Creating "Fight Smart" during a global pandemic brought challenges to fruition that tested both my resolve and creativity as a journalist.
Throughout the process I had to continually adapt to combat the seemingly inertial changes that Covid-19 has brought upon the way in which we can work and live our lives.
Having originally planned to produce Fight Smart as a TV documentary, the second lockdown made it near on impossible to execute a strong boxing aesthetic that would be engaging for my audience.
My initial vision for the documentary centred around the idea of an emotional, presenter led journey that would explore the issues caused by brain injury whilst using strong visuals to help create the intended atmosphere.
Severing my attachment to that concept and re-planning at late notice was perhaps the biggest challenge that I have faced at University, and one that almost led me to question the viability of Fight Smart.
I instead opted to make the switch to radio, and whilst this bought its own challenges, I was confident that I could make a more complete documentary whilst abiding by the restrictions set by both the government and Bournemouth University.
In my final production blog, I have decided to document the hurdles that I have overcome to create Fight Smart in the midst of a pandemic, and give a 'behind the curtain look' at how I put the final cut together.
Setting the Scene
Whilst I no longer needed to access a boxing gym to get cutaway shots, I did need to somehow obtain some boxing themed audio that would help set the scene. Initially I considered using the audio from third party footage of one of my interviewee's fights, but unfortunately it wasn't clear enough to be of use.
I instead created my own sounds, using boxing gloves and pads to generate a mock spar, and trialled different methods of falling and dropping weighty objects on the floor to emulate the sound of a fighter hitting the canvas.
To complete the introduction, I had voice actors play the role of a boxing trainer and nurse, whilst layering in royalty free sound effects of a boxing bell, ear ringing, a heartbeat and a heartbeat monitor, all of which can be seen below.
When put together, my introduction told the story of a fighter that was knocked unconscious during a spar, and subsequently woke up in hospital to the news that they had sustained a bleed on the brain.
My intention was to foreshadow what the documentary would go on to discuss, whilst also providing an unconventional start to the documentary that would create intrigue.
Getting creative with what was around me was essential in producing Fight Smart, whilst it goes without saying in a radio documentary the small added touches can really help elevate the piece into a more immersive listen.
Using Zoom and Phone Recordings for Interviews
Zoom has been an absolute revelation during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing people to stay connected and continue working whilst remaining isolated. Similarly, the ability to remotely record interviews was a saving grace for this project.
However, whilst it proved a blessing, it was also in some senses a curse. When editing my interviews, I found that there was an increased amount of cuts that needed to be made to edit out glitches in speech caused by the internet connection fluctuating.
Additionally, I found that during my interview with neurologist Ellen Boucher, her audio dropped out on multiple occasions, often while she was giving valuable explanations that could have been key to my project.
For my last interview with Robert Smith, I recorded it on campus using Burli. As this was a phone interview, I found the line to be very crackly and although it was still audible, it did make it more difficult to execute smooth edits.
To overcome this I had to be incredibly precise with where I made my cuts, and try to lose any jumpy cuts by fading the endings of words out.
Working to a Seven-Minute Time Constraint
With each of my interviewees giving me well clear of ten minutes of incredibly insightful answers, it was always going to be a struggle to make it to the seven-minute time limit.
After making my initial cuts of clips that I felt were less valuable and removing filler words and pauses I was still at a total of 21 minutes.
This was actually one of the biggest challenge that I faced whilst creating Fight Smart, as I had to cut audio that added value to my documentary to reach the target time. It also felt like I was doing the interviewee's a bit of a disservice by only using a fraction of the answers that they had provided.
After about four to five revisions of the whole piece, I managed to reduce the documentary to the final cut of 7 minutes and 12 seconds. This required me substituting a lot of the information given in quotes with my own links to give a more concise account of the information.
Finding the Right Music
The struggle to keep my documentary around the seven-minute mark actually impacted my ability to find music that worked with the documentary.
Due to the fact that I wanted to include as much of my interviewee's content as possible, I spoke at quite a fast pace during my links. This meant that I had to find music with a low BPM so that it didn't sound like my narration was competing with the music that I chose.
This also had to be consistent in tone with what was being said by my interviewee's. Whilst the content provided by Cam Taylor was mostly reflective and emotional, I didn't want to select music that sounded overly dramatic.
I eventually decided on four different tracks, adjusting the volume during moments that I felt particularly needed music to draw attention to the quote and set the scene.
Working During a Pandemic
This is by no means an issue that is exclusive to this project - millions around the world have had to persist with much more tasking work during these strange times, with no ones life left unaltered by Covid-19.
For me, this meant that for the most part of the project I have been working on my own at home, with limited access to support over Christmas due to everyone taking a well-deserved break.
This also entailed using my own laptop to edit the whole project, which is significantly worse than the equipment that I would have been able to use on campus.
However, despite everything that has happened this year, I have managed to produce a documentary that I'm proud of, and that I am excited to share in the very near future.
To listen to the finished project, keep your eyes peeled on the Fight Smart social media channels over the next few days.