I also gathered a lot of vox pops during the course so far, i don't have a lot of confidence and never thought i would be able to cope with it well. It was a situation that i would have never undergone if i didn't take the course. I am capable of gathering vox pops now, and although still a little shy to the matter, my confidence has gone up from doing this. This task of gathering vox pops, along with interview, required using new hardware which i had not come across before the course. I learnt how to used the Fostex recorder and the mini disc recorder, and am very comfortable on how to use them, and which piece of equipment is best for which situation.
I got to meet two people also during the course, which i found very interesting. One of these individuals was radio presenter Ian downs. He was able to give us his life story of how he got into radio, what things he would have to come across in the industry, some useful tips and why he has now chosen to be a freelancer. We also met documentary director Tom cholmondeley, who gave us the ins-and-outs of what it is like to be a director, how he got to his current role, and some more useful tips. Both Ian and Tom had to undergo an interview from us, which we had to edit and use in our module.
I also learnt what a soundscape was, how, why and where it used. I learnt what makes a good soundscape, and that it is a lot more complicated than it sounds. I enjoyed making my soundscape and found it very interesting as a whole, and wouldn't mind doing more of this in the future.
Another thing i learnt was how to get into the industry, how to work your way up, and also what each job requires. I am still unsure of what job i would wish to take in the future, but my ideas have been narrowed down to a few roles because of this. Making the radio program was both fun, and using role allocations while producing it was beneficial, e.g. i was the producer. We also had to research and present our ideas to a "acting panel", to get permission to make the program, which was daunting but realistic and helpful. I also picked up how a radio should be structured, and was one half of the presenters within the show, which i actually quite enjoyed surprisingly.
All together it was a very enjoyable and interesting year, and have gained a lot from doing the course, so much that i wish it was a 5 day a week course sometimes. I have appreciated the fact that it has introduced me to things i wouldn't usually have thought about, and has given me a better insight to the industry and how it works.
