After months of hard-work; rejection, success and hours of editing, it's time to finish the project.
Looking back from October, to now (January), the process of creating my major multimedia project was exactly what I had anticipated- and at the same time, nothing like I expected at all. I knew it would be hard work and many gruelling hours would go into fine-tuning audio (removing 'ums' and 'ahs' in audition), though I never expected the whirlwind of COVID restrictions to continue beyond my hand in date.
On the whole, this was a largely positive project in terms of the interviewing and editing process, although it wasn't without its surprises. Having to navigate my way through UK Government guidance as well as BU COVID policy was very restricting. I am grateful I managed to obtain two of my interviews face-to-face, but I admit it wasn't easy and it certainly didn't resemble journalistic practice from a year ago. The most important thing is, I did it and I learnt so much a long the way.
Not only did I discover my own strengths and weaknesses in terms of being a journalist, but also pushed myself to be more ambitious in my story-telling and interviewees. Pushing myself to do radio rather than TV was not a decision I took lightly, though I knew I needed to explore the medium of radio more for my own journalistic capabilities.
I remained passionate and invested in the concept of my MMP throughout, which was something which concerned me at times, due to the nature of COVID restrictions making original audio very tricky to obtain in terms of musical elements.
The interviewees I spoke to were the driving force of the documentary, as with each new person I interviewed- I found a clearer, more emotive angle in to the topic. It goes without saying that this wouldn't have been possible without the people I spoke to- their willingness to open up about the effects of COVID on their life was admirable and I know it can't have been easy at times- especially where finance are involved.
As with every project; there is always room for improvement, but I think I gave this documentary a good go and I hope I did the grassroots music industry justice in my portrayal. The skills I have acquired throughout this project are invaluable and I have certainly improved my interviewing technique through all mediums!
We are now in to the third national lockdown and I can't help but think of what this means for the grassroots music industry. The future is uncertain, but the music will still play; one way or another. Here's to supporting grassroots music and keeping our local venues going.
Thank you for following this journey through blog posts.
Phoebe- the creator of A Broken Record: Grassroots Music in COVID-19.
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