Soundslides
To learn how to upload your Soundslides to the Web, see these instructions. You are "FTP'ing the project yourself."
Please also see this list of troubleshooting tips for Soundslides.
How to submit your Soundslides to be graded:
- Write a new blog post (in your own blog) that briefly summarizes the story of your Soundslides.
- Link to the Soundslides in the blog post.
- The post must be online by the deadline for that Soundslides assignment.
Soundslides 1
Use the photos from your Photo 1 assignment and new audio that matches those photos (NOT your Audio 1 assignment). The audio will be an interview with one person, plus some natural sound.
The topic of this Soundslides is campus life -- life on the UF campus.
Your goal must be to represent a specific aspect of campus life through the experience of one current UF student. Do NOT try to show all campus life. Do NOT be general -- be very specific. You need to help the viewers understand how the student feels about this (regardless of whether the student loves it or hates it).
Example: Being part of the recreational sand volleyball team at UF plays a big role in the lives of the team members. Pictures would show the whole team in various aspects of their group interactions (not only playing!). Audio would be a personal interview with ONE team member, combined with natural sound from the team all together (probably playing a game).
Length
You must edit the audio to a length between 60 and 90 seconds BEFORE you import it into Soundslides.
Number of Photos
The rule of thumb is ABOUT 5 seconds per photo. Thus the number you need depends on your audio. Too few = boring (and audience gets annoyed). Too many = photos change too quickly (and audience gets annoyed).
Requirements
- Tell a story. A story has a beginning that helps the audience understand immediately what the story is. A story has an ending that feels like a proper conclusion.
- Make sure it is interesting.
- Select a character. The best stories center on a character. The audience comes to understand the character. Through that understanding, the audience learns about a situation, an event, a way of being, a way of life, an experience.
- Focus the story on a single, clearly defined aspect of campus life. This might be religion, eating, a sport, a club, any group activity that takes place on campus ... but NOT a one-time event.
You are not doing a profile of one person.
If you don't feel certain that the story you want to tell fits the "campus life" requirement, ASK ME in advance.
Grading
- 2 points: The audio is interesting and tells a coherent story.
- 2 points: The audio sounds clear, and the quality is good.
- 1 point: The length is between 60 and 90 seconds.
- 1 point: The photos match well with the audio as the Soundslides is playing.
- 1 point: The photos are not redundant, and there is a good mix of detail, close, medium and wide shots.
- 2 points: Every photo has an appropriate caption in the Soundslides, and there no errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation; also, no fact errors. You must provide the full name (with correct spelling) of each person in each photo!
- 1 point: Both the headline in the Soundslides and the credits are acceptable.
Total: 10 points
Soundslides 2
Use the photos from your Photo 2 assignment and the audio from your Audio 2 assignment. This audio will include several interviews edited together with natural sound.
The topic of this Soundslides is the activities and purpose of a specific place.
Your goal must be to give the viewer an accurate experience of the place. This place MUST be off-campus. You may choose a place of business, such as a restaurant. Or you might choose a church, or a place where people learn to do something.
The Soundslides Guitar Lessons at the Central Area Senior Center (which you viewed in Week 2) is a good example of this kind of story.
Do NOT choose a "chain" business, such as Starbucks.
Grading
- 5 points: Integration of audio and photos -- how well they work together
- 5 points: Interestingness and originality -- success in providing an experience
- 5 points: All text -- captions, headline and credits
Total: 15 points
Soundslides 3
The photos and audio for this Soundslides have not been graded in advance. This Soundslides will be part of your final story package.
This Soundslides must fit perfectly into your package. The package will be about an ISSUE, and so the Soundslides must be ABOUT that issue. Naturally, the Soundslides must tell a real story.
Make sure you read and understand the package assignment before you begin work on the Soundslides!
To tell a story, you need a beginning, a climax and an ending. Plus a character. You need to capture and hold the audience's interest by raising and answering questions.
Length
You must edit the audio to a length between 90 and 120 seconds BEFORE you import it into Soundslides. Remember the 5-second rule of thumb. If you have 120 seconds of audio, you need to have 24 good photos (120 / 5 = 24).
Grading
- 5 points: Integration AND quality of audio and photos
- 5 points: Story, interestingness and originality
- 5 points: All text -- captions, headline and credits
Total: 15 points
