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Welcome  to Bombs Always Beep – Creating Modern Audio Theater – 2nd Edition “Revenge of the Beep”

By Kc Wayland    –    Edited by Wendy Lucas & Shanti Ryle

2nd Edition Ebook and Print version on sale now!

2nd Edition Bombs Always Beep

Special Price $39.99 $19.99

Over 20,000 new words added (roughly 50 pages) covering the new and expanded topics of:

Storytelling:

  • 1.2a Pacing and Tension
  • 1.2b The Outline
  • 1.4a Character and Story Wrappers
  • 1.4b Natural Character Evolution

Storytelling Through Audio:

  • 2.1a Audio Aesthetics and The Sound Palette
  • 2.3a Creating a Scene for Audio
  • 2.3b Audio Scene Transitions

Actors

  • 5.4a – Casting Audio as the Actor or Director
  • 5.4b – Keys to Success Working with Hollywood Talent
  • 5.9a SAG/AFTRA Rates

The Tech Side of Recording

  • 9.2a Hierarchy of Sound Recording

Post Production

  • 10.2a Post Software
  • 10.3a Noise Reduction
  • 10.3b Advanced Audio Editing Samples
  • 10.6a Performance Selection and the Editor
  • 10.6b The Pacing Cut
  • 10.8a Foley vs SFX
  • 10.9.4a Audience Digestion, Limitations, Lufs, and Levels
  • 10.9.4b Dissonant Sound
  • 10.9.4c Mixing to the Voice
  • 10.10.1a Sampled Foley

2nd Edition Print Version now available:

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Bombs Always Bee …

Kc Wayland

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Overview

Bombs Always Beep: Creating Modern Audio Theater is an exploration of the entire production process of constructing modern audio narratives. Podcasts have facilitated a renaissance of independent audio-only series, and they are expanding at a rapid rate. Currently, there are no other books available that explain in detail the inner workings of creating audio narratives by way of the new podcast distribution system. Most literature focuses on the dated production and writing methods from the Golden Age of Radio or the BBC radio distribution models. However, entire companies are now being built upon contemporary storytelling production techniques, funded by crowdsourcing and advertising. This book covers the process from beginning to end: How to create compelling modern audio theater and distribute it online.

CONTINUED…->

Chapter Breakdown

What is “Audio Drama”?

This first section is the introduction to the medium, a brief history, and an indepth analysis of the various styles of audio-only entertainment currently on the market.

Chapter 1 – Storytelling

This first chapter demonstrates how to create a story that’s told through only audio means. Every aspect of a sample story is flushed out in a unique way through a Story Workshop. The building of a story then grows from the exploration of natural character motivation. Lastly, this story section contains tips for exploring and writing onto the page, and helpful brainstorming techniques.

Chapter 2 – Storytelling through Audio

What are the things that are unique to audio-only entertainment that need to be considered when writing a story? What are other aspects that help enforce the visualization of the story? Environments and setting choices become the equivalent to framing in cinematography. Lastly, the section ends with the guide on how to transfer all of these ideas onto the script page formatted specially for audio-only productions.

CONTINUED…->

Table of Contents

  • Chapter Outline
  • Foreword
  • What is Audio Drama?
  • Storytelling
    • 1. Choosing your Story
    • 1.1 Titles
    • 1.2 Creating a Compelling Story
    • 1.3 Story Workshop
    • 1.4 What’s in a Name?
    • 1.5 Conflict is Key
    • 1.6 Motivation Moves the Story
    • 1.7 Conceiving Action
    • 1.8 Words on the Page
    • 1.9 Workshop Result

CONTINUED….->

Current Version: 2.0 – Updates to the book will be made in the future as techniques and technology advances.


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What is an “Audio Drama?”

Audio drama is having an art renaissance. The ease of access to the technology and the distribution platform of podcasts is turning up the volume on this form of aural entertainment. The growing listenership and metrics of reach are driving advertisers to these shows, injecting funding into the medium again, luring new creators to the field. This source of income is something that we must embrace as in a realistic world, art cannot grow without profitability.

Advertisers often struggle with pitching audio-entertainment because of the labeling/branding that corresponds with the particular programming. If one were to assign a certain dollar amount for advertising against audio programming, it becomes critical to know the differences between something like Audio Theater and something like a multi-cast audio book. The cost of advertising is typically proportional to the quality of entertainment, and the “star-power” that is attached.

To better help break down the various archetypes and format of modern aural entertainment, I came up with the following list. Several other producers in the medium have helped contribute to what is presented below, and I leave room for corrections and growth. If there’s a missing category or verbiage that could help broaden or narrow the scope of a classification, please feel free to comment below and contribute to the conversation. Communication progresses the medium.

-Kc

Audio Entertainment:

  • Book-based: This section pertains to text that was directly translated FROM books, meaning that the dialogue and format hasn’t changed significantly from the first published materials.
    • Non-Fiction
      • Audio Book (NonFiction) – Single-narrator readings of nonfiction books.
    • Fiction
      • Audio Book (Fiction) – Single-narrator readings of narrative books.
      • Enhanced Audio Book – Books with single or multiple readers, enhanced with sound effects and/or music.
      • Multicast Audio Book – Books directly translated into audio with multiple performers reading different roles.
  • Audio Drama –This section pertains to narratives that are specifically written and designed solely with the intention of the final product being only audio.
    • Radio Drama – Term used for narrative dramas produced during The Golden Age of Radio
    • Audio Play – Term used for multiple actors performing roles with minimal narration and sound effects.
    • Audio Journalism Non-fiction news reporting style (Serial)
    • Audio Mockumentary – Fictional news reporting style and found recordings (Welcome to Night Vale, Black Tapes, etc…)
    • Sound Art/Experimentational – Fictional miscellaneous aural category. There’s a lot of room for using sound solely to tell stories, with varying amounts of VOX.
    • Audio improv – Actors create a story specifically for audio, but doesn’t have a pre-existing narrative to follow. AKA Bat Improv – just as a bat can’t see, the improvisors rely on only their voices to tell their improvised story
    • Audio Narrative – Term used for single-to-multi-cast stories that rely on the story to be told via narration/monologues, with possible accompaniment of Foley, SFX, and music (Alice isn’t Dead, Scotch, Mabel).
    • Audio Theater – Term used for multi-cast narrative stories that follow a dramatic script, uses narration, sound FX libraries, and music.
    • LIVE Audio Theater – Term used for multi-cast narrative stories that follow a dramatic script; uses narration, sound fx libraries, music, and possibly LIVE Foley (Wildclaw Theatre)
    • Theater for the Mind** – Term used to describe multi-cast narrative stories, using minimal narration, using advanced sound design techniques, custom music and foley  are used throughout the framework of the story.

    ** this is a particular branding that I have been using as my own personal and company’s aural archetype.