Auntie Zoe's Show (2023)

Runtime: 9 minutes | Language: English

Synopsis

"Auntie Zoe’s Show" is a (mock) comedy talk show hosted by the over-the-top and unfiltered Auntie Zoe. What begins as a chaotic and unprepared start quickly transforms into an unpredictable episode filled with cheeky banter and accidental confessions.

For my Studio Production module, this assignment was to facilitate a multi-cam live recorded production. In my group of 12 members, I took on the role of sound mixer. My main responsibilities were to balance audio to appropriate levels for the recording, and to cue live sound effects and music. In mixing the audio elements, I had to monitor the levels of the various channels - the four WMIC controls for the four wireless microphones used, CD for the live sound effects and music from my laptop, and VTR for the audio from the computer graphics and commercial, as well as the overall master output levels. For audio cues, I had to be alert to ensure that the sound effects and the starting and ending points of music match the talents’ lines that are supposed to yield the respective tracks.

Music also needed to be monitored in length and volume, with certain tracks like the game music to be adjusted during its playing, and checking to ensure the track will not finish before the point it is supposed to, in the case of potentially extended sequences. Other responsibilities were to start up the sound room by setting Stereo Master to 0, adjusting MON for the volume of speakers in the sound room, PD in Layer 3 for the volume of speakers in the main control room, as well as to set up the lavalier microphones and ensure they are appropriately secured onto the talents for suitable audio detection.

To gather audio tracks, I explored widely on the free-resource website Pixabay, first considering whether the quality and tone were suitable to the scenes, then editing them by trimming, lengthening, combining, or adjusting the pitch of the audio tracks to match the pacing of the scenes and to produce the greatest effect above other possible but less impactful tracks.