Audio Stories

Audio story

Building Blocks Part 1

1. The anecdote – story in the purest form, one thing following another. No matter how boring the story is the story has a momentum, because it’s a sequence of events. Start with the action. Bait, constantly raising questions. The sequence of actions.

2. A moment of reflection- at some point someone is going to say why you are reading this. Some meaning to the story, not purely an anecdote.

The first building block of storytelling is the anecdote which allows the story to progress further and further. This is meant to keep the attention of the reader or the listener its job is to keep people guessing. The anecdote keeps the story going by giving you a sequence of events while able to raise questions about what is happening. These actions help develop the first building block.

The second building block is the reflection. When you’re reading or listening to a story you want to be able to get something out of at the end. I mean if there isn’t a meaning there isn’t a reason to be listening to the story is there? Both the building blocks are important to each other and help the story catch and keep the listener or reader’s attention.

Part 2

Beginning- start out disorientating. Start with an open question

End- You continue to question it until you have absolutely no idea where you are with that question anymore.

Middle- walk through to figure it out what is going on through the show. Slowly start getting deeper and deeper with the question.

So how Radio Lab comes up with their podcast ideas is that they start out with a strange question that maybe confusing to people. They then start to slowly work out how to get to the answer as best as they can. Eventually, they almost appear to come up with a type of answer that seems to work the best for the original question. However it may not answer the question it might actually make them question it more. But that is how they come up with their stories.

Part 3

This American Life- My Undesirable Talent

The story goes from translator to other people that are recording for the first few minutes. They describe the characters very well and what is happening not for much of sound effects in the background. At the 6:15 minute music begins to play but it’s rather soft and it keeps it very quiet while they tell the story. 8:30 the music started to come up slightly louder as they described what the man had done and was doing.

Radio Lab- Wild things

The music in is very basic almost soft and the background is that of a piano ever so often. There isn’t much for sound effects, they told you where you are very well. They also introduce the characters a bit not much for description or anything but it was enough to know what was happening and who people were. They would sometimes talk over other stories that are playing in the background with soft harps behind it all.