Caption: Hillary Hebert takes a break after talking about motherhood and bi-polar disorder. , Credit: Keith Lane
Image by: Keith Lane 
Hillary Hebert takes a break after talking about motherhood and bi-polar disorder.  

#40 - Flatline Days

Series: SaltCast: the Backstory to Great Radio Storytelling
From: Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Length: 00:11:41

We don’t teach “sound art” at Salt, but we do wonder from time-to-time how a feature might benefit from using sound art to tell a story. In particular, how can a producer artistically use sound to convey more than what just words and ambiance alone communicate? Read the full description.
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#40 - Flatline Days
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Salt Institute for Documentary Studies

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Radio producers have a many tools to craft a story. Narration. Writing. Quotes from interviews. Ambient sound. Active tape. Music.

What about art?

We don’t teach “sound art” at Salt, but we do wonder from time-to-time how a feature might benefit from using sound art to tell a story. In particular, how can a producer artistically use sound to convey more than what just words and ambiance alone communicate?

I try to answer this question with a student-produced piece profiling Hillary Hebert, a mother with bi-polar disorder. The piece is called “Flatline Days” and it was produced by Catherine Spangler in the spring of 2009. Catherine used a little bit of sound art to convey what happens in Hillary’s mind during a manic phase. Catherine assembled a short montage of quotes then layered and panned them over the sound of fast footsteps to portray ideas popping in Hillary’s head. Take a listen and let us know if you think it works.

If you’re intrigued by sound art, here are a few sites to get you going.

radiolab

ubu

outfront

joan schuman

gregory whitehead

peter leonhard braun

hildegard westercamp

list of sound artists

#40 - Flatline Days | 00:11:41

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Piece Description

Radio producers have a many tools to craft a story. Narration. Writing. Quotes from interviews. Ambient sound. Active tape. Music.

What about art?

We don’t teach “sound art” at Salt, but we do wonder from time-to-time how a feature might benefit from using sound art to tell a story. In particular, how can a producer artistically use sound to convey more than what just words and ambiance alone communicate?

I try to answer this question with a student-produced piece profiling Hillary Hebert, a mother with bi-polar disorder. The piece is called “Flatline Days” and it was produced by Catherine Spangler in the spring of 2009. Catherine used a little bit of sound art to convey what happens in Hillary’s mind during a manic phase. Catherine assembled a short montage of quotes then layered and panned them over the sound of fast footsteps to portray ideas popping in Hillary’s head. Take a listen and let us know if you think it works.

If you’re intrigued by sound art, here are a few sites to get you going.

radiolab

ubu

outfront

joan schuman

gregory whitehead

peter leonhard braun

hildegard westercamp

list of sound artists

Related Website

www.salt.edu

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