For this post, the idea came from my love of independent and obscure films. The podcast concept is to explore older and lesser-known independent movies and talk about them in a way that reviews not only their entertainment value, but also their story ideas and the different types of nostalgia that surface when we revisit them. The podcast also reflects on the current state of the film industry and how these older works intertwine with contemporary cinema.
For the sound design, I decided to start with a classic movie-style intro and build from there. I wanted an opening that could be used universally for every episode, followed by a more specific background soundscape tailored to the film being discussed. I uploaded the track to SoundCloud because my original file was too large. When I tried using a compression website, an audible humming sound was now on the compressed version, so I just stuck with the original. I used Audacity to layer the audio tracks and a condenser mic to record the vocal narration.
Citations:
Audio:
- Camera: 3, 2, 1, Action.wav by LilMati is licensed under CC0 1.0
- Film Camera Film Reel MKH416 1 by Geoff-Bremner-Audio is licensed under CC0 1.0
- 8mm Film Projector.wav by datasoundsample is licensed under CC BY 4.0
- Music Intro: Actor life (Short v.) by szegvari is licensed under CC0 1.0
- Swamp: swamp at night with crickets and cicadas2.mp3 by mariethompson is licensed under CC0 1.0
- Bluesy Guitar: Blue Sloop.wav by BaDoink is licensed under CC0 1.0
- Script: developed in collaboration with Perplexity, an AI writing assistant.
- Vocals: Reel Relics Season 2 Episode 11 Intro by Kenneth Jones is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Visual:
- Titlecard Image: Clapperboard by Garry Knight is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- SoundCloud Image: Untitled. ©2012. by Kenneth Jones. All Rights Reserved
Hey Kenneth, Nice concept for a podcast. While I’m not a movie buff myself, I know plenty who would enjoy it. The image works well to convey the theme, and I like the idea of adding episode-relevant information. The music choice is great, especially the transition from the classical piece to the guitar section. Good use of sound effects really reinforces the cinema theme. The narration is spot on. I really need to invest in a good mic. I was going to bring up embedding the SoundCloud because it makes the post look awkward, then I read you have a good reason for doing so. I say it is a good choice.
I’m utterly sold on that intro. Imitating the sound effects and audio quirks of old film is maybe the most obvious thing to do, but you worked it well here. Transitioning into the subject was clean, and the music chosen for ‘River of Grass’ fits well.
One note: do mind your aspect ratio. Most podcast covers are in 1:1. You’ve got enough blank space to where you can crop it to size, though, so not too big a problem.
Hi Kenneth,
Your intro instantly felt like a professional, real movie podcast. The countdown, clapper, and film reel sound is perfect old-school cinema, and puts me in that popcorn theater smell/feeling. I also liked how you moved from that classic intro vibe into the guitar.
Focusing on lesser-known films is always a risk, rather than the obvious classics everyone already talks about. I do feel you would be getting an audience with indie movie fans, or the straight-to-tape or streaming movies.
I feel your narration sounded clear and confident, and the mic quality was very good. I agree with Ella’s note on the cover image, a square crop (1:1) will make it look more like a true podcast cover and display better where it is advertised. Also, I would have liked everything included in the fade, rather than just the voice, as that felt a bit strange.
Overall, I enjoyed the sound effects and musical choice, which fit the theme nicely. It is a classy intro that can be reused in future intros to this podcast.