Unit 5 - Audio production and technology

Ideas of plausible storylines

1. Drama - A tale about somebody who has a heart transplant and wakes up with the memory of a girl and strong feelings towards her. He finds her and they start dating. He later finds out that the heart belonged to her ex-boyfriend.

2. Thriller - A girl who tells her therapist about her somewhat innocent crush but then her confessions get increasingly more disturbing. She starts off by admiring him from a far and it progresses as far as waiting for him outside his house etc

3. A story about a woman and the three stages of her life. very heart-wrenching and told in a poetic manner. Love, loss and hope are discovered. (reference dance with the devil by immortal technique)

RESEARCH

I have decided to look at three different audiobook/podcasts in order to find out the following things;

1. Who is the podcasts' target audience?

2. How much success has it had? (Why do you think this is?)

3. How does the podcast/audiobook draw the audience in? (Sound effects, BGM, etc)

4. How will this influence the way you configure your own audiobook/podcast?

Strangers by Lea Thau

This podcast is about empathizing with real people's stories. The description of the show is as follows:

Each episode is an empathy shot in your arm, featuring true stories about the people we meet, the connections we make, the heartbreaks we suffer, the kindnesses we encounter, and those frightful moments when we discover that WE aren’t even who we thought we were.

The podcasts are aimed at people who have had lots of significant experiences in their lives, or un-similarly, people who haven't had many and want to live vicariously through other peoples' stories. In short, this podcast is for mature viewers who like to think and feel intense things in small doses.

This podcast is successful not only because it's relatable and connects to viewers on a personal level, but also because the podcast is written by Lea Thau, from the award winning podcast, moths. If a podcast author has been successful before, it will lead their previous audience to listen to Strangers.

Strangers tends to draw their audience in by choosing a topic that isn't completely obscure, making sure viewers are able to relate to the content they are curating. They use a mellow, melancholic backing track when the words being spoken are sad or endearing, and choose a happy, yet tranquil melody when the content is moving or uplifting. This is so the audience knows what response to show when listening and it also subconsciously evokes the feelings the curator wants them to feel.

Sad Soul Advice Club by Christian Novelli and Mitch

This podcast is a monthly series that has two male hosts (Mitch and Christian) who share the stories of people that email them and then they try their best to give them advice (which is often unhelpful and hilarious.)

This podcast is very well received by people from the ages of 14-28 as they have a distinct humor that only millennials tend to relate to. I think the answer to their success is that they have a previous success with their youtube channels (they already have fans, and those fans listen to their podcasts in addition to other people that find them by chance on soundcloud.)

I can compare it to a new movie coming out, with a movie star casted in it. You may not know the plot line to the movie, but just because said actor is in the production, people will check it out nevertheless. Just like this podcast.

Each podcast is relatively short, but sweet. Filled with jokes that hit the mark, and ad-libs that are thought provoking, I can see where the attraction comes from.

Welcome To Nightvale by Joseph Fink

Welcome to nightvale is the undoubtedly the world's most popular podcast. It's a sinister radio drama masquerading itself as a local television and news podcast. Even the idea is obscure, but the content is even more mind boggling. You never know what you're tuning into, where the storyline will go, and what new characters will come in.

It's popular due to the mystery behind it. Nobody really knows what the podcast is about and that leaves the audience connected, leaving comments behind guessing about what will happen next. The fanbase is very close, making the podcasts popularity rise due to the curiosity of others.