In a small team you will produce a short 15 – minute audio production that develop skills required to create a podcast or audio format available for broadcast or streaming. Each week will focus on a stage in the production process, generating ideas, research, planning, interview techniques, organisation, compliance, consent, the skill of storytelling and post-production. Sessions will combine listening, theory and practice.

60% Practical Production - 15 – Minute Audio Production (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4)
40% Evaluation - 3- Minute Individual Audio Evaluation (LO4, LO5)

A series of illustrated lectures and workshops will introduce the theory and practice of Audio Story Telling through several platforms. Working in small groups (numbers by negotiation and as appropriate to this preproduction phase) you will negotiate a practicable brief for a specific project and then write a programme proposal which details all the requirements needed to put the programme into production. Throughout the project you are encouraged to keep an individual production diary in which you systematically record your production meetings and your individual learning. This process of reflection on the production process informs the project evaluation with which you conclude the module.

1. Understand the diversity of relevant technologies contributing to the podcast and audio story telling field and apply these in practical terms for audio production to develop content for an appropriate audience. Enquiry

2. Summarise the current podcast, audio story telling field, including market, social aspects, underpinning technologies and styles and be able to list key innovative elements in this field. Analysis

3. Apply knowledge and understanding about the relationship between a broadcaster and programme maker and apply that knowledge to engage a target audience. Application

4. Design, construct, produce and critique a podcast or a short series. Knowledge and Understanding

5. Critically reflect and evaluate your own progress as an audio producer and identify individual strengths and specific areas for improvement through reflective practice. Reflection

Radio Studio
Myriad
Adobe Audition
Classroom with workstation
Portable sound equipment
Radio studios
Editing workstations and software for radio
Library and online resources
Audio playback facilities
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available to support this module

Fielding, J. & Larson, D. (2020) Podcasting Made Simple, Anchorage, USA: AT Publishing.

McHugh, S. (2022) The Power of Podcasting, Sydney, Australia: NewSouth Publishing.

Nuzum, E. (2020) Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling, New York: Workman Publishing.

Preger, S. (2021) Storytelling in radio and podcasts, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

See module handbook for a full listing of reading texts.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a small team to produce an audio production exploring a topic or story of your choice and focusing on production processes, generating ideas, research, planning, interview techniques and post-production. You will also look at the commissioning processes and work to a professional brief to produce a group audio production targeted to a specific radio station/network/podcast platform. Individually, you will write a proposal detailing all the requirements to 'green light' the production and reasoning its suitability for an intended target audience.