Author: Jack (Page 101 of 175)

Born to Teachers and Amateur Audio Enthusiasts in the small rural community of Belwood, Jack's first love was stories- writing, reading, telling, and singing. He developed his acting skills through High School, University, and through film and community theatre.
Jack writes the lion's share of Sonic Cinema Production's (previously Electric Vicuna) Audio Drama scripts and has his own writing site at www.jackjward.com. Jack also is the middle of book writing, screenplay production, and is the CEO of the Mutual Audio Network- where he and the best people in the world Listen & Imagine, Together!.
He's thrilled to co-host the Sonic Society with his wonderful, talented, friend David Ault as they enter their second decade in the medium!

The Social Contract of Radio Drama

March 31, 2016 / / 0 Comments

05DADDCE0000044D-3498014-image-a-10_1458262607996At the Sonic Society we try to demonstrate that radio drama opens up conversation in the areas of social and political concern. Many communities around the world may not have wide distribution to televisions or Internet, but they have radio. Radio can teach and delight (to borrow from Philip Sidney). Case in point, from The Daily Mail, How The Archers helps abuse victims: Charity bosses say radio drama’s storyline about domestic violence has led to calls to national helpline increasing by a fifth speaks to the recent abuse of the character Rob Titchener bullying his wife, Helen Archer. According to the Daily Mail article, calls to the UK’s Domestic Abuse Help Line went up 17% and the show set up a giving page for charity refuge for abused spouses.

Read the rest of the article and consider how social conditions might improve in your area by a thought provoking conversation about the issues that affect your community.

Alien Radio

March 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

AlienOutoftheShadowsAfter watching both Alien and Aliens, I was certain of one thing… all the chatter between the humans on the comm-links with the heartbeat sounding scanner would make a terrifying audio drama version if someone ever did it.

Well, they did. Or rather he did. The “he” in question is none other than the Wizard of Aud- Dirk Maggs. Hero writer/producer of Neverwhere, Batman-Knightfall, Superman on Trial, Gemini Apes and dozens more that are often considered the gold standard of new audio drama. Mr. Maggs has produced Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, which releases exclusively out of Audible April 26th. Listen to a clip of this soundscape sorcery at this moviebuzzers article and find out about the star-studded cast! Suit up!

Is Anyone Out There? Or is this… a Dead Line?

March 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

rdlistenWhen I conceived of The Dead Line Anthologies at EVP Studios, I thought the narrator was a “voyeur in a wired world”. Often times, audio drama producers ask the question “Is Anyone Listening?”. I would argue that over the course of a decade, we’ve made great strides.

Samuel Morrison from The Cornell Sun asks the same question in this article Is Anyone Listening? Morrison writes about radio drama:

Discovering this medium has single handedly salvaged my slumber and opened me up to a new world of immersive storytelling armed with only the power of sound. It is visceral and real, and it attains psychological realism in a way that other mediums sometimes cannot.

Check out the rest of Samuel Morrison’s thoughts on the medium, and his plea to listen to great audio drama!

Return Home to Audio Drama

March 29, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Going-HomeWe love brand new series of Audio Drama, and here’s the latest. A creepy serialized audio drama “Return Home”

From the Press Release Posted on DreadCentral:
Bamfer Productions is proud to announce that they released their new serialized audio drama, “Return Home,” on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

Return Home is the story of Jonathan Barker, who returns to his home of Melancholy Falls, NJ, after five years away. An unknown entity beckons him back East in order to unravel the mystery of what his home town has become… or has always been. Reunited with his best friend, Buddy, Jonathan must discover the secrets of Melancholy Falls and why he was told to return home.

The show is done in the style of an old time radio drama, like those of the past, but with a modern twist. It is fully produced in stereo sound to make you feel like you are part of the action. Though you can listen however you’d like, it’s recommended you do so with headphones. Alone. In a darkened room.

The show also features an amazingly talented cast, featuring the vocal talents of Forrest Orta, Cleve North, Alyssa Rittorno, Russell Eaton, Rossco SoleTrain, Taylor Thorne, and more. And that’s just the first episode.

Each episode will be split into several parts, with each part being around 10 minutes in length. Parts will be released on Tuesdays until an episode is complete. As a whole, these parts will make up a self-contained story, while every episode will contribute to the overall mythology of the show. The first episode of the show, “Home at Last,” began releasing on March 1, and will be spread over five weeks. Episode 2, titled “Whatever Lies Behind the Door,” will begin releasing on April 5.

“Return Home” is the creation of Jeff Heimbuch, who has been co-hosting the theme park podcast “Communicore Weekly” for the last five years. He is partnering with Andrew Taylor, who is producing this project, and Kori Celeste, who is composing all of the original music.

“I’ve always wanted to expand my storytelling skills into the realm of audio dramas, as they have fascinated me since I was a kid. Now that I have the means to tell the creepy, yet quirky, story of ‘Return Home’ correctly, I am excited to bring it to the ears of people everywhere,” said Heimbuch.

“I jumped at the chance to work on an audio-centric, story-driven podcast. It’s been a blast to create this world using only sound, so far, and we can’t wait to continue this journey,” said Taylor.

“Return Home” is available now on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever else you can find podcasts. For more information  visit ReturnHomePodcast.com.

The Rise of the Bronze Age of Audio Drama?

March 28, 2016 / / 0 Comments

bronzeHappy Easter Everyone! A time where traditionally we think of new life, and renewal, and it’s got us thinking here at EVP Studios.

A few years back I said we had exited the Golden Age of Modern Audio Drama, and entered a definitively new age, the Silver Age. I said that because I had seen the generation of Audio Drama enthusiasts bring back the medium to the Internet, only to inspire a new group of people who maybe hadn’t heard of audio stories before podcasts opened their ears to the possibilities.

Now, it looks like we’re entering a third age. The Bronze Age of Modern Audio Drama where a new group of people who haven’t heard of the Golden Age group, and may not even be aware of the Silver Age productions are looking at the run away podficts like Serial and Tanis and are deciding to make their own series.

Audio Drama is broadening its base, even as its not widening it. What I mean by that is that we’re now coming to a point where the small community is fracturing so that so many people are unaware of the works of others. When most people excited about the medium used to listen to a group of shows to find what’s new out there, now we see entire podcasts existing entirely ignorant of the other works out there, and almost proudly so. After all, there’s so many podcasts of every genre, can you say you know them all? It’s impossible.

Radio Drama is starting to get that kind of wide appeal. But there’s still a danger in this fractured effect. It means that if your favourite audio series stops, you’re more likely not to know if there’s anything else out there. Even now, the most popular podcasts about audio drama tend to focus on a handful of shows as if they are the only ones that exist.

Our focus in the Sonic Society, has always been about the eclectic nature. We’d rather give you the world of audio drama, and let you decide weekly your commitment to it.

So is this a New Age? Let us know what you think in the comments…

When Larceny Pays

March 27, 2016 / / 0 Comments

tpolkTyler Polk travelled to New York and brought home the golden microphone award for “Best Radio Drama” for his alma mater, Point Park University. Polk, a junior journalism major, took home the award in the 2016 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s (IBS) College Radio Awards. Park Point’s now six-year consecutive win is a record at the IBS awards, Trevor Sheets, the  WPPJ’s General Manager reported. Polk’s radio drama “Larceny” is described as a scene from “Grand Theft Auto,” with an M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist at the end.

Read all the incredible details of Tyler Polk’s win and a look at the next generation of new audio drama producers at this article from the Globe, WPPJ program takes home IBS award for ‘Best Radio Drama’.

The (Radio) Show That Happened Long Time Ago

March 26, 2016 / / 0 Comments

empireradioad2_t328x500In a generation far, far away, Americans everywhere were treated to Star Wars the Radio Drama trilogy in 1981, 83, and 96. While my reintroduction to modern audio drama was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as CBC replayed the British phenom  just before the bus came in the morning, yanks were thrilling about George Lucas‘ game changing space fantasy not only on the screen, but in the theatre of the mind. Adapted by the incredibly talented Brian Daley, the extended Star Wars series lit the imagination of the current crop of Gen-X’ers who currently dominate the audio drama realm.

The Lawrence Public Library Staff write this article, expressing their own (although I suspect it was just one person’s) enthusiasm reliving the classic series:

…the “Star Wars Radio Drama” adds new depth to a classic story so many of us have come to love. And most importantly, it’s a lot of fun. And luckily for us, we don’t have to wait years between episode; the library’s copy comes with dramatizations of both “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” So get listening!

May The Force be with you, always….

Green Audio Thumb

March 26, 2016 / / 0 Comments
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Jemaine Clement Returns to Radio with the Podcast Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium. The article by Garrett Martin at Paste Magazine, tells us that the new podfict The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium is about the life story of Lord Joseph Banks, the British botany and natural history scientist from Captain Cook‘s sea voyages. Banks brought back such exotics like eucalyptus to the west.
The script is written by acclaimed writer and director Duncan Sarkies, James Milne, and artist Stephen Templer, and is only inspired by history, drawing in elements of comedy and parody.

For his part, Clement is thrilled to be working in the audio world again:

“It’s a mixture between reading a book and watching a movie. Some of it’s provided for you like a movie, like the performances, but a lot of it you have to imagine yourself when you’re listening to it. I’m hoping podcasts will bring radio comedy and radio drama back.”

Welcome to the Society, Mr. Clement. Welcome to the Society.
New episodes of the Botanarium arrive every Wednesday!

Mike Says So!

March 25, 2016 / / 0 Comments

usimic-640x426Those entering the world of audio start to discover quickly those folk who love the engineering side of the audio world. It’s hard to argue that anyone loves it more than the Slovak label LOM. In this enigmatic article, These mics capture sounds from the edge of human hearing – and beyond the article goes into depths and clips with some of the amazing sounds that are being captured beyond our current easy listening perceptions.
Who knows. Maybe some day we’ll catch a little more of the world beyond like Huff Paranormal claims he can do with his Ghost Boxes.
Until then, we’re happy to hear the almost unlistenable from electro-magnetic wavelengths to the world of ambient noise. Keep Listening!

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