Got an ailing audio documentary that’s hit a creative wall? You can’t see way through it? You’ve lost your motivation, your key contributor or you’re drowning under the weight of your material? Whatever the issue help is at hand. Sign up now to have a WAIL of a time at The Whickers’ Audio Inspiration Lab. Surround yourself with others who are in the same position, and learn from their experience and the guiding skills of three top industry professionals.

Format: The online workshops take the form of 2 sessions of 90 minutes at 11am BST on Saturday 12th September and a month later on Saturday 17th October. Each one is a mix of ’show and tell’ discussion and bite-sized masterclasses. Each successful applicant will also get an optional 30 minute one-to-one online session with one of the lead tutors to give more in depth advice.

Requirements: There are 10 places available in the workshop. The five finalists of the Whicker “Radio and Audio Funding Award” (The RAFA) will have first refusal on a place. To apply you will be required to explain your difficulty or concern in 250 words, and supply an audio extract of 5 mins or less. You must be prepared to share your work in the group. Please send applications to apply@whickerawards.com. The application deadline is 28th August. You will know if your application is successful by 4th September.

Lead Tutors

Jane Ray is a multi award winning radio documentary maker and founding artistic director of The Whickers fund for emerging documentary talent. Jane’s experience covers ground breaking current affairs, arts and actuality led documentary. She pioneered diverse access documentary in the 1990s after joining the BBC, initially as a radio reporter, in 1987. She has taught documentary at the BFI and NFTS and coached some of the best in the business. Jane’s most recent audio work can be heard here.

Ibby Caputo is a multi award winning radio maker and the winner of The RAFA 2019. Her winning documentary A Perfect Match is set to be broadcast on BBC World Service. She’s taught audio journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York and currently edits the podcast, “Overheard at National Geographic”. She will be teaching a new masterclass called “Weave, Don’t Plop” about the tender entwining of narration and sound. See more here.

Guest Tutor

Pam Fraser Solomon has spent a lifetime creating compelling, stories for radio, TV and film through fact and fiction. Currently head of the MA in Creative Production at Mountview school of drama, Pam, who is also a Whicker Audio judge, will be talking about narrative structure; what factual audio can learn from drama and when to break the rules.

“Got an ailing audio documentary that’s hit a creative wall? You can't see way through it? You’ve lost your motivation, your key contributor or you’re drowning under the weight of your material? Whatever the issue help is at hand.”