Four Formats

Over the past month or so, I've been thinking of ways to improve my podcast series "The Looking Glass". Overall, I feel that the show has many bright spots, but it is in danger of becoming stagnate. After listening to a wide variety of shows, speaking to friends, colleagues, and family, I feel that I might have thought of four "formats" that I could employ that will help improve my series drastically. Here are my ideas, and I should not that none of these format ideas are original. They've all been employed by other broadcasters, but nevertheless they will be new to me.

1. First person storytelling. Little to no narration throughout the entire piece. This will allow the guest to tell their story.

2. Documentary Style. Interviews. Soundbytes. The public interviewed for opinions. Narration used to tie the story together. Very traditional style.

3. Current Style. Interview cut up with narration connecting the pieces together.

4. Unabridged Interview. Air the interview as is.

I'm excited about these new styles, and can't wait to employ them into my storytelling.

Star Trek Kick

Photo Credit: Star Trek.com 

I've been on a Star Trek kick recently. I think part of it is I have the opportunity to see Wrath of Khan in the theater. Just rewatching the films reminds me how unique and interesting the series is. Plus it's ultimately just a good old fashion adventure show, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Sound Designing for The Looking Glass

I had a great lunch today!! Not only was the food terrific, but I came away with some incredible ideas for my podcast series, 'The Looking Glass'. First some background. For the past few months I've been slightly dissatisfied with my podcast series. Ultimately, I've seen it as an "over-glorified" interview series. Yes I still thought it was good, but I feel like there was nothing that helped it stand out. When people listen, I really want them to know that they are listening to a project that I worked on.

Which brings me to my lunch today. I had lunch with the man who literally created the college radio station I over see, WXAV 88.3FM. His name is Chuck, and he's worked for Oprah, the Super Bowl, the Today Show. He is legit in every single way possible, and is also one of the nicest people you can meet. I brought this up to him, and he mentioned that I should look into creating some sound designing elements.

Basically what I'm looking at doing is utilizing some type of SFX or musical inter log to serve as a transition between topics. He also encouraged me to allow the person to tell their story as much as possible. So I should look at ways of using less narration. It's gotten me really excited about working on the project again, and I can't wait to begin work on the future episodes.

BTW I wrote this blog while listening to the new LCD SoundSystem album. It's fantastic, and I highly recommend you go and check it out. The name of the album is American Dream. Thus far, my favorite track is Oh Baby.