Week 9 – Audio Documentary

Context

This week I used Adobe Audition to create an 8-minute audio documentary called The Revival of British Basketball. My target audience was a 15–30 year old, any gender audience with an interest in sport and long-form storytelling, particularly people who enjoy learning more about the culture and business behind sport. My aim was to make an informative but still entertaining documentary that mixed key historical and modern facts about British basketball with engaging storytelling, emotional peaks and clear narrative “climaxes” to keep listeners hooked throughout.

Research

Story

I set out to answer a clear question:

how and why is British basketball having a revival?

To do this I researched the rise, dip and resurgence of the sport in the UK, looking at factors such as the role of the BBL, the London Lions’ recent success, investment in grassroots basketball, and how British players are starting to appear more in European and NBA conversations.

I also gathered factual context and quotes from interviews and reportage so I could back up my points with reliable information rather than just opinion. My script was structured in chapters early popularity, decline, turning points and modern revival so that the audience could follow a clear journey from past to present.

Stylistic

Stylistically, I was inspired by The Boot Room podcast, especially their episode The Story of Nike in Football. I wanted to mirror their balance of conversational tone and detailed storytelling: using scene setting descriptions, key turning points and well-chosen clip moments to build towards emotional climaxes. I also tried to copy their use of beds and SFX to create atmosphere for example, using crowd noise, shoe squeaks and ball-bouncing to place the listener “courtside”, then dropping the bed under more reflective or emotional sections to let the script breathe.

Practical Skills

This week, I strengthened my long-form storytelling and multitrack editing skills inside Adobe Audition. I organised my session using stepping to keep different layers of audio clearly separated, and used bricking to tidy up the final section of the timeline so everything hit its cue points. I added and labelled markers throughout the waveform to plan where interviews, SFX and music beds would enter or fade, which made it easier to jump back and fix mistakes or re-record certain lines.

I started with applying a Classic Soft Knee dynamics preset, and then used a Hard Limiter. I carefully trimmed breaths, long pauses and repeated words.

I then layered elements such as shoe squeaks, dribbling sounds and crowd eruptions under key story beats to emphasise momentum and create mini-climaxes. Finally, I made several revisions based on feedback from my tutor and peers, exporting different versions and going back into the multitrack to fix missed edits and volume inconsistencies.

Technical

Technical

For this project, I used Adobe Audition as my main editing software to record, mix and finalise the documentary. My voiceover was recorded on an Audio-Technica microphone in a sound-treated room to ensure clean, consistent audio without background noise. I used Audition’s multitrack view to layer narration, interviews, SFX and music beds, applying fades, volume automation and panning where necessary to create a balanced stereo image. All recording, editing and exporting were completed on my MacBook Pro M2, which allowed smooth playback even with multiple high-quality audio tracks. I exported a final mastered version suitable for streaming platforms and potential award submissions.

Evaluation and Reflection

What Went Well (WWW)

Strong narrative structure and clear audience focus

I built the documentary around a clear timeline of British basketball’s rise, decline and revival, which made the story easy to follow and relevant for 15–30 year-old listeners who might be new to the sport but interested in wider sports culture.

Effective use of sound design and layering

The stepping and bricking methods, combined with layered SFX like shoe squeaks, ball bounces and crowd eruptions, helped create atmosphere and drive the emotional peaks of the documentary.

Improved vocal quality and consistency

Using dynamics processing and a hard limiter gave my narration a professional, broadcast-ready sound. My levels stayed consistent across the full 8 minutes, even when moving between quieter reflective moments and high-energy sections.

Even Better If (EBI)

Refine pacing and breathing across the full 8 minutes

My pacing could still be slightly fast. Slowing down in key moments and leaving more intentional pauses would help certain facts and emotional beats land more powerfully.

Increase variety in contributors and perspectives

Including an even wider range of voices. For example, more fans, coaches or grassroots organisers would deepen the sense of “revival” and give the listener a more personal connection with the documenatary

Further polish automation and transitions

I could spend more time fine-tuning volume automation on SFX and music beds so every transition feels completely seamless, especially when moving into and out of interview clips or big climactic moments.

Below is a link to my final product: