Having read many theoretical articles on gender and technology, I kind of knew what was going to happen, but I think this is a story that everyone should hear. Technology, and video games in particular, are having very real impacts upon the way we perceive, construct, and project identity and gender and this piece illustrates that very nicely. The interviewee alludes to that fact in his statement about "reality and fiction." This means he has thought about this story in detail - he's a better interviewee because of it. Great piece, nice use of sound and music. Well done.
This piece covers some pretty interesting characters. I think what would make it really stelar would be some quotes from some of them, although I realize they may be hard to find.
The only reason this probably is better for the Internet than the radio is because the Flash presentation adds so much to it! The piece is very impressionistic, visually and aurally, but it really makes clear the double nature of the fair - the day-time fair and the night-time fair. This is accentuated by slightly different visual styles in the day and night Flash sections. What I really like about this piece is the ambiguity in the narrator's tone, which is something that I've always felt towards the fair. You just don't know what to make of it sometimes and all you can do is watch and observe. In that way, I felt like I could empathize with this piece very much. There are also some great moments where the "actualities" sync up with the narration to underscore important parts.
The characters truly are wonderful in this piece. The production work is rich. There are many different voices, but each manages to stay distinct, and so the piece is very dynamic and achieves most of its power from these different voices. I was particularly surprised by how well the reading of Phil's letters worked - having a relative read them was really a much better idea than having an actor do it. It seems to add an amount of self-reflexivity to the production (by keeping it all "in the family") that so many of these kind of personal narratives seem to lack. Great work.
Comments by Michael Nutt
Comment for "A Disturbance in the Force"
Michael Nutt
Posted on October 15, 2004 at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
Having read many theoretical articles on gender and technology, I kind of knew what was going to happen, but I think this is a story that everyone should hear. Technology, and video games in particular, are having very real impacts upon the way we perceive, construct, and project identity and gender and this piece illustrates that very nicely. The interviewee alludes to that fact in his statement about "reality and fiction." This means he has thought about this story in detail - he's a better interviewee because of it. Great piece, nice use of sound and music. Well done.
Comment for "Little Known Presidential Candidates"
Michael Nutt
Posted on October 15, 2004 at 12:06 PM | Permalink
Review of Little Known Presidential Candidates
This piece covers some pretty interesting characters. I think what would make it really stelar would be some quotes from some of them, although I realize they may be hard to find.
Comment for "The Fair"
Michael Nutt
Posted on May 11, 2004 at 06:21 PM | Permalink
Review of The Fair
The only reason this probably is better for the Internet than the radio is because the Flash presentation adds so much to it! The piece is very impressionistic, visually and aurally, but it really makes clear the double nature of the fair - the day-time fair and the night-time fair. This is accentuated by slightly different visual styles in the day and night Flash sections. What I really like about this piece is the ambiguity in the narrator's tone, which is something that I've always felt towards the fair. You just don't know what to make of it sometimes and all you can do is watch and observe. In that way, I felt like I could empathize with this piece very much. There are also some great moments where the "actualities" sync up with the narration to underscore important parts.
Comment for "Sweet Phil from Sugar Hill"
Michael Nutt
Posted on May 04, 2004 at 06:54 AM | Permalink
Review of Sweet Phil from Sugar Hill
The characters truly are wonderful in this piece. The production work is rich. There are many different voices, but each manages to stay distinct, and so the piece is very dynamic and achieves most of its power from these different voices. I was particularly surprised by how well the reading of Phil's letters worked - having a relative read them was really a much better idea than having an actor do it. It seems to add an amount of self-reflexivity to the production (by keeping it all "in the family") that so many of these kind of personal narratives seem to lack. Great work.
Comment for "The Zildjian Cymbal Tester"
Michael Nutt
Posted on April 25, 2004 at 08:34 PM | Permalink
Review of The Zildjian Cymbal Tester
A short piece that might be good for a show on sounds, drums, or strange jobs.