Audio Slideshow Analysis
Jilian Whitehead
I did an analysis on the audio slideshow Exploring Oman’s beauty spots, which I found on the BBC site. The story features explorer Ali Husain, who is a Kuwaiti petroleum engineer based in the sultanate of Oman. He takes pictures of his land and shares them on Instagram to other outdoor lovers. He now leads others on trips to explore and connect with nature and escape from their daily lives and the conflict of politics.
There is ambient music throughout the piece, which help to augment the pictures and the feeling of nature. The audio quality of Husain, however, is muffled, and it’s sometimes hard to make out what he’s saying. I assume they were going for a more natural sound to his voice, because there were a few instances of stuttering or “ums.” I think that the use of music vs. Husain’s narration could have been streamlined a bit more. The music gets loud when Husain’s not talking, then immediately quiets when starts to speak. A smoother fade-in/fade-out would help with the transitions.
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The pictures seem to be well-composed and are very beautiful, but the quality can be a little low and sometimes grainy. However, the essence of the pictures works with the story and help you appreciate the beauty of the nature being shown.
At the time this story was posted, which was Nov. 2014, this story probably would’ve had a more timely element, due to the political state of the country at the time. It would’ve been an interesting piece that highlighted the peaceful nature of the land, despite its conflicts.
The story structure starts with Husain talking about nature, his role of explorer, and the fact that he was surprised that people didn’t know about all the nature right behind them. That prompted him to explore the untouched places and post his pictures, which then brought other people together to explore and destress in the natural environment. He claims that the point of the trips isn’t just to be a walk in the park, but to go beyond human capability and to connect with the nature that society has been divided from. The structure loosely follows the Five-Frame Photo Story in the book, with Husain establishing his character and location, the current scenario of his story and his conclusion of nature’s empowering impact on society.
I think this story works well as an audio slideshow. While the picture quality and audio quality aren’t top-of-the-line, what is being featured through sound and image still manage to captive the viewer and pull them into the landscape of Oman.
