WTF ARE WE DOING???

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Sgt. Howard
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WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

OK- this will be my second attempt as the site went blitzfliggle when I tried to post this before- I am moving this topic away from the storyline as I think we have sufficient distractions there.
First, I would like to nominate 'WTF Productions' as a possible name for this hair-brained idea we are playing with, the concept of a radio drama. Secondly, I should remind all parties concerned that we need the permission of Mr. Taylor to do this and have his approval of all stages of production. Thirdly, it is my belief that 'TC & TS' is too much of a story, even in it's present skeletonized form, to attempt this as a first effort- I would recommend one of the shorter fanfictions we have created... we MIGHT even consider some of Paul's actual work as a candidate, thus actually promoting this cartoon that unites us.
What say ye?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by lake_wrangler »

Well, "Hair-brained Productions" is also an appropriate name. Either one could work.

Do fan works really need permission from the original author, or merely credit for his characters and any storyline borrowed?

Yes, 'TC & TS' is rather long. And if we borrow a storyline from Paul, we'd end up needing mostly female voice actresses, and I don't want to be out of the loop ;) ... One of the shorter fanfics, which include more male characters would be more versatile, I think.

Of course, we could always collaborate on a whole new storyline, and have the better writers flesh it out into a dramatizable script, but that is starting to be a lot of work. It would indeed be easier to take something already out there.


Meanwhile, who do we send our voice samples to, as a way to "audition"?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Amarillo Jim seems to have a working program that he is familiar with- insofar as auditions, I am thinking first we need to get enough people on this thread and discuss what story would be a likely candidate. I want you, glitch, Joe, Jim, 'toons, Dinky, Atomic, Julie and whoever else we can grab. It will be like herding cats, I assure you... but it will be fun! Once we settle on a story, we need to contact Paul and get the go-ahead, then I'm thinking us writers need to hammer out a script while the übergeeks figure out the hows and the whyfors of gathering the soundbites. Directorship by committee might be a disastrous concept, I don't know.... but hey- all we are really investing is time and effort, so why not?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Julie »

Weighing in that this sounds like fun, but I will have to postpone further input until after my vacation as reading and posting via mobile is frustrating at best. :P I don't know whose voice I'd be best suited to provide, but sign me up!
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by AmriloJim »

Sarge, while you're working the creative side, I'll take point on the tech. Glytch mentioned a file forwarding system in the 150 thread, but I prefer keeping the files a bit closer to the vest. Give me a few days to set up a worksite which will allow uploads and previews. Tentative URL will be wtf.image66amarillo[dot]com (WapsiTheFanfic).
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by GlytchMeister »

I'll help where I can... Not sure what I'm best suited for, maybe writing and voice acting? Let me know who I'm playing and I'll see if I can pull that voice out.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by jwhouk »

Gimme 24 hrs. to try to figure something out- and wake up.

I'm also still trying to get 1865 done with, too.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Jim- it will take a while to figure what script we are doing, so take yer time. Everybody else- we're looking at what will give us the SHORTEST script that we can do PROPER JUSTICE to on a radio presentation. We are going to emphasize quality scripting and vocal acting over special effects, so we want minimal narration OR a strong narrator who will not be mistaken for a fellow actor. There are several ways this can be done, but I am opting for old-fashioned radio scripting as one might have heard before WWII and the advent of television.
I have as candidates-
U-296
Fearless (Done Mickey Spillane)
A visit to Phix (without 'the Elixir')
Fifty Three(Again, Spillane)
Another day at the Works, or two Sergeants and a Mystery
The End (Spillan)
It Happened at Mucho Mocha
Cricket and the Counselor
Parts of the Family
The Ticket... with the hopes that Atomic could finish it...(Spillane)
Visiting Minnesota



... as I read through them, Joe has a 'Mickey Spillane' touch to his writing that would translate well to what we're doing- so does Atomic for that matter. I'm thinking that U-296 is too ambitious only because there are too many Krauts, there are many different odd sound effects (No, a launch of a torpedo does NOT sound like a flushing toilet) and ... well, who can properly do 'Stinky?" Other than that, what catches everybody's fancy? Mind you, car sounds are readily available- as are any number of urban noise backgrounds. And this list is not fully exhaustive- there are other fanfics I haven't mentioned here because I don't know where they are.

Give me feedback, please
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by jwhouk »

Cricket & the Counselor would take too many female voices, I'd fear.

I have a small issue with my own works: Author Insertion. (Any of you who haven't figured out where the "author insertion" is in 1865 by now haven't been paying attention.)

Even my first attempt - "Wapsi Me" - would require female voices. And who here could truly do justice to Monica? (Remember: Pablo has stated she has a rather high-pitched voice.)

(cracks knuckles) We always could do a completely different script. We have some of our characters; maybe a little Library trip gone awry? Not quite on the lines of Visiting Minnesota... or, maybe even an extended version of that script, "altered" a bit to include a few others?

As for voice - uhm, well, I could maybe do some reads, but I have a similar is-is-issue as Castela when it comes to talking. (Which is why that 16 years from now scenario just made sense.)
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by jwhouk »

Let's go over the candidates:
  • U-296 - Way too complicated, and getting a good German accent down is difficult for many. Stinky's thought patterns might sound too goofy in radio.
  • Fearless - I would have some trepidation about this, due to the realities involved (work is work).
  • A visit to Phix - AKA The first chapter of TC&TS. It has possibilities, but it would need a good ensemble of female voices for Tsillah, Bia, Nudge, Phix and Euryale. And we'd have to get Mel Brooks on line one for Nicodemus, since Topol's retired from acting.
  • Fifty Three - Again possible, but I don't think I could get my wife to cold-read her lines.
  • Another day at the Works, or two Sergeants and a Mystery - This could be cute.
  • The End - I vote Sarge to play the role of Ed in this one. A bit complicated for a radio drama, though, I'd think.
  • It Happened at Mucho Mocha - Maybe. The car chase thing might be a bit difficult to reproduce.
  • Cricket and the Counselor - See "Fearless." And, there's the female parts issue, too. Though Cricket's voice could be done by a male - as long as they could pull it back when she starts crying.
  • Parts of the Family - All male. Might be doable, but scripting would be sparse. Would Brian be talking to a picture of his "deceased" wife?
  • The Ticket (with the hopes that Atomic could finish it) - If we wanted Wapsi Square Noir
  • Wapsi Me - I'd love to see this one, but it's a bit dated - and it would still be female voice heavy.
  • Visiting Minnesota - With some alteration, this one could be made into a good play. This would be my vote.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Joe we can get somebody else to do your voice if there's a problem there- I like the way your stuff reads... sorta like Don Knotts doing 'Hardboiled Detective'... OK, maybe not that neurotic but certainly not as confident as one would hope from a fellow in that position- makes it far more believable for one thing. Fearless or Fifty Three could also be easily handled with just the right, syncopated, minor key piano instrumental as background...(I know the person to crank it out, BTW) in fact, it's a proven formula that would have a remarkable 'spoof' value without being too campy. Atomic's the End could be done the same way. On the other hand, the encounter between myself and Al in it Happened at Mucho Mocha makes a perfect comic relief in what amounts to a screwball romance- we could certainly beef up the lines there. So far we have Miss Julie as a voice, and Miss Annie could easily do a voice or two as well. My 17 year old boy James is built like a bulldozer but his voice is still age ten- he can be coached to deliver lines. Lake wrangler wants a mike- he might well be the narrator, we'll have to do auditions and such for everybody but I suspect the raw talent is here staring us in the face. I can do several voices/dialects, but I do not want to carry the show as it were-

OK- U-296 is off the list unless anybody can explain why not
Same for Cricket & Counselor
Any other opinions?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Just Old Al »

Hell, this sounds like fun.

As I mentioned to Greg before, the issue with this is going to be the actors working in relative isolation. If one can work to a recording for timing and such that could be done, but the quality of the recordings and stringing them together is going to take some creativity and a LOT of level-shifting, not to mention deletion of breath sounds and such. I don;t think a headset is going to cut it for the vocal qualities unless it's a good one.

To work with my own contibution as a guide, it would as JH said need a distinct narrator - perhaps as the script is male-heavy a female one to maintain the separation. "Al" and "Greg" would be distinctive voices (one slightly Brit, the other Midwestern I suspect), and of course TIna, then two generic dark-suit voices for the MIB agents. Add some FX (coffee shop noises, cars and 60s psychedelia at mind-stunning levels) and there you would have it. Again, not recommending it, just laying it out as I would have seen it done in theater lo these many years ago.

Anyway, what DOES a nuclear-powered vibrator sound like? :)

It can be done - but this really needs a training=wheels short bit to try it out on.

Al
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

I've just done a quick read of "A visit to Phix" - one phrase worries me- 'Phix's Screaming Orgasm'... everything else seems quite easy. I am removing 'visit' from the list... which is slightly heartbreaking, as I can do a delightful 'Nicodemus'.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Just Old Al wrote:Hell, this sounds like fun.

As I mentioned to Greg before, the issue with this is going to be the actors working in relative isolation. If one can work to a recording for timing and such that could be done, but the quality of the recordings and stringing them together is going to take some creativity and a LOT of level-shifting, not to mention deletion of breath sounds and such. I don;t think a headset is going to cut it for the vocal qualities unless it's a good one.

To work with my own contibution as a guide, it would as JH said need a distinct narrator - perhaps as the script is male-heavy a female one to maintain the separation. "Al" and "Greg" would be distinctive voices (one slightly Brit, the other Midwestern I suspect), and of course TIna, then two generic dark-suit voices for the MIB agents. Add some FX (coffee shop noises, cars and 60s psychedelia at mind-stunning levels) and there you would have it. Again, not recommending it, just laying it out as I would have seen it done in theater lo these many years ago.

Anyway, what DOES a nuclear-powered vibrator sound like? :)

It can be done - but this really needs a training=wheels short bit to try it out on.

Al
Two Sergeants might be a good shot- I need to read it through to get the cadence right. Regarding a nuclear 'Doc Johnston'... as soon as I find one, I'll tape it in action... or I'll just record a weedwhacker and play with the sound digitally
Can we SKYPE dialogues? Can we get mikes good enough to do that and plug them into a 'puter?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Back in 1974, I did a rubbish spoof of a film in silent 8mm color, eminently forgettable- produced for $37, and we lost money on it! I bring it up because it was billed as a 'GFHoward Production' (nobody else wanted to be blamed)... I bring it up, because the logo was a profile of a hand grenade ("another Howard film... IT'S A BOMB!")- as this is on the internet, there will be something for the audience to look at, right? I can do the artwork
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Just Old Al »

Sgt. Howard wrote:
Two Sergeants might be a good shot- I need to read it through to get the cadence right. Regarding a nuclear 'Doc Johnston'... as soon as I find one, I'll tape it in action... or I'll just record a weedwhacker and play with the sound digitally
Can we SKYPE dialogues? Can we get mikes good enough to do that and plug them into a 'puter?
OOOooo...that's a thought - or at least a good way to do rehearsals. There's got to be a way to record Skype conversations, i have no doubt. Good idea!

Weedwhacker...Geez, Greg... :) I was thinking more the old ST phaser sound, dropped a few octaves and played with a bit of tremolo. VOOMP...VOOMP...VOOMP...

COncerns, though, is that the later bits in that (specifically thew ones revolving around the action in containment #3) are going to need to get played through a mike filter anyway so breath sounds and such there at a restrianed level would work for the heightening of tension.

Sorry, i need to shut up now...I've seen these scenes in my head so many times they're spilling out.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Just Old Al wrote:
Sgt. Howard wrote:
Two Sergeants might be a good shot- I need to read it through to get the cadence right. Regarding a nuclear 'Doc Johnston'... as soon as I find one, I'll tape it in action... or I'll just record a weedwhacker and play with the sound digitally
Can we SKYPE dialogues? Can we get mikes good enough to do that and plug them into a 'puter?
OOOooo...that's a thought - or at least a good way to do rehearsals. There's got to be a way to record Skype conversations, i have no doubt. Good idea!

Weedwhacker...Geez, Greg... :) I was thinking more the old ST phaser sound, dropped a few octaves and played with a bit of tremolo. VOOMP...VOOMP...VOOMP...

COncerns, though, is that the later bits in that (specifically thew ones revolving around the action in containment #3) are going to need to get played through a mike filter anyway so breath sounds and such there at a restrianed level would work for the heightening of tension.

Sorry, i need to shut up now...I've seen these scenes in my head so many times they're spilling out.
NO NO NO!!! Continue to spill!!! this is where good things come from!!!! And... the scenes in question... you've got me in a hood, right? If anything, we want to go slightly 'Darth Vader' for that!
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by lake_wrangler »

Like I said earlier, I definitely want in. I do have a fairly wide vocal range, from low bass to a head voice that rivals the sopranos in our choir (but other than head voice, I do make a convincing tenor...) I have a voice that carries, but I can soften it, too. I can do a maniacal laugh to a tee. And trust me: if I narrate, you won't mistake me for any of the other male voice actors... :mrgreen:

If each voice is recorded separately, I would suggest we all download Audacity as a recording software (those who don't already have it, that is...) It's free, and it works great. Even if you don't know how to use the filters, effects, and cleanup stuff, it is an easy piece of software to use for straight recording. Once the recording is done, the file can always be sent to those more familiar with sound editing software, for cleanup, volume equalization between files, etc.

AmariloJim, if you need help with tech, I can help. I'll let you take the lead, as per your previous post, but any overflow can be sent my way.
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Sgt. Howard »

If we do Sergeants, I'm thinking you will narrate- Al and I have to argue with each other through most of the script. We only need a decent Tina- Julie, you up?
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Re: WTF ARE WE DOING???

Post by Just Old Al »

Sgt. Howard wrote:
NO NO NO!!! Continue to spill!!! this is where good things come from!!!! And... the scenes in question... you've got me in a hood, right? If anything, we want to go slightly 'Darth Vader' for that!
I need to script this just for my own amusement...{he says, eyeshade appearing as he turns to an elderly Smith-Corona manual typewriter...}

To answer your question, at that stage of the game both characters are in suits, so yes, breath sounds from both. Changing of breath sounds (hurrying) and mike overloads from almost-shouted dialogue are the name of the game there for setting the tension.Not to mention the alarms and so on going off as the shielding is breached with a (Vulcan help us) damn Dremel. Thankfully your dialongue style and mine play to this type of work.
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