One of my favorite things about living with my best friend is the time we spend together on our back porch. At night, we grab a drink and talk about our days. I talk about politics. Hanna talks about celebrity gossip. We always see something unusual in the sky: crazy fog, strobe lights, drones…and I swear that was a UFO. This podcast is a reflection of our time spent together– a little spooky but mostly playful. I think this comes across in the script, our tone of voice, the sound effects, and music. I incorporated the sound of our screen door slamming shut (quick, what is that?!). This was my first time using GarageBand. In this audio, sound clips are layered and I learned how to fade in and out and control the background volume.
Image Credits:
“The Open Cluster Messier 41” by the 2MASS 2 Micron All Sky Survey, licensed under Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal. This image was found using Wikimedia Commons. “Atlas Image [or Atlas Image mosaic] obtained as part of the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation.”
Polaroid of Hanna and Jenn was taken by Caitlin Mellette, friend of the pod.
“Back Porch Sightings Podcast Art” was created using Canva Pro.
Sound Credits: All sounds not recorded by me were found using freesound.org
“Dark_Texture_1.wav” by Dneproman, licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal
“Free Weird Dark Spooky Music” by Seth_Makes_Sounds, licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal
All other recorded sounds and audio were recorded by me using the VoiceRecorder app on my iPhone.
Podcast audio was arranged and created using GarageBand.
Wow this is awesome. That introduction if very on point with the conversation followed by very nice background music that gives a “sci-fi” vibe. Leaning into that benign question of “What was that?” really would help to draw people in. There is a lot of alien and paranormal shows so there is definitely an audience for it and you being down to earth with your feeling would bring people on. The initial sound did come off as a bit too uncomfortably high pitched and may turn off someone from listening. That said overall this is a fine piece of work.
Hi Jennifer,
Wow, I love this idea of alien encounters or just weird things you might see while sitting on your porch! It really adds an intriguing layer to the casual vibe of the podcast. I definitely believe aliens exist, so I’m all in on the possibility of UFOs flying by! The balance between spooky and playful really comes through but not just in the script, but in the way you and Hanna deliver your conversation. It feels natural, like we’re right there with you.
I especially appreciated the “did you see that” at the end; it was the perfect touch and really kept me hooked! The screen door slamming was such a great detail and it immediately grabbed my attention. The layered sound clips and background music added to the atmosphere without overpowering your voices. You did a great job controlling the volume and fading effects. The podcast art is so fun, and I love that you incorporated your best friend into it. It gives the whole podcast a personal feel, which makes it even more engaging to listen to. I think this podcast has great potential to attract listeners who enjoy casual, conversational storytelling with a hint of mystery. I would definitely listen to this podcast!
Hey Jennifer, I was actually blown away by this post and how you incorporate the extraterrestrial sound effects while conducting the introduction dialogue as well. This is actually a podcast I would find myself listening to as well. Also the use of the fading sound with the ending of the audio was seamless and there was not even a second that I did not feel immersed in the clip. Great job overall!