As mentioned in a previous piece, podcasts and audio dramas have seen steady growth throughout the years. The low barrier to entry and accessible tools for creating these works make it very appealing to the voice actors and producers that want to create their own compelling stories without having to deal with infringing on the copyrighted properties of others (just to name an issue). There are a lot of moving parts to getting these things off the ground, as they need to be conceptualized, written, directed and produced in a thoughtful and intentional manner to grab an audience’s attention.

 

These are things I’ve learned throughout the production of a passion project I produced a while ago, called (Un)prepared, a short pilot production centered around a working everyman dealing with grief, and how it can affect one’s life in unexpected ways. If you’re interested, you can listen to it below (shoutout to Haley Parsley for the awesome artwork).

 

 

It took months and quite a bit of money to get this one off the ground. I was determined that everyone involved (except for me) that were kind enough to give their time and effort to this got paid, and paid fairly. Unfortunately, I was not able to continue this for various reasons, but I’m very proud of how the final product came out. Aside from Haley, I had some very talented people help out with voicing characters, doing the audio engineering, composing an original piece for the intro, etc. Spoilers: there’s HEAVY inspiration from The West Wing (one of my all-time favorite shows). Definitely check out everyone who participated in this, because they’re all phenomenal. Their names are in the video description on YouTube (you may even recognize a few of them).

 

However, that’s not the purpose of this piece. The purpose of this piece is to give budding producers, independent and otherwise, a place to start to be able to tell their stories from a grounded place that’s authentic to them, and hopefully my experience with putting this one together can help get these stories off of the ground and into places where they can be heard. Here’s a basic framework that I use to create some compelling audio-based content that can grab a listener’s attention, and turn them into loyal fans.

 

CONCEPTUALIZING

This is a critical pre-production step. Ask yourself the important questions about the show you’re trying to create. What is it about? What themes are you exploring that help guide your stories? What’s the format/genre? What similar show do you have in mind when creating it? It’s important to interrogate your ideas while they are still ideas (I believe I got that little tidbit from a SovietWomble video). Writing an outline for how an episode of your show will play out, format-wise. There may be several iterations of this foundational building block that arise from this, so don’t get discouraged at any point where you might have to go back to the drawing board.

 

Once the foundational idea is decided upon, then you start writing the show.

 

WRITING

Now that the format, point of view, and delivery method is decided upon, it’s time to put pen to paper and begin writing your first episode. Luckily, we live in a time where you can find digital versions of script formats that can help you construct the episode from the ground up. Most of these are free and ready to use out of the box once they’re downloaded or installed (like this one that works with Google Docs, for example). These documents can help you seamlessly transition from dialogue, to stage direction, to script notes all in the same application. It’s pretty cool, honestly. Though I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to this kind of thing…

 

While writing your script, you may go back to tweak the conceptualization at certain levels as you’re writing your first draft, but don’t let that paralyze you from getting something written down. The first draft is just that: a draft. This will be changed, tweaked and modified several time before you get a workable version of the script. There’s a lot of nuance to writing, as it occurs at basically every stage of production (ideas change, specific voices in your head for certain roles, etc.), but the bones of it will remain so long as the work done in the conceptualization phase is clear and direct. This will help keep pushing you forward when getting your script, well… scripted.

 

When the script is finished, then we start gathering the right people for the job.

 

CASTING

As a voice actor, I’m a believer of the right voice for the right role. While writing, you may have voices in your head when writing for characters, and that’s great! Reach out! It never hurts to ask. However, we’re all adults and we have lives and businesses to run. If the actor is someone you don’t already have a working relationship with, and are professional talent with professional equipment, then they may require payment. For those with a budget, you may be able to negotiate.

 

If you don’t have a budget or somebody says no to your budget, don’t panic. Politely thank them for the time and move on. There are lots of voice actors online that may be willing to help out and there are a few different ways to bring people on board. Networking is a good way to go. Reach out to who you know and branch out from there. Another option is to put out a casting notice on platforms like Casting Call Club or the Voice Acting Club Discord server. Be honest and upfront about what you’re doing, what you need, and what you can offer.

 

Once the roles are filled, now comes the cool part.

 

RECORDING

To me, recording/directing is the most fun stage of the creation process of audio dramas. Recording characters and directing actors are two different skills, and while you don’t have to be an actor to be a director, an understanding of the actor’s toolbox or filmmaking can prove very useful, though not at all required. I love the acting side of it, it’s why I became an actor, but this will be for those who are directing actors and letting them perform from the script.

 

TIPS FOR DIRECTING (including, but not limited to):

• RELATABILITY: Actors are humans and can’t read your mind. I recommend using analogies and common, easily relatable real-life experiences to be able to get the reads you want.
• EMPATHY: Be open to a change in the booth. Every actor has lines that they will not cross, i.e. for personal beliefs, religious, philosophical, etc. Or things can just be hard to pronounce. Be open to the conversation and make adjustments where needed.
• PATIENCE: Some sessions go smooth as silk. Others have technical or performance issues. This is normal, we all have those days. Remember to breathe and make sure the experience is fun and flexible, even if there are some difficulties.

 

We’re all here to have fun and perform. Roles in audio dramas tend to be ones that you can chew on and live in, so whether you’re acting or directing, have fun and be you in the booth!

 

POST-PRODUCTION

Okay, this part is a bear for me. Post-production, in this case, editing, mixing and mastering. This is where you put everything together, gather the right takes from each actor, include SFX and music as appropriate, and making sure everything sounds good in a cohesive and satisfying way. I won’t go too deep into this as I think everyone has their own workflow, but basically, I start with dialogue, making sure that’s timed out and leaving room for sound effects and music (either recorded yourself or appropriately acquired or licensed). For sound effects and music, there are several repositories that are affordable and have a wide range of licensable and royalty-free options for both. Examples are Envato, Audiio, and Epidemic Sound. There are others, of course, and prices vary between platforms, so I encourage doing your research and making sure you use the platform that gives you what you want for the price you can afford. There are also free sound libraries, such as the YouTube audio library that has a ton of sound effects and music you can use.

 

You can put audio dramas together in multitrack programs such as Adobe Audition, Reaper, and Pro Tools. There are other options that you can use, so again, do your research and figure out what works best for you and what you’re using it for.

 

After taking the time to edit and put everything together, it’s time to publish! I suggest posting an audio version on platforms like BuzzSprout or Podbean, and supplement it with a video version on YouTube (free distribution, baby). This will help reach the maximum audience and provide options as to how to consume the content.

 

CONCLUSION

This is the basic framework that I use when creating audio dramas. Is it the only way? No. Is it glossing over some procedural things? Absolutely. However, I’m pretty confident in these steps will be very helpful to any creatives that want to make their own content. If there’s something you’d like to add, I welcome it! Leave a comment, I’d love to read them.

 

Now, go forth and create! You never know what could catch on!