Resources to Write a Feature StoryResources to Write a Feature Story
If you've ever listened to This American Life, Snap Judgment or Invisibilia, you've heard an audio feature. Basically, it's a short audio documentary (usually between 2 and 10 minutes) that incorporates script, interview and recorded elements to tell a sound-rich story that brings the listener in.
Feature Story Elements
Feature typically include the following elements:
- Narration
- Interview tape
- Scene tape (sound of something happening, for instance: a person going into a store to buy a suit for their first job interview)
- Ambient sound (school bells, traffic sounds, ocean waves-- whatever sounds paint an auditory picture of your story)
Types of Audio Features
There are many, many ways to create feature stories. For the Youth Takeover, we focus on two types.
First-Person Perspective Audio Story
First person pieces focus on the author's perspective, experience or opinion.
- Example: When We See Each Other: Black Americans, African Immigrants by WNYC Radio Rookies
- First-Person Audio Story Curriculum Resources
Inquiry-Based Audio Story
Inquiry-based pieces attempt to answer a self-generated question
- Example: Do You Hear What I Hear? This American Life
- Inquiry-Based Audio Story Curriculum Resources