FMP Weekly Log 5

Context

On this week of my FMP, my main focus was completing the standalone sports focused episode of my running series, The Playbook. Titling it “Broken Bodies.” This was also while beginning and completing the practical skills section of my FMP. Although Broken Bodies was not directly apart of, Echoes of Then, it directly supported the wider development of my audio documentary and sound design skills.

Researc

Story

The narritave focus of broken bodies was centred around athletes struggling with injury, pressure and failed comebacks. My main inspiration for this was after hearing about Jack Wilshire, someone who was regarded as the future of english football. But he was prone to injury but he still kept trying to come back to the sport. But it was never the same.

The video I saw is linked below.

The episode was designed to feel more emotional and cinematic than factual. Focussing heavily on story telling and atmosphere rather than statistics or traditional sports reporting.

This was useful for my FMP overall because it allowed me to continue developing documentary narration techniques and emotional pacing outside the scope of Echoes of then,.

Alongside this, the practical skills section of my website became a major focus this week. I researched what evidence is required for a Level 3 FMP practical skills page and developed the page further. more professional pridcution evidence and clearer technical explanations.

We were provided with a template on things that we should include for a good turn out and that has been attached below.

Stylistic

Broken bodies continued to build on the documentary tone, developing throughout echoes of then. The episode used slower pacing, cinematic music and layered ambient sound design to create emotional weight around athletes being discussed.

I focused heavily on allowing narration and atmosphere to work together rather than constantly filling yhe documentary with sound. Silence, slower transitions and structured rather than simply becoming a large collection of screenshots. S

Technical

Technically, this week was heavily focused on editing and documenting workflows professionally. Broken Bodies was edited in Adobe Audition using multitrack sessions with layered narration, cinematic music beds and atmospheric sound design.

I continued using my vocal processing chain including:

• De-Esser
• Parametric EQ
• Dynamics Processing
• Multiband Compression
• Hard Limiter

Screenshots are shwon below

Practical Skills

The practical skills this week were heavily focused on organisation, documentation and professional presentation. I completed the practical skills section of my website by structuring all evidence into clear production stages including pre-production, recording, editing, sound design, processing and exporting.

I added:

• script drafts
• cue sheets
• production schedules
• raw and processed waveform screenshots
• vocal chain screenshots
• automation evidence
• LUFS/export screenshots
• equipment comparisons
• sound design explanations

This allowed the website to feel much more like a professional production portfolio rather than just a collection of edits and screenshots.

Alongside this, I completed the full production workflow of Broken Bodies, from scripting and narration through to final editing and sound design.

Evaluation and reflection

What Went Well (WWW)

1. The practical skills section became much more professional and detailed.
The final website now clearly documents all stages of the production process, including scripting, recording, editing, sound design and exporting. This makes the workflow easier to understand and properly evidences the technical skills used throughout the project.

2. The pacing and atmosphere within Broken Bodies were effective.
The slower narration, cinematic sound design and quieter reflective moments helped create emotional weight and made the documentary feel more mature stylistically.

3. My technical workflow became more organised overall.
Using clearer session organisation, markers, bricking and stepping techniques improved efficiency while editing and made larger multitrack sessions easier to manage.

Even Better If (EBI)

1. Some sections of the practical skills page could still be simplified visually.
Although the page now contains strong evidence, there are some sections where the amount of screenshots and text becomes visually dense. Breaking some sections up further could improve readability.

2. More original sound creation could improve the documentary further.
While the sound design was effective overall, recording more custom Foley sounds or atmospheres would help make the documentary feel even more unique and cinematic.

3. The scripting process could be refined earlier.
Some sections of narration were adjusted repeatedly during editing, which increased production time. More detailed scripting drafts earlier in production would make the workflow more efficient overall.