How have I improved?

I feel a lot more comfortable in front of camera. I also feel like my voice overs/ radio voice have improved since the beginning of class. I still have room for improvement doing my news stand up. I have a little trouble “reading” the script sand sometimes I struggle getting all the information out.  Overall I feel like I have improved since the first class and I feel like this class has helped me feel more confident.

Inflection

I watched ESPN's Sports center. Linda Cohn was the anchor. She had a lot of upward inflection in the opening segment. She also used downward inflection at the end of the segment. When she was stating facts and stats she used slow inflection to make sure everyone could hear the numbers. She used a lot of upward inflection to keep the audiences attention.

Why I picked my scripts and why does my voice suit the script.

I picked 3 sports scripts, because I am very familiar with sports teams and players. I think my voice suits the scripts because the script was for men’s sports and most men watch sports.  I picked an A&E biography promo read, because it was simple with names that I could pronounce with ease. I think it suits my voice because the promo was pretty much unisex. The last two scripts I picked were both alcohol.  I picked those scripts because I am familiar with the products. I think they suited my voice because one script was kind of manly and the other one was short and sweet both just seemed perfect for a deep male voice.

What genre appeals to you most? How is the role of the DJ changing?

What genre appeals to you most? I like all genres of music, but my favorite would be "oldies" and hip-hop. I like oldies because when I was little I would always listen to whatever my father would listen to and his taste in “oldies” just stuck with me. I also like hip-hop because I in a way grew up with hip hop. Hip-hop was born in the late 80’s early 90’s and so was I. How is the role of the DJ changing? I think that we are shifting to less DJ talk and more music. Not everyone (myself included) wants to hear someone blab on about artists and songs; we want to hear the artists and the songs. With that said people still like to hear a little background information about the artist/song before they listen to it.

Listening

Today in class we experimented with a listening exercise. We got in pairs of two; one of us talked for 60 seconds and the other person had to listen to what the other person was saying without interrupting. This exercise was harder than is sounds. I had trouble not interrupting my partner, it’s not like I wanted to butt in, I just wanted to say I agreed with what she was saying which was going to let her know I was paying attention.  This exercise shows the importance in listening because when conducting an interview it is crucial that your actually listen to the person that you are interviewing. It makes the interview more conversation and more enjoyable for everyone.

Listen to a commercial on the radio and then one on TV. What did you notice about the differences in delivery?

I watched an old spice commercial on TV. The guy’s delivery was deep and smooth/sexy. He was trying to appeal to women so they would buy their “men” some Old spice body wash. I listened to a Bud light radio commercial. This commercial was trying to appeal to men. The reader’s delivery was very charismatic and energetic; it almost seemed he was “yelling”.

Watching an interview

Deion Sanders interviews Cam Newton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju81CnWdUnc 

The interviewer Mr. Sanders asks a lot of good questions and shows good non-verbal communication while Cam Newton is answering his questions. Mr. Sanders also helps the interview be more conversational by joking with Cam Newton and being friendly. Overall the interview was fun to watch and very friendly. These two did “homework”, such as practicing the interview and doing a “run through” of the questions. This made for a solid interview.

Watch a newscast and pay attention to the inflections of the newscaster. What did you notice about their inflection and tone?

I watched fox news morning. The news anchors were very lively and energetic. I think that it fits the program effectively because of the early hours of the show. When watching a morning news program I like it to be fun and lively, if not I would easily fall back alseep. Overall the morning news anchors were effective and there inflection was vivid and energetic.

Evaluate the announcers presented in class

Which do you admire?  Do you find any of them ineffective as announcers? I loved the Dane Cook presentation, Cook is an awesome performer. His physical comedy is one of the best. (Chris Farley #1) I also liked the tone and pitch of his voice. He knows how to play to the crowd. The Dick Cavett was interesting. I am not 100% sure I would like that show if it was on today. The style of his show is my deal breaker. It is too intellectual for my liking. Dick Cavett seemed like a very smart guy and is very humorous. His voice wasn’t anything special, he sounded like a normal guy talking to super stars.

Announcer Self-Evaluation

I am confident that I will do well in Broadcast Speech. There are a couple things I will have to "work on" to be great in front of cameras or great on the radio. I am from the south and I have a well known "country accent". My accent works in certain situations, but not all. Therefore I will have to practice and find out when and when not to use my accent. Also with my southern accent I have a tendency to miss pronounce words incorrectly at times. I will have to work on my pronunciation. I am willing to work "as long as it takes" to be the best.

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