Randy's segment on the letters he receives from friends utilized a very different approach. Whereas many segments use active tape and sound-rich scenery, Randy reverts to minimalism; the only sound in the segment is of his own voice reading the letters he receives from friends in Texas.
The setup of the segment is a bit shaky. It is not clear why Randy receives letters from friends in Texas, and there are many unanswered questions. Why did he leave Texas? What is special about each of the friends he mentions? The tone of voice that Randy used did not engage in the listener; a variety in tone and pitch may have helped the segment be more dynamic.
I felt the premise of the segment could have been changed. Why not arrange phonecalls with each of these friends and weave them into the segment? Why not leave faux-fax machine messages to the friends involved? Randy's segment could use work on execution, but the content seems useful for creating other, engaging segments.
I was somewhat disappointed in this piece because it has no sound other than the narrator?s voice. I like for stories to put me in the mood, to mentally and emotionally put me in the shoes of the people involved in the piece, but in this case, I simply couldn?t. There is no ambient sound ? not even the sound of an envelope being opened or guards in the background or other inmates or? anything! The letters were very realistic and sort of remind me of the letters I send to my friend Mat, who is also in jail; but it?s really repetitive at some points. He appreciates letters being sent just as much as the narrator, Randy, does. He sounds like he wants to display his appreciation through this piece, but it doesn?t quite cut it. At some points, there is some evidence of gratitude, but then it just as quickly dissolves and becomes distant once again.
Comments for Letters from the Outside
Produced by Randy
Other pieces by Blunt Youth Radio Project
Rating Summary
2 comments
Minhal Baig
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 07:25 PM | Permalink
Review of Letters from the Outside
Randy's segment on the letters he receives from friends utilized a very different approach. Whereas many segments use active tape and sound-rich scenery, Randy reverts to minimalism; the only sound in the segment is of his own voice reading the letters he receives from friends in Texas.
The setup of the segment is a bit shaky. It is not clear why Randy receives letters from friends in Texas, and there are many unanswered questions. Why did he leave Texas? What is special about each of the friends he mentions? The tone of voice that Randy used did not engage in the listener; a variety in tone and pitch may have helped the segment be more dynamic.
I felt the premise of the segment could have been changed. Why not arrange phonecalls with each of these friends and weave them into the segment? Why not leave faux-fax machine messages to the friends involved? Randy's segment could use work on execution, but the content seems useful for creating other, engaging segments.
KaMeisha Jerae Hodge
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 10:35 AM | Permalink
Review of Letters from the Outside
I was somewhat disappointed in this piece because it has no sound other than the narrator?s voice. I like for stories to put me in the mood, to mentally and emotionally put me in the shoes of the people involved in the piece, but in this case, I simply couldn?t. There is no ambient sound ? not even the sound of an envelope being opened or guards in the background or other inmates or? anything! The letters were very realistic and sort of remind me of the letters I send to my friend Mat, who is also in jail; but it?s really repetitive at some points. He appreciates letters being sent just as much as the narrator, Randy, does. He sounds like he wants to display his appreciation through this piece, but it doesn?t quite cut it. At some points, there is some evidence of gratitude, but then it just as quickly dissolves and becomes distant once again.