KALW Summer Intern Masters Interview, Sound, Script and Lede Techniques by Telling Chinatown Park Story on Crosscurrents

This summer, KALW public radio, an ACE Continuing Education Partner, hosted four interns from Burton High School where the station is based. Working with senior editor Casey Miner and all of the station staff, they learned about everything that goes into producing a feature radio piece, from conceiving an idea to recording interviews, writing scripts, and sound engineering. KALW is airing their pieces this week.

Fourth and final intern up: Marco Choi. Check out his piece, as well as his reflections on his summer internship experience and learning to write scripts.

By Marco Choi

One of the most special experiences of this internship was going to do interviews in Portsmouth Square plaza. It was very strange to take the recorder and ask questions of

some random people at the park. I really appreciated that Independent Producer Lisa Morehouse took us there, and that other people could help me to collect some sounds and interviews. Because I usually do not talk to strangers, I was nervous when I asked them questions. ‬ ‪I gained more confidence after interviewing people in Chinatown. ‬

The second thing that I learned about was how to write a script. First, you have to think about your lede. The lede needs to summarize your story and some background information. The next thing was to organize your elements/scenes. In my story, I wanted to focus on the people who always hang around at the park, and what it means to them. In the interviews, I mostly asked them why they like this park and what makes them come here. Some answered that this park is popular, peaceful, and that they like the quiet atmosphere. I was really excited to write my script, and to work on sound editing, which is the thing I like best.

Here’s my story: Young Chinese American rethinks the significance of Portsmouth Square