Final design

I decided to choose a combination of my first and second design. I will follow the basic idea of my second design, but only use audio and cut the time down to about 7-8mn as using video will most certainly prove a hassle. Here is a quick view of this design:

Number of episodes: 1
Audio or video: Audio
Length of episode: 7-8 mn
Scripted or unscripted: Partly scripted/partly unscripted
Breakdown of episode:

• 2 or 3 seconds video shots of various teens saying "Hello. I'm a jock. I'm a nerd. etc. etc. etc." (Scripted)
  
• Switchover to myself on video, explaining how many teenagers are categorized into groups, a fact that is accepted as "common knowledge" by most teens (Scripted).
  
• Quick interview of people defining themselves as belonging to a certain stereotype and how their daily life is affected by this characterization (Unscripted).
  
• Switchover to myself, explaining how many teenagers don't fit inside any of these groups which are often more of a fashion statement than a way of living (Scripted).
  
• Short scripted interview of someone who believes they don't belong to any stereotype, and who thinks many other people don't either (Scripted).
  
• Credits for all the people who were interviewed.

I decided on this design for a number of reasons. Looking at other podcasts, I enjoyed the short, various ones more than the sitcoms ones (see 60-seconds Science or Muggle Cast posts). I usually end up making very long projects, but listening to these podcasts I realized how important it is to keep it concise, if you want to maintain the viewer's attention. I also thought that the second design was the most diverse as it involved interviews, explanations and other various ways of conveying the information.

I decided to cut out the video because I realized it did not actually serve a purpose. By having an audio podcast, I make my podcast more accessible to people who want to listen to a podcast while walking in the streets, for example. This will also allow me to focus more on the sound quality instead of trying to make the video work.

Here are my design specifications for my final product:

• My podcast must be between 7-8 mn long (not shorter or longer)
• The sound must be perfectly clear and audible
  
• The transitions between the interviews and the other parts must seem natural
• The podcast must accurately reflect teenager stereotypes
• I will use at least 1 picture for each section and 1 for each interview

In order to record my podcast, I have a number of options. From what I gathered of my classmates on their fictional interviews, using an external microphone connected to your computer gives the best sound quality. The disadvantage of this will be that I have to record in school, as I do not have an external mike at home. The second option would be to record using a phone or another mobile device, which gives me more options as to where to record but sacrifizes the sound quality. My third option is to use the microphone I have at home, which would allow me to work more on the podcast while I am away from home, but will have the counterpart of both limited mobility and bad sound quality.

As for sound software, I also have a number of options. I could use "My Podcast Recorder", which gives you very few options but is straightforward to use. I could record using Skype, which has the advantage of letting me interview people who are not necessarily in my school. I could also record with Audacity, certainly the software with the most editing options. I would however have to check whether or not it is installed in school. For the assembling, I can use Windows Movie Maker to put together the slide show or JayCut. Movie Maker is simple to use, but it is very limited when it comes to options. JayCut gives more freedom but being an online editor, uploading and downloading the videos will take a long time.

Overall, I think that my best choice of recording options would be to use the microphones in school with Audacity, and assemble everything in Movie Maker. I do not really need to interview people outside of my class; if I want to, I can always have one interview on Skype at my own house, in which case the sound quality will depend on the hardware of my interviewee. Movie Maker also provides a large enough number of options considering I only want to put in a few pictures for the class slideshow.