The first of the two StoryCorps videos I watched that deeply touched my heart was…
If this was to be your very last conversation, is there anything you want to say to me?”
(Corona)
I found this work to be really emotional and heart-warming as a family member of mine passed away due to disease complications while I was young. I never got to know her, but with every story I hear about her, she continues to inspire me further. This video shows how much the soft use of music can compliment a somber but sweet story like this one, and even bring out the bittersweetness of it if done correctly. Without the somewhat cheerful tone of the music used to begin and close this story, I don’t think that I would have perceived it with as much relief and comfort as I did. This is also a wonderful example of how narration can help to add context to a story that might not make much sense otherwise. Without the narration at the beginning, we wouldn’t know that the mother in the conversation has COPD, why she’s going to pass away, or why she needs an oxygen tank to live. I really enjoyed how the interviewer of this story didn’t use narration at the end and played the soft music once the conversation came to a close, allowing it to taper off as the recording ended. I think that, for a bittersweet message such as this with an aim to look into the future cheerfully, it complimented the piece very well. I’m very interested by all these tactics, and I hope I can take some inspiration from these choices into my own interview (Corona).
The second StoryCorps video that caught my interest out of what I viewed was one titled…
It’s not the glitz. It’s the simple touches.”
(Born)
I adored the cheerful disposition of both of the men who were interviewed, and they, along with the editing, made the topic of living with HIV into an almost joyful one. Like the previous video I felt drawn to, this video also used a somewhat happy tune to begin and close the recording. In addition, the editor also chose to taper the music off at the end, as the message of this piece also had to do with looking into the future. This interview also included a narrated portion at the beginning of the conversation to provide background information about the individuals being interviewed. Although I do believe we can infer all of the information the narrator gives us through the conversation that transpires between the two men, it still helps to put the listeners of the piece into the context of their conversation and lives. I found the ways that this interview used these tactics in slightly varied ways to be very helpful to my understanding of these editing choices. I’d really like to try them in the upcoming project (Born)!
To my readers, I would like to ask if you felt similarly to how I did about these two works. Do you think that the simplicity of the music, as well as the contextual narration, both gave the stories context and lovely introductions while still fitting the themes of the topics they discussed?
Works Cited
Born, Jey. “‘It’s not the glitz. It’s the simple touches.'” StoryCorps, https://storycorps.org/stories/caring-for-people-with-hiv-with-kindness-and-hope/. Accessed 21 January 2024.
Corona, Jo. “’If this was to be your very last conversation, is there anything you want to say to me?’” StoryCorps, https://storycorps.org/stories/i-have-to-go-girl-a-mother-and-daughter-get-real-about-death/. Accessed 21 January 2024.