1. Condition Critical: Bahati’s Story
This Duckrabbit production tells the story through skilful photography. The photos are a good balance of tight and long shots, which affords the story both a sense of tension and breathing space. Although the voice is in an indigenous language you still can sense the message of tragedy and it is also well supported by the use of subtitles.
Mark Bosworth was successful in this production created entirely on archive photography. The audio has added life to the slideshow as the narration and the music amicably interact. I was particularly attracted to the rhythm of the narration, which reassures the viewer that the voice will fade and reappear consistently.
Hedy Korbee’s production is an example of good narrative. The story has a clear beginning, middle and an end. The story has benefitted from the use of suspense and surprise. There is an interesting twist in the middle, a resolution and suspense in the end. The use of the actor’s voice has helped to add life to the ancient documents. The inclusion of screen grabs goes to show the limitless story telling capabilities of audio slideshows.
The producers – Jon Donnison and Ian Druce have used detail shots effectively. They also have completed the visuals with sound effects; eg at 1:33 mins the fuel shot is accompanied by an appropriate sound effect. They have also been bold in allowing the narration minus subtitles. Although the narration is not in perfect English it adds to the sense of setting, which says ‘this is Gaza not London’.
This audio slide by Colin Mulvany makes us appreciate what audio slides are cut out for. Visually intensive topics and processes such as artificial eye making are very much compatible with audio slideshows.
6. Choosing to stay, Fighting to rebuild
This New York Times production showcases the use of candid photography techniques. Most of the slides were shot in darkness using the subjects’ own ambient lighting. The introduction testifies about the effectiveness of using natural sounds at the beginning, which can be a solution to ‘My name is John Doe’ intros. This work also reminds us that audio slideshow is a web native format and can benefit from the use of text to direct the story.
This piece is a good example of how both visual and audio archival materials can be brought back to life. This means that audio slide production is not necessarily a preserve of the photographers.
Kate Holt and Arjun Kohli were successful in using the natives to narrate their stories which credits the production with authenticity. Their audio slide show uses a lot of photographs hence its brisk pace. Although using music to enhance journalistic work is a subject of contention, indigenous sounds and exotic choral music have been appropriately used to add pathos to a serious subject.
9. Louise Nicholas: The Jury Clerk
This New York Times production is a good example of how an interesting and well-spoken subject can liven a seemingly mundane topic. Louise speaks about her normal day at work as if she is reciting a poem and the enthusiasm in her voice is infectious. This black and white audio slideshow uses only 25 slides, which are punctuated by ‘fade to black’ transitions throughout.
10. Village People
Audio slides need not be associated with sad subjects. Kat Harris, Charlotte Percival and Ellie Gibbon’s production is an example of consistency. The slides are all land and in colour. The production employs the Ken Burns zooms smoothly with less drama.