Using your body to make radio✨
The woo-woo approach to cutting tape
At the beginning of this *grits teeth* learning opportunity we’re calling 2020, I flew up to a snowy Seattle to take part in the Transom workshop. It’s an intense, exhilarating crash course in making radio, where you produce a six-minute story from start to finish in one week.
We spent the second day interviewing our main characters. After a long day of gathering tape, we headed home, tired and hungry, preparing ourselves for a night of logging and cutting tape. As we packed our bags, Posey Gruener, a producer at KNKX Public Radio and one of the course teachers, gave a final piece of advice: “When you’re cutting, pay attention to what your body is doing.”
Back at home that night, I put my headphones on and started listening to my interview. Despite being fuelled by coffee and Thai food, I soon slumped over the keyboard. Shoulders hunched, I felt overwhelmed by the hours of tape. What point is my character making there? What’s the story here? Do I even have a story?!
But I ignored the doubts and continued listening. Before too long, I felt myself perk up. I rubbed my eyes and sat up in my chair: this was great tape. Posey’s words rang in my ears, and I began cutting.
This idea of paying attention to your body when cutting tape, of ‘noticing what you notice’, might seem a tad woo-woo, and maybe I’ve been living in LA too long, but I’m partial to a bit of woo-woo. And I think one of the reasons the approach is effective is because it mirrors how we act in everyday conversation: if a friend says something exciting, outrageous or compelling, we feel it — physically.
It’s a notion that I recently heard echoed on the fantastic How Sound podcast (produced by Transom teacher Rob Rosenthal). In the 2019 episode The Hidden Work of an Associate Producer, Reply All AP Jessica Yung advises that if you lose touch with your instincts, pay heed to how the tape is making you feel.
In my experience, the method works. If I feel physically energetic when I’m listening to tape, I’m probably hearing a great soundbite or anecdote — and it usually ends up in the story. I recently caught up with Posey for more on using your body, and she had this brilliant exercise to try:
“Producers often have to decide the timing of two audio pieces placed next to each other. How soon after this person speaks will that person speak? When, during this bit of music, should the audio start or stop? When is a pause too long?
I’m here to tell you: you know more than you think you do. Or rather, your body does. Stop thinking about it, and try this instead. Hover your finger over the spacebar (or an m key, whatever will make a mark in your audio editing program.) Listen; maybe with your eyes closed.
For a few seconds (or milliseconds), everything will feel fine. But soon enough it will start to feel like the rhythm is about to be off. Again, let your body decide this. You'll feel a slight twinge, a little bit of tension, maybe a slight physical annoyance. Hit the key! That feeling is already in you.
It’s similar to how it feels when you’re in a conversation and you know this is your chance to jump in. Or when you're dancing and you know now is the time to pump that fist. People listen and feel with their bodies. So you should make radio with your body, too. Give it a chance to tell you what it thinks.”
Jobs
💰 Pineapple Street Studios are accepting applications for their Fall-Winter Internship cycle. Two remote four-month internships are on offer, paying $15/hr. Deets here.
💰 The Los Angeles Times is recruiting two experienced Senior Producers to work on a new daily podcast. It’s remote for now, but in future you’ll be based out of El Segundo, CA.
💰 PopCult is looking for a Co-Host for a new home improvement podcast, and is welcoming applications from all genders and age groups. Applicants must have on-air experience and an interest in interior design and home renovation. It’s a remote position, paying $1,000+ for the pilot depending on experience. Questions and applications to dennis@popcultworldwide.com with “Home Podcast” in the subject line.
💰 Here’s an unusual sounding role: Disco is looking for a Producer to create audio courses. Disco is a start-up, so it looks like you’ll have lots of room to experiment. It’s a fully remote contract-to-hire position that pays $40-$50/hr.
💰 Vox Media is hiring a Senior Audio Producer to work across a range of shows. The role is based in New York and promises excellent benefits, but there’s no salary info*.
💰 Slate is hiring two Senior Producers to join the team of its daily news podcast, What Next. The minimum salary for a senior producer at Slate is $75,000.
*A quick note here: in this newsletter I’m going to try, wherever possible, to feature jobs that include salary information in their listings.
Workshops and events
🎤 The Brooklyn Public Library is running a 12-week workshop on audio storytelling. Hear Me Out will teach participants about writing for radio, story structure, interviewing, recording and editing. The final stories will air on BPL’s Borrowed podcast. Get your applications in before 11 September.
🎤 The first Black Pod Awards will be broadcast live on 27 September. It’s a volunteer-run event; you can support them here.
🎤 Public Radio Program Directors and Public Media Journalists Association have teamed up to put on a four-day virtual summit. Let’s Go Live! is aimed at journalists, content creators and programmers, with sessions on building an inclusive public media, programming for kids, election coverage, script editing and more.
What I’m listening to
🎧 This week I came across a story from back in 2018 that I hadn’t heard before: A Sense of Quietness, produced by Falling Tree for BBC Radio 4’s Lights Out series. It’s about Ireland’s campaign to repeal the eighth amendment (which effectively banned abortion in the country) and the many women who were affected over the years by the draconian legislation. This is a truly astonishing piece of radio — galvanising, intimate and extremely moving all at once. Listen here.
🎧 On a lighter note, I’ve also been catching up on chef Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway’s delightful podcast Home Cooking. In the sixth episode, there’s a totally charming moment where Hrishikesh attempts to set Samin up with eligible bachelor listeners. It had me beaming from ear to ear. There’s also a puntastic conversation about poetry-themed ice cream (scoop of Malt Whitman, anyone?).
Thanks as always for taking the time to read The Audio Storyteller! In the very near future there’ll be an additional reader-funded newsletter too, where paying subscribers will get bonus content, perks and community connections.
I’d love to hear your comments, thoughts and what you’re listening to / working on: tweet me or drop me an email at clare.wiley@outlook.com. If you think a coworker or friend would also benefit from the newsletter, they can sign up here.