Halfway has entered the planning stages - which means its time for a synopsis!
Halfway is a queer horror/thriller audio drama which is currently in the planning stages. It focuses on Ana who returns home to her home town to find that a lot has changed.
People are different and begining to shut up shop all as a catastrophic storm seems to be approaching.
And somehow this is all connected to her grandmother's death, and the book she was left in her will, which has somehow ended up with a stranger she hardly knows.
If this seems interesting to you, stay tuned for updates and art. This project came from a love of audio drama that I have fostered for years and I want to make one of my own!
Alright guys its happening - im putting together a life plan before i become a fully fledge adult (if that word is even real). I have a question for all you voice actors and audio drama people:
What microphone would recommend to use for recording?
See, i am starting out and i would eventually like to try my hand at voice acting at some point in the future (even though that isn't my true passion) but i realise that even if i don't act at some point i might like to do introductions and/or qna episodes where i might possibly need a mic.
Since i dont have a job, im not looking for anything too expensive, but then again i am willing to save up for a few years in order buy something good quality.
I also would want to look for something beginner friendly as well - I'm not sure what the entails but im sure i could make a wrong turn somewhere.
If there is any software/mic setup stuff anyone wants to recommend (all hail wardrobes, closets and duvets) as well that would be super!
I also love how audio fiction has always been a highly experimental medium, and likely always will be.
Financially, it has a low barrier for entry, a low point of diminishing returns, and a relatively small potential market. It's basically impervious to being taken over by giant studios - even the "big" networks like RQ would be considered indie in the film or game dev industries. With the exception of the BBC, they tend to dip their toes into audio fiction, figure out quickly that, although it's beloved by its fans, there isn't that kind of money in it, and proceed to leave us alone forever.
Then there's the fact that it propagates largely by word of mouth. Audio dramas owe everything to obsessive nerds forcing nearly everyone they know to listen to that podcast they just discovered.
So it's more about the thing being actually good, plus a decent amount of luck and persistence.
There's no optimally marketable success formula being relentlessly enforced by gatekeeping jellybean-counters because they don't exist here. So people make whatever they want. So it draws people to it who are looking for something different. And the cycle feeds itself, and the medium gets weirder (in a good way).
It may very well ALWAYS remain the wild west of storytelling.
So listeners tell your friends about that podcast!
And creators, make the weird thing! There are no rules! It can be an hour long or Breaker Whiskey short, or Re:Dracula all over the place length. It can be another tape recorder framing or another voicemail framing or basically just an audiobook. It can be any genre or blend of genres. This creative space gives us the opportunity to be our own target audience in a way rarely found elsewhere.
If you enjoy the thing you're making, odds are somone else out there will enjoy it too. I've already found this to be true, and my time as an audio fiction creator is still just beginning.
Hey im curious because i know next summer i will be free from the schooling system...
What are all of the Audio Drama Conventions and where are they?
I'm thinking the UK will probably be the most accessible because to my knowledge there is fuck-all here (i know of a handful of all irish podcasts/audio dramas) and i want to chat to people who also love audio drama.
But i also want to know about the ones everywhere else! TAFCon was recently which is what sparked my thinking, but nowhere is off limit? So...
'Audio drama, audio drama - where art thou audio drama!'
podcake’s advice for your first audio drama: pt. 2/???
IN: FUNKY FORMATS | OUT: STAGNANT STORYTELLING
♡ don't be afraid to break out of your formal framing device
let's say you have a show whose framing device consists of an audio log being done on a tape recorder or perhaps some sort of in-universe radio show or podcast within a podcast.
now let's say that your show's plot begins to evolve to the point that a lot of the events going on must happen beyond the confines of wherever place or whoever person or whatever device is providing the info.
believe it or not, this is no cause for panic, it just means that your story is reaching logical progression and now is the time to pounce and let yourself go with the flow your story is taking.
the best instance i can name here is wolf 359, which makes quite the transition to mostly consisting of eiffel’s audio logs, to expanding to the events on the hephaestus station as a whole—how it's even being recorded being left entirely up in the air.
and yet, you don't really care at this point because the transition felt natural and necessary.
trust me when i say there comes a point where there's a willing suspension of disbelief, and your audience will grow to accept that they are, in fact, listening to a podcast, their immersion never once being broken.
the best advice i can offer here is this: if shifting away from the format you thought you'd be sticking to for the entire run of the show needs to change, then go ahead and do it.
does it aid the story? does it provide more intimate character moments? does it help flesh out the environment and plot more?
if it's "yes" to all those things, then breaking out of a strict format can be discarded without any complications.
if anything, having it stick around just for the sake of consistency would force the story to be shrunken down to compensate for it, severely limiting its reach.
the last thing you want is to have the repackaging of events secondhand greatly tarnishing the emotional levity of the arrival of new developments and more high-stakes moments, and to this day i applaud the shows that just say "fuck it" and doing away with their original format or being willing to do a bit of experimentation.
while it takes a certain level of grace to pull it off, trust me when i say going from format A to format B as your show progresses from point A to point B is by no means a detriment to your framing device—it just means you’re evolving.
IN: RELIABLE RELEASE SCHEDULES | OUT: TIME SINKS
♡ make episode releases worth the wait
okay, now this one may be more of a hot take.
while i wholeheartedly believe that showrunners have the right to release their episodes at whatever rate they find appropriate, i also hold true to the notion that only shows of a particular pacing, length, and structure can get away with fewer updates.
i think there's a very good reason why bimonthly release schedules are more favored all around, and i honestly think it's the best way to go about things if you're sticking to the usual time frame of twenty-thirty minute episodes.
but of course, this can be purely situational, and much of that has to do with your show's planned length all around. especially if you have a predetermined number of episodes in mind and/or have made that information publicly available to your listeners.
i think this problem only truly arises if you're planning to make a show possibly spanning for multiple seasons. at this point, don't be afraid to keep note of shows of longer lengths and how they tend to go about their publishing schedules.
hell, outright copy it if you need to—there's no copyright on the passage of time.
now, incredibly long shows are a very acquired taste and even i have a hard time investing from time to time, but the least you can do is keep the release schedule consistent for those who don't mind.
some of the longest shows i've checked out tend to stick to bimonthly updates like the silt verses, or do once-a-month updates like malevolent.
it also never hurts to have some episodes already queued up for release on predetermined dates, it builds so much more anticipation, and this way people can know for a fact when an update is happening.
there are also very specific cases like new year’s day where the show coming out annually is the whole point, or perhaps you're doing a mini series.
i'm personally a big fan of miniseries, and i'm always so impressed by how they manage to pack a good story into so little time. for those who are trying to do something smaller scale for their first show, feel free to check out the ones listed if you're on the look for some inspiration:
i just recently finished the hookup that was a mere ten episodes long and was a wild and hilarious experience, dreamboy is only eight episodes and tells a rather erotic and surreal story, and of course there's time:bombs which is a whole three episodes long and still had a beginning, middle, and end.
and as for their release schedules, the hookup began in february of last year and concluded in april that same year. 2019-2020's dreamboy was bimonthly, starting in october and ending in march. time:bombs was released in the course of a single day on a random in october in 2018.
the key words here are "progression" and "satisfaction". if people are waiting with bated breath for a single episode to drop during the month, it had best be worth their while, or at least provide signifiers that you're keeping some momentum.
the worst thing you can possibly do to your audience is take advantage of their patience and churn out an episode that doesn't move along the plot in any meaningful way or simply fails to engage them, all the while there's an indeterminate number of episodes between the recent update and the conclusion of the series that will only drag and drag some more as the story doesn’t budge an inch.
hypothetically, a twelve episode long show with twenty-thirty minute episodes releasing bimonthly will ultimately have more staying power and a more loyal listenership than a show of indeterminate length that releases only twenty minute episodes once a month.
in this camp, pacing and awarded patience is key because you never want to take the risk of your audience becoming indifferent and not keeping count at all.
podcake's advice for your first audio drama: pt. 1/???
IN: A MODERN MASTERPIECE | OUT: A BLANK CANVAS
♡ invest in an experienced graphic designer or artist
i once wrote an article about the importance of presentation when it comes to podcasts and i think it still holds true that visuals, even in the world of audio entertainment, can hold a lot of sway over who might be drawn to your show.
not only can consistent artwork give your show a unique aesthetic and identity, but it can also help people associate certain colors, symbols, and imagery with your show that will leave a lasting impression.
try to remember the basics for good cover art: a solid color scheme, good cropping (i love a solid 500x500), high resolution, a readable font—think to yourself, "if i saw these images, would i be tempted to check out this show?"
so i'd highly advise setting aside some budgeting to have a talented artist or graphic designer, or maybe even both, cook up some accompanying images that can go towards advertisements, promotions, individual episode art, or, if you really want to, official character designs.
do you already know how to do those things? then put those skills to good use and make your painting worth a thousand downloads!
IN: PATIENCE | OUT: FALSE PROMISES
♡ have a script before you have a cast
now this one is especially important. as eager as you might be to start an audio drama and want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, it is imperative that you have some words on paper before you even think about recruiting actors.
and i know this sounds obvious at first, but trust me, i've run into several ambitious newcomers who started their casting calls long before they even had a rough draft to their name.
while beginning the recruitment process is tempting, bear in mind that these people you've hired—and yes, you are hiring them—are now on indefinite standby until you've gotten something for them to read.
at worse, you might end up with a project that never gets off the ground with a group of people who thought they were going to get their big debut in voice acting, or have another amazing role under their belt, left out to dry.
even worse than that, if you ever do get that script finished, there's no telling what word of mouth can do to your reputation as a showrunner, making your options even more slim.
IN: SWEET SUMMARIES | OUT: RIDICULOUS RAMBLING
♡ keep your descriptions classy
now this seems like a no-brainer. you've gotten to the point when you can publish your show on spotify or podchaser or soundcloud or wherever people host podcasts, and it all comes down to a few simple sentences to rope people in.
and while it sounds simple on paper, an engaging description can do quite a bit of heavy lifting, especially when it comes to selling people on your first episode.
in my honest opinion: short and sweet wins the race. nothing too short, obviously, but some of the best descriptions i've come across can say a lot with so little.
but if you wanna go the route of longer descriptions, i'd highly advise keeping these concise and cut down on any unnecessary fluff. get to the good stuff without being too specific—the vagueness will give your listeners something to look forward to!
also, and this is just a side note and undeniably just my opinion, but when it comes to complimentary language to describe your show—entertaining, hilarious, compelling—try keeping it to a minimum, or, better yet, have it come in the form of a quote from a reviewer or any other sort of press.
(fun fact: i had my own review quoted for the summary of the audio drama podcube™ and i am flattered to this day!)
while it's essential to be proud of your show, you don't want to assume audience reactions, and too much self-congratulatory language can come off as insecure and insincere.
instead, try descriptive phrases that present the genre, tone, and plot—trust me, it's way more convincing. long story short: be informative, but never excessive.
IN: PASSION PROJECTS | OUT: CASH GRABS
♡ do it for the art, not the money
be honest with yourself: are you making an audio drama because you respect the medium and feel your show would be best represented in this format, or are you just doing it because "well, night vale made a lot of money, so now you can too!"
for starters, get that way of thinking out of your head as soon as possible because it is no way to go about the creative process in any area of the artistic field.
if you're cynically pumping out content, people are going to catch on eventually that your endgame was never to entertain and inspire, but to reap the benefits of the potential income.
making money off of an audio drama is, in itself, a great, and sometimes guaranteed, perk, and believe me when i say there are plenty of people that will happily financially contribute to your continued success, but that should never be your main motivation.
and i get it, we all want to do what we love for a living, but if you throw yourself into a community that you have no respect for, you'll be laughed right out of the door.
Season Length: As many or as few episodes needed to tell the story.
Episode Length: Less than 30 minutes is preferred, but I will absolutely listen to something longer if it's good. That means I'm definitely more willing to check out an audio drama if it's shorter, and I'm more likely to stick with it if it "alright but short" than "alright but long". However, there are audio dramas - like The Harbingers - where I wouldn't want them to be a minute shorter.
That means that my terrifying answer for audio drama creators is, "How confident are you in the episodes you're putting out into the world?"
this is an interesting question and one I’ve actually thought about before because the length of the episodes, in my opinion, influences how long a season should be. On shows like malevolent and the silt verses, the seasons stayed in the 10-20 episode range, but episodes got to be an hour + long by the last season in both cases. I haven’t been able to finish the silt verses because that pace is absolutely grueling to listen to in a single sitting and I was only able to keep up with malevolent to the finale because I was listening to the episodes live as they released monthly. When you have normal size episodes, which is between 20 and 50 minutes, pretty much any season length will do, but the general rule is more short episodes and fewer long episodes. This is my main problem with red valley; less than ten 20 minute episodes per season? You can listen to the entire show in less than a week. What I’ve really learned from going down the audio drama rabbit hole is that TMA is a massive outlier; no one is making 40 episode seasons on a weekly release schedule. I don’t think even the Magnus team can handle that anymore, since tmp cut down to 30 episodes a season and they still had to go on hiatus for half a year. Most shows have 20-40 minute episodes on a two week release schedule that add up to 10-20 episodes per season and they do fine, the fans love it, and they end up with great relisten value and are totally bingeable.
I talk pretty fast, and a lot of my lines are rapid fire or overlap.
Ylelmore scripts are bout 30 pages and run 18 - 22 minutes (since I started using something closer to standard play script format)
For InCo 8 - 10 pages (few descriptions, mostly dialogue) ran anywhere from 4 - 8 minutes... haha... I cannot control the episode... but hey it's a free service
...please don't ask me why I lived like that for like 4 years. I don't know.
