Video Talkback Booth Update

Posted by Matt Gilligan, Changing Places video editor on January 5 2010

The Changing Places video talkback booth has generated a great amount of visitor reaction since the exhibit opened last February. As with every project, we've learned what works and what doesn't throughout the course of 2009.

As a result, we've made changes to the booth for a couple of reasons. The first, and most significant, alteration we made was to change up the questions the booth asks visitors. Staff historian Tom Hanchett and I brainstormed and decided to replace two of the booth's original questions. We felt these two questions were not generating the kind of responses we were looking for. Changing the questions turned out to be a great idea. The new inquiries have forced museum visitors to grapple with questions about Charlotte's changing culture that make them uneasy. This uneasiness tends to elicit more powerful reactions, which is beneficial to the Changing Places project.

The other changes were made for both aesthetic and practical reasons. The booth was originally a simple, gray room. We soon realized that the shape and lack of backdrop in the booth caused a major headache in the sound department. The sound bounced around the angular room and produced an echo. We decided to hang a thick, red backdrop to absorb sound and to make the people in the booth stand out from the gray wall. This addition was definitely needed and has been a big success. The sound and image quality in the booth are greatly increased. We have since updated the backdrop more recently to a bright blue color.

Now that the Changing Places exhibit has been extended, Tom Hanchett and I will continue to update the questions in the video booth to produce thoughtful responses from first-time visitors and guests who revisit the exhibit. The footage from the booth will continue to be added to the impressive archive of responses the Changing Places exhibit continues to amass every day. And, you can find new clips posted online - www.youtube.com/TheLevineMuseum. Check it out:  

Find more like this at Levine Museum's YouTube Channel