This week was a guest presentation on writing in sound by Kyla Brettle, radio feature maker and lecturer in media production at RMIT. Here are Kyla’s tips on putting an audio piece together.
For a taste of Kyla’s work have a listen to the riveting 000 Ambulance.
Most people have never called 000 for an ambulance. It’s difficult to imagine the terror and panic of finding your best friend not breathing and not conscious or your partner having a cardiac arrest. It can be the most crucial time in someone’s life and for a short period you are alone and in charge of the situation with nothing to help you but a voice on the end of a telephone.
000 is an intense and confronting program that takes us down the wires and across the airwaves of the Emergency Services Communications network. As we hear 000 call takers trying to calm callers and resuscitate patients over the phone, dispatchers on the other side of the room have already located the nearest ambulance and communicated the job over the radio. Callers are often still on the phone to 000 by the time the paramedics arrive.
The 000 call taker, Les Dougan, guides us through this world and explores its unique perspective on the city of Melbourne and the ceaseless chaos of life.