Archive for the ‘Richard Sennett’ tag
A Man and His March
Richard Sennett’s multimedia piece “Bataan Death March Survivor” for StarTribune.com tells the story of Ken Porwoll, a Death March survivor from Roseville, Minnesota. The story works on many levels of media. As just an audio piece, the story is almost entirely suitable for listening, but the video attached gives the consumer a distinct visual picture of this man. The use of the violin in the introduction adds a soft-sounding noise to the piece that does not distract the listener but catches their attention in a positive way, adding a curious nature to the rest of the piece.
Sennett uses great background noise throughout the entire piece. As Porwoll is rummaging through old pictures from his past Sennett captures the moment by including the sound of this action. It is a small detail, but it adds a nice element of authenticity and immediacy. All the audio by Porwoll can be clearly heard and there are no major interruptions in time between sound bites, making the transitions between various anecdotes seem linear. Furthermore, Sennett is able to capture the breathing and movement of the man as the story is moving forward. Sennett’s use of sound emphasizes his astute attention to detail and story framing.
Various noises throughout the piece such as clapping and laughing never distract from the overall tone of the piece and come across as vital to the uplifting nature of the story. The integration of all the audio sounds and people speaking never seem to be out of place. At no time are the noises overbearing or obtrusive; they fit perfectly into the makeup of the story. When the voice of the narrator interjects into Porwoll’s story it does not seemed forced, but allows the story to add depth from the information that is given.
There are a few points where those that are listening can hear differences in the level of sound and projection of the voices. When Porwoll’s son speaks for the first time there is a noticeable difference in the volume of his voice. His words seem distant at times, forcing the listener to stretch to pick up the cadence of his voice. A suggestion for this could have been to interview both men at the same place to account for any different variables when it came to the level of sound in the room.
Overall, the audio works quite well for this story and can be understood throughout the piece. That being said, it would be best for most interested in this story to listen and watch the video as well. It is not completely necessary, but it increases the impact of the story. Certain pictures and video presented need to be seen to get the full context of the story. For this reason, the story is best suitable for both audio and video formats.