CAMDEN — Robbie Trowbridge, a sixth-grader at Cape Elizabeth Middle School, came up to Camden with his mother, Nina, for the Mini Maker Faire, held at the Camden Public Library Amphitheatre on Sept. 10, 2016.

Although officially part of the Maker Faire, he didn’t have a booth or a project to display. Instead, his project was to interview both the Makers and the participants, and edit the audio recordings using audio editing software to tell people’s stories.

Q: What made you want to come all the way up to the Camden Mini Maker Faire?

A: I thought it would be cool to make an audio recording or what everyone else was doing.

Q: What gave you the idea to be the reporter on the scene?

A: I went to a camp last summer at The Telling Room, where we went out on the streets of Portland and we would ask people all sorts of different questions and create Vox Pops and then edit the audio. So, I wanted to make one for the Faire.

Q: What’s a Vox Pop?

A: A Vox Pop is a collection of audio of a bunch of people asking other people the same question. The interviewer records and and then puts together all the different answers. [Note: Vox Pop is short for vox populi}

Q: Give us an idea of some of the questions and answers you asked people at the Faire.

A: I went up to some Makers who I thought were doing really cool things, like one woman who glued all of these playing cards together in a circle and it looked like the cards were going through each other. I also interviewed some people just going to the Faire, some kids, some adults. A bunch of people said that Makers were going to change the world with new ideas and technology. Like, because of Makers, the world will be easier for people.

Q: Reporter to reporter, let me ask you this: was it tough to go up to strangers and ask questions?

A: Before I did the camp last summer, it was really tough to go up and just talk to people. I’d look around for about 20 minutes before I would talk to someone because I was really nervous. But, now I go up and do it pretty easily I think.

Q: What kind of equipment did you use to create a Vox Pop?

A: I had a little digital recorder. I used Hindenburg editing software to design and put together the Vox Pop.

Q: We’d love to hear a little of your audio project.

A: Sure. Here’s a few minutes. [Note we converted Robbie’s .mp3 audio file into a YouTube video, which is attached to this story.]

For more photos from this year’s Mini Maker Faire visit: Camden Public Library’s Facebook

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com