THE SOUND AND THE FURY AND ETC.

I imagine all good stories are probably compelling. I can't think of any great narratives that consist of spinning wheels and a lack of ideas. Though maybe I am just dumb! The same idea is applicable to audio stories. Probably even more so than a visual medium. From our examples in class, I quickly decided that an audio story should have a lot going on, but in a manageable, subtle manner. As I looked into other audio stories (particularly those on This American Life), I realized that a production can be pretty sparse, as long as it has forward propulsion and an engaging tale to tell. There were some stories with the same sort of musical interludes and sound effects used in the pieces we listened to on Tuesday. There were others that were simply people recalling past experiences, occasionally with some interjections from the host. Sweet, sweet Ira Glass. It was audio stories of this variety that eased my worries about what mine should be like. I was preoccupied with the idea of trying to balance dialogue and music volumes, soundtrack selection, the inclusion of my voice, and so on. After a little bit of research, I'm more focused on just finding 3-5 minutes of genuinely interesting material. After that, the rest should fall into place.

This clip contains the retelling of a Valentine's day mishap and the quick thinking that led to a nice resolution. The tone is conversational--the story, not well rehearsed. Regardless, this six minute tale makes for interesting and amiable listening. It lacks production value, and perhaps could have used some polish, but I think it is effective as is. I like it because it's bare-bones and basic, but boy, it's not bad (ALLITERATION). I reminds me of the florist interview, not because it is lame and boring, but because it is a funny and enjoyable story told in a raw and ordinary sort of way. That is a pretty cool thing!

NO HAY QUIEN LOS SOCORRA

There is No One to Help Them

“I think it's really gross,” she said.

“I think you're really gross,” he said, “and also, I'm sorry. But also, it is staying here.” She frowned, and then stepped back, and then squinted.

“It's gruesome. It's too much.” The lone standing figure in the etching had his hand to his face. It was probably in grief, but she pretended it was in exasperation, so she could relate. “ACK!” would have been a good caption. She wished that it was so. But it was not so, because what she imagined could not be real, because that is not a thing that happens to real people, because because.

“It's punk rock, sweetie.” He put his arm around her and squeezed a little bit. Then he gave her a big goofy grin, and she mustered up a half-smile in return. And so it was settled.

And then it was night. They were lying in bed, and he was asleep, and she was not. She didn't want it to be settled. This wasn't a nagging thing. At least not on her part. She wasn't a nag. The picture was nagging her. It was nagging on her mind. He had been doing stuff like this lately. He had purchased the brand of bread that she has a particular distaste for. She found herself sorting the silverware portion of the dishwasher, because someone had suddenly decided that putting each kind of utensil in its proper allotment was too much work. These were not “Nagging House Wife” matters. These were “Decent Human Being” matters. She decided these sorts of issues are better to confront than to ignore. She soon found herself standing in front of the print holding a red sharpie. The caption had been altered. And she smiled.

Inspired by Magazine Article Headlines

Mary was 17 years old but the world made her at least 23 years old. Just like any other normal 17 year old girl she made sure to have amazing hair, clear skin, and used tummy tips that with good effort and a dazed mind, gave the impression of a flat tummy. She did all this so she could look cute every day and be the first to get in the know of love and sex secrets that no one really tells you. Mary was well on her to becoming the woman that will win the attention of almost every carnal-eyed male- or female.

Steven was older, 30. The world was small compared to him. Every morning he would put on his money making suit and made sure to let everyone know who’s boss, him. He had found his calling in life, the business of money making. As long as the green was rolling in, he had nothing to lose. Let’s not forget his charming persona when it came to the ladies. They called him a “tempting treat.”

They were both out for a jog one day. Mary caught Steven’s eye and he found a way to catch hers. A few days later they met in a coffee shop. Mary was excited because she never met anyone older and so attractive. Steven played his cards right keeping the prize in sight. Before long Mary couldn’t help but be impressed and after a couple more dates, she was falling in love with Steven.

After a few more dates, Steven took Mary to his home for the night. She felt blissful and loved. The next day she woke to a note on the table. It said, “I’ve gone to work. Catch a cab, on me. Bye.” She never heard from him again. 

The Following is a True Story

It started with a bundle of newspapers and should have ended with some frozen yogurt, but it didn’t. Between the beginning and the end there’s stuff about a rhino, but this is really a story about cheating.

Raoul the Rhino came to me on my birthday last year. Matt, a returned missionary in a ward full of freshmen, had wrapped him in newspaper and left him on the doorstep. If it weren’t for the fact that Matt frequently left gifts for other girls, I would have felt special.

Then I had a rhino named Raoul that lived on my dresser. The game started when Molly hid him. We decided to take turns hiding Raoul around the apartment. Each day that she didn’t find him was a point for me, and visa versa. We also lost points for each day Raoul was in our custody without being hidden.

The scoreboard was sticky-tacked to the wall next to a reminder of the prize: frozen yogurt purchased by the loser. Pretty soon my points were triple Molly’s. I suppose she was just too lazy to look…or hide. I had that frozen yogurt in the bag.

We both moved home for the summer, and Molly took Raoul with her. It was okay, though, because we were going to be roommates again. She moved into the new apartment before I did and hid Raoul before I even got there. Even while moving and inspecting the apartment I didn’t find him. I didn’t even know she had hidden him until about two weeks later.

It’s against the rules to hide him in somebody’s personal space, but that’s what she did.

“I put him there because I didn’t want it to be obvious,” she said.

“That’s cheating,” I said.

I want my frozen yogurt. The free kind.

Wake Up and Dream

I’ve discovered that even if audio stories aren’t about a subject I’m already interested in, I can still be really interested while listening. If they follow the right recipe, I get sucked right in. The most important part is having an interesting guest to talk to. If the story is scientific or meant to be knowledgeable, they have to be knowledgeable in their field. It’s frustrating to hear someone simply speculate about a topic. If the story is meant to entertain or teach about a different facet of life/culture, it helps if the interviewee is interesting. An interesting person can elevate a seemingly boring conversation. Sure, I may not be interested in the lives of middle school students, but if they have something unique or interesting to say and do so in a compelling way, then I’m drawn in. Their excitement is often contagious.

I’ve always loved hearing people get excited about…whatever it is they get excited about. For example, even if I dislike a movie, I can listen to someone talk it up as long as it’s personable and well supported. I would hate to try and interview someone who is completely boring, one of those people that answers questions with the two or three same words. That’s my biggest fear.

My favorite recent episode of Radiolab would have to be their Wake Up and Dream story. A few months ago, my friend turned me on to lucid dreaming. She is extremely passionate about it and is always willing to share her latest meet and greet with Jim Henson. I’ve tried it myself (with little avail) and even purchased a few books on the subject. This topic is definitely on the fringes of science and acceptability, so it was awesome for me to hear scientists discuss it so matter-of-factly. This episode resonated with me personally, but I think it would be effective for others as well. It starts out with a wonderfully creepy story about a man whose dreams are haunted. Once he masters lucid dreaming, he is able to combat his demons and find out a lot about himself. This type of story instantly draws in the listener. As a follow up, the episode includes these scientists who mention the benefits and techniques to lucid dreaming. For someone who already enjoyed this sort of thing, it was like a much needed kick-start.

Weazel Ball

The Cracker Barrel storefront was cluttered with all sorts of merchandising stands. A stand full of pancake mix and frying pans greet the couple as they walk in, advertising an early morning meal full of happiness. The Man and Woman, however, are interested in dinner and wait impatiently for the rest of their party. Thankfully, the store offers some enjoyment with its outdated novelties and retro candy. The two hurry to the toy corner and entertain themselves with cap guns and fart gel. Suddenly, the Woman lets out a shriek and snatches a box off the shelf. It contains a Weazel Ball, an utterly worthless toy.

“Oh honey, can we buy it!?”

“Oh yeah, of course,” he replies, thinking it’s a joke.

“Great! The Dog will love it.”

“Oh, you’re serious? The Dog will hate that thing.”

“That’s not true,” the Woman shoots back. “When I was younger our dog used to love his Weazel Ball.”

She searches for an illustration. A live Weazel Ball rolls around in a tiny cage, running into the wall over and over again.

“See? Isn’t it adorable?”

“Not in the least.”

“Aw, don’t be so grumpy – we’ll get a table soon.”

“My hunger is not affecting the Weazel Ball’s poor first impression, I assure you.”

“If you say so – I still want it.”

The man stares at the clashing colors of the ball and frayed, split ends of the weazel’s artificial fur.

“How do you turn it off?”

“You have to open it up and take the battery out.”

“Really? Now that is just – “

The Man’s rant is cut short by their friend’s arrival.

“How’s it going, you two? Ready to eat?”

“Absolutely,” says the Man.

A week has passed and the Weazel Ball resides in their house, hidden in some forgotten corner.

"Words"

PART 1:

Audio stories are different to what I am used to. I tend to rely on visuals to help me fully take in what I am being exposed to whether it be entertainment, art, a complicated situation, or even math. Without any visuals to accompany an audio visual there are some major elements that need to be included to make an interesting audio story.

                The first element is narration. With a narration the listener has the ability to feel orientated instead of disorientated. It allows for a more natural and logic to be structured and pieced together by the listener instead of having the listener struggle with confusion as to what they are really listening to.

The second element is music. I find music to be the attention grabber.  Music has the ability to give the listener power to attract sounds that work well with each other. This in turn keeps the listener attentive. On the down side it can be a distraction from what is being said if the listener gives more or all attention to the music.

The third element is interview. An interview is needed because then there is some evidence that listeners can grip. It backs up the narration of the audio story and it benefits audio stories by adding some personality.

 The next element is archival/existing material. An example of this may be an audio clip of an old Boston Red Sox verses New York Yankees baseball game.

Last but not least is the element of scenes and sounds. If an audio story creates a scene with sounds for the listener to create and imagine, then it has succeeded in being interesting. This is because all of a sudden the listener made the audio story theirs by creating what the story may be. The listener has then participated in the story therefore, making it about them, pertaining to them personally.

As I move forward with my audio story I hope to incorporate many of these elements.  I hope to keep listeners entertained and interested in what is being said by using appropriate sounds to allow listeners the opportunity to create that scene. I also hope that my audio story will also have some meaning to listeners and that they will take away something of value.  Stories that resonate with me are stories with issues that have been present in my life at one point or another.

PART 2:

This audio story is interesting. It uses many elements that make an interesting audio story. Elements included are narration, music, interviews, scenes and sounds. All of these put together create a successful audio story. I admire how interview is molded into a story. There are creative audio cuts between the interview and the narration which literally makes it a story. Also, random comments from the interviewer are kept in the audio story that are logical reactions to what the interviewee was saying. It did a splendid job at captivating emotion. This story is about what life is like without words. A concept and reality that is interesting to wrap our minds around. All this plus a hint of humor makes this an interesting audio story. 

http://www.radiolab.org/popup_player/