Production Diary, Part III: Bit by Bit by Bit
March 29, 2006 | Posted by: Shane
All great podcasts have one thing in common: content. When a podcast has something interesting to say, it can be as entertaining as the most professional-sounding radio show. If a podcast doesn’t have much to say, it usually sounds like a bunch of anime nerds giggling into a fifteen dollar microphone.
Needless to say, Adam, Jared and Shane didn’t want to follow the latter path.
The first order of business for this new power-trio was to set up a message board as a common place to communicate, list bit ideas, and to berate each other. Over a matter of weeks, these three geniuses posted tens and tens of show segment possibilities. There were at least enough ideas to fill one or two shows. The next fifty shows or so after that shouldn’t be a problem to fill, right? Right?
Another pressing matter for Adam, Jared, and Shane was to develop both a name and an overall concept for the show. Really, the concept part wasn’t all that difficult. They all agreed that the show content should be what they know: pop and nerd culture, their day-to-day lives, and a touch of sarcastic humor (Okay, in Adam’s case, more than a touch. We might as well include Shane, too.) The show also had to sound great and decidedly non-amateurish. The guys might not have any radio experience, but the podcast shouldn’t sound like it.
From there, it was a matter of hammering out a basic show structure, filling in the blanks, and most important of all, naming the entire operation. While it seemed simple, the trio found that there was a lot of work to do. Each show bit had hours of work connected to it. A daunting challenge, but they were up for it. And don’t forget about that show name. A number of ideas bounced around, but in the end, The Scope stuck. The guys thought The Scope best represented the goal of the show: to examine everything from Akira to Emo to Scarlett Johansson. Nothing would escape their all-seeing gaze, and they’d mock, compliment, and ridicule it with all the self-importance they could muster.
Still, everything wasn’t butterflies and rainbows. Could The Scope crew actually create comedy that eclipsed material found on the great Jay Leno’s late night show? Speaking of late night talk shows, if guys like Carson and Letterman had announcers, shouldn’t The Scope have one too? And why does Michael Rapaport keeping getting work? (if you call “The War At Home†work…)
Find out in The Scope Production Diary Episode IV: The End of the Beginning…
Category: Production Diary | Time: 12:49 pm (CST) |