Audio guides, when produced right, are a very powerful tool for interpretation, bringing to life imagery in the mind of the listener by evoking their imagination. It can be so much more powerful than video, print or reliance on the web - because the image created through belongs to the listeners themselves.
We understand the power of interpretation through audio; we understand that to engage with an audience effectively, you need to get their attention within the first few seconds of an audio presentation, and that the general audience attention span can reach its limit at around 90 seconds.
Our experience as drama/documentary makers for the BBC has enabled our understanding of audience engagement through the imagery of the mind; manipulating this imagery is an extremely powerful tool.
Examples?
The Monty Funk podcast site: www.montyfunkpodcast.com has a section of some of the audio trails and guides we have done recently, including:
- Dartmoor National Park Audio Trail
- Titanic! Comber-Andrews Titanic Audio Trail
- The Great West Midlands Poetry Relay
- Little Malvern Priory Audio Guide
- City of Bath Heritage Audio Trail
- Museum of London - 1920s Exhibition
- British Waterways - Droitwich Canal Audio Tour
... and many others.
Time for a quick listen?
Here's a short taster of a project we produced for the Malvern Hills WalkingAudio Trail...
Delivery Methods
We have developed audio trails and tours that have been delivered by various means, from the traditional hand-held device to smartphones, via BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, QR Codes, HTML5 and Near Field Communication (NFC).
We are partnering with Dataton, who develop the well established PICKUP audio guide delivery system. Using simple MP3 files, the Dataton system is a point-and-click, handheld device - a well proven solution to audio delivery for heritage interpretation.
What can we do for you?
The full production service for an audio tour or guide, be it for download, MP3 delivery, CD, Bluetooth, mobile phone delivery or any other media. We handle everything from initial discussion to the final master delivery and uploading, along with tweaks and changes if they become necessary.
As with all our services, we always charge per project, never by the hour, so you will know precisely how much the project will cost at the outset, with the knowledge that it's not going to change.
Professionally produced audio guides, tours, walks or trails.
A great addition to your existing offerings to your audience, Audio Trails & Guides add:
- Efficiency: into areas that would otherwise be impractical for a conventional guided tour as they tie up valuable staff time; the audience bring the audio with them.
- Accessibility: to the visually impaired, those for whom reading is not the best solution, and those who aren’t physically able to visit the site.
- Educational Portfolio: if you are involved with school curriculum enhancement - group leaders are able to download guides in advance and use them onsite.
- Availability: 24 hours a day access if on the web - assisting visitor flow, especially during peak times.
- Add to your portfolio of interests: that will attract visitors to your site. This is seen as greatly increasing your chances of a visit especially by those from further afield.
- A collectible asset: of a visit which enhances the experience long after the visit, and can encourage return visits later on.
Why Monty Funk™ Productions?
Over the years, we have established ourselves as highly skilled, experienced and creative producers of audio content for outdoor trails and museum guide productions.
For the BBC, Monty Funk was the technical team behind 80 episodes of BBC Radio 4’s outdoor walking programme "Ramblings".
We also produced the
WalkingAudio Guides, a lively and highly engaging series of recorded walks and visits around the UK’s most beautiful areas.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your ideas and to see how we can help you produce engaging and gripping audio tours for your visitors.
