Maria Eugenia Jelincic
Many local women's groups are making slideshows as part of their process of self-education, to communicate and to promote discussion within their communities on the issues they are concerned about. Women's groups in many countries have very interesting experiences to share. In Latin America, for example, groups of women peasants and poor urban women, who have found it very difficult to find a space within other media to communicate their points of view, are doing so through the use of slideshows and through their collective methods of making and using these.
What is a slideshow and why are we especially interested in this particular kind of audiovisual? A slideshow (also called a slide-tape show) is an audiovisual consisting of a series of slides synchronized with a sound track which is recorded on a tape or cassette. We are particularly interested in it because it is the audiovisual most within the reach of local groups. Compared to films or videotapes, slideshows need, to start with, fewer financial resources, simpler equipment and less specialized knowledge to make them. Making a slideshow can also be a good training, an appropriate first step in learning to communicate through audiovisuals. Later on, if the group feels the need and can find the resources, video can be used for communication. Film is more difficult to use at this level due to its high cost and the complicated processes of producing a film.
The Technical Resources Needed
To make a slideshow, the following equipment is needed: a 35 mm camera, rolls of film for slides, and a light table for studying and organizing the slides according to the script. The camera should preferably have a 50 mm lens. This lens is commonly considered standard and is more versatile and less specialized than other lenses. It is thus the most appropriate lens for those with few resources. Later we might want to add a telephoto lens which brings things closer, as well as a wide angle lens which allows us to get everything into the picture even at a short distance. We would need this lens, for instance, to photograph all the participants at a meeting which is being held in a small place (although we would still have to be careful not to get so close as to deform the faces of the people). An electronic flash is also very useful in helping us improve the quality of the pictures taken indoors. It can also help to compensate the sunlight outside, eliminating undesired shadows.
The images used in a slideshow do not have to be photographs. They can also be small drawings on transparent paper which can be placed within slide frames. The drawings should be simple and sharp and the colors should be strong because when they are projected the colors will be weaker and all the defects will be magnified. Using this system, we can make a series of educational drawings, tell stories and so on.
For the sound, it is possible to have a commentary which is not recorded but read during the showing of the slides. Recording the sound, however, gives us the possibility to enrich the slideshow. Recorded sound can consist simply of a narrative or of a more elaborate sound track with dialogue, interviews, music and sound effects. To make simple mixtures of sounds, we need at least one or two tape recorders and a microphone, preferably an independent one rather than one incorporated into the recorder. For more perfect and complicated sound, greater technical resources are needed. For this it will probably be necessary to get the assistance of a sound studio to do the mixing.
We will now look at the step-by-step process to be followed in the production of a slideshow and give some practical suggestions about this.
The Theme
The ideas for a slideshow can be many: to raise questions about everyday situations considered normal; to make the results of research more widely known in a simple way; to aid in teaching technical subjects or in campaigns, such as literacy or health campaigns; to produce short programs for motivating reflection about the contents of songs, poems and testimonies exemplifying certain situations; and much more. Probably at the start we will have too many ideas and it is likely that they will be vague. The first step, then, is to try to define as precisely as possible the theme we want to develop and to delimit it in accordance with our objectives. In doing this, we need to keep in mind our audience and the characteristics of the audiovisual we are going to use. In other words, we need to answer the following questions: What do we want to say? To whom do we want to say it? What are our objectives? What means are we going to use? The answers to these questions will help us to make the first delimitation of the theme we are going to be dealing with.
The Research
It is usually not possible to determine the central aspects of a theme when we have just begun to work on it. To reach this stage, it is necessary to think about it, to compare our opinions with those of others, to look for other sources of information. Through researching the theme, we can test out whether our ideas on a given issue are right or not. Many aspects which may seem important on first thought may turn out to be secondary. This phase of the work will give us the elements to make judgments and to interpret more exactly that part of reality we want to express in the audiovisual. At the same time we will be selecting the most significant aspects and examples which will contribute to reinforcing the content of our message.
Research on a theme which is going to be presented in the form of an audiovisual must also be done audiovisually. This means that, in addition to gathering theoretical information about an issue, we must carefully look at and listen to all that is happening and how it is happening in the area of our interest. For example, we should observe how people behave, their gestures, the objects surrounding them; we should listen to the noises in the environment, the silences, the music that accompanies given situations. It is also important to take into account the subjective aspects, our feelings about the situation.
We must always keep in mind that audiovisuals are concrete media, not discursive ones. The images document reality; they prove what we say. The sounds create an appropriate atmosphere for what we want to communicate. As we do the research, we will be making notes. We will be noting down ideas, images and sounds, both real ones and those created by our imaginations. All these elements will be very useful to us when we come to the stage of the script writing.
The Outline
When we have gathered all the information we need and have sufficiently discussed it and clarified the concepts we want to convey, we go on to making an outline of the audiovisual: a complete and solid skeleton with a logical development. The central ideas and the aspects or concrete examples which reinforce these ideas will stand out in the outline. The more complete the outline, the more organized its contents, the easier it will be to complete the phase of script writing, during which these points will be developed and we will begin to give form to the audiovisual.
The Script
The script is the written guide for the audiovisual we are producing and our final product depends in large measure upon it. The first thing to remember in making a script is that this is being written not for a product that is going to be read, but for one that is going to be viewed and listened to. In writing the script, then, we must use audiovisual language. Audiovisual language is constructed by combining the different elements contained in the images (light, position of objects, color, etc.) and the sounds (words, music, and sound effects). We arrange and combine these elements in the script according to our theme and how we want to develop it.
The error most frequently committed in making scripts is to base their development on a long and often extensive commentary which is then illustrated with images. This is not audiovisual language. At most this is a lecture illustrated with slides. It is very important to remember that audiovisual language holds far more possibilities than this to depict reality. The image should be the predominant element and the texts should preferably be concise and synthetic.
How do we structure a script? A script is based on shots and sequences of given duration. Just as written language is made up of words and sentences, audiovisual language is constructed with shots and sequences. We could say that a shot corresponds to a word and a sequence to a sentence. In a slideshow, each slide corresponds to a shot. A sequence is a series of slides which have a common unifying element; for example, a single action, the same place, etc. A sequence is an audiovisual "sentence."
It is important to remember, moreover, that for every shot there is a precise corresponding sound or silence, which is not there by chance but because this combination gives a piece of information. Take an example: I have a slide showing a man playing a trumpet. If this image is accompanied by the notes of a trumpet, it clearly gives me the information that a man is playing a trumpet. If, instead, I add to this slide the sounds of a man puffing away at the trumpet with no notes coming out of it and if in the background there is the noise of laughter from an imaginary crowd, the meaning is very different than that conveyed by the first combination.
In writing the script we need to take maximum advantage of the possibilities offered by the type of media we are using as well as abide by its limitations. A slideshow has fixed images. To try to imitate the movement given by a film or a video would be a mistake. The attempt to supply this movement with a bombardment of images often results only in bewildering and confusing the viewer. A slideshow does not lend itself to very long programs either. As a general rule, a slideshow should not be longer than thirty minutes. The time given to projecting each slide should not be less than six seconds or more than fifteen, again as a general rule.
When the script is completed, the various elements composing it are singled out in order to organize the production of the slideshow: we look at how to get the best photographs, where to take them, how to make the graphics and drawings if these are needed; we look for appropriate music and sound effects; we separate the pieces of the interviews; we see about who is going to read the commentary and how it should be interpreted. The production must be very carefully organized.
The Images
A common practice in producing a slideshow is to think immediately about taking the photographs. Taking the photographs before producing the script often results in a slideshow with general images and increases the costs as we will probably take many more photographs than needed, many more than if we follow the guidelines of the script. Working on the basis of a script enables us to take photographs that express more precisely what we want to say. Of course, if some significant event takes place, nothing prevents us from taking photographs that we might eventually use, even if we do not yet have the script.
The images for a slideshow can come from different sources. We can take pictures from real life itself or we can make partial or total copies of images found in books or magazines. The images can also be drawings. It is important that the images are clear and simple. When we use collages or very complicated graphics or include long sentences in the slides we run the risk that the information will not be understood.
When we take a photograph we are choosing a part of reality as seen through a certain frame. Everything within the frame is information. When we are taking slides for an audiovisual, we must remember that the function of each shot is to convey certain narrative elements for the development of the slideshow's theme. Ideally, there should be neither anything lacking nor superfluous in a shot. Each element in it is information and gives meaning to the image. To the degree that these elements correspond to what we want to say, we should include or eliminate them from the frame.
The choice of distances for the shots is another aspect of taking photographs. This choice must correspond to the development of the narrative. There are different distances: long distance, medium distance, foreground, close-up, etc. A general view of a meeting does not say the same thing as a shot of a single person or only the face of this person. Shots of different distances also give variety and richness of expression to the slideshow.
The angle of the shot is another resource for expression. Depending on the angle, we can highlight or minimize objects and persons. For example, if we photograph things from below, they appear larger. We will get the opposite effect if we photograph from above. The photographs should be taken horizontally, as a general rule. Shifting from horizontal to vertical images is disturbing.
A slideshow is built slide by slide. In taking the photographs we must pay attention to the logical elements which give continuity to the action and to those which create breaks when needed. For example, a person should not appear dressed differently from one slide to the next if these continue to show the same action. We can show a break in the time, on the other hand, by changing the clothes of the people from one shot to another.
Paying attention to these details will make the assembling phase much easier and will result in a better slideshow.
The Assembling
To assemble a slideshow, we need, ideally, a light table and a magnifying glass for slides. Once the slides have been developed, we go on to select and organize them according to the indications of the script, making sure that the relationship between them corresponds to the message we want to convey. We must take care, for example, that they follow the progression of the story; that the passage from one image to another is appropriate and avoids meaningless contrasts. We must make sure that there is a logical development in the sequences and that these are made up of shots of different distances, while still maintaining a balanced and simple presentation. During the assembling, when we have the slides in front of us, new aspects always emerge. This is what makes this stage of the work so fascinating.
When the assembling is completed, the slides are numbered. They should always be marked in the lower lefthand corner to facilitate placing them into the slide trays correctly and avoid upside-down and backward images during the showing.
The Sound
The sound track can be simple or complex. When there are few technical resources available, it is better to simplify it as much as possible, since it is essential that the sound be easily understood.
The sound track can be composed of different elements, including: spoken commentary (readings or parts of interviews), music, and sound effects (for example, the noise of rain, a baby crying, laughter, etc.).
There are two basic phases in making the sound track: the recording and the mixing of the sound. The recording consists of registering the various sounds individually. The mixing consists of combining these various sounds together.
In recording each of the sounds needed, we must be careful that these are understandable and "clean"; i.e., that they do not include disturbing noises. We have to take special care when we are making interviews, particularly outdoors, if we want to use the original sounds, the more so if our microphones do not cut out background noises. If the noises in the environment do not interfere with understanding the interviews, we can include them in the sound track. However, there should be no extraneous noises in recording the commentary. The commentary must be clean and clear and should be read with a dynamic and understandable rhythm and with an intonation which gives meaning to what is being expressed.
To choose the music and sound effects, we must study the script with care. It is best to try out the sounds together with the images before recording them to see whether or not they give the desired effect. Depending on the context in which they are used, the sound effects can contribute to giving a feeling of reality or of drama. In some cases they can help give a feeling of movement. For example, if we add to a slide of a train standing in a station the sound of a train whistle and mix this with the noise of a departing train, we can give the sensation of movement to this fixed image.
The choice of music is important for a slideshow. As with sound effects, music can help create an atmosphere, emphasize emotional states and give rhythm and dynamism to the program. It is best to record the music and sound effects in the order that they are going to be used and to remember that the duration of each sound must correspond to the duration of the image that it will accompany.
When we mix two or more sounds together, the sound level of each must correspond to its function. For example, when the commentary is accompanied by music, the music must be softer so that it does not interfere with understanding the words. A good sound track should not be confused with an overloaded one. Mixing sounds of commentaries, music, and sound effects without adjusting the sound levels will lead to confusing and bewildering the listener. Sometimes music alone is sufficient to give the effect we want. A sound track is effective when each of its parts has been chosen and used in the right amounts, according to the effects and meaning these are intended to give. Another aspect not to be neglected is the shift from one sound to another. These shifts can also give significance to the slideshow.
The sound track plays an important part in giving dynamism and rhythm to the slideshow. To achieve a rhythm, the duration of each sound effect and each piece of music must agree with the images it accompanies. In certain cases, it is best to adjust the duration of the image to that of the music.
The Final Product
We have reached the final phase. We have a series of slides properly mounted, and we have the sound track. Now we have to project the images, turn on the recorder and see how it goes. We will probably have to make some final adjustments in the timing and rhythm for the slideshow to be perfectly synchronized. If some of the details have not come out as we had hoped, it is still possible to change them. Finally, we must indicate the exact moment in which each slide has to be changed. If this is to be done manually, we must prepare a clear text so that the person projecting the slides will know when to make the change. We can also indicate the changes with an audible or inaudible signal if we have the necessary equipment to do so.
Now let us go back to the beginning and start at step one, choosing the theme. The actual experience of making the audiovisual will result in many more suggestions than we have been able to give in these few lines.
