I found these videos to be very interesting in the sense of the way he is describing audio as a way of storytelling. I feel that he was very well-spoken about the topics and a really fascinating guy to listen to! I also went in and asked Dr. Oblivion about what he thought about radio and his thoughts on what Abumrad means about making meaning and connection, and as a modern incarnation of an ancient art. He actually was the most helpful tool with learning more about radio and having a sense of connection! Here is what he had to say about the topic as well. I thought about how some sound can have a potential to give form to life there are many type of sound that are also forming by the help of echolocation and vibration. Sound can be like light speed sound, bubble sound, sound of being punch, smashing ,heat, air, etc.
It was hard to capture useful information in two minutes because I was really interested until it cut off and I wanted to ask Dr. Oblivion for more!
Today, I listened to “Moon Graffiti” to understand how the story is told through audio, without any visuals.
I like how they started this with the audio, with the story, to understand and put ourselves into the story already. They introduced a narrator after the first audio, the sound of the crash, and the narrator gave a brief introdocution. I also liked the sounds in the background of the narrator.
While they were in the spaceship, I really liked the sound that stayed present in the back, almost like waves, or like the distant, white noise of the ship. I think it was really immersive. You could tell when it changed, when they landed on the moon and were walking on it. The sound was gone, but there was still white noise, something wind-like in the background. You could also hear the footsteps and the sound of them placing the flag.
What really added to the storytelling was filtering their voices through intercom. You could really understand they were in space, they could not speak outside of their suits. You could hear the crinkle of the mics, the slight muffling of their voice. It really helped you visualize it. Sometimes, I’d close my eyes and just imagine it in my head, allow my brain to paint the picture through the audio.
When Buzz was getting stuck in his head around 11:50, as Neil was talking, you could slowly hear the white noise intensifying, getting louder. I think I also heard a clock in the back, ticking, maybe to signify that Buzz knew he was running out of time. For a moment, instead of being an observer, the listener was in Buzz’s head, hearing him freaking out and losing it. You start to feel it, too.
A lot of thought went into this storytelling, and you could tell. I just think it’s really interesting to see how all these little things made the big story! It reminded me of when we listened to an hour of Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep? for ds106radio. Here is my post about it.
Overall, I really like how you were able to feel and hear their frustration without seeing it, both through their intense voices, the sounds of the intercom, the white noise of the moon or ship, heavy breathing, buttons being pushed. You could feel their anxiety of the moon, of the crash.
Also, reading the comments on the story, I saw someone mention using a different sound that was distinct and really what the astronauts used, so it made me think, would it be any different with the sound? To a listener who doesn’t know the details of the sounds or the tools in the ship or the buttons or the applications of the ship and intercoms, I don’t think it would’ve changed anything for me. Maybe, to someone who is well-informed on this stuff would listen and feel disappointed for inaccuracies, because they know about it, but I don’t. I don’t know about these details, and I was still able to envision it regardless, but I think that’s really interesting!
To conclude, I just think audio stories are really cool, and this is coming from someone who needs a visual desperately. I think audio books have got to start being read like this, because it would definitely get me more interested in audio books (right now they bore me out and become monotone). I definitely can appreciate the work that gets put into audio storytelling more after actually listening to some, and watching Abumradâs videos about the creation of it.
As I am listening to Moon Graffiti, I am paying close attention to the various types of sounds. Sound drives stories by setting the atmosphere, show emotions, develop characters, structure narratives, foreshadow events, engage the audience, and influence the pace. Sound also impacts the mood and creates an atmosphere by using elements such as music, noises, and sound effects to create specific emotions and set the tone of a scene. The intro, almost immediate you get a sense of something gone wrong. The loud beeping noises, the increase in volume of the voices, and the crashing sounds all hint towards a sign of something gone wrong. The switch from a clear audio to a more static audio gives the impression that now Armstrong and Aldrin are talking to us through their helmets. Little details like this can make any audio recording go from boring to interesting. It also can give the effect that you’re experiencing whatever is going on in the recording in real life.
Going back to Abumrad’s video he claims “…the human voice has so much information the vibrations of the voice the way the voices rise and falls…” We can see some of these traits in Armstrong and Aldrin’s conversation thought the recording. You can tell when they’re calm, excited, or concerned. The human voice is a key piece to any form of audio. It can give a whole new perspective without you even realizing.
The “Moon Graffiti” audio recording represented a deep underlying barrier of suspense and excitement to listeners. I enjoyed the dialogue between Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin because it made me think of how the world would be changed if they never made it home. How would space exploration be continued? Would NASA and other top-tier space programs change how they viewed space and visitation to the moon? Although this disaster never took place, the recording does allow us to raise some of these questions. The suspense of the story allowed me to keep being intrigued, wanting to know more about the plot. In conclusion, I liked this piece of fictional storytelling and do recommend listeners tune in to this program.
When talking about the importance of sound I can’t help but think about sound stages where they produce the sound effects for movies. The sound of bones breaking is celery. The sound of head wounds? Cabbage stands in for the head. Their goal isn’t about making a realistic sound but in giving you the sensation that the sound creates for you. They give you what you think it should sound like not what it actually does sound like.
Moon Graffiti by The Truth Podcast tells an interesting story about what if the moon landing ended in failure. It relies heavily on what you think something should sound like during the moon scenes. I really like how they did the sound of the footprints on the moon. I heard the sound and instantly thought of the ripples in the sand at 6:15.
The way they did the audio of the astronauts speaking to each other tells you where they are without having to outright tell you. You can hear the scratchiness of the radio used for them to communicate. I love the camera sound effect at 6:41. You can hear the sound of the bulb charging. They drag the high pitch sound of the flash bulb charging to add to the suspense and eeriness of it all. You hear it again at 7:05 which bookends the picture sequence. You can just feel the dread in the air. They wonderfully stick to using tones and minimal music to create that sense of stillness and dread. At 8:11 you hear their footsteps and know they are walking. They set up the footstep sound at 6:15 so you will know what steps sound like on the moon. It moves the story along with having to have the characters announce everything they are doing. 11:56 appears to be when they start the time jump. They fade out the audio and make the music louder. At 12:05 you hear gasping, and you realize we are near the end of the astronauts’ oxygen. The program does a good job of letting you know that 2 hours have almost past in the story. You feel the moon rather than see the moon. Having to imagine it all puts you there more. It gives you more empathy to the characters.
Here Jad Abumrad explains his love of radio. More than that he talks about how radio connects you as the host to your audience. In some ways a radio show is like reading a book. The book has words describing sounds and you imagine them. With a good radio show they use the sound to paint the picture of what you should be seeing. like the footsteps on the moon. It is more than just a book on tape. A book on tape is still using words to describe sounds radio is more.
I couldn’t find the words to make a good segway into the next video. I love stories. They are magical, healing, teaching, warnings, sometimes living and breathing their own life. I love finding people that feel the same way. Stories are not a waste of time. There is a right place and right times for certain stories. I try to remember, when doing my projects for DS106, to ask myself “what is the story I want told here?”. Enjoy this last video clip.
Week 4âs first assignment was to watch two short videos from RadioLabâs 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 âMoon Graffitiâ 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 âMoon Graffitiâ.Â
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 todayâs 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 heâs saying.
After, listening to âMoon Graffitiâ further confirms all of Abumradâs points. âMoon Graffitiâ 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.Â
Abumradâs 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 âMoon Graffitiâ is similar to Abumradâs concept of sounds being his voice. Each sound throughout âMoon Graffitiâ 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 âMoon Graffitiâ 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.
In this blog post, I am going to be discussing some thing that I learned from watching the two Radio Lab youtube videos along with some things that I picked up on while listening to the “Moon Graffiti” sounds clip on Soundcloud. All of these entertainment mediums gave me a lot more insight into the world of audio storytelling and really showed me that you can tell a story without having to have pictures or written words. Jad Abumrad talks about his version of storytelling, through the use of audio, is his “voice.” He states that there is something magical about a person going up on stage and use their voice to capture the audience and put them into a dream state. Now, he also states that since he is uncomfortable doing that, the sounds and clips that he makes, are his “voice” that allow the audience to feel the same sense of connection and euphoria. He claims that the way he makes sounds is almost an ancient way of making sounds in a modern day world where the technology allows you to do so many different things with various sounds. In the second video, he also claims that he a tv junkie meaning he loves sounds and images. He makes an example that images are not always necessary and that sometimes the lack of images can be good as well due to the increased imagination that comes with the lack of images and abundance of sounds. He says that that brings more empathy into the world because it creates a connection between two people, the person explaining the situation and the person who is listening and trying to create a image in their head.
I think that while listening to Moon Graffiti, everything that Abumrad was saying in his videos was becoming more and more true. Listening to this sound clip, it felt like I was really there with them. The different sounds and the various radio sounds that were happening really made the situation feel real and I think that if I was listening to this right before going to sleep, this is all I would dream about. There was a very eerie sound that was being played in the background after they had crashed on the moon and the sound of the narrator immediately after definitely sounds a little on the darker, evil side. But I think that was the main purpose, to create an atmosphere that was eerie and unpredictable because this is a new situaiton that no one has ever really discussed or talked about before. The sounds used in this clip were picked perfectly and each sound fit perfectly with one another especially when they were layered over one another. Abumrad was saying that using sounds were his “voice” to tell a story and these sounds and voices in this clip are telling their own story just like Abumrad. Also, he states that the lack of images in storytelling sometimes opens up ones mind to more creative and imaginative ideas, and at the beginning of this clip when they were crashing, I was able to create an image in my head that really might have been what the crash may have looked like if it ever was too happen. Also, having the two astronauts converse with each other while that soft, spooky sound in the back is playing also gives a eerie atmosphere to the whole thing. Overall, i enjoyed getting my feet wet a little bit with audio storytelling and am interested to see how the rest of this week goes!
As an avid true crime podcast listener, I am constantly listening to the radio. I find that it helps me multitask and be able to slow my brain down enough to function. Something about the usage of sound effects, descriptors, and subtle sounds in the background is entrancing. The videos that I watched from Jad Abumrad How Radio Creates Empathy and  Digital Shamanism and Old-Fashioned, Newfangled Storytelling Magic really gives insight into how people on the radio create this effect and how I might go about doing this if I were to follow through with creating a podcast of my own like how I have been thinking for the last couple of years.
Abumrad says that it is important for good stories to put you in sort of a dream-like state. The story should be able to be portrayed through the sound waves through different techniques of voice and sound effects. It’s like they are actively painting a picture without surface or medium. The process behind podcasts and radio channels is very detailed oriented and able to grab and keep attention of listeners without being able to use visuals.
Moon Graffiti is an excellent portrayal of this. They were able to take me on an adventure through sounds. I was actually convinced at the end that I was taught history wrong for a second before I read the caption. The sound effects and vocal descriptors made it seem like I was right there with them with my radio dead, and stranded on the moon. The eerie music definitely helped with giving me a fright as well. I would definitely be panicking way more than they did but I guess when you are training to go to space you get familiar with the fact that you may die there.
