BART 97A34 - Suspense – History and practice of audio storytelling, radio and podcasts

Through practical activities, discussions and sessions of collective listening, a brief history of narrative audio formats will be traced, with a special focus on mystery and investigation. Students will be invited to develop their own audio pieces, experimenting with sounds, voices, archive materials and storytelling techniques. The resulting works will be presented both as a public listening session, as well as a specifically conceived podcast series, to be launched at the end of the workshop. Radio-plays and radio-documentaries have had a major impact on mass audiences from the 1920s to the 1950s. Audio storytelling formats have often dealt with investigation, mystery and detectives: their narrative arcs would lead the listener to the discovery of truth, unveiling the distinction between reality and fiction. Thanks to podcasts and Internet distribution, the last decade has witnessed a comeback of audio documentaries, audio plays and other sound-based narrative formats. So-called “true-crime” podcasts are one of the most popular genres in contemporary audio storytelling.

Riccardo GIACCONI

Atelier

English

Students will be invited to engage in a practical and theoretical level in the production of audio narratives and, therefore, will use sound recorders and audio editing software, which they will be invited to become familiar with.

Spring 2021-2022

Final project (audio piece): 40% Preparation and written description of final project: 20% Practical activities: 20% Collective discussions / weekly assignments: 20%