This document provides guidance for creating an audio documentary between 2-5 minutes. Students must choose a topic, conduct initial planning and research on similar audio works, experiment with production methods, develop a proposal, prepare a script and assets, record audio, edit their documentary, obtain peer feedback, and do a self-evaluation. The production process involves recording interviews, sound effects, and voiceovers to tell a story solely through audio. Students are guided on equipment use, health and safety, and daily logging of their progress.

1. Unit 5
Audio
Production

2. Overview
• You need to make an audio documentary.
• This could be about anything (but check with your tutor for suitability);
– About your life
– About your hobby/interests
– About a cause that is personal to you
– About your parents/grandparents/siblings
– About an event you attended
– Historical event
– A ghost story
– A review
– A crime

3. Overview
• Your documentary must last between 2-5
minutes.
• You can include music, sound effects, interviews,
voice over
• If using college equipment it must be recorded in
college
• If you need to interview someone/collect audio
from another location you must do this in your
own time using your own equipment (audio
recorder in your phone etc)

4. To Do
1. Initial plans (1.1)
– General ideas you could do
2. Product research (1.1)
– Research of similar products to what you’d like to do
3. Research reflection (1.1)
– Reflection about the research and idea generation
4. Production Experiments (1.2)
– Trying out production methods and reflecting upon them
5. Proposal (2.1)
– Finalise your concept in a formal written format
6. Pre-Production (2.1)
– Design choices and Logistics- schedules, budgets etc
7. Production (3.1)
– Making it
8. Post-Production (3.1)
– Editing it
9. Peer Feedback (3.2)
10. Evaluation (3.2)

5. Initial Plans
• You need to produce initial plans, exploring
potential ideas and styles you could develop
for your final product. You must complete;
– A Mind Map exploring at least 3 separate ideas
briefly
– A Mind Map exploring your chosen idea in lots of
detail

6. Product Research
• Research products (at least 3) similar to those
you want to create yourself. Reference;
– Use of audio- what do they include and to what
effect- sound effects, music, voice over.
– Content of voice over- what do they talk about,
language used (formal/informal), etc
– Appeal to audience
• Discuss how your research will develop your final
product
– Common aspects in the researched products
– What aspects of the research will you include in your
final product

7. Product Research
• You need to research products similar to the one you plan to
make.
• You need to research Audio Documentaries/Podcasts
• One of these must be an episode of Short Cuts (BBC4)
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mk3f8/episodes/downloads

8. Production Experiments
• You need to experiment in your chosen medium
• Make an audio documentary about your morning routine
• Provide a brief reflection of the processes you used and how
it has been useful

9. Proposal
• Finalise your concept in a formal written format
discussing your idea’s;
– Working title
– Purpose
– Genre
– Content
– Audience
– Legal and Ethical Considerations
• ENSURE YOU CHECK GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

10. Pre-Production
• Script
– Depending on the content of your documentary
– Discussion points/Full script
– Submitted as a word document
• Sound effects
– What sound effects do you need to collect/record
– How will you use them
• Music
– What music do you need to collect
– How will you use them

11. Pre-Production
• Resources
– What do you need? Equipment/People/Locations; be very
specific about what you need
• Contingency Planning
– What could go wrong? Technology, interviewees,
equipment, team members, weather, animals
• Health and Safety
– What could put people at risk? Equipment, locations,
animals, traffic, sound effect sources
• Schedule
– What products will you be working on each day? Will you
be out recording? Which days? Etc.

12. Production
• Make your proposed radio doc
• Record your own audio as much as possible
• You can use sourced audio in your production
– Youtube> Clip Convertor
– Sound Bible (download public domain sound
effects)
– FreePD (download public domain music)

13. Production and Reflection
• At the end of each working day, print screen
your work within the program you are using
and reflect upon your work.
• Discuss the tools and processes used in your
production.
• Log your thoughts and feelings about your
work.

14. Peer Feedback
• Conduct peer feedback on your products
• What do people like/dislike about your product
– Be specific
– Be helpful/supportive
– Do not use this as a chance to offend
• Summarise the results
– Answers you agreed/disagreed with
– Changes you would make based on the feedback

15. Evaluation
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your;
– Planning
– Research
– Time Management
• Discuss the;
– Aural (the way it sounds) qualities of your work
– Audience appeal of your work
• Strengths and weaknesses of the overall
product