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Notes on Storycorps Introductory Tutorial

This notes was made in case not everyone wants to signup on their site, but still use general and relevant information, also as exercise where forms need to be filled.

A feature story on 1947 partition from Story Corp archive service link https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/sfb003213/
embedded audio

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Project Goals

Define the project goals early on, answering below questions will help document and communicate effectively across teams and peers. you can use the template here to create this form https://hackmd.io/HPiYOIgNS96OT4OpPoBhKw

  1. How do you want this project to benefit your organization?
    Our long term objectives is to further the web towards the non-text users.

  2. How will you be able to continue and maintain the project?
    We are funded by DA along with local partners Medha. Also we have done our preliminary field work and established contact with working groups in the region.

  3. Who would you like to be served by this project, and how can you meet their needs?
    Providing a platform for women, youth and the semi literate (dropouts) to express with their voices and nurture local systems to create opportunities

Themes

  1. What community issues would you like raise awareness about?
    Mirzapur is one of the poorest parts of india, and dependency on state to provide jobs is not sustainable. So, we need to nurture local systems to bring in maker culture and innovation to the villages. we need a hybrid approach between Cities and Villages. Livelihood, Safe Spaces, Community, Education / Literacy Issues and Reporting are the likely subject we would start with.

  2. What themes may be of interest to your audience?
    Childhood, Dreams, Friendships, Neighbors, Dance and Music, Cooking, Crafts, School,

  3. Are there sub-themes that relate to an existing project, or any areas that you would like to emphasize?
    With the current Covid-19 situation the Lockdown extended till May 3rd in India, it would be difficult to go through our project, but we should use this as our advantage to come up with relevant Themes / sub themes.

Timeline

  1. How long will the project run?
    1 year +

  2. When is the recording start date for this project?
    Since Jan 2020

  3. Is there an end date?
    Jan 2021

Community Partners / Outreach

  1. Do you have community partners who share some of your goals?
    We have identified community partners and in conversation with them. However, we are still figuring out to convey and communicate shared goals to get everyone on same page. So, Suresh, Urmila, Garima Girls, Medha, DA, Design Beku (may be), DLL, (may be)

  2. How will you engage community partners in your project?
    Since our field is far place from where we need to operate in the given situation, we depend a lot more on the community partners in Identifying, recruiting staff and volunteers, organizing community events, bringing about conversations, recording, co-ordinate with remote peers regarding editing and other complex technical needs until someone within the community can deal with.

  3. What community partners would you like to work with, and how might they benefit from your program?
    Women self help groups, college under grads, non-profit organizations

Recruiting Participants

  1. Recruiting people to participate in your project is not always an easy task, and there is no one right way to do it. Clear and thoughtful communication, as well as an open approach, are key to finding participants.

  2. Host a remote “Recording Day” in which we will get on call with someone and then decide on a theme, give each 1/2 - 1 hour for prepare, record and send audio. Organizations have found that when people see others record stories they become more comfortable with the idea.

  3. Aim to recruit at least 10 pairs of participants a month with the expectation that some will be postponed to a later month or have to be canceled altogether.

  4. Keep a list of “backup” interviewees who are willing and could be available to record almost anytime. The list might include staff and/or volunteers. If someone shows up alone to record, it’s great to have a list of possible interview partners on staff who could step in last-minute.

Promotional Material

Outreach and promotional materials to reachout to community people.

Samples / example

  1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2020/01/Notecard-Recruiting_2020.pdf

  2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2019/10/Promotional-Flyer.docx

Participant roles

The key component to running a smooth interview is preparation.

Step one is to establish interview roles so that participants and community members have a general idea of what to expect in a recording, and of each of their responsibilities. These roles can be flexible.

Interviewer: The interviewer asks the majority of the questions, though the interview should be conversational. Each person can take turns asking and answering questions.

interview partner: The interview partner or “storyteller” is the person being interviewed. This person is typically a friend, colleague, or loved one of the interviewer. The partner can ask questions throughout the interview as well.

facilitator interview: In the facilitator interview model (more info below), another person acts as the facilitator. The facilitator sets up the space, handles the technical parts of the recording process, and occasionally asks follow-up questions during the interview.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2020/01/Facilitator-Job-Description_2019.pdf

Preparing for Interview

A kid friendly video on preparing for a interview - https://diy.storycorps.org/lessons/preparing-for-a-recording/

  1. Invite Someone to Record
  2. Schedule the Recording
  3. Share the Participant Packet - https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2020/01/Participant-Packet_2020.pdf
  4. Review the Planning Worksheet - https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2020/01/Planning-Worksheet_Interview-Tips2020.pdf
  5. Select Questions - https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2019/10/M1_Great-Questions_2020_V2.pdf
  6. Practice - Sound check and tests

Sound Quality tips and examples

Mike placement
Avoiding echo, choosing room with padding, pull heavy curtain on windows or use thick blankets. use blankets on floor if not carpeted.
Avoiding noises on breath / gasps / p-pops

https://s3.amazonaws.com/diy.storycorps.org-assets/uploads/2019/11/Improve-Sound-Quality.pdf

Examples

  1. GOOD SOUND RECORDING -

  2. Microphone Placement - The microphone was too far away from the first person speaking. A microphone should be about 5 inches away from someone’s face.

  3. Microphone handling Noise -

  4. P-Pops - speaking too close to microphone

Archiving Recordings

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCrVFLyrbD0
Example: Nasville Public Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__P2j4Wsn4

  • An archive is a collection of materials organized around a person, a place, or a thing.

  • Make sure your plan addresses the goals of the archive:
    Who will be using it?
    What purpose will it serve?
    How will materials be accessible?

  • Create a file-naming convention to aid in finding and organizing interviews.

  • Metadata, or data about data, can also make materials easier to find through multiple points of access.

  • Keep participant privacy in mind, as individuals should understand that only as much or as little personal information as they choose will be included in the archive.

  • Depending on your budget, you can organize information in a database or content management system, though a simple spreadsheet can serve just fine.

  • Feel free to make your archive accessible in several ways, whether it be through an on-site listening station, or by incorporating your collection into an existing digital platform.

  • Plan your archive with both short, and long-term preservation goals in mind.

Editing, Sharing and Promoting

Suggested Audacity for free software
Online archive link https://archive.storycorps.org

Some tips on editing

Best Practices: Editing Stories

When you listen to the radio or a podcast, do you make yourself a tea, and sit down to listen?

No. You’re washing the dishes, driving, cleaning, or taking public transportation. You’re always in the middle of doing something else. It is important for audio to be clear and direct, because listeners don’t have the benefit of going back and reviewing something they have missed.

  • The elements of a story are characters; conflict; beginning, middle, and end; reflection; and surprise.

  • Characters should be well rounded and go through some type of transformation.

  • Stories should take the listener on a journey and should include some sort of twist, without being predictable.

  • Focusing on the various themes or genres of your stories allows you to create collections of stories that are representative of a multitude of experiences.

  • Structure types:

    • dialogue driven—a conversational style
    • monologue—only one person is talking
    • two voices, one story—two people tell the same story
    • Q&A—question and answer

  • Editors ask themselves several questions when trying to identify a good clip:

    • What’s this story about? Can I summarize it in one to two sentences?
    • Who are the characters? Are there too many of them? Are they dynamic?
    • Does this story intrigue me or surprise me?
    • Who is the audience? Why should they listen to this?
    • What is the takeaway?

The StoryCorps editorial style does not use a narrator, in order to maintain the integrity of the storytellers’ voices.

Examples

  • Andrews – Unedited Interview Segment: An example of an unedited audio recording. duration - 10:28

  • Andrews – StoryCorps Edited Segment: shortened to duration 3:15

  • Here are the elements changed:

    • The clip is shorter.
    • There are fewer characters.
    • The setting has been scaled back.
    • The pacing of the story has been sped up.
    • Elements of the story had been rearranged.
    • Context has been added to the beginning question.
    • A moment of reflection from the middle of the conversation was used as an ending.
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