The first interview I listened to was between Mason Best and Roseann Smith, a mother and son duo. I was initially drawn to this interview as the title was ‘Your Heart is On Protein Powder,’ and I was curious as to what the topic of conversation would be. The interview opens immediately with Mason asking his mother a question. He asks, “What was your first impression of me?” What proceeds is 3 minutes of Mason and Roseann asking each other questions about one another and the dynamic between them. We as the viewer learn that Mason is only 12, and is constantly worried about the future at the chagrin of his mother. Then we learn that Roseann battled cancer, and then a heart attack, which is where the title stems from. Mason says that Roseanns heart is on “protein powder” because of how strong it is because it (and she) has persisted despite the health scares. The interview itself is fairly simple, as it consists of questions and responses shortened to fit the timeframe. At the very end, there is an outro song, but there is no other music or sound effects present throughout the interview.
The second interview I listened to was a lot more complex than the previous. This one was called, “It’s important to look after people.” A Big Brother Reflects on What His Younger Brother Taught Him” which was initially a conversation between two brothers. This interview began with an intro song, and then a quick introduction to Robbie and his brother from an interview they did together. The music still plays in the background, slowly fading away, as a separate narrators voice comes in and describes the context of the interview. We learn that there was an initial interview between Robbie and his brother, and then his brother, Phil, came back to Storycorps to discuss more about Robbie as an individual. The audio does a great job weaving the two separate conversations together to create one cohesive narrative. We learn about Robbie as an individual, and how highly his brother, Phil, thinks of him. My favorite part was when Robbie and Phil were discussing Robbies interaction with a horse, where he allegedly “bit” it. The end of the interview ends with an outro song. All in all, this interview was much more layered than the previous one I listened to, but I enjoyed both equally.