CHARLOTTE WAKERLEY
LEVEL 3 MEDIA STUDENT
MY CULTURE - PROJECT 1
PODCAST
Informing Ideas
Mood board
Survey
I’ll conduct a survey since it will provide me with useful information about my target audience. I’ll need to figure out how old my audience is since I will need to know who I am speaking to. I’ll also include a question in my survey asking whether my audience has ever listened to a podcast and why they have or have not. I’ll ask them what kind of podcasts they like to listen to, as it’s crucial to know what genre my audience like. I’ll also inquire about their general interests, since this will assist me in getting to know my audience. It would also be beneficial to have an audience profile so that I can learn about their work, gender and hobbies. I’ll investigate as to where they like to listen to podcasts, since this information will be valuable in determining when they prefer to listen to podcasts.
My survey data allowed me to learn more about my audience's passions and cultural understanding. I discovered that more than half of my audience has previously listened to podcasts, and the majority prefer to listen to podcasts on Spotify or YouTube. I noticed that pop culture, self-help, and true crime are the most popular genres among my viewers, therefore I'll use that data to help think of a decent genre for my podcast episode.
I also noticed that the social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram are the most liked among my viewers, which is beneficial for my podcast considering I want to do one about social media. These results will have an impact on my ideas since they will support me in developing subjects, artwork, and questions to ask my guests in my episode. I also asked the people who took my survey to explain to me what culture meant to them, and the responses I collected will inspire me to come up with ideas for the theme of 'My Culture.' I believe that primary research was more beneficial to me than secondary research because I was able to gain more trustworthy and accurate data, and primary research was more targeted to my research needs.
How my research into youth culture will inform my ideas
People who responded to my questions indicated that social media and influencers begin fashion trends because if many people see an item of clothing or accessory on social media, they will want to purchase it, and it will become trendy over time. According to them, Tiktok is the most popular social media platform for introducing fashion trends since many teenagers use it to watch videos. When they see a video with a cute piece of fashion, many others will want to buy it, and it will quickly spread over Tiktok. People who responded stated that they love current fashion trends because they encourage people to express themselves more rather than just wearing Adidas tracksuits like everyone did in 2016 and 2017. However, current fashion trends are all over the place. Someone may want to dress as they did in the 1950s, while another may prefer to wear as they did in the 1990s. It could be a good thing, since more fashion trends are returning, giving people more clothing styles to choose from. People think that the outfits you wear could influence how you feel as people tend the wear colours depending on their mood. Someone wearing yellow, for example, may feel joyful and upbeat, and other individuals may have a decent outfit on when they're in a confident mood, whereas somebody in a negative mood may make little effort in their wardrobe since they are not in a positive place.
Secondary research:
This is Vogue's Instagram, and they have a lot of celebrities, musicians, and influencers on their page. Many of their admirers are fascinated with what their idols wear, which I believe would benefit my research for my podcast since many celebrities and influencers are known for creating fashion trends. For example, Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green in the television series "Friends," sparked a fashion trend in the 1990s with her famous hairdo. I also feel their Instagram feed has some unique fashion styles that I'd want to speak about on my podcast.
Fashion and iconic trends:
Key opinions and views that I need to research:
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How do fashion trends start? How do people find out about fashion trends?
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What do you think about current fashion trends?
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Do you think lots of fashion trends from previous years are coming back in style?
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Do you think the latest fashion trends are better than previous years?
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How do the clothes you wear influence how you feel?
Information that I need to research:
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Current and previous fashion trends
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Celebrities who started popular fashion trends
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Iconic designers
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Fast fashion – shops like SHEIN, Zaful and Romwe
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Fashion culture
One of the most popular apps among teenagers is Tiktok. Many teenagers have created fashion trends by using this app, and some have even returned fashion trends. I'm going to use the website Seventeen to learn more about the latest fashion trends and how they've returned in popularity. Tie-dye, pleated skirts, and oversized hoodies were some of the latest fashions I noted. I believe that this website will be extremely useful for my podcast project, as I have recently been following fashion trends on Tiktok and feel that it will be a perfect topic to address in my episode.
For my secondary research, I'd like to use the website, Style Secrets, which explains how fashion trends may develop. They provided information on their site that would make very good conversation topics. People appreciate clothing styles from popular TV programmes such as 'Stranger Things' and 'Friends,' and many people love hand-me-down clothes from family members. 'Stranger Things' is a show set in the 1980s, and the characters dress in styles that were popular at the time. I believe that fans of 'Stranger Things' have taken inspiration from their favourite characters, which might lead to a comeback of 1980s fashion. 'Friends' was a television series that aired in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Fans have done the same thing as 'Stranger Things' fans and purchased clothing pieces worn by their favourite characters in the series, repeating the 1990s trendy look.
My initial ideas
I decided to choose fashion as I am passionate about that topic, and I know a lot about fashion trends, and I think it will be an interesting topic to speak about. I think I will include some older guests too so they can talk about fashion trends from the 1980’s and 1990’s and I’d like to discuss about the fashion trends from those decades coming back in fashion in 2021. I’d also like to speak about celebrities and tv series that started fashion trends, such as Jennifer Aniston who played Rachel Green in the TV series, Friends started the Rachel hairstyle trend.
My final idea for the podcast
In my episode, I will be the host and I will include two guests. My guests will be my parents, Christine Wakerley and Matt Wakerley. I'll begin by introducing myself to my listeners and then I'll move on to the topic of 'Fashion' and 'My Culture.' To introduce my topic, I will say "In this episode, my guests and I will discuss fashion trends from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s,". I'll also highlight how fashion trends are returning, and my guests and I will share our favourite and least favourite fashion trends. I'll increase my audience's interest by asking and answering several questions to my guests. In my podcast episode, I'd like to include stories as to what we wore when we were younger. I'll introduce myself, my topics, and my guests at the beginning of my episode. I want to highlight a variety of vintage fashion trends in attempt to attract my audience to listen to more of my podcast and to encourage them to purchase vintage clothes and accessories. I'd like to include details regarding how fashion trends gain popularity, as well as current and previous fashion trends. I'll talk about my own struggles with finding my own style and why I dress the way I do, and I'll ask my guests the same questions. I'd like to ask my guests questions like, "What are your favourite fashion trends?" Which fashion trends do you despise the most? What are your favourite colours to wear? I'll also inquire as to whether they would follow new fashion trends. In my podcast, I'll also ask follow-up questions during the episode. I'm going to start by asking them about fashion trends, as I believe that will spark their interest in the subject. I'll then ask as to how fashion trends develop, as well as whether they'd wear specific clothing/accessories, along with their favourite colours to wear and why, before wrapping up the conversation with a question regarding their personal fashion experiences. I'll include a call to action in the wrap-up of my podcast episode so that I may urge my audience to listen to more of my episodes in the future. I'll also provide a tease for the following episode so that my viewers are tempted to return for more. I'll also thank my listeners for tuning in to my episode, and then I'll finish it with some sound effects or music.
My test audio recordings and edits
Script
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To begin, I trimmed down my audio to include the parts that I wanted in my podcast trailer while also making it shorter. To make it seem less awkward and more professional, I had to make sure all the dead air in the audio was removed.
I then added my sound effects, and I used the crossfade effect to make my audio transition into my sound effect perfectly. I found this part challenging as I had to move around my audio to fit my sound effects in and I could hear some background noise when listening to it back. I also faded out my sound effect at the end as I trimmed the sound effect down, and it didn’t have a good fade out.
I used the mixer as my voice on the audio was quieter than the sound effects and music. I used the mixer to make my voice louder and the music a little quieter otherwise my listeners wouldn’t be able to hear me.
The last thing I did was add my music. I added a fade in at the start and a fade out at the end so that it had a soft start and end. The music was also beneficial towards this trailer as it gives the audience a vibe of what my podcast style is.
Production schedule
My podcast script
My equipment list
I'll be wearing headphones when recording so that I can hear my audio, and I'll be wearing headphones whilst editing so that I can listen to the audio. I'll be using two microphones to record my audio. I'll be using the Rode NTG2 and H4N Zoom Recorder, and I'll need the XLR Cables to connect the microphones; otherwise, I won't be able to use both. I'll also be listening to and editing my finished audio on a Mac computer with Adobe Audition editing software.
How I will manage hazards during the recording of my podcast
Legal & ethical issues
Copyright issues are one of the legal considerations I will have to face when establishing my podcast. To avoid using music beds or sound effects that contain copyright, I will be using sound effects and music from copyright-free websites such as YouTube's audio library and Bensound.com. Ethical concerns to make my podcast episode fair for the viewers, I will have to make sure my guests have an equal amount of time speaking within the episode. I will also have to ensure there is nothing offensive in my podcast episode.
Contingency plan
My pitch in response to the brief
In my podcast pitch, I will ensure that I speak clearly so that my audience understand me, and that I make eye contact with my audience, and that I rehearse my pitch a few times before hand, so I am confident in delivering my pitch. I’ll also avoid reading from my PowerPoint since it won’t feel like I'm presenting a pitch. When I’m putting together my PowerPoint slides, I’ll ensure there’s not too many words on each slide, so that my viewers do not have to read or absorb too much information. I’ll certainly make sure my speech isn’t too long and doesn’t exceed the allowed five minutes.
My pitch presentation
According to the comments I received from my podcast pitch, I need to consider how I will engage my target audience with older guests on my podcast. To keep my target audience interested in my podcast episode, I'll include jokes and highlight fashion trends that appeal to a younger generation, such as bucket hats and sweater vests. I would provide my honest opinions on every fashion trend we analyse, and I mentioned in my presentation that I would include a gameshow segment. Viewers will be able to participate with the game via Instagram, which I hope will increase its popularity to teenagers. I'll upload the game to my Instagram story, and I'll make it a highlighted storey on my feed. I'll use the poll tool and provide the same images that my guests viewed so that audience understand what we're talking about in the episode.
My edited intro and outro
My first draft
I began by using the mixer tool to balance the audio levels. To make the audio sound more professional, I cut out the audio I didn't need and removed the dead air. I inserted a music bed at the opening of the intro after I edited down the clips to make the podcast more upbeat. I'll also use sound effects to separate my segments and questions throughout the episode.
I then cut down my audio so that there would be no dead air and I could cut own the audio I didn’t need in the final recording.
I then used to crossfade effect when I added a sound effect, however I ended up using a music bed as I thought it would be more upbeat.
I decided to redo my intro and outro as I thought adding a music bed wasn’t as upbeat as adding a sound effect and once, I added my intro and outro after editing my episode, it was too loud compared to the rest of the episode.
I started by cutting down my audio so that the dead air and unwanted audio.
I then added my sound effects, and I used a fade in and fade out so that it could dissolve into and out of my recording.
I then used the mixer tool to make my audio a little louder and more balanced.
My final podcast
The process of recording my podcast
My podcast was about fashion trends, and I decided to include my parents in it because they understand a lot more about trends than I do, and I wanted to address old fashion trends from the 1980s and 1990s. While recording, I used headphones, a Zoom H4N recorder, XLR cables, and a Rode NTG2. My podcast plan went well since I followed my script and knew what questions to ask my guests and when to ask them. Unfortunately, the microphones kept switching off, and I had to keep starting fresh. Thankfully, the microphone stayed on once I changed the batteries. My podcast was a success in my opinion because I was able to ask and respond to comments from my guests without wandering off topic, and it did not last too long. Planning increased success as I knew what to chat about in the episode; but the episode would not have been successful if I had not organized anything. Making sure there was less background noise during the recording was something I should have done better. Although I recorded the episode in my home's garden room, which is the quietest place in my house, the microphones still picked up some background noise. To improve this in the future, I will ensure that myself and my guests are more spaced apart so that noise in the background is reduced. This failure occurred because we sat so close together and the noise was increased. My three goals for future recordings are to lengthen my intro and outro, ensure that I and my guests hold on a second before responding so that trimming the audio will be easier, and guarantee that we keep our bodies still so that there are no tapping noises.
The process of editing my podcast
Firstly, I cut out unwanted audio and dead air that was in my final recording.
I then added more sound effects, just like I did in my intro and outro. I added them after I covered each segment in my podcast.
I finally used the mixer tool to balance my audio.
Peer feedback
From the feedback that I received, I found that I did well in making good use of social media. In the wear it or tear it game segment on my podcast, I told my listeners to head over to my Instagram story to have a look at the pictures that me and my guests could see, and they could vote on a poll to say whether they would wear or tear a certain fashion trend. I also told my listeners to follow me on social media and subscribe to my podcast, so I think this helped reach my target audience. Everyone who gave me feedback also liked my use of sound effects and I also had a snappy and engaging introduction. I think adding a lot of sound effects throughout the episode was good as it broke my podcast up into different sections. I also got told that the audio levels were well balanced, and the audio quality was good. I think this was good feedback as I now know my listeners will be able to listen to the podcast as me and my guests''' voices will be clear and understood. I also got told that I had a clear structure in my episode. I covered a lot of information and opinions about fashion and culture. As my podcast was only 18 minutes long, I think this is very positive feedback as I managed to cover a lot of topics within a certain amount of time. I. As my podcast was only 18 minutes long, I think this is very positive feedback as I mangaed to cover a lot of topics within a certain amount of time. In my feedback, most people said I have a great voice for radio and podcasting which is great feedback. As my podcast was only 18 minutes long, I think this is very positive feedback as I managed to cover a lot of topics within a certain amount of time. In my feedback, most people said I have a great voice for radio and podcasting which is great feedback as lots of people will want to come back and listen to more of my podcasts.
From looking at my feedback, I could have done better if I managed to edit in a music bed throughout the episode as it may have enhanced the vibe and tone of the podcast. Next time I make a podcast I will try to add in a music bed, and I will use the mixer tool in Adobe Audition to make it quieter so that my listeners will still be able to hear me. The last bit of feedback I received was that I could have picked guests of the target age. I invited my parents as my guests on my episode because lot of teenagers love 1980’s and 1990’s fashion and since my parents were born in the 1970’s I thought they could talk to me about fashion from those decades, however I feel that if I had picked someone in the same age group as me, I would have appealed my target age group more.
My final evaluation
I think that my final podcast went well, and I got a lot of positive feedback. I liked the audio quality and I think that I got to cover a lot of topics in the episode. Although I had older guests on my episode, I think that I still managed to reach my target age group and audience as I discussed things such as, the TV series ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Friends’ and I also talked about 1980’s and 1990’s fashion which is what a lot of teenagers seem to like at the moment. I also included a lot about social media, especially Instagram, which is what a lot of teenagers use. I think that next time, I will add a music bed to increase the tone and vibe of my episode however, I still think that my episode went very well and was successful. I think that I will also try to invite a guest who’s around my age next time to make it a bit easier to reach my target audience. I think that the planning also went well. I liked my podcast name that I came up with as I think it was quite unique and I also liked the topic idea that I picked for this episode. I also liked creating the survey for my audience to fill out and I got loads of responses from it as well. It became very helpful once I had to pick what social media platforms I would post and promote my podcast on.