Author Archives: ds106 – Mastering the Art of Storytelling

DS106 Radio Thoughts

Attending the Monday live listening session with ds106 radio station was my final task for the week. I regretfully can’t make it to the live listening sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I still learned a lot and will share it below.  It was also really great to hear my bumper at the start of the radio show. 

I was definitely drawn in by the live listening experience of the Blade Runner-inspired tale “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep.” The story seems to take place in San Francisco after a nuclear war, specifically in a post-apocalyptic world. The time range is established by allusions to “back in 88” and “before 1993,” as Professor Bond pointed out in our discord chat. The story was both incredibly old and futuristic at the same time, which I thought was interesting. We can visualize each scenario and what’s happening in our minds because to the abundance of noises in this first section. Along with that, sounds used during transitions indicate that the scene is probably changing. Footstep noises indicate what’s happening because there are two distinct footstep sounds, and we can determine what kind of shoes someone might be wearing. Small details like this enable us to visualize the scene in our minds. The size of a room can also be determined by the echoing footsteps.

I believe I’ve come to understand the significance of sound in setting the mood for our creative thinking after hearing this narrative and listening to the ds106 radio station. There are countless ways to communicate a story, one of which is by audio. I became more aware of how sound affects how we understand a tale after listening to this one. 

If you ever get a chance listen to DS106 radio, here: https://listen.ds106rad.io.

Brainstorming Radio Brilliance

In a few weeks, we will have to organize groups and produce a radio show for this assignment. We need to brainstorm some ideas that use the course characters and the course theme in order to be ready for this. Consider the potential interactions between our course characters and others, recommended by  Professors Bond and Groom.

I think my course character will collaborate with Rishi Shankar’s course character, Xander Neoteric. As Rishi has discussed in a number of posts, Xander is a significant innovator in the tech industry and even graduated as valedictorian from MIT. He is the creator of Xander Technologies, a company that transformed challenging procedures with its AI-integrated surgical table. Xander recently made history by implanting an AI agent into his own brain, making him the first person on Earth to do so. Having said all of this, Rishi and I decided that Julius Lawrence, the character I created for the course, should invest in Xander’s AI agent product because of his experience in investing. Xander and Julius will finally choose to start a new business for these AI bots after making an investment. Julius decided to invest and collaborate with Xander because he was really intrigued by the product. 

Here’s another way our course characters could interact: Xander could spend all the money he makes from the AI agent to purchase an NBA team. Following the recent breaking news that Julius Lawrence is heading to the NBA from his position at Goldman Sachs, he signs with the franchise that Xander recently purchased. Due to Xander’s experience with AI and technology, all of the coaches, trainers, and scouts will be artificial intelligence. Julius and Xander can talk about whether AI can undertake NBA coaching jobs or if humans are still needed for the position. 

Sit Back and Relax

All the Relaxation is the name of the final assignment bank work I choose to do, which you can find here, All the Relaxation assignment. I have to make a video of soothing sounds for this assignment that may be played for more than ten hours. I decided to complete this project since I occasionally listen to these sounds when trying to work or when I can’t sleep at night. I used sounds of the ocean, birds chirping, wind chimes, a piano player, and a stream of water in this audio. All of these sounds, for me, are calming. All in all, what I really wanted from this assignment was to enjoy myself and be able to produce something that I would like listening to when I am relaxing. Listen to it here, and then comment about your thoughts!

Don’t Listen To This At Night – Spooky Edition

The next task I selected from the bank was titled “Spooky Season”. We were to find spooky sounds using Freesound and create a scary audio clip for this assignment. The assignment required choosing more than four sounds and adding them to an Audacity-like program. I started my scary audio with some eerie sounds, titled ghosts appear on the freesound tab. This reminds me of a horror movie, though not quite of a ghostly appearance. I next used the sound of something howling; I’m not sure if it’s the wind or an animal, but it makes me think of someone being outside by themselves late at night. Then, because who doesn’t find a spooky laugh creepy, I put a spooky laugh in there. The last two sounds I selected are related to monsters. I used the unsettling sound of a monster breathing heavily in the first one. My last audio was the sound of zombies because I used to get really scared of them when I watched The Walking Dead. Do you all think I had a successful spooky audio? I was rather pleased or should I say scared, with the outcome.

The assignment can be found here, Spooky Season Assignment.

Breaking News: Julius Lawrence Is Doing What??

Completing three assignment bank audio tasks was the next task for this week. The first one I choose is available at Breaking News Assignment. The instructions for this assignment were rather straightforward: create a breaking news story. I had to write something to say and use text-to-speech AI to read it. Since we had to include AI or Dr. Oblivion in at least two of our assignment bank assignments, I chose to use the character from my course for this assignment.

As seen in the video below, Julius is apparently considering stepping down at his highly coveted role as an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs to pursue his true love, Basketball. As told in the reports, several NBA teams have reached out to Julius about him signing an NBA contract with their teams. As of now it seems like the Philadelphia Sixers are the frontrunners to land Julius, as he is a huge admirer of Joel Embiid and his basketball skills. Reportedly teams saw Youtube and Twitter highlights of Julius playing and realized he had all the same skills back in his college playing days at UVA, but seemed to be in better shape and more skilled than before. Julius had been quietly working on his basketball skills every moment he had free, along with running before work to keep in tip top shape. While he forewent going to the NBA when he was 22, he seemingly has regretted that decision and will now take his talents to the NBA. 

Making this video was lots of fun, especially because I had seen AI generated voiceover videos before, but was never able to create one myself. I always find enjoyment in creating a storyline for my course character, because he is whatever I want him to be. His story is exciting to me and I hope to continue with it throughout the rest of the semester. 

Never Thought I Would Make A Story With No Words

The second task for this week is to tell a short story using only sounds. It’s called the “sound effects story.” Though it was a different kind of task, this was undoubtedly more difficult than just writing a story. It wasn’t easy, but I tried to match my noises to the narrative I intended to convey. I’m not sure if those who don’t read my story below will be able to figure out what the plot is. Before continuing to read, take a guess if you believe you already know.

In my story, a man is taking a walk on a crisp autumn day as the grass and leaves start to crunch beneath his feet. The man is walking into a forest that attracts his curiosity. The man discovers a secret door while walking; it’s hidden behind some overgrown vines and grass. The sound of a creaking door opening to this enchanted realm is heard next. The man meets mythical creatures inside the magical world. I tried to create a little mystical atmosphere by using the sound of flying wings. The next thing you hear is the men whistling in order to communicate with the creatures. Abruptly, there is a scary, enigmatic noise in the air. The man understands that it would be best for him to return home because there are evil things in this portal. After the man walks out of the mystical realm, you hear the door close behind him. At last, the noise of his steps echoes throughout the woods he began. The man may come back someday to learn more because he is still very interested in what is behind that door…

Find my sound effect story at the link below! 

My First Radio Bumper Journey

This week’s assignments also included announcing the ds106 radio station and making a radio bumper that lasted between ten and thirty seconds. In between songs, this bumper would play to remind listeners that they are connected to ds106 radio! It was my first time using Audacity, but it was a fairly easy program to use to create my audio. I used Jad Abumrad’s phrases, “creativity” and “imagination,” when I was designing the bumper. Even though some of what I stated may sound cheesy, the main goal is to draw in listeners, so that’s what matters most. Since I assume that most of the listeners to the ds106 radio station are creative thinkers with an optimistic view on life, I chose pretty generic uplifting music for the background of my bumper. All in all, I had fun creating this bumper and I hope to have it played on ds106 radio. If you would want to listen to the radio bumper, here is the link.

A Dive Into the World of Audio Storytelling

Week 4’s first assignment was to watch two short videos from RadioLab’s Jad Abumrad, where he talks about how radio is used as a way to make meaning and connection. The next part was to listen to “Moon Graffiti” which explored the deeper meaning of audio storytelling. For this assignment I will talk about the world of audio storytelling, which I drew inspiration from the insights of Jad Abumrad and the experience of listening to “Moon Graffiti”. 

Abumrad emphasizes the power of voice in storytelling, saying it is a magical instrument that often sends the audience into a dreamlike state. I certainly agree with the point he makes here, which further highlights the special connection that audio storytelling can evoke in people. Abumrad then gets into the exploration of creating sounds in the modern technological world. In today’s day and age, the combination of technology and creativity allows for a diverse range of auditory outputs. Abrumrad, then argues that without visuals, there is the possibility of enhanced imagination, which forms a deeper connection between the listener and storyteller. Not sure I completely agree with this point made by Abumrad, but I definitely get what he’s saying. 

After, listening to “Moon Graffiti” further confirms all of Abumrad’s points. “Moon Graffiti” made it evident that the sounds were specifically selected to create a vivid experience. Specifically, the eerie background sounds after the crash contributed to a mysterious atmosphere that they also seemed to be going for. 

Abumrad’s idea that the absence of images sparks creativity is manifested in the first crash scene. In my opinion, the lack of visuals actually helps stimulate my own picture in my mind, which as I talked about above, brings a more imaginative connection to the story. Audience creativity is a huge aspect of audio storytelling. 

The layering of sounds used in “Moon Graffiti” is similar to Abumrad’s concept of sounds being his voice. Each sound throughout “Moon Graffiti” contributes to the overall narrative, which creates a multi-dimensional experience. The eerie atmosphere post-crash, combined with the astronauts’ dialogue, adds to the overall audio storytelling. 

The knowledge of audio storytelling has been immensely intriguing. The carefully picked sounds in “Moon Graffiti” have opened my eyes to the potential of storytelling beyond visuals and written words. I am very excited for the rest of week 4 to be able to further explore the fascinating world of audio storytelling. 

Wrap on Week 3

We had a ton of blogs to finish last week, so this week was lighter than last. I began by writing my design thoughts, drawing from the Chip Kidd articles and videos, the Stranger Things title sequence video, and the movie poster design. This information made me aware of the fact that every design has a backstory, as I mentioned in my blog article. It’s not simple to consistently come up with excellent design ideas, but Chip Kidd makes it appear easy. He is truly amazing. All in all, this assignment helped me understand the true essence of design and the world of design. You can find my design thoughts, here: Design Thoughts. After that, I started working on the Middlebury assignment, which I thought was really fascinating. I had to utilize two distinct AI image generators for this, so even though I was using the same prompt, I could detect discrepancies in the images they were producing. Professor Bond mentioned in the weekly assignments that this exercise helped us consider the potential ramifications of producing AI images. While the Stable Diffusion image generator I was using produced accurate images, they lacked detail. However, the ChatGPT 4 picture generator, sometimes referred to as DALL-E 3, would produce images with amazing detail. I thought this assignment was very helpful. You can find my Middlebury assignment here, Middlebury Assignment. I then started working on the remaining two tasks from the assignment bank. I choose to start with a visual assignment, which is available here: Favorite Photo. In the visual assignment where I discussed my favorite photo, to sum it up, it’s a photo from a Phillies game my dad and I attended when I was younger. After that, I worked on a graphic design for my final bank assignment, in which Julius Lawrence, the character I created for the course, is trying to teach young adults about investing by hosting an informational session. To be honest, I didn’t like how this poster turned out because some of the words were spelled incorrectly, but be the judge yourself:Julius Lawrence Investment Session. I then spent some time leaving comments on a few blogs made by classmates. I usually look forward to this part of the week because I enjoy interacting with my classmates. I then completed the photoblitz assignment, which you can find here: Photoblitz, to wrap up my week. This assignment was a lot of fun because I had to take a picture of anything that was provided to me in the seven random prompts in 20 minutes. Before beginning the project, I promised myself that I wouldn’t click on any other lists, and I was able to carry this out. Additionally, I was able to obtain an image for every prompt. On Sunday (Sunday’s Daily Create), Monday (Monday’s Daily Create), and Tuesday (Tuesday’s Daily Create), I completed the daily creates to wrap out the week. These consistently stimulate my thought process and aim to provoke my artistic side. This week’s assignments were really fun, and I feel like I was a little more creative because I had more time to work on them than I had last week.

This week, I had no trouble finishing the work. On the other hand, I did find it a little challenging to come up with ideas when working on the Daily Creates, but eventually thought of some good stuff. The two assignment bank assignments I chose to do this week were my favorites. These were my favorites since I got to discuss a pretty picture that reminded me of my happy childhood memories in the visual assignment. I then had to use my course character to develop something for the design assignment, which I had mentioned I wanted to do inlast week’s weekly summary.

Honestly, there is nothing that I would change. I think I completed each task as effectively and uniquely as possible. I don’t have any other questions. As of now, everything was finished correctly, therefore there aren’t any major issues with my work.

SO Many Photos

We had to attempt to capture images of seven tasks in the allowed 20 minutes for the photoblitz assignment. All of the tasks I was given for this photoblitz are visible above. The time stamps for when I started and finished the assignment are also visible. Even though it only took me around 19 minutes to do, I’m proud that I managed to finish all 7 tasks.

“Doors can have a lot of character, be it in the hinges, knob, or style,” was the first prompt. I simply took a photo of my wooden door in Eagle Landing, taking this very literally.

“Get close! Photograph an ordinary object from as close as you can manage,” was the following prompt. This meant that even though I was supposed to be closer, I could still see the object. I snapped a photo of some glasses on my desk for this task; it’s not a perfect shot, but you can still see what they are.

“Make a photo containing or suggesting fire and/or smoke” was the third prompt. For this prompt, I turned the stove on high, so you can see it burning in the picture. If you are not safe, you can definitely start a fire or produce smoke from the stove.

“Turn signals, gauges, and meters are all indicators” was the next prompt. I thought about using the shower handle, which regulates the temperature of the water that emerges from the shower, for this task.

“Make a photo of an outdoor scene free of any human artifacts,” was the fifth prompt. I found it impossible to locate an outside image near Eagle Landing without human artifacts, so I kind of cheated on this prompt. My camera roll contained a photo from a remote area of Pennsylvania that had a lot of mountains in it. It absolutely satisfies the requirements though!

The next guideline was to “Take a close-up photo of something very shiny. Make it hard to guess what it is.” For this prompt, I wasn’t sure what to do but I decided on part of my car keys that are shiny silver, and I doubt many people would have known what that was.

“Take a photograph of a spinning object, frozen motion or blurred,” was the final photoblitz prompt. When I snapped the photo, the tiny basketball was spinning and a little blurry. I was shooting it into a hoop.

This assignment was really enjoyable because I spent about twenty minutes rushing around Eagle Landing and my apartment, trying to think of creative ways to respond to the many challenges.