And what better way to make an Audio Drama than to hook up with Clare Eden from the Minister of Chance? Clare joins us in this episode to talk about how this project came about, why they chose the audio medium, and how it was funded. The first episode of Strangeness in Space was released recently after a successful Kickstarter campaign, and it’s one of the funniest and most surreal shows you’ll hear this year.

On top of diving into the nuts and bolts of getting a show up and running, Clare also gives her thoughts on writing family-friendly comedy, and we chat about the curse of the podcast categories and how Audio Drama is still seeking that hard and fast method of curation and discoverability.

We had an email in from listener Klim asking about the best way to record some background ambience for his rowdy medieval tavern. In this episode we discuss background conversations as part of the layers of your soundscape. We also give examples on how to create crowd walla and background conversations, and direct you to some written resources such as The Sound Effects Bible & Audio Theater.

During the conversation, Tanja talks about her home recording setup, and how she deals with external noise, as well as having some tips for aspiring voice actors. She also offers some great insights into how to bring your characters to life when behind the microphone.

Is it also your job to try and make your listener “see” exactly what you imagine when they visualise the world around your characters?

In this episode we dip into the roles of sounds and soundscapes, covering what might add to, and what might detract from the pictures you are trying to paint when telling your stories.

We covered the discoverability of Audio Drama, how do people search for and find content? And will they find your own show?

We also talk identity, what is Audio Drama, and how do we explain the medium succinctly to others?

And do we have enough presence at conventions? How can we go about improving on this so we can make more of an impact?

Sibby also has loads of experience putting on live shows. We asked her what’s involved, and what benefits can a producer, director or troupe gain from going down this route.

How does a independent Audio Drama production achieve a goal like this? There’s no real shortcuts. It takes years of hard work, patient growth, and becoming a huge part of your listeners’ routines and lives. For more information on the background of this project check out interviews with Kc Wayland on Radio Drama Revival and The Sonic Society.

Spanning from this topic was a discussion on release schedules, and how it relates to building an audience that will be prepared to support you further in crowdfunding projects. If a monthly release schedule is the minimum expectation for building traction, can you achieve this on your own? Should you attempt it on your own?

On top of that, we’ve brought another great composer to the table, friend of the show, the tirelessly prolific Kevin Hartnell. You’ll have probably heard his work already in some recent Campfire Radio Theater shows, and he’s already created a big library of music for our up and coming anthology series Valenhigh.

Some of the things mentioned on the show, Kevin McLeod’s Patreon account. GLS microphones. And the fact that we’ve turned Tuesdays into “Reviewsdays” to encourage you to take a few minutes each week to rate and review your favourite audio drama shows on directories like iTunes and Stitcher.

Our guests on this weeks show, Iain Manley (VoiceMap) and Adele Kirby (Imagineactive Audio Fitness Adventures), have created two very different, but equally innovative audio apps based around their own passions and interests. Both use audio to tell stories, so whether that’s guiding you on factual or fictional tours around towns or cities, or training you to survive an alien invasion and impending apocalypse, you know you’re going to be entertained in a very different way than simply sitting back with your headphones on.

You can get involved with VoiceMap yourself by creating a route with them, just like we did. Or maybe you have some ideas on how you can use your skills as a writer, producer, or voice actor to create some sort of interactive audio app of your own.

And remember to look out for part 2, which will be featured on episode 47 of this humble podcast.

Here we give examples of two of our favourite serial dramas, Edict Zero FIS, and We’re Alive, and two of our favourite anthology series’, The Truth, and Campfire Radio Theater. We go on to cover the advantages and disadvantages of each method, as well as offering our own opinions, and revealing details of our first steps into a post-Aftermath series of our own (but will it be an anthology or a serial?).

“The moment of arrival. This is how you drop your listeners into the story. Don’t give them a warm bed with comfortable pillows and a hot water bottle. The background and sub-text of previous histories is better explored through revelation in dramatic action. So parachute your listener into a top dramatic moment. Not the climax. That would be premature. Find the MOMENT to join the story. Avoid the slow snail’s explicatory route. Kick ’em into a high energy trip and woosh them through the rapids.”

Tim Crook – Principles of Writing Radio Drama

In this episode we expand on this great piece of advice. Looking at examples of where this technique has been executed well, and offering suggestions on how we might use it to open some of our own hypothetical audio drama stories and scenarios.

We also answer a question on episode lengths. How long should your average episode be? Is there a generally accepted standard?

And there’s more on the proposed 2016 UK Audio Drama Event, we’d really like to hear your opinions so please take a couple of minutes to fill out this short survey.

“The microphone, in addition to being the ears of the listener, is where all the action takes place. In stage theater it would be the spotlight; in films and television it would be the camera; but in audio theater it’s the all-hearing, all-seeing microphone. All seeing microphone? Of course, in the audio theater it’s what the audience hears that influences what the audience’s imagination sees. (The Audio Theater Guide, Robert L. Mott, p.85)

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Telling your story through sound means you have some choices to make during the writing stages. Which character or characters will the listener follow and remain with throughout? Which ‘shots’ will you use in each scene, and why? Steve Schneider returns to pose these questions, and play some clips to help demonstrate his points. These include The Rats in the Walls, Julie Hoverson’s adaptation of the HP Lovecraft story for 19 Nocturne Boulevard. The Truth are featured, in the form of The Mutiny, and Bathysephere, by Chatterbox Audio Theater. On top of that, you can find some more clips which demonstrate this point in our episode about scene and location transitions.

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Well, this episode has been brewing for a while now. Voice actor and all round good guy Michael Hudson (Edict Zero, Aftermath, and much more) was around these parts recently and wanted to fight the cause of those who produce fan shows. We’d love to hear your opinion on the matter too, so get in touch at podcast@audiodramaproduction.com