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podficmeta2010-02-26 01:42 pm
zvi) wrote in podficmeta2010-02-26 01:42 pm
Entry tags:
Instructive Failures
So, one of the most interesting movies I've ever seen is Spielberg's AI. It has an absolutely amazing performance from Haley Joel Osment, a really interesting premise, engaging plot, decent writing, but it is, ultimately, a failure. The ideas meander off into meaninglessness and the ending does not bring a meaningful response to the questions posed by the beginning of the film.
But it's a film I think is really worth watching, because it wrestles with interesting ideas, both interesting in the sense of the ethical problems in the story and in the problems of storytelling and filmmaking it confronts. I think it's a great film for a critic to watch and take apart, to figure out what went wrong and why, and also to take the enjoyment from something that has some very good points, even though it is unsatisfactory overall.
So, I'm wondering if you can think of any podfics like that: a project or technique that was ambitious and intriguing, but didn't, when you get down to nuts & bolts, actually end up working. What went wrong? What could be done better next time? What is there to enjoy, even though, as a whole, the podfic is less than completely successful?
And Be One Traveler is a massive undertaking that was, I think, wrangled by dodificus.
I didn't see this while it was being produced or as it came out. Digesting it in nine discreet chunks may have produced a different reaction, but trying to listen to the whole thing a couple of years later, I just wound up feeling really, really lost.
The narrative voice of the story was a close third person that alternated between Rodney McKay and David Hewlett, but the reader voicing the narrator switched off on every section. Equally confusing though, were that some, but not all, of the character speaking voices had continuity across sections. As a listener, I didn't feel as if I could anticipate what would change when, and I didn't get to settle in with a particular David or a particular Rodney long enough to appreciate the ways they tried to mimic or suggest David Hewlett/David Hewlett's performance.
There were also some issues with matching volume and sound quality, but they weren't really terrible, it just added to the disorientation.
I only ended up listening to the first couple of hours, but the story was good enough that I tracked down the text and actually read it.
I really like podfics with multiple voices, and I find the idea of a podfic where podficcers trade off the same character/same narrator intriguing. I'm not sure what the best way to orient the reader is, though. When I've seen a theatrical/filmed equivalent (where multiple actors trade off the same character) the actors all use some sort of talisman (like a hairstyle or piece of jewelry) or performance tic to mark the continuity of character. I'm not sure what the aural equivalent of that would be, some sort of filter, maybe?
But it's a film I think is really worth watching, because it wrestles with interesting ideas, both interesting in the sense of the ethical problems in the story and in the problems of storytelling and filmmaking it confronts. I think it's a great film for a critic to watch and take apart, to figure out what went wrong and why, and also to take the enjoyment from something that has some very good points, even though it is unsatisfactory overall.
So, I'm wondering if you can think of any podfics like that: a project or technique that was ambitious and intriguing, but didn't, when you get down to nuts & bolts, actually end up working. What went wrong? What could be done better next time? What is there to enjoy, even though, as a whole, the podfic is less than completely successful?
And Be One Traveler is a massive undertaking that was, I think, wrangled by dodificus.
I didn't see this while it was being produced or as it came out. Digesting it in nine discreet chunks may have produced a different reaction, but trying to listen to the whole thing a couple of years later, I just wound up feeling really, really lost.
The narrative voice of the story was a close third person that alternated between Rodney McKay and David Hewlett, but the reader voicing the narrator switched off on every section. Equally confusing though, were that some, but not all, of the character speaking voices had continuity across sections. As a listener, I didn't feel as if I could anticipate what would change when, and I didn't get to settle in with a particular David or a particular Rodney long enough to appreciate the ways they tried to mimic or suggest David Hewlett/David Hewlett's performance.
There were also some issues with matching volume and sound quality, but they weren't really terrible, it just added to the disorientation.
I only ended up listening to the first couple of hours, but the story was good enough that I tracked down the text and actually read it.
I really like podfics with multiple voices, and I find the idea of a podfic where podficcers trade off the same character/same narrator intriguing. I'm not sure what the best way to orient the reader is, though. When I've seen a theatrical/filmed equivalent (where multiple actors trade off the same character) the actors all use some sort of talisman (like a hairstyle or piece of jewelry) or performance tic to mark the continuity of character. I'm not sure what the aural equivalent of that would be, some sort of filter, maybe?
no subject
I understand when a group of fans want to get together and all contribute something, it's hard to say "no." I don't understand the rationale for dividing the principal viewpoint characters—Rodney and David—among multiple narrators.
On the "instructive" part, though, I think it demonstrates why I adore hearing non-native English speakers narrating. These various voices are unified by a love of my milk-language, a delight so strong it drives them to perform in public. I perceive this as a deep compliment. I share that fascination with English, so it's delight cubed and all good. I had no trouble understanding/parsing any of the readers due to their accents. Yes, there were a handful of mispronunciations, but I make 'em too. Anyone who doesn't have English as a native language is welcome in my fic: if you're nervous, take a listen to these 32 narrators and be reassured.
There's a tech issue I'd love to know more about: how did the compiler/s and narrators maintain the illusion of back-and-forth? There's no way that all the narrators were in the same room, yet I did feel a genuine dialog unfolding (even when I couldn't tell who was talking.) I cannot imagine reading from sides in isolation, and still conveying the lively interplay of a dialog which will only exist on someone's final mix computer. (Maybe this is what actors always do?)
Unlike the file-folder-of-documents structure for Written by the Victors, this particular piece is dialog heavy. One of the reasons I like the fic so well is it shows with its dialog. For an ensemble reading, I think each person in the fic should have one and only one reader, and then the narrative unquoted material is read by one person more.
I'm eager to be told otherwise!