I listened to two StoryCorps stories about the experience of people who lived through Hurricane Katrina. Both of the stories were very powerful, but they had different pacing, sound quality, and overtones.
The first story I listened to was “He Weathered the Storm and Saved Lives”. It follows a man who was trapped in his house during the storm but still managed to save others. There is no opening music, this make the story feel raw and intimate, like he is telling the story directly to you. The whole video is about three minutes long and it is told at a slower and more reflective pace than the other. His New Orleans accent adds to the authenticity of the story. The sound quality was very good and you could hear everything very clearly. This was recorded recently with modern technology. The story ends with sentimental and mood-fitting music that adds to the tone of the story. The pacing and music helps the listeners feel the weight of the moment he is speaking about.
The second story I listened to followed Dr. Kiersta Kurtz-Burke, a doctor who helped care for patients at a New Orleans hospital after the storm. This recording originally aired on NPR in 2006 and you can really hear the difference in the audio quality. It isn’t as crisp as the other one I listened to. This recording is much shorter, only about a minute long, and it a much faster pace than the other story. You can also hear her husband, the interviewer, chiming in occasionally, which gives it a more conversational tone. This story does not have music added to the beginning or the end making it feel more urgent and it adds a sense of realism.
Listening to these two stories back to back really showed how pacing and sound quality can change the listener’s experience. The first story felt reflective and dramatic while the second one felt more urgent and raw. Both were effective in telling the stories in their own way.