Storytelling through Audio

Professor Jill Olmsted explains what equipment is needed to record good quality audio.

I’ve never considered the importance of sound as a storytelling tool. As a writer, I’ve always thought of words as the most important aspect of communication, but after spending a day focusing solely on audio, I realize that sound can say much more than words ever could.

Professors Jill Olmsted and Josh Hatch focused on the technical aspects, including what type of equipment to use and how to edit the audio clips into a final product.

Deborah Bolling, a journalist and producer of Youth Voices, put that lecture into practice by leading us to listen to the noises heard in the campus’ quad. We then had to create a story based on what we heard.

In addition to discussing audio in radio productions, Bolling also discussed its use in multimedia projects. Bolling executive produced Millennial Maestros: The Obama Chronicles, in which high school students used video, audio and print to document what they experienced on inauguration day.

Bolling used the evolution of the music industry to explain what people now expect from journalists. She explained that we must be able to take advantage of the available technology and know how to use more than one medium.

Here is a clip I practiced editing.