5 - Moving from Place to Place

Using bridging pieces to move from place to place

A line or two of script is the obvious way of moving around in the field but it can also be intrusive and mundane:- ‘The dust and heat at the cattle yards soon whips up a thirst among Bill and his friends and they decide to walk up to the pub.’

It gets the job done but it’s more natural and smoother if you can suggest that Bill says, in his own words, something like….‘Don’t know about you blokes but I’m as dry as a wooden God. Anyone for a beer?... Yeah, yeah, too right…’

It’s surprising how willing and able informants are to perform a few words for the mic and sound natural. But after all, they are in a comfortable, familiar environment and they’re not being asked to perform Shakespeare – just to be themselves.

Using sound to move from place to place

I’ll continue with the cattle yard / pub example. A simple and very effective way of moving from yard to pub is to fade out on the sound of cattle bellowing and fade up on clinking glasses and perhaps a customer ordering a beer. Of course, this only works when the venues have readily identifiable sound (particularly the second venue).

It also highlights one of the most important commandments in the field recordist’s bible:- always record a minute or two of ambient sound in any venue. Not only is this necessary for fades but it’s also useful for running under studio script. And a technical operator will give you a nod of approval if he has plenty of ambient sound to help with editing and production of the final programme.

Using doors and entranceways to change ambient sound

Taking your mics through an entrance or doorway can take listeners from, say, a busy street into a quiet interior (opening and shutting the door also helps). Here’s an example:-

Listen: Te Aro Medical Centre

Using sound to illustrate contrast or difference

Using sound to present opposing or contrasting conditions, situations, or ideas can provide ear-catching radio. The opportunities in the field are not always obvious and you have to train your eye and ear to be on the look out for possibilities.

Here are two examples: one from the Hutt river, the other from Beijing.

Listen: Hutt River News Report

Listen: China Radio International