Workshop: How to Make a Radio Documentary

Standard £165
Freelance/Student £140
Members £115

*Tickets include lunch

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Radio can be an incredibly powerful way to tell a story, and it’s a growing medium. This one-day course will get you started with some of the key techniques of radio documentary making.

You’ll cover the editorial essentials such as spotting an idea, building a narrative structure, finding the right contributors, as well as how to use sound creatively to grab the listener’s attention. There’ll also be tips on pitching ideas to programme editors or commissioning executives.

During the day, you’ll get hands on experience of working out a story and learning how to pitch it. You’ll hear lots of inspiring audio, and analyse the techniques used, and you’ll learn some of the principles involved in capturing the listener’s attention, and how to hold it.

At the end of the course you will have a better understanding of the potential of radio, and should be in a good position to pitch to broadcasters such as BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, or making audio features and documentaries for online broadcasters.

The course would suit those from other media or communications disciplines who are thinking of broadening their skill base as well as those completely new to the field.

About the trainers:
David Prest and Deborah Dudgeon of Whistledown Productions will teach the course. Whistledown is the largest provider of speech programmes to BBC Radio, providing landmark series such as Radio 4’s The Reunion, and Feedback, as well as a wide range of features and documentaries. Whistledown also works with universities and commercial clients to make podcasts and audio guides.

Image: via Shutterstock / MAFord