Episode 3: Back to the Future show notes

Hello and welcome to another episode of Geeks on Drama!

:00 We are starting with fabulous quote from Back To The Future one of the geekiest movie you could find to put you in the mood on this great episode we have planned for you. We are going back in time to the future of podcasts.
:30 Culture is a process which has a creation, an establishment, a crisis and innovation. In the same way we believe that the Fringe Festival and podcasting have become cultural phenomenons. We therefore looked at podcasting as such. As a cultural process. An so we begin with 

Its creation...

1:20 We begin with the the beginning of the Edmonton Fringe. The Edmonton Fringe began with the lack of budget of the Edmonton government. This lack of budget for one big production inspired them to make a festival where smaller troupes could perform their art. It was the experimentation which led to having all kinds of shows. In reverse Podcasts came out of a surplus of technology. The amount of new technology that people were able to wrap their hands around led to the same kind of experimentation and innovation that the fringe festivals saw. Ben Hammersley not only talks about this in his article "Audible Revolution". In this article he coined the word Podcast after offering us with some other terms such as Guerrilla Media. 

4:45 The easy and cheap barrier of entry in the podcasting world and that of the fringe has been one of the key aspects of the spread of the fringe and of podcasting. This allows for the democratization of radio.  The fact that everyone can go and put their ideas and voice forward for the world to listen to makes it varied and different. Not two podcast are the same in the same way that not to plays are the same.

6:09  I know we sound like a broken record but it is true. There are so so much out there. maybe not Australian samba although there is a funny video of it in You Tube.

6:35  Ben Hammersley in the same article talks about the low barrier of entry and also about how journalist no longer need an editor. In much the same way the Patron- Artist relationship is broken. In the past the artist worked for a patron Leonardo Da Vinci's "La Gioconda" is said to be the wife of his patron. It is a well known that the artists life is not one of riches which usually means you need someone to pay for costumes, set design, so on and so forth. even back in the time of Greek dramas you had one of the aristocrats be the one to pay. with this lower barrier of entry you no longer need a patron. 

6:56 If you want to find a modern day patron you could say that today's TV networks and big production companies are patrons with the writers and the actors as... well... the artists. This is not a hard jump to make. The writers can write what they want but in reality only the things the networks executive wants will get made. Podcast enjoy the freedom of being able to produce a show they like. Podcasters don't thrive on ratings we thrive on community. Whether the listeners are ten or 1000 it doesn't matter things will get done regardless. Podcasters don't need patrons because we have something much better Muses. Our audience, and the community that is created around those podcast is all we need.

Its establishment...

8:35 Freedom to innovate and the ability to do so cheaply allows you to do so. Ask a Ninja   is the epitome of what this freedom creates. A ninja in character answering questions as a ninja, from a ninjas perspective. Trying to put this on in as TV show would never fly but as 2min segments in the Internet it is incredibly successful. 

9:47 "The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities." From the Webby Awards about page.

10:23 In the Wikipedia page of Canadian Theatre Festivals they list them all. Out of 22 eight are fringes and to put it into perspective out of the 22 only 4 are Shakespearean. It seems silly and I am sure there are more festivals not on wikipedia but it does give a an interesting picture. 

10:53 Since June, 2008 iTunes has had a built in podcast section which facilitates getting the podcasts. Since this the Podcast downloads have doubled and in some cases, tripled. This not all. It also signifies that it is here to stay. A big company such as Apple especially one that has always been on the forefront of revolutionizing technology is willing to put this in their store and put so much effort in it means that they saw something that could be great. 

11:59 By this point Tim and I are starting to be mean to each other cause we have been stuck together for too long. 

12: 41 MY PRECIOUS MINE MINE... this part reminded me of Gollum.

14:00 Word to word and mouth to mouth. The show and tell aspect of podcasting. This gets delved into much more in Episode 4.

Its crisis and innovation...

15:34 Oprah actually has four podcasts. There are around 20 different lost podcasts not all are official, some are made by the fans. Harry Potter has 30 podcasts. Drama has 30 as well as you can see the amount of podcasts and of the different varieties are immense. 

16:06 iTunes the mecca. I know we have said this over and over again but you could really never get bored of looking into all that iTunes has to offer. The reality of things is that your podcast is there in the same "store" as TV show, Movies and CD.

17:30 iTunes U, I can't stress how cool this is. Here are just a few of the universities that are involved, UC Berkley, Stanford, Harvard, Texas A&M, MIT. 

18:16 Duke not only has iTunes U  but it gave iPods in order for first year students to use the Podcasts you can read the article here.

18:41 The UBC podcast, What a disappointment. From seeing all of these universities and what they have done with the technology available to the sad reality of our life. It does exist here. Not sure why you would want to subscribe to it as it is not what I would call interesting. Just sad.

20:53 Video Podcasts what to do with them. Tim believes they will take over I think there is space for them both to coexist. The truth of the matter is that video is much harder and expensive to do. It is also trickier to make. You have to have a setting a set, wardrobe, props, it is not as simple as just having a sort of guideline of what you want to talk about and then talking about it in-front of a computer. So Video killed the Podcaster star?  

21:53 Anonymity of podcasts? Why do we believe that it is so personal? Video podcasts also eliminates the ability to be anonymous because it is you on the screen. In much of the same way audio podcasts it is your voice and this creates a bigger ownership, and makes it harder for it to be anonymous. There are effects that you can put on the recording for it to be unrecognizable but they can be removed by someone very skilled. You can alter you voice as I did in 23:41 but I don't think it gives the person enough sense of security.

24:30 Is Ask a Ninja anonymous? Maybe you can be the break dealer. I still think it is sorta anonymous but Tim says otherwise. 

24:50 The Future is Yours! Yeah it is trite but it is true. You are the listener and the provider of ideas. You can create what ever you want. It is for you to decide where this technology is going and what to do with it.

25: 46 The Knitting Podcast of this Podcast: Knitters Uncensored

See you next time!

Episode 3: Back to the Future

...

show notes to follow. (on friday it appears. apologizes, as per usual)

Episode 2: The Importance of Being Earnest

...

The sequel begins with what’s known as a mindfuck, I’ve been assured that it’s a very technical and widely accepted literary term. I’ve been assured many such things in my lifetime. While listeners may be dismayed to find before them a “Podcast about Podcast” as opposed to an aforementioned “World of Knitting” rest confident in the quality of what has been offered. It means well. And while success, relative though it may be, has yet to go to our heads, we have learned of fame, and its discontents. An unfortunate and unwanted fan had encroached upon our chitchat around the 7-minute mark. Like a creative child in an orphanage, please pay it no attention. We apologize for the inconvenience.

0:00 – The World of Knitting!...for another time alas. Greeting and Salutations from the Namu, a fortress of solitude if there ever was one.

0:22 – My cohort and I wish to explore, “Where Podcasts fit in the sphere of drama.” Come along for the ride will ya?

1:27 – The intro music, a mainstay among many an episode, be it Podcast or not. Here our chosen anthem presents what I’d refer to as audible “sleight of hand”, though others may coin “bait and switch”. Nevertheless, it’s evident how the chosen tune establishes some expectations for the audience. Our initial entrance was christened with the triumphant score of a nerd classic, quite fitting for the subject at hand. Though its successor cannot lay claim to the same rabid fanbase, we had hoped that it would echo the same “tongue in cheek” style of commentary we dish out by the bowlful. Surely if the episode were to being with a decidedly more somber ditty, the conversation would start off on the wrong foot.

The ebb and flow of the conversation too lends a hand in establishing a frame of mind for the performance. What interesting is that even when constrained by the necessities of a working interview, some podcasts maintain that loose structure. John Siuntres of popular “Comic Book Interview Show” wordballoon, sits down with different prominent authors from the medium. Though it takes on an admittedly question and answer vibe, the atmosphere of two friends geeking out is surely in full force. A few listens to an episode or two, and its easy to see how the form of podcasting keeps the conversation at a relaxed pace, shirking off any restrictive formality found in other such interviews.

5:35 - Our often cited Diggnation enjoys the benefits of being a video Podcast. With this they still share podcasting’s gift and curse of limited funding. Said lemons, when properly utilized, create a lemonade of decidedly sparse arrangements. The Diggnation crew opt for a relaxed social environment resembling a basement, or restaurant, or whichever. These pedestrian settings we believe only strengthen the conversational tone they seek to achieve. Making the best of what little you have, a tenant surely shared within other dramatic mediums.

The social atmosphere created by these sparse sets facilitates a sort of dialogue between the performance and the audience. A peer to peer conversation is had, and I suppose is thus appreciated more by the audience. You’d believe a friend’s opinion more than some guy in a suit a thousand miles away, or I should hope so. If not then I’m in need of a suit…

6:40 – The audience beings to learn the show, and understand what exact role they play in the performance. Not only does this serve to improve the show, but it succeeds in making the audience care more about it, as they are after all a part of it. For instance the 1up Yours, podcast is named as such because its intention to be defined by the audience. 1up Yours. A similar dynamic can of course be seen in performances such as the thoroughly discussed, Dionysis 69.

8:24 – I feel I should clarify what was meant by “performing to” and “performing for”. It’s a tough distinction to make, but the motivation spurring it is as follows. The audience is readily acknowledge and spoken to, where as in other mediums are aware of their audience and the content is aimed at them, but they are rarely, if ever, explicitly refer to. The back and forth provided by the former style brings the audience directly into it, and thus they are complicit in its quality.

10:15 – This dialogue between the audience and the performance is enabled, in some way, because of the lack of a true script. If we define the playwright and by extension the script, as an authority, the general lack of script in podcasting can be construed as a general absence of authority. With this comes many implications, most evident is the conversational dynamic it allows. In a group of peers no one stands as an authority, there is no set dictation for the dialogue. Thus a looser, freer discussion is had.

In the spirit of namedropping, I reference popular movie producer Judd Apatow. He’s known for leaving the cameras running after a scene, and letting the actors take it from there, improvising many jokes, a habit that has seen his movies reaching of a million feet of film. Seth Rogen, the star of many an Apatow production, shares his views on why improvisational dialogue is important.

15:58 – We briefly mention the nature of podcasting recording, the intensified manner of discussion, serving as a catalyst for character (persona) creation. A topic we hope to explore further. Upon dark clouds?

16:48 – Being Earnest, and the Importance thereof…or however it goes…

18:11 – Where exact podcasting fits within the aptly coined “Dram-o-sphere” is a question we may not have explicitly determined. What ever the location may be, our discussion, and further reflection upon it, has led us to see it in these broad terms.

Regardless of its particular form, and in truth large distinctions lie within this, podcasting can be seen as a window into the Social and Culture mindset of a particular group, performed to be greater understood. …phew!

18:34 – Knitting Norah’s Knitting Natter, said 3 times fast, for your tongue-twisting pleasure.

And there you have it, the sequel, in all its glory. Stay tuned for the History of Podcasting, and don’t touch that dial.

who knows what that’ll do…

The Tracey Fragments

These are the fragments of our Podcast...

Episode 1: A New Hope

...

As any good Episode I, or IV I suppose, should be, “A New Hope” acts as a base upon which tall risings of ideas shall be built upon. And as all too many initial offerings fall victim to, episode one has been plagued with near fatal enthusiasm. In a futile attempt to reign in the 25 plus minutes of Podcasting gibrish, we’ve assembled a few “Show Notes”. Think of it as a burly Sherpa through the towering sierra that stands before you. Please mind the smell.

0:00 – John Williams provides the fanfare. A worthy opening.

0:26 – Meet the folks. “Exploring Podcasts as Digital Drama”

0:47 – An apt question if there ever was one. Should definition given fail to truly encapsulate the concept, the good people at The Podcast Network have offered their services.

2:42 – The beginnings of a metapodcast? Dark clouds loom in the horizon…

3:01 – Said communities and there whereabouts? 1up Yours Podcast’s Club Page, where the converts share questions and comments to be explored in the disturbingly coined, “Four Minute Warning” segment. Go forth and prospers, just don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

4:25 – What’s out there? Rogue FBI agents from the mid-90’s would have you assume that the truth is. Of course all good post-modernist would disagree, insisting that Podcasts are all that’s out there.
Napoleon 101. History is for geeks.
1up Yours, and GameScoop. Where the fools wear the crowns.

7:32 – At times academia backs your outlandish claims. We call these the good times. The following article sees Voice being far more engaging for student education. But don’t take my word for it…

8:39 – Perhaps there’s a good reason why you’re not allowed to have Knitting conversations in everyday life. But if you’re so inclined…

9:39 – Interesting side note, while googling the concept of Podcasts as a ritual, I was bombarded with Ritual Podcasts.

11:10 – The Inside Joke is like a green toothbrush. Get it? Well I guess you had to be there...

GameScoop shaves the beard. Diggnation takes the shot.

People learn the rhythm of the show, and what they’re expect to do within the performance. The audience becomes a part of the show.

15:52 – The Low Barrier of Entry to Podcasting. Setting the Bar Lower.

16:46 – I consulted Wikipedia, a common practice, and learned that perhaps she was right. Though the common variant seems to be, third time’s the charm…

18:08 – Podcast Network, and Revision 3.

18:58 – I feel I should clarify. I do not do heroine. I merely indulge…

19:08 – Like a time capsule, “social narrative reflective of the community at that moment in time.” Sounds good don’t it?

21:48 – Wrapping it up.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Episode 2: The Importance of Being Earnest.

The Fellowship of the Ring

An auspicious lot to be sure.

Each member specifically chosen for the team, based on merit, charisma, and Time Traveling capabilities. Think the Justice League of Dramatic Podcasting. Think exactly that.

Onto actual business. Time conflicts, technical difficulties, merciless plagues of locust, there have been indeed many roadblocks on the way to Podcasting genius, and plain existence I suppose. Rome wasn't built in a day, as it goes.

As you may have thus far surmised the first true episode has yet to be unveiled. In the sole interest of public safety the original plan was to construct the show via emails. Raw mp3 data was to be disassembled and reassembled to resemble as a full episode.

Isabel would say her piece, as would I, and together they would be stitched together into what would appear to be a natural conversation. The Frankenstein of conversations. It's almost bittersweet to say we have not created such a monster.

yet.

We'll spare you the awful, and at times grotesque, details needless to say that the plan has changed. We have agreed, begrudgingly so, to meet face to face and have at this horrid conversation, creating the first episode once and for all. And here I thought we'd avoid disturbing details.

A precise date for the publishing of the first episode has tentatively been set for this weekend. Leaving us a delightful Friday in which to hammer out as many insightful episodes as time and modern science will allow. If I were a betting man I would rest confident in this forecast. In all likelyhood it's all gravy from here on out. But as second from the right would say to the third...(in some impossible, yet deliciously nerdgasmic Indiana Jones/Star Wars crossover)

never tell me the odds.

The Science of Sleep

Are you trying to mock me on the air?

Yes. Yes I am.

Until iTunes accepts the feed, the following link should suffice, apologizes all around.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/GeeksOnDrama

For the less "techlitterate", patent-pending on the word, I'll explain how to subscribe to the feed in its current, infantile, immature, impressive, state.

(also, as I'm on a Mac, this really only applies to other such pomaceously inclined listeners. But in due time our Windowed friends will be able to simply search iTunes. No harm, no foul.)

In iTunes, in the "Advanced" drop down menu, sandwiched between "Store" and "Window", select, "Subscribe to Podcast".

Then just type in the link...repeated again for the memory impaired...

http://feeds.feedburner.com/GeeksOnDrama

and hit "Okay".

Also, clicking on the delightful little rightward arrow next to the Podcast will bring you right to the blog. Onward ho!

Easy peasy. And rest assured that all following entries will be much more intellectually simulating.
...though the comfort of radio static has its charms...

The Neverending Story

Geeks on Drama

• Episode One: A New Hope
o Introduction
• Name
• What podcast do we like
• What we like about them
• Why we view them as digital drama
o Summary

• Episode Two: The Importance of Being Earnest
o Scripted nature
• Similarities and difference between "traditional" view of drama and podcasts
o Theatricality
• Aspects of drama, performance and the theatricality of it all in podcasts
o Conversation
• the idea that in pod cast it is a conversation with in it, like a round table

• Episode Three: Back to the Future
o History of Podcast
• How podcast came to be
• The people behind it
• Cameron Reilly
o The Podcast Network
• Kevin Rose
o Revision 3
o The current state of podcasting
• How to make podcast

• Episode Four: Being John Malkovich
o Specific Audience
• Unlike Television you don't need to cater to the whole family but to specific people be it techies or history enthusiasts
o Personal Experience
• unlike drama and television it is something you will for the most part watch it alone
o Show and Tell syndrome
• The fact that is something that you are usually going to be watching alone one will usually show the podcast to a friend who will find it interesting
o Conversation
• It is a more of a conversation between you and the podcast

• Episode Five: The School of Rock
o Educational and Informational Nature
• As with drama podcasts are majorly to educate and inform while entertaining at the same time
• iTunes U
o Easy making
• Podcast are easy to make

• Episode Six: The Last Crusade
o We don't have this episode set as well as the other because we are making this one about our finding.
• We know we want to make this one a video but it depends on a lot of things.