Task 4: Focus Group and Evaluation

Feedback:

Good musical introduction. You chosen a good subject and I am pleased you have tackled this issue of mental health. Your facts are clear and accurate. The audio quality is very good and you speak very well about the subject. It would have been good to see the piece on the big screen. on your digital space. You have done very well to do a real interview and this makes the podcast more professional. You have reflected on the way covid has effected peoples mental health. Very good facts that are explored, well done. Very informative information within the podcast. The branding is appropriate for the podcast. The interview is a very good choice, he explains the situation very well and shares his experience very well.

I agree with Paul with some points he has mentioned . I personally think that my podcast was good and it was my first ever Podcast I had ever done so I had to compromise with the editing tools and the equipment that I had to use. But for my first ever podcast I think I did really well. Paul mentioned a point where he said It would have been better if I showed my piece on the screen , well I couldn’t because my podcast was 40 mins long and I hadn’t uploaded it on YouTube but I already had a video version with my podcast logo on it. But most of the feedback I got was positive and I am willing to learn more skills and develop on them to make a even better podcast for next time.

Evaluation:

The research helped me in many different ways. One of the ways was that it gave me an idea on how I wanted my podcast to be like, that was because I went on YouTube and I was researching different podcasts and watching them to get a clear idea on how I wanted my podcast to be like. The research gave me clear ideas , inspiration and clarity. I learnt quite a few things from doing research. For example I Didn’t know how to write a script for my podcast , I had to look up how to write a script on Google to get a clear idea on how I was going to lay it out and what I was going to say when doing my podcast.Going on YouTube and looking at different Podcasts gave me an idea on what to say, how to speak when doing a podcast and when to ask my questions during a podcast and what to say to be clear and effective.

When doing my research I learnt how to understand and integrate resources gleaned through various means. I Learnt how to mix audio on garage band and what tools to use to make the audio sound much clearer. When doing my research I learnt how to deliver a podcast in a informal way to suit my audience.I also learnt how to write a script in the correct manor and way. I even learnt how many people suffer from mental health , I learnt that women suffer more from mental health than men in general,This gave me an inspiration on how I was going to record and deliver my podcast.

But when doing my research I could have added more information about the different podcasts I could have chose and wrote about them , I could have even added more graphs and percentages on mental health in general. My research could have been done more quickly because I spent like 3 days completing the research so the research could have been done much more quicker than usual.

When planning my podcast I gained a huge amount of knowledge and skills and also learnt from the mistakes I made whilst planning my podcast.When planning my podcast I had a few ideas and topics that I wanted to do my podcast on , one of them being music , the other being movies and lastly mental health. I had saw a few podcasts on YouTube for me to come to my final decision which was doing it about mental health.

Furthermore , I had wrote a script and proposal for my planning and production , I had even done a mind-map around what topics I wanted to do my podcast on. In my plan I even talked about what equipment I was going to use , what type of microphone I was going to use , what editing techniques and tools I was going to use , how I was going to edit my audio and podcast and where I was going to do it so what location I chose. When planning I had more of an idea in my head on how i would want my podcast to be like, this increased my focus and drive to do more. Also when planning , I learnt how to be more creative and innovated.

When planning I learnt a lot of skills which were , Learning how to mix and edit an audio file , writing a script , writing an introduction and an outro and even learning how to to use the Eq to make our voices clear and more crispy. I learnt how to deliver the podcast in a informal way where it suits my audience.

In my planning I said that I was going to use the stereo recording the 3-1 rule but I Didn’t. We only had one mic to use so i couldn’t do the 3-1 rule. I had even gone to hire out some equipment from college But i decided not to use it , I had a mic at home which was more suitable for my podcast. My first plan was to record my podcast in college in a studio room but I couldn’t because the person I had to interview was busy , so I had to find a suitable day were he’d be free to record and that was after 6pm at his youth centre on the weekend. Next time i will use 2 mics instead of one. Using 2 mics would enhance our voices and will be more professional.

When editing my advert there were some things that worked out and some things that didn’t.

When editing my podcast I had used the different control panel’s and editing tools to make the audio more clear and not so heavy so when you listen to it , it will sound professionally done. There was a point where I was messing around with the control panel decreasing and increasing the nobs to see exactly where the audio will sound not as heavy this took some trial and error but I got there at the end. I even faded the music at the start into my podcast . I used the mixing tool automation to fade my intro into where I start my podcast.

When editing my podcast I learnt how to use the control panels for my audio , I learnt how to mix my audio so using the automation to fade , I learnt how to cut and replace on garage band. Using all these tools increased the clarity of my podcast.

Next time If i was to edit , id use the compression tool and probably add an effect to the audio and would increase the record level for my podcast to become louder. I would add more music to the podcast aswell to make it more entertaining and better.

Overall I think for my first ever podcast I think I did really well and I have learnt new skills over this time period whilst doing my project. During this project I have even developed new skills and have become more confident with the editing side of things and even the speaking side of things. After doing this project I have learnt how to write a script and how to deliver a podcast in an effective and professional way.

If I was to do this project again I would make the podcast more shorter because my podcast was very long it was about 40 minutes long where as compared to others theirs were 15 mins long max. I would also add my voice in the beginning of the podcast , like an intro of me saying Yo youth in a loud voice with music in the back. I will also spend more time on my planning and lastly use more effects on my audio.

This project taught me that I am capable of a lot of things and I am able to get things done if I put my mind to it.

Users and audience can interact with my podcast by leaving likes , comments and subscribing to my sound cloud.

I confirm that the attached assessment is all my own work and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself and sources have been appropriately referenced.

Tutor Feedback

Feedback Evaluation:

One thing I need to work on my next project is to provide Harvard Referencing for the sources of my research and for future projects.To maintain and improve on this high standard try and get used to referencing your research sources in Havard style and having a dedicated reference list.I also need to start including ongoing evaluation and reflection more throughout all tasks as this will be something I move towards for the FMP.

To maintain this grade I have to demonstrate an excellent understanding of production through setting out in detail your ambitions and purpose , relating your research to my decision making and identifying where my projects might fit within the wider audience.