about animal cruelty.
I think I achieved my purpose to inform people about animal cruelty because of the stats and facts I used and the interview that talked about how animals are mistreated and the state they are in when they enter the shelter.

Audience
The audience feedback was generally positive, Claire Dring “ It had quite a moving impact and they were a lot of things I didn’t know, but know do. It makes me upset and i know do want to help animals in the future”, Georgina Isle “ It makes me go AAAAAAAW It gets to the point and sends out a good message about animals needing to be looked after” People who have seen it commented on the good information given and how the message is really sent across. It was noted that it was maybe a bit too long, so if I were to do this again I would perhaps shorten it a little. In terms of the uses and gratifications theory I have appealed to the audience through personal identity as people with the same passion for saving animals like me will want to listen to this and encourage their friends to listen to the speech package also. It also provides entertainment in some ways due to it being their interests.

Representation issues.
I gave out positive messages about looking after animals. The facts and stats could be seen as negative, due to the sad nature of some of the facts. My speech package included a mixture of boys and girls, to make it more gender aware and stop if from being biased. Ethnic groups weren’t considered in my speech package, as it wasn’t something I couldn’t really do, due to my speech package being about animals.

My music track really helped shape my work together. The music beds were to help the audience feel sorry for the animals and help emphasise with the animals. The language was appropriate for the target audience, No inappropriate language was used and no complex language was used, this was so my speech package would appeal to people aged 12 upwards. If compared to another speech package then it would have potential to be realistic, with the volumes needing to be fine-tuned and a few bits needing to be re-recorded or cut.

Technical issues.

The level was ok, the only thing letting them down being the voices getting lowed then quiet. The music was great; it was faded in and out nicely and didn’t distract the interviews and voxpops. When editing, I was careful not to cut anyone off, along with carefully cutting and then piecing sentences together from my interview as it was really long and there was a few things that dragged on. There was enough variety to keep the audience interested, as there were lots of facts and stats and didn’t all revolve around an interview. The mic used was great, the quality of sound it gave me was really good and I knew how to use it.

Conventions/ Narrative.
The typical conventions for this genre are: emotive language, VOXPOPS, facts and stats.

My speech package started of with a enigma, due to the VOXPOPS. It immediately makes the audience wonder what my speech package is about until the voxpops are over. I would say my speech package is multi strand because it features many things, not just an interview.

Own performance/ self evaluation

I learned how to fully cut and edit using garage band. I also learned how to edit the voice levels of my recordings, along with adding effect to the sound.

I think I did really well in terms of putting it together; my strengths were cutting and editing the recordings and putting certain things together to make sentences. Adding music beds and fading them in and out also proved be something I can do really well.

My weaknesses would be importing files from the MP3 onto the Mac as this proved to be really difficult for me, often spending heaps amount of time trying to import them and then failing.

When working with other people on putting this together I have proven to be a good team member, I have worked with other people to record them contributing to my speech package.