“Vox pop,” from the Latin phrase “vox populi,” means “voice of the people.” In the context of media-making and storytelling, the vox pop is used to hear many different answers to the same question. In this workshop we’ll use the Vox Pop as an entry point to learn the concepts and methods behind interviewing, audio-recording and audio-editing. We’ll also talk about how vox pops and other audio stories can be shared through podcasting and other audio-based platforms.
We’ll begin with an introduction to the Vermont Folklife Center’s work and our approach to cultural research and media production. Participants will be invited to discuss their own projects (prospective or in progress) and the ways VFC staff and resources might offer support or guidance. Then we’ll explore the range of tools, technologies, and methods involved in collecting audio field recordings and interviews.
You’ll put your skills to work immediately as we hit the streets to practice interviewing folks around Middlebury, and then come back and begin the process of editing your Vox Pop recordings into a short audio piece. By the end of the day you will have learned the basics of interviewing, audio recording and editing as well as ideas for how to share and distribute your audio. You will have a new set of skills and connections to bring to your personal or community projects.
Vox Pop and Audio Storytelling is intended for anyone interested in developing collaborative documentary or digital storytelling skills. This includes students, community members, staff members of organizations doing cultural, community and social-service work or anyone looking to make a first effort at media production. No prior experience is needed. The VFC will provide all necessary equipment; if you have your own equipment that you prefer to use, you are welcome to bring it.
Instructor: Mary Wesley, audio producer and host of the VFC's podcast - "VT Untapped"
Vox Pop and Audio Storytelling will be held at the Vermont Folklife Center in downtown Middlebury. Attendance is limited to 14 participants. Tuition is $95 ($55/students). You may also register by calling the Vermont Folklife Center at (802) 388-4964.
If you cancel up to seven days before the event, we will issue a refund minus a $10 fee.
This workshop is a part of the Vermont Folklife Center’s Cultural Sustainability Institute series. Cultural Sustainability provides a framework for examining human experience in the present with an awareness of the past and a view toward the future.