by Bob Tinsley
Why should you as a visitor to TVWriter™ be interested in making audio fiction? Why should you be interested in making podcasts? Discoverability, that’s why.
The meaning of the word podcast is evolving to include any episodic, audio-only production whether nonfiction or fiction. Agents and major studios have started trawling through podcasts and their creators for new content and talent.
So here’s the latest news to help you and your podcast get discovered:
Music from https://filmmusic.io
“The Builder” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- I TOLD YOU SO.
Freediver: Triton Down’s Story Continues In Podcast Series.
Disaster at sea: a massive research vessel lost to a rogue wave. The sinking did not make the news, and the families of her crew were left without answers. Follow one young woman on her journey to unravel the dangerous mysteries surrounding the Triton incident, even if the truth may reopen old wounds.
Based on the video game, Freediver from Archiact, The Triton Incident, written by Peter Boychuk, follows an alternative storyline from the game. The podcast stars Tara Pratt, Sebastien Archibald, and Mayumi Yoshida.
This podcast exemplifies leveraging intellectual property. “Additional content for games usually comes in the form of a short story or an animated movie; as far as we know, we’re the only company to ever produce a full fictional podcast,” said Archiact.
In this case the podcast came from the game. There’s no reason in the world why your podcast couldn’t spawn a video game. Look for the openings.
https://uploadvr.com/freediver-podcast-series-sequel-game/
https://rss.com/podcasts/thetritonincident/
- RESOURCES, PART 1.
Sound Design: Jonathan Mitchell.
This article by Jonathan Mitchell, writer, director, and producer of the fiction anthology podcast, The Truth, shows what goes into creating the sounds for an audio fiction episode, and the differences between literal and abstract sound design.
Mitchell says: “I think everyone involved in audio production should think of him or herself as a sound designer. Good sound design is not decorative, and it’s not afterthought; it exists as an integral element of your story, and is embedded in every decision you make.”
https://transom.org/2018/sound-design-jonathan-mitchell/
- RESOURCES, PART 2.
Sound Design: Mark Henry Phillips.
A more general take on the job of a sound designer by Mark Henry Phillips, who worked on Homecoming, Serial, Radiolab and more, says ” It’s an interesting job: you work hard to layer sound atop sound and if you get it just right, all those layers become invisible. The listener thinks, ‘That’s just what it sounded like’–if they think about the sound at all. The majority of the work is about being unnoticed.”
Keep in mind that he’s speaking from a background where physical assets such as a professional studio filled with top quality hardware and software are not an issue. That’s not necessarily true for an indie fiction podcaster. Nonetheless, this article has a lot of info you need to know.
https://transom.org/2018/sound-design-mark-henry-phillips/
- IF YA WANNA WRITE, YA GOTTA LISTEN.
Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery.
Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town’s boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house’s strange assortment of residents.
A studio-based production that utilizes a Writer’s Room, Unwell is well into its second season. Story Director, Jim McDoniel, and Staff Writers, Jessica Best, Jessica Wright Buha, and Bilal Dardai do a nice job of handling the complex relationships between the characters and weaving together the supernatural and everyday small-town weirdness. The sound design is spare but well-done.
https://www.unwellpodcast.com/
Until next week, same Pod-time, same Pod-channel, keep listening and keep creating.