Audiocraft: Writing and Producing Longform Narrative Audio

How do you use sound and story to build tension and hold attention? In this course, students will explore longform narrative storytelling using sound as their medium. Through reading and listening assignments, students will develop skills to identify narrative devices, critique story structure, and gain inspiration about the possibilities of sound as a narrative tool. Students can expect to complete short exercises and prompts at the beginning of term, aimed at developing story outlines and experimenting with story structure. We will discuss how to develop a longform story from an idea to a fully-realized production; whether working in fiction or non-fiction, students will hone research skills and draw from multiple sources of inspiration for their work. This course will focus heavily on writing and scripting, and integrating sound design with storytelling. Students will produce one longform audio story by the end of term, this story can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or it can blur the lines between the two. This class is an opportunity for students to stretch audio and storytelling muscles and to experiment with form to create a polished 20-minute audio story. Students can expect a highly collaborative and supportive class atmosphere; we will use class time for workshopping, critique, and collaboration as well as class discussion.

Students will be evaluated based on their participation in class discussions, their preparedness with assigned materials, and their commitment and completion of exercises and a longform narrative audio story. This class will require independent work; students should be prepared to record, write, and edit audio outside of class time.