Inside the
information-packed 80 pages of this e-book you will learn everything
you need to know to be successful selling stories and short
documentaries to public radio.
Section 1
The Story: Finding and
Telling a Winning Radio Story
- Where Do Great Stories Come From?
- The Seven Keys to a Compelling Story
- The Secret of Community Newspapers and Cultural Wallpaper
- How to Avoid Being Predictable
- How to Avoid Being Earnest
- Finding Your Focus
- Characteristics of a Good Focus Statement
- Creating "Audio Onramps"
- Finding the Universal Truth
- The Classical Three-Act Structure
- Alternating Emotional Charges
"Concise, breezy, and interactive. Perfect for the
beginner, and valuable for the more experienced
producer who wants to hone their storytelling skills."
-- Adam Schwartz |
Section 2
The Pitch: Getting Past the
Door and Winning Your Story
- The Basics of Pitching
- How Should I Pitch
- The Other Side: What Your Producer Experiences
- About Repurposing Existing Material
- Stage 1: The Secret of the Billboard Pitch
- Stage 2: The Expanded Outline format
- How Long Should I Wait To Hear?
- About Contracting and Payment
- Three Surefire Ways to Mess Up Your Pitch
| "Highly readable and accessible, entertaining even, and answered every question I had about preparing
freelance documentaries." -- Sheryl Spencer |
Section 3
The Audio: Interviewing,
Voicetracking, Field Audio, and More
- The Art of the Radio Interview:
- Preparation
- Calming Your Subject Down / Beside Manner
- Tod's Eight Commandments of Interviewing
- Avoiding Mic Noise
- About Phone Interviews
- The Secret of the Double-Ender
- Doing Streeters: Tips from the Pros
- Recording on Private Property
- The Art of the Ten Hour Interview
- Using Hidden Microphones
- Repurposing Audio from Videotape
- Collecting Field Audio
- The Importance of Roomtone
- Capturing the Extra Sounds
- What's That Buzz?
- Recording Your Voicetrack:
- Do I Have a Good Enough Voice?
- Using Your Natural Voice
- How to Record Your Voicetrack
- Making Your Own Pop Filter
- Minidiscs Demystified
- Which Minidisc Recorder Should I Buy?
- Can I Borrow One From the Station?
- Problems to Avoid: The End-Search Bug and the Flimsy Mic Jack
- Line Out vs. Headphones
- The "Automatic Levels" Trap
- Tod's Two Best Minidisc Tips: Trackmarking and Packratting
- Minidisc Alternatives: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
- Microphones
- Behold the 635A!
- Using Lapel Microphones
- All About Patterns
- Working With Two Microphones
| "Your summary of the mechanics of putting sound on tape
is masterful and you've covered all the bases. Your
clear descriptions of recording and scripting have
definitely introduced on-air writing to my list of
potential creations." -- Stephen Moyse |
Section 4
The Words: Logging,
Scripting, Recording, and Filing
- Logging Your Tape
- Scripting Your Piece
- How to Start the Piece
- Leave Some for the Host: Writing the Bills and Intro
- Getting to the Point
- Writing for the Ear
- Selecting and Integrating Your Clips
- About Profanity
- Naming Your Subjects
- Documentary Script Format explained
- Scripting Music and Sound
- Background (scoring) Music
- The Problem with Lyrics
- Abusing Irony
- Clearing Music
- "Needledrop" Production Music
- Using Sound Effects Properly
- Directing Sound in Your Script
- Reading It Out Loud
- Timing Your Script
- Submitting It for a Vet
- Package. Lather. Repeat.
- Writing the Host Script
- About Talk-Tapes
- Delivery Formats
- Getting Paid / Contracts
- Airchecking
| "Even better than I expected! I'm already
learning new things, and I've only had time to read the first four
or five pages." -- Connor Holenski |
Section 5
The Mix: Desktop Audio:
Putting the Pieces Together
| "Engaging, enlightening and empowering
-- a compelling read. Excellent!" -- Al Czarnecki |
Free Bonuses Limited-Time Offer
- Free Bonus Chapter: How to Be a Dream Contributor
- Free Bonus Chapter: A Quick Guide to Public Radio Slang
- Free Private Access: Access to a special subscriber-only web site
where you can listen to audio examples referenced in the e-book.
| "Thanks Tod. Finally got to reading chapter 3.
It was excellent! I got a ton of useful pointers and reminders from that one." -- Heather Kitching |
About Buying
It is perfectly safe to buy online. I will never know your credit
card number. Your order is processed by a secure payments server (PayPal.com)
and it simply emails me a confirmation that your payment has gone
through. I'll then email you the e-book and password within 24 hours
(usually within an hour or two though!). The e-book is an Acrobat
PDF file which you will be able to print out or read on-screen.
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$29 CDN
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