4 - Opportunities for Sound
Journeys
By now it should be obvious that the ability to record while on the move is a key advantage of field recording.
Always be on the lookout for ways of taking your listeners on physical journeys. Journeys are a form of story. They unfold, often accompanied by sound, and listeners love stories, even in cameo. Getting an informant to show you around their home or workplace, for example, will allow your curious eye to form questions and prompt responses which will introduce new material which may not have emerged during a sit-down interview in the lounge or office. It’s also a natural way of moving your programme on through a series of related topics, accompanied by varying sound ambience.
I accompanied former Mayor of Henderson, Assid Corban, along the main street, in his open van, during Henderson’s 150th birthday celebrations: here’s what happened.
Listen: Henderson's 150th Birthday Celebrations
Opportunism
Field recording is also about seizing the moment. The best laid plans will be upset by the unexpected; the hurly-burly nature of the real world will see to that. But plans cast aside can reveal opportunity. I had made arrangements to chat to Assid Corban at the beginning of the celebrations but as soon as he told me that he was driving his van in the procession I saw the potential of getting alongside him – the result was a bonus and highlight in the programme.
Taking advantage of the unexpected is also one of the most personally satisfying aspects of field recording because it can result in the unique moment - it catches fleeting gold on the wing, so to speak, – once missed, unlikely to be recaptured.
