Well, I thought the topic choice was impecable. It particularly appeals to an older adolescent age group but, also incorporates older generations because of the business aspects.
I was very put back by the pace of this peice. It seemed s l o w
and s t e a dy ; like your grandma's buick.
The reason I didn't turn it off?
The topic was so compelling that it fueled me to the end of the long duration "4 minutes and 49 seconds".
With a little editing work, other audio clips, opposing opinions, and a bit of love; I think this peice could go from "okay, but informative" to "great!".
It sounds like this was a "first stab" towards radio, but it sure is a good example of a great start.
Your intro was unique and really funny. Your story is just one long narration with one instance of another person?s perspective, which I thought was funny ?prostituting papers? LOL! It would have been nice and more work (of course) to interview your mom and ask her ON MIC what she thinks about you selling your term papers, instead of just having you tell us how she feels. Last constructive criticism ill mention (I promise) is the way you read your narration. It doesn?t sound as if I am fully connected with you or hearing the real you. Maybe it?s me, but I suggest the next time you do a story just pretend your speaking to a friend and then you?ll sound more real and much less scripted. But I love your topic and how you approached it and bringing us through your journey, step by step. Also you make a really good point at the end! Great job!!! I WANT TO HEAR MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This piece, while informative is a bit bland. Without using music it comes off as bland. The sound bytes are also too long even though the piece is short you loose the attention of the audience very fast. The average human attention span is about 2 seconds, which means you have that long to grab the audiences attention before they decide to listen to something else. With a few adjustments this piece could much better.
The thing that caught my eye - not my ear - about this piece was the topic choice. Almost everyone I know has cheated on an essay once or twice, usually by getting it off a web site like the ones mentioned in this piece. Despite this, I've never once heard of a story about these web sites, until now. Kudos to the narrator of this piece for finding a need and filling it.
The other great part about "Selling A Papers" was the balance between a personal story arc (high school student wants to make a buck, high school student considers selling her papers, and high school student finally decides it's not worth it) and the informative, investigative reporting style (I had no idea that so many websites worked on commission, and I had never dreamed that you could sell CD-ROMs of your old essays on eBay).
This piece has an interesting and informative take on a teen phenomenon, and would be a good fit in any show about high school life or academics.
Comments for Selling A Papers
Produced by Katie Zager
Other pieces by Alaska Teen Media Institute
Rating Summary
4 comments
Zoe Levin
Posted on July 27, 2006 at 07:04 PM | Permalink
Review of Selling A Papers
Well, I thought the topic choice was impecable. It particularly appeals to an older adolescent age group but, also incorporates older generations because of the business aspects.
I was very put back by the pace of this peice. It seemed s l o w
and s t e a dy ; like your grandma's buick.
The reason I didn't turn it off?
The topic was so compelling that it fueled me to the end of the long duration "4 minutes and 49 seconds".
With a little editing work, other audio clips, opposing opinions, and a bit of love; I think this peice could go from "okay, but informative" to "great!".
It sounds like this was a "first stab" towards radio, but it sure is a good example of a great start.
Rocky Tayeh
Posted on July 02, 2006 at 10:58 PM | Permalink
Review of Selling A Papers
Your intro was unique and really funny. Your story is just one long narration with one instance of another person?s perspective, which I thought was funny ?prostituting papers? LOL! It would have been nice and more work (of course) to interview your mom and ask her ON MIC what she thinks about you selling your term papers, instead of just having you tell us how she feels. Last constructive criticism ill mention (I promise) is the way you read your narration. It doesn?t sound as if I am fully connected with you or hearing the real you. Maybe it?s me, but I suggest the next time you do a story just pretend your speaking to a friend and then you?ll sound more real and much less scripted. But I love your topic and how you approached it and bringing us through your journey, step by step. Also you make a really good point at the end! Great job!!! I WANT TO HEAR MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ernest Bluford
Posted on March 31, 2006 at 10:58 PM | Permalink
Review of Selling A Papers
This piece, while informative is a bit bland. Without using music it comes off as bland. The sound bytes are also too long even though the piece is short you loose the attention of the audience very fast. The average human attention span is about 2 seconds, which means you have that long to grab the audiences attention before they decide to listen to something else. With a few adjustments this piece could much better.
Emily Raymond
Posted on February 27, 2006 at 03:41 PM | Permalink
Review of Selling A Papers
The thing that caught my eye - not my ear - about this piece was the topic choice. Almost everyone I know has cheated on an essay once or twice, usually by getting it off a web site like the ones mentioned in this piece. Despite this, I've never once heard of a story about these web sites, until now. Kudos to the narrator of this piece for finding a need and filling it.
The other great part about "Selling A Papers" was the balance between a personal story arc (high school student wants to make a buck, high school student considers selling her papers, and high school student finally decides it's not worth it) and the informative, investigative reporting style (I had no idea that so many websites worked on commission, and I had never dreamed that you could sell CD-ROMs of your old essays on eBay).
This piece has an interesting and informative take on a teen phenomenon, and would be a good fit in any show about high school life or academics.