Here’s a post that will fill you in on the audio slideshow phenomenon. The rise of the genre is due in part to Soundslides, the easy software that enables creation of slideshows without a lot of complicated Flash programming. I think it’s a tremendous form for storytelling.
As journalist departments become smaller and schedules tighter, Soundslides is a good tool to have. It has limits, however, for basic quality Flash presentations, it works. It was created by an experienced journalist from the field.
I would like to see the price less than $70.00 since there are basic video software programs that can work for less, minus the Flash output.
I think this is very interesting when done right. I don’t think any story can be presented this way. However, I have really enjoyed the ones we have watched in class.
After actually doing an audio slide show, dare I say, I almost liked it better than video.
I actually loved working on this project. The combination of audio with aesthetically pleasing photos is a very rewarding experience. I think the audio slideshow if different than video in that way. The shots in video are not always aesthetically pleasing because you have frame after frame after frame. It just isn’t possible. But with an audio slide show, it gives an audio account of the event with hand-picked aesthetic images.
My major challenge was with trying to record both audio and photo at once and having both of them be perfect. Photo and audio editors do sometimes work wonders, but there’s just some things you cannot edit. This is where I wish I had another person to do the audio because frankly … you just have to set the levels and hold a microphone. I was taking pictures and carrying the mic in my purse … which often lead to noises over the audio I wanted.
However, it mostly worked out and I found the audio slideshow to be a great experience and I am really glad we did this project!