Category: Podcast (Page 70 of 114)

Adapting a Classic

Long time listeners of the Sonic Society will know that I’m a fan of many writers, but specific writers have always driven me to be a better writer- Rod Serling, Robert E. Howard, J. Michael Straczynski, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, David Milch, Chuck Dixon, Steven Moffat, Alan Dean Foster, Dash Hammett as just some that come to mind. I have to give props to The Truth podcast. Jonathan Mitchell keeps producing what I adore- anthology tales that are full audio dramas. In this article from The Sarah Awards he details the process of going through and taking a Phillip K. Dick public domain story “Upon the Dull Earth” and adapting it.

In a world of story, it’s wonderful to hear the masters speak again through new voices. There’s a reason why Ray Bradbury felt that Colonial Radio Theatre’s adaptations of his work were the BEST done in any medium. In short, Jerry Robbins has an excellent ear for audio on the page, and assembles an incredible team, but also, as Jonathan could attest, audio is the best place for story.

International Podcast Day!

ipd-logo-headerAlmost thirteen years ago now, Dani Cutler, a friend of the show, suggested that the Sonic Society should go from just being a live radio show to being disseminated through a new distribution process called podcasting, we’ve never been the same since! Podcasting has given the Sonic Society over two million direct downloads during that time, and brought audio drama far and wide.

So celebrate September 30th, INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY! How will we celebrate? Jack will be finishing off some audio acting tomorrow night and recording an interview for this season’s Sonic Speaks!

 

 

OTR (Old Time Radio) finding NTL (New Time Listeners)

cbsmysteryThere’s a huge discussion in the modern audio drama realms that often ends up being confrontational. The New Time listeners and the Old Time Listeners represent a stark contrast in the listening habits of those who love radio plays. This can be a good thing, in that the medium is growing so large that we are able to break down into smaller groups. However, I’ve always felt that there’s good stories in old time radio shows as much as there is in new time podcasts.

Jay Powell in this Columbia Daily Herald article  has also discovered new life in the great OTR shows. Mr. Powell writes about his love of the CBS Mystery Theater series he heard first in his teens:

When I was in my pre-teen years, back when mp3 downloads were still in their infancy, I discovered that there was more out there than just songs and movie soundtracks I could store on my iPod. Some of my favorite memories from those days were nights spent listening to the radio program, “CBS Radio Mystery Theater.”

These were episodic dramas produced between 1974-1982, often with a tinge of horror and the macabre, running between 40 minutes to an hour. The format was a throwback to old time radio shows like “The Shadow” or “The Hall of Fantasy,” complete with sound effects and special guest stars. I still remember the loud creaking door at the start of each episode and host E.G. Marshall saying “Come in…welcome,” before launching the listener into another fear-filled hour.

The stories often involved haunted houses, a killer on the loose, or ghosts from a person’s past. A tale or two from Edgar Allan Poe (my favorite writer at the time) would also pop up on occasion. Listening to those stories was a tradition for me night after night as the lights went out and I crawled into bed, hoping to have the bejeezus scared out of me once more before I went to sleep.

There were other shows I discovered later on, such as “The Inner Sanctum Mysteries,” “Suspense,” even the old Mercury Theater programs starring Orson Welles. Something about having to imagine the scenes as I closed my eyes and put on the headphones had a way of immersing the listener into that world, almost in a dreamlike state.

Read the rest of Mr. Powell’s love letter to the OTR and start listening again with new ears in archive.org

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