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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Oct 13, 2013 21:06:34 GMT
BACKGROUNDIn 2011, a webisode script series by the name of Dead City Blues, about the men and women living in a city after the supernatural had taken over, aired on Compass' predecessor, TEN. It aired a 13-webisode series on TEN before that site closed, before returning with all-new material here at Compass Workshop. After its first run, it was shifted to an 'as I could write it' second season currently being chipped away at between other projects.
During its first run, a good friend of mine and I discussed the possibility of using the pilot of DCB as the basis for an audio project. Sam Racine, one of my best friends and a talented sound designer, needed a culminating project to show off her skills. With access to a professional-grade studio and sound library at our university, as well as professional-grade actors through a talent agent friend, we had access to all the tools we needed to make a kick-ass audio pilot. And working together, with Sam's skill in sound design and my knowledge of the characters and the world, we created something I'm very proud of. A note to those familiar with the original pilot, there are some differences. The opening image of the pilot as scripted wouldn't quite translate to audio, so a new scene was written to introduce the characters and world. The end of the pilot was also shifted to a more emotional ending than the original, more risque closing exchange. THE PROJECTName: Dead City Blues pilot, "Dead City Blues" Written by: RJ Alden Lackie Directed by: Sam Racine Produced by: Sam Racine & RJ Alden Lackie Special Thanks To: Ryerson University, Jason Spanton of RGM Management Starring: Adam Bogen as Shane Olson, David Sherren as Kellan Chase, Mac Dale as Man Synopsis: In a city walled off from the rest of the world, where the supernatural runs rampant, human lovers Shane and Kellan go through a typical day in the life in the dead city. Streaming Link: [HERE]Please enjoy, and feel free to post any thoughts below!
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Post by Srini Madhavan on Oct 14, 2013 1:45:23 GMT
Just gave this a listen - it's really good. Surprising how well the script, which seems to me is a visual script, translated pretty well into an audio drama.
One criticism, which given this isn't getting a lot of money put into it is nitpicky, but I felt the sound was too clean and surgical almost. I'd like to see the dialogue dirtied up a little to sound as if they're in the given location, rather than in a recording studio. Stuff like allowing some of the ambient sound to take over a little, being dynamic with the distance of the sound's source (such as with the action scene towards the end, where the setting suggests lots of movement) would really add to the realism. Having said all that, it's a learning process, and it would take a lot longer to do all those things.
It was still really enjoyable to listen to, albeit a bit confusing for me specifically, given I almost exclusively watch film and TV, and have never before been exposed to the world of audio drama.
Great start! I look forward to more if you're planning on doing it.
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Post by Kyle West on Oct 14, 2013 14:59:39 GMT
Haven't listened to an audio drama in forever. Literally more than 10 years, I suspect. With that said, this was great, Alden.
I never got around to reading the show, so went into this blind, and I liked it. Sure, there were moments where I wasn't 100% certain where we were, etc, but bloody hell, all in all it was a superb job. Without a doubt mate, you should try and do more of these, and heck maybe try and make some money out of them in the long term.
I think, for projects where we know they won't get filmed but just living in script form isn't enough, this is a superb medium. I suspect this will inspire people around these parts to do the same, and you might have started a new wave of entertainment. I only hope they sound as professional as this one does. Do more mate, and I'll certainly listen.
Now, curious as to the amount of production time and such that went into this? Care to spill?
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Oct 15, 2013 0:37:13 GMT
Thanks, Kyle! Really pleased you enjoyed this one so much. It was a ton of fun to produce.
I'd love to make more of these, but the conditions that made this sound so good for free have sadly passed. As it was done in the context of a uni assignment, we had access to a wide sound library and professional-grade studios for this pilot, neither of which are accessible to us now. The director and sound designer at the heart of this, my good friend Sam Racine, has moved to another country, making her unavailable to do more episodes. Even the pro actors did this for free as a favour, which I doubt we'd be able to arrange again. So I think this pilot will have to be just an interesting look at another potential version of DCB, unless I get a lead on some money to use to produce more episodes.
That said, if the opportunity was available... I definitely think I'd give it a shot, either with Dead City Blues or another project. I really enjoyed the challenges of working on an audio drama, and the chance to produce something without the headaches of video production. Getting to hear Shane and Kellan interact... it was pretty damn cool, not gonna lie.
Now re production time, I'll have to ask Sam for details as she was the one who did pretty much all of the work. I know the recording (for Shane, Kellan and the Man) and selection of takes all got done in a day, because I was there helping direct. Most of the work was pre-production (planning out the soundscape and how to tell the story in audio) and post-production (corralling the sound effects from the library and the recordings to build a full, interesting narrative), I believe.
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Post by Kyle West on Oct 17, 2013 15:32:08 GMT
Well, as disappointing as it is that this won't be a regular thing, I think it's made one thing very clear: in this world of online fiction, our word doesn't have to just stay written on the page.
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Oct 17, 2013 16:51:59 GMT
Definitely, 100%. And if I can get the facilities together for more projects of this ilk, perhaps one less technically rigorous but still compelling, I'd love to do one as a regular feature on Compass.
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Post by stephinteevee on Nov 17, 2013 23:36:47 GMT
I had never heard this before - AWESOME. And wow, does it open one's mind re: podcasts and their effectiveness. What an interesting way to test-pilot a webseries...
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Nov 18, 2013 0:19:44 GMT
(The luminous Steph Ouaknine, everyone!) Thanks, Steph! Yeah, it's a fascinating way to do a pilot without the full expenses of production. Much more affordable and still gives a sense of cast chemistry, dialogue and story. I've even considered my options re getting an animator to turn this into an animated pilot to shop around.
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mdale
Quiet Newbie
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Post by mdale on Dec 27, 2013 21:32:20 GMT
I have never been involved in a radio drama before so I did not know what to expect from the finished production. When I heard it, I was absolutely astounded. It was a pleasure to work on and I am so pleased with the depth of the production. I would love to see this produced in full length on the screen. Mac
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Dec 27, 2013 21:43:50 GMT
Thanks, Mac!
Mac voiced our 'Man', a role specifically written for the audio pilot to give us the chance to tell the story of the dead city in a way we could hear, instead of see. Mac nailed it, and he was an absolute pleasure to work with, so he knows I'm looking forward to collaborating with him again ^_^
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Post by Kyle West on Dec 27, 2013 21:53:27 GMT
Welcome, Mac. Nice to have one of the voices here!
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