Diamond Shoals Productions | Jesse Dukes

December 11th, 2023

7:30 PM CDT
90 Minutes

$45

Can you say you always come away from an interview with “good tape”? I can’t. I don’t know any audio storyteller who would honestly answer “Yes” to that question.

“Good tape” has an inneffable quality. We know we need it. We know when we hear it. But it’s hard to define, and it’s impossible to ensure we’ll get “good tape” every time we do an interview.

Good Tape and How To Get It is an examination of the question of what we even mean when we say “good tape”. The course will present examples and interview practices most of us could stand to work on. We’ll talk about techniques for helping interviewees relax and be in the moment during interviews. We’ll talk about developing a practice around what works for you. And we’ll make time for discussion and storytelling so everybody in the class can share experiences about what has and hasn’t worked. 

There is no magical set of interviewing techniques that lead inexorably to good tape, and over time, you’ll develop your own approach. But there are habits of practice and thought that will up your odds.

Pre-requisite: You should be familiar with the basics of field recording. We will briefly discuss the technical aspects of getting good tape, but the focus will be more on the social intangibles of conducting an interview.