Module 1, Week 2

Module 1, Week 2

Within the last week, I have not had any new ideas for a final project. However, I’ve gone back to look at the ideas I listed in week one and thought; “What actions can I take to get prepared to start any of these ventures?” These occurred with two ideas: a podcast and an art tutorial website. 

With regards to the podcast idea, I spent a majority of time thinking up what should the format of the show be like. Should I go solo, or have a co-host? Should I have multiple co-hosts and have it be a more roundtable like discussion? How long should an episode be? (I think an hour would be best as most podcasts that I listen to typically go for that length. Another reason why I think an hour is the best time frame is because a lot of people today have shorter attention spans. I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying their attention span is limited, but rather imply that the hour time limit means I would hit the high points of each topic and keep the listener(s) entertained.) As far as topics go, I think the best thing to do would be to send out a survey to everyone in class as well as on social media sites that I visit and ask what they would like to hear me talk about. Another idea for the format/topic of the show would be a serialized oral story type of show. Each week would be a one hour chapter installment, building up to a finale that runs a little longer than the one hour mark. This inspiration is from a weekly podcast I listen to called “Skald” by Aubrey Sitterson. It is a sword and sorcery serial with one new chapter being released each week. While I may not have any stories of my own to read out loud, I do have friends that write short stories, fanfiction etc. so, I can talk to them about having their stories be used on the show. If they feel comfortable with reading them out loud on the show, they can do that as well or, I if they would rather have me do it, then that’s okay too. I think this would also add value to others in that it would help get their storytelling skills more exposure and constructive criticism that will help them improve their writing, which would improve the quality of the show.

http://skald.podomatic.com/ (This link takes you to the “Skald” podcast I mentioned. Here, listeners can jump right into the latest installment, or go back and listen to previous episodes. It will hopefully give my fellow classmates some things to comment on as to what to do, and what not to do in trying to make an enjoyable audio experience that they would listen to weekly.)

As for the art tutorial website, I think I would also need to send out a survey asking people who are artists or want to become one themselves what they would want to see featured in these tutorials. Some things that came to mind; subjects: Would people want to do figure drawings or drawings of animals or plants more? What about the type of media used to make the pieces: Would people just want to learn how to draw with pencil, use pen and ink and keep it in black and white or use colors to fully flesh out the piece? Another step I taken is purchasing a video camera and begin experimenting with different camera angles so I can figure out the best way to shoot the videos should this venture be the one I pick.