ZURb1204 Audio journalism

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2020
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Bc. Jan Hanák (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. MgA. Jan Motal, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Bc. Pavlína Brabcová
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 Střižna 531
Prerequisites (in Czech)
(NOW( ZURb1108 Audiovisual journalism ) && ZURb1115 The basics of professional behavior && ZURb1116 Journalistic technological competence )|| ZUR367 Audio and video || ZUR369 Audio journalism
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 10 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/10, only registered: 0/10
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 32 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to prepare future audio-journalists working in various types of media. After completing this course student will be able to be orientated in the theory of audio-journalism and will be able to create audio-journalistic work on a professional level.

Audio-communication or audio-listening has been one of the most natural and oldest ways of communication since prehistoric times, both in the perception of the sounds of the ambient world, sounds of prey and predators, and in telling and listening to stories and legends bearing undoubtedly a remarkable philosophy of prehistoric collectors and hunters somewhere around the tribal fire. At the same time, hearing seems most forms the emotional or social communication. Undoubtedly more than sight, though visual perception is usually at first glanc more pronounced. This course should open your eyes for the sound. It should show the specifics of audio creation, the richness of its forms. It should help to discover and grasp the sense for radio. Of course, not only through the "wisdom" of the teacher, but above all through individual pedagogical accompaniment both in the creation of student exercises, which will consist of simple games with sound in its diverse forms, so also in the creation of final work, preferably in the form of a simple (but sound-tuned) reportage. Despite established practice, the reportage is not quite a trivial extended news, where the author dryly describes "when, where, what, how, why" using some recorded interview, however the word "reportage" is widely used for this form. The reportage is a creative and quite a lot individual genre that draws listeners into the storyline through the emotions, through the person of the reporter, with thoughtful audio design. It is very appropriate (but not obligatory, of course) also attend course ZURb1411 AudioCafe, where you can draw a lot of inspiration about the today's most imaginative audio creation.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Students acquire theoretical and factual knowledge from the field of audio journalism. They will be able to distinguish the main topics of the course and lead a professional discussion.

Practical and functional skills:
Students will be able to use their theoretical knowledge and apply it in practice, for example in making audio reports, interviews etc.

General competence:
Students will be able to use the knowledge and skills in editor’s practice while working as an audio journalist independently. They will be able to assume responsibility at the reporter/journalist level. They are able to solve complicated situations when working in a journalistic team and in the field.
Syllabus
  • Audio creation in various types of media (radio broadcast, podcast). News genres and publicistic genres used in audio production. Specifics of audio creation.
  • Radio is not expressed in word, but in sound, which has at least three forms: word, sound of ambiente, music. Yet the first and often the only plan of many news and publicistic messages in the czech audio media lies on the verbal level. Although verbal communication in news undoubtedly play a prime role, this course should show, teach, test, that the soundness of the message does not have to consist merely of mindless sound describe the word, do not develop verbal information and just duplicate it. Media communication is accelerating, there is less time to communicate more information. In radio, it is possible to bring up to several levels of communication in one single period of time, namely the word itself, the way of its sound expression, framing the sound image (sound of ambiente, sound shooting, editing dynamics), which communicate with each other, even oppose it if it is the author's intention. All of this is capable of delivering composite content, much more communicative than if the sound were just a companion, inferior, actually useless function relative to the word.
  • Audio creation must not be about only a word or a word as a mere grammatical shape. Audio creation must play with an sound image, not only epic, but also lyrical, ie with a image whose storyline does not take place only during the time, but as in stopped and while still sounding chord, who it has not only four dimensions, but perhaps sixteen, or rather infinitely dimensions (at least potentially), where a storyline takes place by looking at and listening to the various nuances of the image, where is always something to discover, even in the context of changing experiences of listener, whose life takes place during the time (among other things). Audio creation, of course, must take the listener into account, because only in the listener's mind does the audio work really happen. Audio work does not have to say everything (which can also save time), but it must be able in abbreviation open the listener's mind, it must become an inspiration for his own storyline.
  • Of course the radio works with the word significantly. The ability and hence the knowledge and experience of interview procedures for different types of programs is extremely important for radio creators. So the simplest interview that is used to create a simple news, an interview for more complex news-and-publicistic forms, a live interview with a moderator in the studio, and conducting a "long" interview (different types depending on content and genre), discussion and eventually lead a reportage-or-documentary type of interview, where interviewer must be able to go beyond words and through well prepared situations to find a story, emotion that is a strong carrier of story. The position of logic, intuition, empathy of the interviewer. Work with silence. How not to be a slave of prescribed questions, but how to be guided by the interviewed (by his topics) and at the same time lead him to communicate (not necessarily in words) what he did not want to communicate, but what is really authentic. The role of the microphone in the formation of meanings. Pace of speech, diction.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Brit Jensen, Magdalena Sodomková: Matematika zločinu - https://matematikazlocinu.cz
  • Přemysl Hnilička: Panáček v říši mluveného slova (nejkomplexnější tuzemský rozcestník audiotvorby a literatury o ní) - http://mluveny.panacek.com (optimální orientace na webu skrze kvalitní vyhledávání nebo dle rubrik)
    not specified
  • Thompson, R., Christopher J. Bowen. Grammar of the Shot. Second Edition. Oxford, Focal Press, Elsevier Inc., 2009. ISBN: 978-0-240-52121-3.
  • Kříž, M.: Zvuk na PC, Step by Step, Brno: Computer Press, 2004.
  • BBC Academy - http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy
  • Essential radio journalism. Edited by Paul Chantler - Peter Stewart. London: A & C Black, 2009, xiii, 264. ISBN 0713688742. info
  • VLACHÝ, Václav. Praxe zvukové techniky. 3., aktualiz. a dopl. vyd. Praha: Muzikus, 2008, 297 s. ISBN 9788086253466. URL info
  • CRISELL, Andrew and Guy STARKEY. Radio journalism. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd., 2008, 173 s. ISBN 9781412930154. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, sample analysis, discussions, but especially jointly created and shared student exercises, developing teamwork. Project oriented learning. The completion of the course is the creation of final audio reportages under individual pedagogical accompaniment.
Assessment methods
Students will be evaluated on the basis of public presentation of their final works and subsequent discussion over them. The presentations of the semestral works with the participation of expert evaluators and the public will take place during the examination period.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Spring 2021, Autumn 2021, Spring 2022, Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2020, recent)
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