Meta on how I turn the author's words into a performance

[anna_unfolding]

Hi, all! I created a bit of meta about what my thought process is as an artist when I am turning the author's words and character headspace into a performance. It involves me reading a section of a fic I'm currently podficcing a few different ways. The fic is In the Stretch, by sophiahelix, who gave me permission to post this meta.

This is a 500 word section of a baseball rpf fic, pairing Tim Lincecum/Buster Posey. The rating for this scene would be R for sexual content. No AO3 archive warnings apply. Buster is distracted at batting practice by the memory of what happened with Timmy the night before.

It's all one file, but has a few sections, so I'll give the timestamps here, which will have the dual purpose of also being a sort of an outline for you to know what is in the meta.

DL link (with an option to stream) here.


0:00 I introduce my project and what the goals are.
1:36 Take 1. An edited reading of the scene without "performing." Just the author's words, read aloud.
4:08 I discuss what you just heard and introduce what Take 2 will be.
5:22 Take 2, a raw cut of me doing the same scene but as a performance. Includes "director's cut" commentary interspersed throughout the takes.
18:20 My concluding remarks.
19:37 Take 3. An edited retake of the whole scene where I attempt to incorporate all the things I mentioned in Take 2.
22:37 End.

Would love to hear thoughts on this meta, and also I encourage others to make a director's cut of a scene they are working on. I'd love to do it again, next time in a scene with more dialogue. Oh, and if you're interested in the full podfic of this phenomenal fic, it's coming! It's 40k and I'm through recording and editing 20k, so the whole thing will be posted in a couple of weeks. <3

Comments

[melusina]

this is completely fascinating! Although the difference between the two different approaches is interesting, what's most fascinating to me is the commentary around what techniques you use to achieve a particular effect and what thought processes go into choosing those techniques. I think it could be very useful in explaining to people who haven't podficced what it's actually about.

I'd actually be interested in a slightly different version of this project where the reader shows the difference between reading something the way you would if you read the story aloud to someone (but in the way of your second take, thoughtfully and using your voice to tell the story) and a version that is more like a radio play with sound effects, voices, etc.

Also, I totally want to do a director's cut of something now! Maybe I will pack my mic for the beach. . .

[anna_unfolding]

Thank you so much for listening and commenting. I agree; I started thinking the contrast was my goal, and found that sharing how and why I work for a specific outcome was the result.

And I agree that it'd be awesome to show the diff between really great performance story-telling and a dramatization. I'd love to hear someone do that!!! I felt our theatripod got closer to that than most podfics I've done, actually, because I could really remain in that one character the entire time.

I'd love to hear you do a director's cut of a scene. I recommend something small. This was 500 words (which seems v short) but took a fair amount of time to put together. I actually recorded many versions of the commentary sections and redid things a lot, realizing that lots of my talking was just talking, lol. Oh, I hope you do one!!! Be it similar to this or different in scope. <3 <3 <3