Author: Jack (Page 92 of 179)

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!

Good Acting from Bad

I’ve been telling many actors that audio acting is pretty unique. Unless you’re acting for comic effect, you’re not playing large like you would on the stage. I remember Grace Lee Whitney talking about her cameo on Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. She explained how Leonard Nimoy was describing to her what was happening on the blue screen so he could get her initial reactions. When he explained how badly beaten up the Enterprise was after the battle with Khan her response was as large as she would have used on the stage. She needed another take to pull back the emotion. Audio Drama is like that. You can hear someone smile over the microphone. Don’t believe me? Go try it yourself sometime. I don’t understand quite what the difference is in the facial features, but it’s true.

This article by Christopher Hooton and the Independent does a good job of looking at Academy Award winning actors and their approaches to acting. Good audio actors are precious gems. I can only think of about a score that I consider stand outs in the public domain field. Who are your favourites and why?

 

Bored House-listeners

Using the illusionary trick of two microphones to create a surround sound playback, Mills & Boon intend to take their romance novels into the audiobook world. We’ve long lamented in the Sonic Society that while there’s no end to speculative fiction, horror and mystery shows (and we’re fans of all those), there aren’t a whole lot of new romance audio dramas out there. It’s our eclectic nature that wants to hear every genre in the sonic rainbow.

So maybe someone can take a cue from Mills & Boon and as this Telegraph article suggests mine the rich resources of ready-to-listen housebound lovelornaphiles (okay maybe that wasn’t a word but it is now! TM)

 

Why Love Audio Drama?

Reginald Nelson wrote a perfect post about his love for Audio Drama that mirrors many others, including this author. His show The Primordials sounds like a phenomenal story we’d love to hear on the Sonic Society someday. Audio Plays have the distinct ability to be the closest sibling to movies, or to stage plays, or even novels. There’s something incredible about how radio drama sparks the most vivid pictures in the mind. Mr. Nelson’s article in The Medium does better justice of his experience. Go have a read as we approach the end of the year and consider what your reasons are for the love of “the medium”. Make sure you let us know at the gmail sonicsociety email account for episode 500!

 

Digital Digressions

The Nepascene has a series of digressions in this article which thrills in the memories of old time radio. Among the great musical hits the author, Tim Thumb,  remembers, there’s these fine gems of OTR:

Then, in junior high at a brand new apartment building my mom and I moved into, I discovered “CBS Radio Mystery Theater,” with host E.G. Marshall.

You can listen to many episodes (of varying quality) here. I highly recommend that you do.

Having listened whenever we could find a classic radio show with my gramps – “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” “Fibber McGee and Molly,” “The Shadow,” “Buck Rogers” – I’d already developed a pretty intense love of radio plays.

But “CBS Radio Mystery Theater” was new! It was a first-run show and current! It featured stars like Fred Gwynne (whom I knew from “Car 54, Where Are You?” and “The Musters” and you’ll know as the judge from “My Cousin Vinny”), Ed Ames, Ralph Bell, Joe Campanella, Richard Crenna, and tons more as voice actors. It was a glorious discovery, and the station it was carried on was a country format in the evening leading up to the show, which aired at midnight (I’d have that earphone in, sneaking a listen to avoid an ass whoopin’, and fully prepared to be draggin’ ass the next morning!). Since I always tuned in early so as not to miss the creaking door and “BUM BUM BUMMMMM” opening, radio is also where my love for outlaw country was born.

This and so much more in the Nepascene story. What are your remembrances of days of yore when we prepare for Christmastime?

It’s Murder I Heard!

We’ve always wondered about radio drama outside of the traditional sources in North America and the United Kingdom. It seems like there are solid traditions in places in Africa and some nations in South America, now China has perhaps the beginning of a new renaissance in the medium (one can only hope) with the production of Murders on the Pacific Ocean. This crime suspense was written about a real-life murder case and represents a shining light in the burgeoning Asian radio drama industry. This Global Times article tells more…

Episode 495- Still Prisoner

Tonight we complete Big Finish Productions awesome promotional release of The Prisoner. Now’s your chance to own the entire series. Head over to Big Finish right away and tell them the Sonic Society sent you to pick up the rest of the series today! And special thanks to Michael Hudson for his work in getting this incredible release to us!

It’s Audio Drama Time!

BONUS TRACK:  John Bell’s Bell’s in the Batfry episode #156!

 

Episode 494- Prisoner to Audio

Thanks to Sonic Society member at large- Michael Hudson and the incredible folks at Big Finish we’re thrilled to feature as a promotional release part one of Big Finish’s adaptation of The Prisoner. Head over to Big Finish right away to purchase the rest of the series and don’t forget to tell them the Sonic Society sent you!

It’s Audio Drama Time!

 

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