quick roundup of resources and tips if you’re in high school (or college, really) and you want to make a fiction podcast
MAKING AUDIO
free audio production stuff
Audacity is an open-source audio editing program. I think it’s what Griffin McElroy of My Brother My Brother and Me uses? Here’s a guide if you get stumped.
Here’s a few collections of sound effects.
As long as you credit, you can use any of this music for free.
audio production tips
How to make a pop filter (it will stop your audio from popping on B and P sounds) from common household objects
They say that munching a Granny Smith apple between takes will reduce unwanted mouth sounds
Getting better sound without a recording studio
Getting better sound, pt 2
Make sure that dialogue can be heard over music, sound effects, etc. When in doubt, listen to your current mix with your eyes closed and see what stands out.
a relatively cheap mic, if you’re okay investing a little bit
This is the microphone the leads use for Starship Iris. It’s got a USB cable that plugs straight into your computer, and it’s under $40.
WRITING SCRIPTS
I’d recommend working in Google docs. It lets you share files quickly with others for easy editing, it saves automatically, and you won’t have a trillion different versions of your episodes floating around your computer.
Outline your whole season before you start writing. Write your whole season before you start production. I know, it will feel a little labor intensive. Trust me, though--I started production before finishing the season scripts and it kneecapped the show for months and months.
Consider keeping things simple for your first effort. We all have gigantic, sprawling narratives in our heads featuring casts of hundreds (we do, right?) but you’re gonna be learning so much in this process, it’s way less overwhelming if you can scale down. Maybe find a way to tell one aspect of the story, featuring a handful of characters, but to tell it in a compelling way.
Think realistically about the voices that will be at your disposal. If you want to just use your friends and all your friends are female, keep that in mind when creating characters. (See “if you don’t want to act” below for advice finding actors.)
Read everything out loud. If anything feels clunky, change it until you can say it naturally.
When you think you’re done, invite over a bunch of friends for pizza (or other foods! I don’t know your life, dude) and have an informal table read. Don’t take a role. Sit back and listen carefully. You may find stuff you want to fix. Ask your friends for feedback. They may give you valuable perspective.
A good way to stay motivated is to find a friend who also wants to write a script, and then keep pushing each other and reading each other’s stuff.
IF YOU NEED WRITERS
Approach your writer friend(s). Tell them that if they write you a script, you will produce it into a radio play. It’s worth a shot.
Approach your creative writing teacher, if your school has one. Tell them that you want to produce a script, and ask them to tell their students to submit scripts to you. (Set up a gmail account for this purpose.) It’s worth a shot.
If all else fails, honestly, I’d say go through your lit textbook (or short story anthologies) and find a poem or short story you like (or say, an act of a Shakespeare play), then record/produce that. Then show it to your lit teacher. They will be confused. But maybe also happy? If it’s something they covered in class, they’ll probably feel like they Got Through To You and Made A Difference, and adults love that shit.
IF YOU NEED ACTORS
The obvious go-to is to ask your friends. If you do table reads (see writing section above) you will get a sense of who is suited to what role.
Approach your school’s drama teacher, or the teacher who directs the school play, or the forensics coach. Let them read a copy of your script so they know you’re not, like, using it to promote meth or anything. Ask them to tell their students about the opportunity, and/or ask them if you can hang fliers (first, make fliers).
As a former drama kid, I can promise you that we are always hungry for available roles.
OTHER PEOPLE TO CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO
The school paper might be looking for things to write about.
Local bands might let you feature their original music in your intro/outro, in exchange for plugging their website, etc, in your credits.
If you’re having sound engineering problems, consider asking the computer lab teacher, or the video production teacher.
If you have multiple friends who want to make podcasts, consider forming a network! There’s strength in numbers.
Just generally, if you think of someone in your life with relevant skills, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE ASKING FOR FAVORS
Ugh, it’s so scary, right?
My honest advice is to get really good at baking something relatively simple, like brownies. Now you’re not asking for favors, you’re conducting a transaction!
Also, even if they’re not available to help, like, 9 times out of 10, people will be flattered you thought of them.
PEOPLE NOT TO APPROACH FOR PRODUCTION HELP
Me
Not because I don’t care (I am seriously rooting for you) but because I probably won’t be able to give much advice. All my advice is right here. Hell, I even asked for help putting this together.
FURTHER READING
Not all of this may be relevant to you, but definitely worth checking out
“So You Wanna Start A Podcast?” by Wolf 359’s Zach Valenti
Multitude Productions has some great resources on podcasting.
Audio Drama Thoughts by Brian Martinez Oldham
