Gina Eisenhut Journalism and Public Relations With a Side of Sports Management. AUDIO: Do you wanna build a snowman? (https://ginaeisenhut.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/edited.jpg) FROZEN SMILE: Even after experiencing one of the coldest winters in recent history, Edwin Chow, a California native, finds something to smile about amidst the many inches of snow. (Photo by Gina Eisenhut) https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 1/6
GEisenhut Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? Share Cookie policy WEB BLURB: Most students grumble about snow. But not HU student Edwin Chow. After his first snowfall, the California native sprinted outside and built his first snowman. By Gina Eisenhut INTRODUCTION: You ve probably seen Edwin Chow, possibly disguised as a chicken, a hot dog, or a sumo wrestler, around the Huntington University campus. [Music fades in] This California native, while wearing his signature lobster costume, fell right into snow literally when he saw his first snowfall as a freshman. Gina Eisenhut has the story on how Chow brings a refreshing perspective on the dreariness of winter and why this first snowy winter fell short of his expectations. [Music fades out] GINA EISENHUT: When freshman Edwin Chow left California for the Midwest, he was facing a major change in weather. EDWIN CHOW: I lived in San Jose, California. We don t get snow, like, at all. EISENHUT: The coldest temperature Chow can remember experiencing before moving to Indiana is 45 degrees. The only information he knew about cold weather when becoming a Forester was what he learned by watching television and movies. CHOW: You see Disney movies, Family Channel movies, and there s always snow. You don t really know how to react to that. I didn t think I was missing anything. https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 2/6
EISENHUT: Chow also wasn t prepared to trek across campus in the cold weather. At home, he said the coldest days only required a hooded sweatshirt. CHOW: Honestly, I wore seven t-shirts at one point because I didn t have a winter coat yet. EISENHUT: Chow saw his first snowfall when leaving the Huntington Youth For Christ building after volunteering during fall semester 2013. CHOW: The first time I saw snow, I was in my lobster costume. I got a couple texts from my friends saying, It s snowing outside. So, I read my texts as I m walking, and I just see this white stuff falling from the sky, and I m like, It s snowing! EISENHUT: Chow said he screamed and ran around. CHOW:I slipped and fell on my butt. EISENHUT: Eager to participate in all of the snow-related activities he had heard about in the weeks leading up to the first snowfall, he rode with some friends back to HU. CHOW: I was racing up and down the stairs, saying like, It s snowing, It s snowing! People thought I was weird, staring at me, and I was like, Do you want to go outside and play? Everyone said no. I texted Olivia. EISENHUT: Chow met Olivia Knipsel in February 2013, when they both were interviewed for the Horizon Leadership scholarship at HU. On that rare February day, the HU grounds were bare of snow. Knipsel recalls running into a confused Chow. OLIVIA KNIPSEL: When I first met him, me and some other kids were talking about two-hour delays, and he was sitting there and asked, What s a two-hour delay? And I just started dying. EISENHUT: Chow admitted to Knipsel that he had never seen snow before, and she tried to explain it to him that day. He continued to question her about it during the 2013 fall semester, when the two continued their friendship. KNIPSEL: We talked about it (snow) a lot until it actually happened. EISENHUT: When Chow asked Knipsel, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native, to play in the snow, she wasn t initially excited. KNIPSEL: In my head, I m like, Ugh, it s cold, and I don t have any snow clothes. But I went out anyways, and he was so excited. So, I come downstairs, and he has on all of this stuff that I think he owns, because he told me he didn t own, like, anything. He had to go to the store and buy a big coat and mittens. EISENHUT: The pair headed out to the dock by the dining commons to engage in Chow s first snow adventure. CHOW: We were out by the dock, and there wasn t that much snow, but I was able to make four little snowmen. (laughs) https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 3/6
(https://ginaeisenhut.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/edwin-with-snowmen.jpg) SNOW FAMILY: Chow poses with the snowmen he and Knipsel made after the first snowfall during the winter of their freshmen year. (Photo provided) KNIPSEL: We always said, like, when it snows, we ll make a snowman, when it snows, we ll make a snowman. I had to show him how a snowman is supposed to be the biggest one on bottom, then a middle one, then a little one. He got the hang of it pretty fast. EISENHUT: Knipsel also taught Chow how to make a snowball and a snow angel, and she explained other snow activities Chow said that he grew up learning about but never had the chance to experience. CHOW: The first day was just one of the top ten happiest moments of my life. (https://ginaeisenhut.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/img_6627.jpg) FROSTED FRUIT: Chow poses in his homemade bunch of grapes costume on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Chow attends classes every Friday in a different costume. (Photo by Gina Eisenhut) EISENHUT: After multiple days of negative degree weather and heavy snowfalls, Chow still claims to love the snow. CHOW: I still enjoy it a lot. How I see it, it s an illustration of God s grace to us, how God s grace is continually pouring and stacks upon and makes inches and inches, feets and feets. That s kind of how God s grace is and how each snowflake is individualized, just like how there s grace for each and every single individual in this Earth. https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 4/6
EISENHUT: Chow also said that, even when he walks down the windy central sidewalk through campus and snow pelts him in the face, he still appreciates snow. Enter another analogy. CHOW: How I came to faith was I was pelted with grace. So it s kind of like ow, but at the same time, it s like yay. (laughs) EISENHUT: Knipsel explained that Chow has used his metaphors frequently, and she thinks he simply applied something he knew to an unfamiliar concept. KNIPSEL: That line in that song He washes your sin as white as snow, I think he took that very literally, so whenever he talks about snow, he usually talks about how it just comes down until everything that was dirty is white again. EISENHUT: Despite his optimistic metaphors and disposition, Chow, who drew conclusions from movies, was disappointed in how other HU students reacted to snow this year. CHOW: I assumed it would be all cheery and happy, like everyone would be outside every single day and play in it. KNIPSEL: He did have high expectations. I think he had a little bit of a misconception. EISENHUT: This is Gina Eisenhut, reporting for the Huntingtonian. Reflecting on the Learning Experience of Creating the Audio Story For this two-person interview audio story, I completed several steps to reach the final product. After thinking of a topic, I prepared a few interview questions for the main interviewee of the piece, Edwin Chow, and asked him on the main sidewalk through campus if he would be interested in being interviewed. I then checked out a ZoomKit recorder from the school library and used it to record my interview with Edwin. During the interview, I sought insight on his first snowy winter and how he regarded snow and HU students perspectives of it. After the interview, I took a photograph of Edwin in the snow. Later, I took another photo of him in one of his costumes. While interviewing Edwin, he mentioned Olivia Knipsel, who I did not know before the interview, several times, so I approached her in the dining commons to set up an interview. I then prepared a few questions and interviewed her about her perspective on Edwin s first encounter with snow. I also asked her to email me a photo she had of Edwin from his first snowfall. Based off these two interviews, I created a script for the piece that I presented in class. Once it was approved, I recorded my voice-overs and an introduction with Thommy Brown on the ZoomKit recorder. Finally, I downloaded Audacity and opened each interview and voiceover and began piecing together the story based on the script approved in class. I added a bit of music from a website online that provided public domain music. When I was finished editing, I downloaded LAME for Mac online in order to convert the file to an mp3 file that the Huntingtontian can use. I learned a lot about Audacity and broadcasting in the process of completing this project. Starting the project was intimidating because I have no background or experience in broadcasting or editing audio. I also had no prior experience with ZoomKit recorders. However, by conducting interviews using one, I learned about the settings on the device, including input volume and how to record in stereo mode. I also learned how to transfer audio from the device to my computer. Because of this project, I feel that I have a basic and solid https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 5/6
grasp on the ZoomKit recorder and feel confident in using it in future endeavors. I know see it as a useful tool for all journalists, not just broadcasters. By conducting interviews, I also learned the importance of avoiding verbal cues. In one place of my interview with Olivia, I interjected, which caused more difficulties while editing audio later. Through the interview with Edwin, I learned about the importance of checking the sound before completing an entire interview. I discovered upon playback that there was a heater that created a humming in the background of his interview. However, I decided to continue with the interview that I had, because I liked the genuineness of his responses and quotes. This first experience with recording will help me in the future, and it helped me find quieter atmospheres for the remaining interview and introduction for this story. I also found an expressive voice within myself, and although I am using irritated at the playback of my voice, I felt confident in the end result after using tips found in the class readings. Also, I learned a great deal about Audacity. I had never used Audacity before this story, and I am grateful for the experience this project created. I also feel that I have a strong understanding of how to use Audacity now, and I feel prepared and excited to use it in future pieces. I learned to put together different voices, or interviews, by layering separate tracks, a concept I was unfamiliar with before this experience. I also now understand how to cut out bits of an interview from a comment. I also learned about the amplify feature, because I used it in a few areas where Edwin s voice was quiet, and I had to increase his volume. However, in some places, the amplify feature distorted Edwin s words, so I learned that I must lower the volume of my voiceovers to accommodate his voice. I also learned about public domain music and its regulations, such as the thirtysecond limit. I can use this knowledge in future audio stories. Although this piece was challenging and forced me out of my comfort zone, I am thankful for an experience that I actually ended up enjoying because it broadened my horizons and contributes to my goal of becoming a multimedia and well-seasoned journalist. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. The Adelle Theme. https://ginaeisenhut.wordpress.com/publications/audio-story-script/ 6/6