Unscripted Audio

I have researched dialect, idiolect and sociolect in preparation for animating unscripted audio. This way I can analyse language so I can exaggerate elements of speech visually during the animation process.

For my Final Major Project, I want to create an animation using unscripted audio, similar to the animation project where I animated an old family video. Inspired by Mr Madila, and Creature Comforts, I’m drawn to the comedy drawn out by organic conversation.

 

The particular way a person talks is called an idiolect. The idiolect of the two pilots in the sketch is a surprising mix of Received Pronunciation with Multicultural London English expression. A good exercise is to identify the idiolect of yourself and your friends. To do this you need to notice:

• Words: what do people say when something is really good – or really bad?
• Expressions: are there any particular phrases or expressions they are always using? What marks out their particular style of speech?
• Style: does a speaker talk a lot or a little? Do they tend to dominate conversations (always setting the tone and subject, talking over people, moving the conversation on when they want)? Do they ask a lot of questions and bring people into the conversation?

Consider:

• accent
• body language
• words
• expressions

Capturing the data

Once you know what you are listening out for, you should record the data. You will need to keep it in a form that allows you to refer back to it so you can analyse it for your assessment. Here are two ideas for doing that:

1. Transcripts of voice recordings: transcripts are recorded conversations you have written down. You don’t need hours and hours of talk, but you do need to make sure you write speech down as you hear it – don’t correct grammar or add missing punctuation. Transcribe around half a page of speech.

 

2. Questionnaire: interview people and capture the data in a grid. Remember you are looking for are variations in vocabulary and accent. You will also need to make a note of the person who is speaking – so you can spot patterns not just in the way individuals speak, but also groups of people.

Here is an example of how you could capture the data from a questionnaire:

Name	Description (age, background)	Word/s for something good/really good	Word/s for something bad/really bad	Word you use the most	Words for: friends; hobbies; etc

^GCSE Bitesize