Author: Jack (Page 99 of 188)

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!

Jim French Productions Off The Air

One of the great heartaches of growing older is seeing the end of things.

All things begin and all things must one day end, but it’s very bittersweet when its one of the great pillars of the Audio Drama community and that’s exactly what Jim French Productions is. For over two decades now, JFP has been making incredibly polished professional, stellar radio dramas and they are closing their doors at the end of March.

This February Newsletter has all the information:

Hello Jim French Productions fans.

In last month’s newsletter we told you that Jim had been hospitalized, had surgery and was on the mend. He is back home now, recovering and feeling better.

A few of you may know that Monday night we had our usual January live performance (a double length Sherlock and single length Harry Nile) at the Kirkland Performance Center. It was a sold out crowd and everyone had a good time, although a bittersweet time.

Monday night was our last live performance at Kirkland and it was also the scene for our announcement that, after almost 21 years producing Harry Nile, Sherlock Holmes, Kincaid and other series and single stories, Jim French Productions’ Imagination Theatre will be retiring from production and closing its doors at the end of March.

We’ll be broadcasting new shows up until the end of February and the website will stay open for sales until mid-March.

There are many “ends” that have to be tied up before we close so the office will remain open until the very last day, Friday, March 31, unless something changes.

If you wish to get our online catalog simply email us at jrfproductions@yahoo.com and put the word “catalog” in the subject line and we’ll email one off to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support through these 21 years.

The Crew at Jim French Productions, Inc. Imagination Theatre

Here at the Sonic Society and the entire larger radio drama community wish Jim and everyone at Jim French Productions a healthy and happy future. Thanks for so many wonderful memories and stories!

Episode- 500 BONUS!

Welcome to episode 500 BONUS! in which David Ault and Jack Ward continue their retrospective on the last 12 1/2 years of the Sonic Society. Tonight it’s Season 6 and up! Thanks again to all who called or wrote in to share in this milestone!

 

EPISODE 500- We are Mighty!

Welcome to episode 500 in which David Ault and Jack Ward have a retrospective on the last 12 1/2 years of the Sonic Society. Stay tuned for the second part as a bonus episode tomorrow! (We just hate to take away from new audio drama on Tuesday nights!) Thanks to everyone who called in!

Snobbish Sonic

Someone said to me recently that they felt that audio drama folks weren’t as snobby as podnovel folks.

That was a strange comment to make. Looking back, I do notice that Audio Drama has been seen as the ugly step-child of the podcast community somewhat. Through the years there’s even been some suggestions that audio dramatists could “graduate” to audio novelists if they were good writers. It made me wonder if there were similar ideas between stage playwrights and novelists. Or television writers and movie scriptwriter writers.

Is there a kind of hierarchy of writing and production?

When I think of it I have witnessed some strange behavior through the years. Now, I’m the first one to admit I’m a literary snob of some sort. I enjoy story beyond and above everything else. Good story, for me, is key to any writing in any genre.

I have heard some various forms of audio snobbery though from various quarters:

  • American audio drama is more valued than Canadian
  • British audio drama is more respected than American
  • New audio drama is accepted as better than Old Time Radio
  • Podficts is more edgy than audio drama
  • Heavy narration is worse than no narration
  • Lots of special effects (the “Every Blade of Grass” folks) is seen as modern compared to a limited soundscape
  • Horror and Comedy is more popular than drama
  • Podcast is better than radio, and streaming is better than podcasts
  • Social awareness trumps social commentary

These are the forms that come to mind for me. What snobbery do you see in the art form? Is it justified?

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