Audio Design: Podcast Pre-Production

Readings:

After reading a few different sources on good practices of sound different ways to plan and execute a good podcast I learned a lot of different tips and tricks on how to make my upcoming podcast the best it can be.

On the podcast series “Podcraft: Honing the Art of Podcasting” made by thepodcasthost.com they have multiple episodes that dive deep into different important aspects on how to make an interesting and seamless podcast.

In one of their episodes they talk about the importance of scripting or not scripting. Their take is that in most cases yes there should be a framework of a script so that your intro and outro and any sponsored ads are polished and sound uniformed and practiced. But for many other podcasts in order to make it sound natural and conversational you want to just list out bullet points with important facts and details that you don’t want to miss.

This point leads into another one of their episodes where they talk about the podcast script having a seamless and noticeable narrative that helps the podcast flow and makes it easy to follow along. “Your listeners benefit because having an engaging podcast that has a proper flow to it will hold your listeners attention. they’re more likely to stick with it until the end because like all great tales they want to know how it ends.” (Cudmore, Podcraft S6 Ep.2) One of the biggest obstacles in a podcast is that if their is no pre-made transcript then your audience is just listening with no words to look at so you have to make simple and easy for the ear not the eye.

One of my favorite of their episodes talked about something that I too think is one of the most important parts of creating an entertaining podcast and that is making sure there is personality in the hosts/narrators voices. “Let your personality shine through. That’s what people will remember. That’s what will draw people in. And that’s precisely what will mark you down as a superior podcast host.” (Cudmore, Podcraft S6 Ep.3) When telling whatever story you’re trying to tell on your podcast cracking jokes, adding your own insight inflecting on certain words or phrases in your own way makes all the difference in podcast. If your listening to something heart breaking then the person narrating better have all the sincerity in the world in their voice, but if it something upbeat and funny then making a joke a laughing or raising your voice to emphasis the punchline of s story is just as important as writing the punchline out in the first place.

Great Podcast Examples:

In the podcast “Song Exploder” which is a break down of some of music’s biggest artists breaking down their biggest hits, I love the way this podcast incorporates the demo tracks of the song the artist talking about as they’re talking about how it was built is so interesting. I also like the way the podcast doesn’t just interview the artist but has them take us through their process almost like they are telling one long story about their song.

In this podcast “The Big Picture” all about blockbuster film and the film industry, the opening grabs you with dramatic music like you were in real action movie, clear and crisp audio that makes you feel like they’re speaking directly into your ears. They also intertwine sound bites from the topics they’re talking about perfectly with the narration. Also having the two separate hosts you would think would be a challenge at times to decide who would talk about what, but they bounce off each other perfectly and they never miss a beat on who is supposed to jump in when.

This podcast “You Must Remeber This” is supposed to make you feel like you’re going back in time remembering the golden days of film and entertainment. It starts with morse code and an old time phonograph sound and then echoing voices as if you’re going back in time and then an old sounding song singing the title of the podcast. It perfectly sets the mood even before the actual narration starts.

My Podcast Pre-Production:

When first thinking about my podcast I wanted to do something that I knew a decent amount about and that was relevant and current in todays society. I love entertainment and pop culture of any kind. So the big upsets and scandals that occurred at the Grammy’s just felt right.

I felt that this topic having to do with an award show for music would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate strong sound effects and sound bites of relevant songs and the celebrities talking. I can also use applause and cheering like you would hear at an award show to create a strong environment/ambiance.

When planning and writing out the podcast I used the tips given by Podcraft Podcast. I scripted a portion of the podcast and added exactly where I want to edit in certain sound effects but I also left large portions with just bullet points so that mine and my co-hosts voice/personality can shine through. It’s also a liner narrative in my opinion. I starts with the biggest upset of the show that leads to the next biggest upset and we round out the show with final scandal and then close. It’s a simple plot jam packed with facts, opinions, quotes, sound bites and songs and it’s all met to get you thinking about what at the #Scammys makes you mad/upset with the western society treats people of color.