Audio Critique - Rocket Man
Rocket Man is a nytimes.com audio slide show interview from February 2009. It refers to Steve Heller, a classic car enthusiast and furniture shop owner who uses parts from various classic cars to create one of a kind rocket themed automobiles. The interview centers around Heller’s original Marquis de Soto, which was named nytimes.com’s 2008 Collectible Car of the Year.
I felt the slide show of pictures paired with Heller’s interview strengthened the story. Captions below the pictures give information that Heller does not. Also, Heller has a relaxed and inviting voice throughout the piece; he sounds very relatable and not boring at all, something that might hinder an audio interview.
The editing was well done as there are no noticeable long breaths taken by Heller or missed by the editor. Heller’s words are complete and the sound structure is not lost on the last syllables. In addition, the interview contains fade ins and outs for both the picture slide show and Heller’s voice; both of which are well timed and affective for the story.
The story overall is well told in audio form, but in the absence of any natural sounds, some of the possible effects of Heller’s story is lost. If the editor of the piece had added in the sound of a car’s engine starting or even rocket sounds when Heller mentioned that trend in car restoration, the interview would have been stronger. Also, though Heller’s voice is clear and his words are unmistakeable, there is a great amount of microphone static throughout the interview. If the interviewer had distanced himself slightly from Heller, than perhaps the static would not be as noticeable.
If I were to re-edit this piece, I would definitely add in some car sounds, such as the engine starting or even a door opening and closing. WIthout them, I feel that the interviewer missed out on something a target audience could relate to and moreover enjoy.
In addition to car sounds, I would consider cutting the end of the interview where Heller talks about his shop. It is interesting to know that he is just a regular guy with a hobby for cars, but after Heller describes how he put together his Marquis de Soto, its off setting to discuss an almost unrelated subject. I might consider asking him if he is working on any new custom cars or how he feels about winning the contest.
While this interview worked well as an audio slide show, I think it might have faired better as live action. Cars move and are driven and look best when in action. It would have been affective to see Heller’s winning car as a moving object as well as actually watching as he takes unrelated car pairs and joins them together.
I agree with the lack of natural sound, I also noticed that and commented on it in my critique. Additionally, I didn’t take into account the accompanying photographs because I was under the impression we were supposed to be critquing the audio as a stand alone medium.
With the photos included, I agree, it was a much stronger piece than just the audio indicates. The inviting voice portion makes a good point, it helped to keep attention even though there was a lack of context.
thakes
8 Jul 09 at 11:57 am
I agree that the static in the background was distracting for the listener, and I also think adding some natural sounds, like a car engine, would have given the audio a little something extra.
In my critique, I also commented on the pictures. I think without them, the piece wouldn’t have been as interesting, and its audience would probably get bored with it quickly.
eaweber
10 Jul 09 at 10:32 am
WHile I agree that car sounds may have made the piece a bit deeper, I think it was left out for a good reason: the piece was intended to examine the man himself, not necessarily the cars. Perhaps this was considered when making the audio piece.
I agree that the story over all was well put together and didn’t have many audio problems.
I disagree with the thought that the last part of the story should be taken out. I think it gave it a nice wrap up, and also added a bit of depth to the man being interviewed.
kifrichmann
14 Jul 09 at 12:11 pm