Hostel Days: The Schools Audio Story

Drawing on oral histories of Hostel experiences, Issie MacPhail and Iain Copeland worked with S1 – S4 in Kinlochbervie and Farr High Schools to understand more about the history of Hostelling and ways in which sound and audio recording can be used to indicate and evoke actions and feelings in work involving film, radio, schools project work and events about history.

Each school was provided with samples from oral history recordings about Hostel memories. The content included material which illustrates home sickness, pranks, daily school and hostel life and experiences of bullying. Issie MacPhail provided an introduction in the schools about The Hostel research. She talked about the ways in which people use skills such as oral history interviewing, audio recording, video recording, transcription and research in their working lives. Iain Copeland provided an introduction to how sound as a medium is used in the film and recording industry. He then demonstrated how small snippets of sound created using everyday objects can be worked on to change them into specific sound effects for a story or a film.

This kind of sound work is called Foley in the film and audio industry and is a specialist activity. Iain and Issie demonstrated how to create sounds for Foley use with a pile of old, dry bracken, some stones picked up in Strath Naver and a box of pencils in the classroom. Foley sound effects are added in post-production and include things like footsteps, doors creaking and Hostel bus gears screeching.

 

The school pupils worked in groups. By drawing on this introduction, oral history audio samples and their own access to Hostel memories within the community, each group in the school created a short script about Hostel days and sound effects to go with that script. The stories and associated sounds that the school pupils created explored topics such as moving into Mackay Country during school days, arriving at Hostel knowing no-one, the fine line between pranks being funny or cruel, skiving out of the Hostel for the weekend by forging mother’s signature on a letter, experiences of bullying and dramatically eventful bus journeys to and from the Hostel. Farr High School is now keen to continue this audio work with Iain Copeland by next exploring sound and environment. What noise does The Moine Thrust make? What does Early Purple Orchid sound like when it’s growing? How will we mimic the sounds of weathering on rocks and mountains as ice and rain cracks open solid rock ever so slowly? Who can hear the grass grow?

During each session the school pupils used stills and video cameras to record the workshops in which they were participating. In this way, they were also learning about oral history field skills. The photographic record is their own. One group from each school performed and explained their audio story at The Moving Times events in March 2012. Their scripts are provided in the side panel. A total of 52 school pupils and 6 teachers participated in this aspect of the project in five workshops sessions and two Matinee events.