This is a project we’ve been working on…and I think you’ll be interested.
Re Foreigner, from the Seattle Star:
by CJ | Sep 20, 2012 | Journal | 73 comments
73 Comments
Submit a Comment Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Oh Dear.
You know how sometimes you just can’t help but find your mouth with your foot? It appears that I may have done that in the interview with Sci-Fi-London.
You see, I stated that this project was not going to be like “those old radio plays” meaning, of course, “old time radio”. I work in the industry daily so have a very healthy respect for the forerunners of this industry.
Well, on a blog (I forget which, I’ve got CJ on my Google alerts) I disappointed someone with the remark and they said that I’d made a sweeping comment about radio plays and obviously hadn’t listened to the BBC audio offerings in the past decade.
I’m going to go on a limb here and assume the person is in the UK. The BBC audio work is wonderful and I have listened to it. But, if he is in the UK, I understand where he was coming from.
I did comment back, nicely, that I had referred to “old” radio plays and that here (where I am in the US) when you mention audio drama people ask if you mean old time radio… or they don’t know what it is at all. Many countries, from Canada to Mexico to England etc. have a thriving audio drama industry. I believe South America actually has awards that are right up there with the Oscars.
But, this gentleman’s comments point out something to me that I must pay attention to, CJ’s fans are world wide and I must make sure to qualify statements like the old time radio one with a brief explanation of the state of the industry in the US.
Lets see if I can make it through today without chomping off another toe!
Sable, try “Radio plays or dramas of the 1930’s and 40’s.” The only thing that comes to my mind is the 1939 War of the Worlds presentation. Something to indicate you ar referencing a time period prior to the wide use and acceptance of television. I’ve only heard a few episodes of the more recent things like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, so I have nothing to compare current radio dramas with. My car radio is set to NPR and never changes.
“We’re taking the radio dramas of the 1930’s and 40’s and raising them up a notch with more complex sound effects…. etc.” “It will be like the difference in the FX between Star Wars episode 4 (The New Hope) and Star Wars episode 1 (the beginning of the Clone Wars/whatever title it had.)
Remind people those radio shows of the 1930’s and 40’s were broadcast live in front of a live audience. I have no information on how much might have been pre-recorded.
Everything will be ok. Some people, in my experience, will get their nose out of joint if you look at them on the wrong day. I believe I was told once that 20% of people hate everything, including their Momma.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. The gentleman (turns out I did go out on that limb, it appears he’s in the States) has wanted to further the discussion off in a tangent and I’d much rather concentrate on the job at hand: working on the premiums, the blog, still searching for a social media coordinator, and yes, casting and then RECORDING!!!
But I think your idea is wonderful to add that little “30’s and 40’s” remark.
Modern audio differs greatly, the problem is, when you talk to the general population they don’t know it. The audio drama world (and I’ve been making my living in it for many years) is quite insular and you have the purists (as in fantasy or science fiction) and you have those that want to break out.
Tim’s and my concern is only to present Foreigner in a knock-your-socks off way for CJ and her fans.
People so often take things out of context. They don’t get all the message, or they misinterpret the intent versus the wording. Sometimes it’s unintentional; other times, their own opinions get in the way, with or without intent.
When I began listening to podcasts, I found several “old time radio” science fiction radio dramas. These were great fun to listen to. X-Minus-1, Tom Corbett, the classic War of the Worlds, Space Patrol…. Fun and entertaining, still thought-provoking today. And so many are now only available because enthusiasts have rescued them. These were often by master SF&F writers of the Golden Age, folks like Heinlein and others. These were dramatized serials, either serialized novels, short story anthology programs, or original radio presentations.
They were a product of their times. Times when most people didn’t have a TV yet, or there wasn’t much TV programming. But people had a radio. “Transistor” radios, something you could carry, not quite in your pocket, but portable, weren’t quite there yet. The men and women voice actors and audio sound effects and music were often live in the studio. Styles fit the expectations of the times. The men sounded like what they often were, WWII vets, rough and ready. The women were sophisticated city “gals” and “dames” not yet equal to the men in society, but in science fiction, getting there…somewhat. The teens and kids sounded like what they were, 1950’s youngsters.
What was and wasn’t said and done in these dramas were a window into the social attitudes of the times, towards men, women, teens, kids, minorities, gender roles, animals, technology, politics (and political fears), atomic energy, religion….
They were, for the times, and for what they had to work with, good quality off-the-cuff live recordings, even if there was later post-production and broadcast. By today’s high tech standards, they had weak spots, sure. But many modern podcasts are done by people who could learn from what those audio wizards did. And many of those classic radio audio dramas would have given dearly for modern audio conveniences and quality. There are some very high quality productions out there now in podcasts and audio dramas, including dramatized readings of books.
So, in my opinion, there are pros and cons in interpreting an offhand comment about old time radio as a negative comment. Anyone who’s listened to them, including professional audio people (creators, producers, actors, musicians, effects people) knows those old broadcasts were innovative and remarkable.
By the way, I still remember a show about how the War of the Worlds was produced, with an explanation that the great big sound of the meteor / Martian War Machine opening was actually … a big glass jelly jar being unscrewed underwater in (ahem) a bathroom (possibly a toilet) with the microphone just over it to pick up the echo and depth.
They did things like that, which sounded like something else. Mastery. Cleverness. Imagination.
Things like that, curiosity and love of it, are often why people get into audio.
I sort of backed into, volunteered myself into, what I’ve done in recordings. It was only after I’d done things for a good while that I got brave enough to audition for voice acting (amateur) roles. I found it’s *fun*. Where else can I play a gruff Klingon Guard or a psychotic Cardassian officer and get away with it? Or playing a bear or sheep. Or my own voice, in whatever role.
I wish people wouldn’t get bent out of shape over comments that didn’t quite come out as intended.
Miscommunication, and not trusting the advice and experience of a trained professional in a given field, are two of the biggest problems I’ve seen working with clients or seeing other people in a creator-client relationship or in (ugh) committees.
It became evident very quickly that we were approaching the subject from two different angles, mine is from a commercial angle as this is a high budget piece and we most definitely want to create quality product that sells well (all the better for us AND CJ) and the gentleman was more steeped in the classic and therefore taking umbrage with my approach. Even after I’d tried to smooth ruffled feathers others decided to pile on. I, obviously, left the non-discussion after my first attempt.
of course not a lot can beat the old BBC workshop that produced so many amazing sound effects for sci-fi, TV and radio, including Dr Who – their sets may have been rubbish, but the sounds weren’t!
Yes! So delightful!
Because I work in the industry daily creating commercial content that needs to be sold in order to keep the company alive and healthy I, and my co-workers, are constantly trying to figure out how to create excellent content with excellent production value and, most importantly, build an audience from a general population that really isn’t that aware of audio drama.
Here’s some very strange ways we’ve run up against that: the phone book insists on putting us under “audio visual”. The tax state L&I and Employement Security audited the company (this is not Audio Cinema Entertainment but a different company) because they didn’t know where to classify the actors we hired (they’re all union members) or how to classify our business as we are not a theater, but we’re not a service… three months of auditing hell and a cracked tooth from the stress went with that!
Add to that when you tell people what you do for a living they tend to look at you blankly and then finally say… you mean old time radio like “The Shadow?” or, “oh, that weird old soap opera organ thingee” or they have never heard of it and aren’t even aware of all the newer wonderful stuff out there. Unfortunately, if they have encountered it, they remember hearing one of the hollow, not terribly well effected, or well written pieces, and there is a lot of that that survived (I have some of it). In its most active production time, audio drama (radio drama) was being cranked out to the tune of 30 some new shows a week. Hard to keep up quality control on that.
When I got into this business full time 10 years ago I was thrilled at the people coming up with podcasts and trying new things and expanding the genre. Unfortunately many folks in the mainstream business ignored (although are not now) the younger podcasts and groups coming up. However, when they do encounter it (say Leviathan Chronicles) they’re blown away.
For those who are active in all the newer works, and those who listen to the BBC here in the US I would imagine it seems rather inconceivable that people aren’t aware of full cast audio drama. But the truth is the vast majority of the population isn’t. And, the reason for this is, quite simply, there is very little exposure to it AND, commercial production is very limited. Most people find it by “stumbling” across it on their radio or on the internet.
I’m constantly explaining to people what I do for a living. At my job we’re constantly trying to find ways to steer people into the newer works. We even have people who prefer the more, shall we say “classic” style, of audio drama call us and complain that a recent show they heard on the radio had “too many sound effects.”
In any event, when you encounter that on a daily basis (and believe me, it IS daily sorry to be redundant)you take great pains to assure people that what you do is not like what your grandmother or great-grandmother was listening to “back in the day.”
Thus our little term: A Movie in Audio (which, by the way was thought up by a blind gentleman who is very active in the OTR world) and our assurances that this is “new.”
We know that CJ’s fans will love (we certainly hope so) and we know that fans of audio drama and science fiction will certainly be interested in it, but… why limit the enjoyment to just us?
Not long ago I was at a flea market and a little girl was staring in fascination at an vinyl LP. She asked her father what it was. And her father did not say, oh that’s before CD’s, no, instead he said, oh, that’s before ipods and thumb drives.
We need to keep up with the times, not only in advances of the technology but in our labeling.
phooey, can’t edit… Paragraph 3, sentence 2 should have read “Unfortunately if they have encountered the really old, old stuff…” I’m just determined to dig a deeper hole!
I just finished listening to The Rolling Stones[/i] — by Robert A. Heinlein, that is 😉 — in audiobook from “Full Cast Productions” through Audible.com. It has been too many years since I last reread the book. Oh gosh, it was great as an audiobook. This had something of the feel of one of those old radio shows, because, well heck, RAH’s stuff was the basis for at least one radio and TV show back in the day, and at least one movie. The voice actors filled the bill really well. (My only quibble was that Castor and Pollux sometimes sounded a little younger than the 15 year olds they are in the book. However, it had that “gee-whiz” 1950’s feel to it, so, not a minus.) I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d forgotten whole chunks of the story. And the basic message, aside from a fine rollicking adventure yarn, is Heinlein’s half love song, half sales pitch for going out into space (as an extension of American individualism and the urge to explore and be independent). There’s also a running gag about the show the Stone family writes, and poking fun at himself as a writer. Terrific stuff. — For a long while, I’d resisted audiobooks because they’re more expensive. But eyesight and time to read, versus time to listen (as well as more familiarity with what goes into doing them and the enjoyment factor) means… I now have a few audiobooks, especially including works by CJC.
After finishing the book, I noticed too: The book was copyright (C) 1952. This year is its 60th anniversary. Hard to believe!
(I spotted a couple of references in the book that made me wonder if RAH had already written or had in mind ideas for Red Planet (with Willis) or Stranger in a Strange Land (the only book I still wasn’t allowed to read at high school age, ahem).)
Oh, and before I forget — there was also a mention in the book of a ship, *the* Firefly, that was due to resupply the asteroid miners soon. Hah, it made me smile, even though Firefly/Serenity is very unlike RAH’s books. I bet he’d approve, though. (He did approve of tribbles.)
Keep up the good work. And wear your cunning hat!
Would anybody want to buy a flatcat, cheap? Or a Mars/Moon bike, almost like new?
Aw, frell, I forgot a closing Italics tag some dang where. Sorry!
Some months back, I did a couple of paragraphs worth of audio lines for an upcoming podcst episode. But due to real-life circumstances beyond their control, they’ve had multiple delays in production. It is still delayed. I don’t yet know when it will be out. I’m looking forward to hearing the darn thing, and I wish the guy well who’s borne the brunt of most of the personal life difficulties that have delayed his portion of production. There was an update on it, but still no projected release date. Hoping for good things there. — I’d consider myself an amateur, but I’d love to do more voice work and I’m getting brave enough to think about what’s involved in doing it “professionally,” i.e. paid. I’m not an actor’s guild member. Heck, I’m still having fun doing the amateur, unpaid and voluntary stuff and auditioning likewise. (I’m male, mid-40’s, somewhere between tenor and bass, with a somewhat higher natural speaking voice. My audio work is on my site. For audio podcasts, dramas, I’ve so far played heavies. I can do accents, voice characterizations, and I can speak French and Spanish, not quite fluently but with a near native accent. Not kidding about the good accent. … However, I would need an accent coach for a Boston accent or (oddly) my dad’s regional Appalachian mountain accent. (In my mind, it’s mixed in with my own accent and both sides of my family, so that I’d really have to watch it to get it right.) Other accents, foreign or USA, I can do well. … Uh, this was not originally intended to be a “sell myself” sales pitch, but a comment on the delay and anticipation, looking forward to a certain podcast’s release. Out of respect for that team, I won’t say what podcast had the delay. From the update, I’m hoping it’ll be ready for public release in the next couple of months, and I can both listen to it and add it to my credits…and bug everyone else to listen to it. 😀
let me know when it’s available i’d love to listen to it.