Throughout the process of completing my ‘What’s Hidden’ Multimedia project, I employed numerous stylistic, and technical strategies to present my talent’s story in a way that flowed, engaged audiences, and evoked emotions. I also had to consider ethics when preparing and conducting my interview.
To ensure comfortability during the conversation, and to avoid re-traumatising my talent, I used a ‘trauma informed approach’ that involved allowing my interviewee to maintain a sense of control within the conversation. This meant, supplying questions prior to the interview, asking him where he would prefer it to take place, and letting him ‘take the lead’ by reiterating that he doesn’t need to answer any questions he does not want to and that he can take a break when needed.
When editing the audio together, I followed a ‘Dramatic structure’ with ‘Three acts’ (DR. Steinar Ellingsen, JRNL102 Lecture 10, 2021) that included a hook, followed by a rising action about his addiction, and then a climax, before falling to the resolution where James ‘finds his happy place’. Later in my editing process, I applied a black screen that faded photos out, changing the direction of the narrative. Additionally, I lowered the saturation on pictures before the climax, and kept images after, vibrant, to separate past, from present, and communicate ‘sad’, and ‘happy’ emotions.
Rhythm was a critical aspect that allowed me to add depth to the narrative’s structure, (Dr. Steinar Ellingsen, JRNL102 Lecture 10, 2021). By keeping in mind pace, and trajectory phrasing, I was able to add energy, speed up the narrative, and heighten emotions by employing faster music, overlapping ATMOS, and a quicker transition time between the gym photos.
A very important facet of my project was to be “present in the environment.” And “write for the ear,” (Ryder-Marks, 2021). I wanted the ‘climax/resolution’ of the piece to submerge listeners within the fast-paced gym environment and replicate the adrenaline feeling James loves so much. I wanted them to feel his dedication through the heavy breathing, imagine the sweat through the running sounds, and the heaviness of the weights when dropped.
Before photographing James, I considered how I could utilise light, reflections, and composition to ‘help viewers “hear” the story,’ through visuals, (Dr. Steinar Ellingsen, JRNL102, Lecture 7, 2021). The ‘action’ shots taken when James exercises let listeners ‘hear’ the actions taking place, even when ATMOS is not used. Additionally, I applied various close-ups of his scars, and him with his son, to reflect intimate moments, which all were taken with consideration to the ‘rule of thirds’, (Dr. Steinar Ellingsen, JRNL102, Lecture 8).
Despite anxieties around interviewing my talent on such a personal and traumatic experience, I found that the ethical strategies I employed, helped make both the talent, and myself comfortable, which opened up the conversation and allowed James to express his deepest thoughts. If I had to do this assignment again, I would make sure to take longer audio clips, to cut down editing time and to avoid missing ‘gold’ that can be said after recording stops. Additionally, I found difficulty in compacting such a detailed story into 90 seconds, I didn’t want the fitness part to be as short, however in the end, I found that its quick nature provided an immersive experience that corresponded with the feeling fitness gives James.
References
Dayton, L., 2020. Keep these seven lessons in mind when interviewing trauma survivors. [online] Centre for Health Journalism. Available at: https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/resources/lessons/keep-these-seven-lessons-mind-when-interviewing-trauma-survivors [Accessed 13 November 2021].
Ellingsen, S (2021). Lecture, Week 10, “Hearing with light, seeing with sound”, [Accessed 9 November 2021].
Ellingsen, S (2021). Lecture, Week 8, “Photography: Its history and techniques”, [Accessed 9 November 2021].
Ellingsen, S (2021). Lecture, Week 7, “The visual toolkit”, [Accessed 9 November 2021].
Elyse Amend, Linda Kay & Rosemary C. Reilly (2012) Journalism on the Spot: Ethical Dilemmas When Covering Trauma and the Implications for Journalism Education, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 27:4, 235-247.
Ford, C., 2019. The Art of Photojournalism: Tell a Story with Your Image. [online] Photodoto. Available at: https://photodoto.com/art-of-photojournalism/ [Accessed 14 November 2021].
Jazeera, A., 2021. Want to understand the media better? | Media Theorised | Al Jazeera English. [online] Interactive.aljazeera.com. Available at: https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2017/the-listening-post-media-theorised/index.html [Accessed 12 November 2021].
Nobel, C., 2018. 10 rules for interviewing and writing about trauma survivors. [online] The Journalist’s Resource. Available at: https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/10-rules-interviewing-trauma-survivors/ [Accessed 13 November 2021].
Ryder-Marks, M., 2021. Six ingredients for a perfect audio story. [online] Journalism.co.uk. Available at: https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/six-ingredients-for-a-perfect-audio-story/s2/a789519/ [Accessed 14 November 2021].
Thorpe-Dorward, V., 2020. Five Tips for Conducting a Trauma Informed Interview – Forte Law. [online] Fortelaw.ca. Available at: https://fortelaw.ca/2020/01/16/five-tips-for-conducting-a-trauma-informed-interview/ [Accessed 14 November 2021].
Williams, E., 2021. How to Make People Feel Comfortable Answering Interview Questions. [online] Work – Chron.com. Available at: https://work.chron.com/make-people-feel-comfortable-answering-interview-questions-9047.html [Accessed 10 November 2021].
Williams, M., 2020. Timing and structure in audio with Cristal Duhaime and Mira Burt-Wintonick. [online] Mike Williams. Available at: https://www.mikewilliams.com.au/timing-and-structure-in-audio-with-cristal-duhaime-and-mira-burt-wintonick/ [Accessed 13 November 2021].
Sound links:
– https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/featured/ Song: Caught in the waves
– https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/featured/ Song: Elm Lake
Sienna Wallace 
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