I've been working on funding pitches and looking for opportunities to promote our shows. It's not easy. Especially right now. But when I decided to start this, I committed to doing it. I'd very much like to be setting up rehearsals for the next episodes. I'm getting closer.
We have a chance to do a broadcast/internet show that will go out to 40k listeners/month in South Florida and globally via Live365. That, plus our podcast reach to 38 countries and a partnership that can put us in 2600 facilities on the West coast, gives us a much better chance to get sponsors and to keep going. That's the main key to what I have. I kept going. I didn't quit. I didn't listen to the nay-sayers who told me I didn't have "the right experience" or that I was only this or I wasn't that or I should just quit if I couldn't get an agent because I was somehow less than. I didn't listen to any of that. I listened to the people who tried to help. I looked for people who could show me what I was doing wrong and how to fix it. I listened to myself, too. I'm a hard critic and a harder judge. I judged international martial arts competitions for 15 years. I've judged international technical publications and papers for 20 years.
Each time I have listened to our shows, I paid attention to different things. Sometimes, I listened for the sound effects. Sometimes for the timing in the music. Mostly, I paid attention to the actors. Not because that's what I wanted; because they asked me to listen. They each created their characters and then used their talents to bring the characters to life. They each decided they liked the characters enough to do something. That is what made all the difference.
For this, if the actors don't like their characters or the story, it won't work. The voices come across hollow and cold as if reading a product data sheet or narrating a training video.
I've listened to people with good voices. They have a clear, even pronunciation and a nice tone. They modulate their voices and control their breath. But they don't know how to create a character. They aren't actors. What the actor does must go well beyond reading the lines.
I spoke with one person who has a great voice. Her tone was clear. She had lots of speaking practice. But she didn't want to learn about the character or what I was looking for. She looked at a few pages of the script, decided what she was going to do, and that was it. But what she was trying to do wasn't something the character would do. She was taking an adversarial tone when the script called for being reluctant and whining just a little. I realized that it would take quite a bit of coaching and more for her to be able to voice that character. She didn't have anything in her background that would give her the insights needed and she wasn't comfortable asking for direction. Even when I gave her the subtext, the delivery wasn't there.
Theatrical delivery is a skill. And for what I'm doing, it's a necessary skill. Being able to take direction is another required skill. I've learned the hard way that if we're going to succeed, it has to be with professional actors in the lead roles.
I spoke with another person who also has very good voice. He has been doing voice-overs for commercial clients. Not a theatrical voice, though. I spoke with him about what I had in mind and a role he might consider. He wanted a full proposal with a compensation plan. That might be something to ask for in the corporate world. Not in my world. Not yet anyway.
The request made me think about what I'm doing and who I'm looking for.
Contracts and payments can't be the most important thing. They matter. Everyone should be paid. I'd like to get paid, too. But the story and the characters have to matter more than how much money is on the table. Again, the two are not mutually excusive. Getting paid is important. For what I'm doing to work, the most important thing is that the actors like the story and their characters.
What I want to do is to create a memorable show that people can listen to again and again. I don't want a throw-away thing. I want someone to be able to play our shows 10 years from now and still find them fresh, warm, and human. That's not a small ask. If the actor does not want to be playing the character or has a problem with the story, it shows up in the voice. It's not something that can be easily hidden.
I'd like the stories to become a tv series, too. I'm looking at it. But for now, I'm very happy with the audio drama. And, I am looking for more voices.
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Congratulations on not quitting and not listening to the nay-sayers, Terri Morgan! Congratulations to you and your team on the podcast reaching 38 countries and getting the partnership!
“Each time I have listened to our shows, I paid attention to different things. Sometimes, I listened for the sound effects. Sometimes for the timing in the music. Mostly, I paid attention to the actors.” Those are great ideas! They’re something podcast producers, movie producers, and more could do.
Must-read post producers, actors, etc.! Thanks for sharing it. I hope you and your team get sponsors!