Frank Bruni on Affordable Sushi Restaurants
I enjoyed listening to the audio slide show entitled “Frank Bruni on Affordable Sushi Restaurants”. The piece featured two beautiful sushi restaurants located in New York. The interviewee spoke of the quality of food and service in each restaurant. He also spoke of the differences in prices and luxury in each restaurant and explained clearly the pros and cons of each restaurant to the listener. The audio piece was coupled with beautiful photography including some stunning closeups of the sushi.
The audio portion of piece was done in the interview format. The interviewer did not make use of nat sound which was appropriate as it would have been distracting and would have taken away from the essence of the piece. The majority of the piece was taken up by the voice of the interviewee who had a pleasant voice. He spoke clearly and eloquently which made listening to him easier which therefore made it easier for the listener to pay attention.
Overall, I think that the piece was very well done and it captured my attention from begining to end. The only portion I did not like was that the interviewer did not speak as clearly or as eloquently as I would have liked.
I agree that natural sound would have been distracting. The video worked well as an interview format.
However, I found myself bored with what I felt was the same picture over and over again: either sushi or cooks. Boring, and easy to tap out of.
mcmary
31 Oct 08 at 12:08 am
I think you are right, Caleigh, that this piece — an adaptation of a text piece — does have some advantages. I also agree that the photography is beautiful. I love the close up shots of food. However, if I am truly interested in these places, I want more than just the reviewer’s opinion. I can read that. Instead, I think it would be great to use video, or even just audio, to get a feel for the restaurant. What is it like? Is it quiet? Is there music? Instead of listening to one person’s opinion we could be seeing and hearing the atmosphere. I think that would make it more interesting and useful for me.
kamshaw
2 Nov 08 at 4:22 pm
My first observation: you can tell it’s a New York Times production. Although eloquent, if the listener knows little about sushi they will be left behind. I also thought that the distinction between the two restaurants was a bit blurry, I couldn’t tell when they were referring to what. Additionally, the audio ran a bit too long for my attention span.
Technically speaking, the production is a success. There are flawless transitions and the voices are crisp and clear.
I would only change a few things. One, I would make the audio shorter. Two, I would talk about the similarities, then differences between the two restaurants. Three, I would clearly and carefully talk about sushi, as if the listener had never eaten it before and weren’t an exclusive, cultured Manhattan resident.
Elizabeth Timmins
2 Nov 08 at 11:25 pm