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OH DEERE!

Todd Spoth — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:31:49 +0000

Today was definitely a lot better than yesterday’s storm flop. My first assignment to cover a tractor and steam engine festival way out in Westminster went off without a hitch. It was a gorgeous day in Maryland and the festival was a bit overwhelming, but I think I made some nice images. This was another event that forwarded my beliefs that Texas is NOT the most “country” (for lack of a more PC word) state in the Union. Texas has this sort of cowboy stereotype, but in Houston I live in an urban area and drive a car, not a horse. With that said, this was probably one of the most “country” events I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. It was pretty awesome. There were a ton of great fair food vendors, tractor pulls and an incredibility random yet amazing swap meet where locals were selling everything from knives and tools to Beanie Babies and Nintendos. As an aside, I spent a total of $4.75 on 4 Newsweek magazine’s from 1970 in great condition, a Nolan Ryan Cooperstown Commemorative beanie baby-esque stuffed animal, a brand new in box Polaroid Colorpack III land camera with film and everything, and a few other nice items. When I wasn’t shopping I recorded some short audio clips in an effort to put together a short Soundslide showcasing a few of my favorite snaps from the event.

AUDIO STORYTELLING

Todd Spoth — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:49:20 +0000

So I read Richard Koci Hernandez’ little book on multimedia and was inspired to try my own little crazy exercises. I’ve been allowed to experiment a whole lot more since I got the new MacPro and one of my favorites has been an exercise I call audio storytelling. Its definitely silly, but it helps for sure. What I do is use Apple’s Garageband audio editing program and its built-in special effects bank to piece together an audio story. Since Garageband is very easy to use and the effects bank is something over 3000 sounds with everything from helicopters to audience applause, its a very fun tool. I have had tons of Garageband experience in the past, but have never used it to this end. It is a blast. I pop on my Sennheisers and I’m off. It usually takes me about an hour to construct each audio track. Each track is under 2 minutes long and each track connects with another to form a larger story. I’m really trying to match sounds and use sounds for things that aren’t conventional. The trick is the layering and really mastering the levels for maximum effect, but when its good (or decent) it’s rewarding to hear. The two tracks below are a couple of examples of this practice. The second one is another day’s practice, but is a continuation of the first’s story-line. The past few days have been hectic, but I’m anxious to get back in the saddle and continue my audio score for my video-less movie!