Hey! Do you hear that? It's Natural Sound or Nat Sound. It's the element in a news story that is pivotal in telling your story.
Nat Sound can add credibility to your story and also a great deal of spark. It adds a sense of place to your stories and puts your viewers in the middle of the action. Sometimes it even tells the story for you!
Watch this story below produced by the National Press Photographers Association 1st place winner for photography. There are numerous nat sound breaks throughout the package. Listen for them.
It is really important that you close your eyes and listen when you go out and shoot. Not only do you want to listen for sounds that you DON'T want in your packages, such as the a/c unit or buzzing from a fluorescent light fixture, but you want to listen for possibilities for natural sound in your stories. Let sound help tell the story. Shoot for sound.
Below is an interview with the news photog about collecting nat sound for his news stories.
I found a new website resource called Newslab. Click on it to brush up on tricks for your videos and check out their featured blog....it's about shooting for sound!
What possibilities does your next story have for natural sound? List them. Tell me what your story is about and what nat sound you plan to shoot. Think in terms of audio and start your story with sound and no VO. Use your ears and shoot with your sense of hearing. Sounds abound all around!
My story is about gang violence. I can always start out with the sound of footsteps and hand claps to give off that sense of "walking up to a gang member and performing your signature handshake" and maybe show the feet and hand motions in action. That way before the VO people can already get a sense of what I am going to be talking about and can relate because maybe they've heard those noises from students before in the hallways and know what it means.
ReplyDeleteMy story is about getting new books for the school's library. I plan on using the sound of books closing and opening in the beginning and books being sorted in the end. I also plan on using interviews or normal noises you hear in the library for transitions.
ReplyDelete- Stephen Birt
With natural sound we can make even a boring story a little more interesting. I've got to try that on my next package.
ReplyDeleteOur story is about a girl named Rachel. She is a student at south cobb high school n she is in special ed classes. And she loves to cheer. She some times cheers with south cobb's very own cheerleaders. But some of the nat sounds we would use are the sounds of the cheerleaders cheering Rachel on. Or the cheerleaders doing one of their cheers. And we also could use some of the sounds from the cheerleader's palm palms. I mean there are many for us to choose from. The question is are we using the right ones and in the right way?
ReplyDeleteOur story is about a girl named Rachel. She is a student at south cobb high school n she is in special ed classes. And she loves to cheer. She some times cheers with south cobb's very own cheerleaders. But some of the nat sounds we would use are the sounds of the cheerleaders cheering Rachel on. Or the cheerleaders doing one of their cheers. And we also could use some of the sounds from the cheerleader's palm palms. I mean there are many for us to choose from. The question is are we using the right ones and in the right way?
ReplyDeleteOur story is about Rachel. Me, Candice,Brandon,& Kenya decided that we will start of with our nat sound being a cheer from the cheerleaders. Then put the camera on the cheerleaders, and then start our voiceover and lead into our story. This story is going to be better than our last package because of the amount of extra effort we will put forth to finish this one.
ReplyDeleteOur next package is going to be about a man who has been disabled for years now, but he continues his everyday life as if there was no struggle. We can use the NAT sound of him cutting his grass, put a VO of his voice over B-roll of him doing everyday things. There are alot of possibilities. I just hope we get it right.
ReplyDelete- Lunna Zamarron
Our next story is on a man who only has one leg but still does everything he use to when he had two. He cuts his own grass,pulls weeds,eats, and just everything else. I think some good Nat sound would be the lawn mower or cabinets opening or closing in his kitchen. Maybe the walker that he uses would be good if it is loud enough to hear. We also plan on involving the disabled kids and Ms.Watson in our story and ask them about their experience.
ReplyDelete-Priscilla Bonnet
Our next story is on a man who lost one of his legs, but still functions and gets around like he has two. He doesn't let his disabilitly stop him from anything. He cuts his own grass, pulls weeds, rakes his yard, cooks, everything that you can do with two legs, he does with one. Maybe the sounds of his lawnmower and the sound it makes when he uses his walker could be some of the nat sound in our package.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh Taylor <3
Our story is about a girl named Rachel who wants to be a cheerleader. The only obstacle to get over is that she is in special ed classes. In this story, we plan to have nat sound of the cheerleaders cheering. Also, have sound of the coach explaining what to do to the cheerleaders.
ReplyDeleteOur story is about all the different clubs we have at South Cobb.There are a lot of possiblities.I'm not for sure what nat sound we're going to use,but we will figure it out as we get further along in the story.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Vinson:p
My new package is a PSA about self injury, the warning signs and how to help stop anyone you know from self injury! my B-Roll is going to be a girl looking in the mirror and alternate ways to help stop self injury and warning signs.
ReplyDeleteThe package we are working on now is about people dealing with, or who have delt with physical disabilities. The main characters in our story are; A man named James who has lost his leg due to bad circulation, who goes on with everyday life as nothing was wrong. One of our very own students Morgan Momen who is incapable of walking, but still has many dreams for her future, and doesnt let not walking be an issue. Also, from another point of view, we are interviewing Mrs. Watson on how her short term physical disabilty made her take another look on how some people may not be thankful that they dont have anything wrong with them and are taking some small things for granted. We have already shot Mr. James doing a few of his daily routines, the nat sound could possibly be him getting his self out of his house with not anyones help. I think Morgans nat sound could be her rolling her self in her wheelchair down a hall way, hers could also be her doing what she loves best which is making web page designs (mouse clicking). Mrs. Watsons Nat sound could be her teaching a class like normal, and then we could have her talking about how she felt differently with crutches. I would like to put a twist on the story and relate it to people my age, and how some teens can do a lot more and not be so lazy, we need to be very appreciative with what we have and what we can do and be productive.
ReplyDelete-Dyan Johnson:
ReplyDeleteMy group's story is going to be on books in the library. We plan to use the books as sound, opening and closing. To be honest, I may find this package a little more difficult when it'll come to sound, because library related stuff is usually silent, or just not that loud at all. Maybe we can catch whispers, or just the pages turning. Anything natural, as it is to nat sound.
-Dyan Johnson
Just like the others in my group , we are doing a story on Rachel( a special cheerleader ). She isnt an official cheerleader but she is a part of the squad. however, me and my team plan on getting nat sound on her cheering with the cheerleaders during games and practices. this package should be better than our previous one, simply because we know what we are shooting and what we are aiming for . so hopefully this package here will take us to the top !
ReplyDeleteOur package is about physical disabilities. One of our characters, named James, has only been "disabled" for less than a year. I believe that makes the package more interesting; he is 77 years old. He cuts his grass, does his dishes, and cleans around the house. Some nat sounds should be the chores he does around the house. The cutting grass, dishes, vacuuming..Another one of our characters, attends south cobb, doesn't let anything stop her from doing what she wants to do. this package will surely be interesting.
ReplyDelete