Crimson Skies: Radio Liberty
Sunday, November 8, 2009

What is Crimson Skies:

Crimson Skies is a fictional universe, an altered timeline that has been used for a variety of successful games and books including well-received Microsoft PC and X-Box games. From the official Microsoft website …

In this alternate history, the year is 1937 and the United States is fractured into squabbling nation-states, brought about by the weight of the Great Depression, regional prohibition and mounting isolationism. Giant Zeppelins crisscross the skies carrying both passengers and cargo, and airborne bandits are a constant threat.

It has pirates and gangsters, gumshoes and movie stars. Its a world where The Maltese Falcon meets Flyboys, The Rocketeer and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The plots and characters hearken back to the seminal works of pulp magazines, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. Exciting, fast-paced tales where classic archtypes are given individuality by the absolutely immense range of regions created by the 'break up' of the United States, each with a unique cultural background creating a virtually limitless canvas for conflict, triumph and tragedy.

The Series Concept:

Crimson Skies: Radio Liberty is a new fan-produced audio drama produced by Silvertongue Productions. It will be a three episode, proof of concept, mini-series to be released at monthly intervals, based on the premise of a news programme broadcast by a radio station on a night club / casino zeppelin called the Pascal. Registered in New Orleans in the nation of French Louisiana, Radio Liberty broadcasts from various locations on its round the world cruise, mostly in international waters. They report on the news "without fear or favour" making them enemies and friends amongst pirates and militia who see them as either a force to be respected or hated. Sometimes the Pascal and Radio Liberty are simply bystanders in the drama that goes on around them but as the story goes on they start to become the focus of events in the complex political arena of central America and the Caribbean and a major player in the struggle between good and evil that is shaping the destiny of nations across the world.

The content of our 'news reports' (our script) will be based on Crimson Skies canon literature (the sourcebooks and licensed fiction), various fan works (including fan fiction and game scenarios) and historical events and people. Each 10-15 minute episode will be self-contained but plot threads will run throughout the mini-series. The format of the episodes will be based on research to make it as historically accurate as possible without compromising dramatic effect and will feature period swing and jazz music.

The Theme:
This is primarily action/adventure and as such shouldn't be expected to have deep and meaningful themes, in fact one of the characteristics of '30's pulp fiction is that it is very clear cut, usually good versus evil, with both sides standing out in black and white.

However any plot without a message is ultimately unfulfilling. Our production will be speculative fiction that builds up a picture of "The Fractured States of America" that is as plausible as possible, given the events and conditions, to explore the way that different people react within it.

Personally I see Crimson Skies as an exercise in anarchy - the freedom of individual regions above larger national groups - which ultimately questions the civic responsibilities of individuals: what is the dividing line between personal freedom and the pursuit of happiness, and our responsibility to society? Is it defined by the laws of the land or ethics and morals? Through subliminal games of 'truth and consequences' the crew of Radio Liberty will hopefully make the listener see their own world in a different light.

The Target Audience:
You can't hope to design something unless you know who your target audience is so, who would we expect to be interested in this audio drama?

Crimson Skies fans, past and present. Whilst there might not be too many still active in Crimson Skies gaming, the general feedback the mention of Crimson Skies gets when mentioned on forums is, “Damn, I loved that game! Why can't they do something like that now?” I expect that this will re-kindle interest in the game with a lot of past gamers and in so doing encourage the copyright owners to create new games and entertainment media.

Pulp genre fans. Crimson Skies is a classic example of the pulp genre. If we do this right, we could gain a large following from this section of fandom, both from fans of the originals (the Shadow, Sam Spade, R.E.Howard's books...) and new media based on it (The Red Panda, Sky Captain, Raiders of the Lost Ark...)

Old Time Radio (OTR) fans. Whilst I will not be doing the whole production as a faux-OTR piece, the parts that are meant to sound like radio will be as authentic as possible. I'm hoping that OTR fans will see this as bringing their genre into a modern context.

Swing / Jazz / Big Band fans. The music of the production will be as authentic as possible and to do this legally we have two options: original music composed for us, in particular our theme, and music from 1937 that is now in the public domain. This should, again, be a way for fans to see their favourite work brought into a new production, so that it will be of interest to contemporary jazz fans as well as jazz historians.

MUSIC: [A-1] [STING] THREE CHORD ORGAN STING.
ANNOUNCER: Stay tuned for more adventures in Crimson Skies from [BEAT]
MUSIC: [A-2] [BED] RADIO LIBERTY THEME--FADE IN. CONTINUE UNDER.
ANNOUNCER: Radio Liberty!

Posted by Kirok of L'Stok 3:22 PM 0 comments

Audio Drama Vs Radio Drama
Thursday, July 16, 2009

Australian radio is strong and viable. I vaguely remember a programme that compared it to American radio and showed that because of social, legislative and commercial factors it was stronger than its American counterpart. Australian radio is one of the last bastions of the radio play, having weathered the face of competition from TV, so that over here we are in the enviable position whereby the ABC is not only buying and broadcasting radio drama but encouraging and nurturing it.

So does this mean that the internet-based audio dramas that I rant about - not the "tribute shows" that use copyrighted material of course but the original shows - could have a market here? Well, yes as long as the writer and producer was aware of the inherent differences between the two media.

Audio drama, by its very nature, is a disembodied medium - they don't call it "the cinema of the mind" for nothing - and the finished product that our audience gets is sound, a drama that they experience only by listening to it. What difference does it make whether the sound that they hear comes from a radio, computer speakers, iPod earphones? Actually quite a lot, just as the entertainment experience of TV is different from going to the movies or theatre and this needs to be considered by the writer and producer.

Radio for example must cater to a broader audience, which is why genre subjects don't seem to do well, no matter how dedicated a fan-following they have. Radio also has an immediacy about it, in that it is "the arrow spent". Once it has been broadcast the listener can't re-wind radio to try to catch something a second time because they didn't hear it properly or understand it fully the first time. Of course the ABC usually has its programs available online later but that begs the question doesn't it? If the listener gets lost during the production, they won't make the effort to get the mp3 download so that they can listen to it again, they'll just switch off.

This means that there has to be absolute clarity in the dialog and its delivery, with no long and convoluted monologues or scenes with half-a-dozen characters chattering at odds with each other. In fact large casts are a drawback in general since, unless they are individually memorable, the listener will become confused by the role of each.

Your character's actions need to be telegraphed to the listener in a way that makes them easy to visualise. I don't mean you have to descend to "This gun that I have in my right hand is loaded" but there are things, like panning, that might come across well on stereo earphones that are lost on a mono' radio.

I'm not saying that one is better than the other, as an entertainment medium each has its niche. Downloadable, syndicated files such as podcast audio drama can be paused, rewound and listened to as many times as you like at your convenience. However you need to find them, download them and play them - conscious steps that podcasting helps but does not eliminate. Broadcast radio is mass-media, reaching a big audience that would not normally come looking for your work and for listeners is much more convenient and spontaneous - you just switch it on station surf until you hit something you like and listen.

Is there a compromise between the two? Of course - internet radio! These are internet websites that stream programmes on a set schedule so that you can log onto them and listen to what comes up. This would be much more spontaneous than choosing something and downloading it yourself, widening your listening experience. I wonder how affordable it is to listen to streamed audio dramas on an internet enabled mobile phone such as the iPhone using Tuner?

Posted by Kirok of L'Stok 9:39 PM 0 comments

Tales of Death and Honour 1: "Motherhood"
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The first sortie by the House of L'Stok into fan productions is finally ready for release! Fan favourite, Karl Puder and newcomer, Merodi play unique parts in this original Klingon tale of love and loss, "Motherhood". Started as part of last year's Twelve Trek Days of Christmas, this short (12:26 11.6Mb), full-cast audio book has gathered a life of its own as the actors have delivered some great performances!

Listen to it!.......


Subscribe to it!..
Download it!.....
Discuss it!.........
Do It Yourself!..

Karl Puder brings to the part a wealth of experience in audio drama as General, and later Emperor Korg in Darker Projects' Star Trek: The Section 31 Files and their latest series, Star Trek: Lost Frontier. However he is probably best known for his continuing film role as General Korg in Areakt Film's Star Trek: Hidden Frontier, a role that he has recently reprised in both of their spin-off's, Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles and Star Trek: Odyssey. I was immensely lucky to be able to get Karl to read for this role and he was incredibly patient with me as we worked to create a significantly different delivery from his alter ego, Korg.

Merodi is a new talent who read for parts in last year's Dispatches From The Romulan War, and signed on as our sound engineer. A young intern at a radio station at the time, I was mightily impressed with her work and when I went looking for a female Klingon, she was one of my first candidates. She did a fantastic job delivering an expressive and emotion-filled delivery in a totally unnatural register for her. Her talents as a voice actor are matched by her skills as a sound engineer, and I expect great things from Merodi Media!

The first book of a trilogy, "Tales of Death and Honour", Motherhood is enhanced by a moody gothic theme, "La Hoguerra" by Distemia, and incidental music by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com. Paul "Enigma" Simpson, who I have worked with on Sci Fi Studios, caught that mood perfectly with his title graphic.

CREDITS

The Father	Karl Puder
The Mother	Merodi
Theme Music	Distemia
Incidental Music	Kevin MacLeod
Graphics	Enigma

Motherhood is narrated by the author, producer and director, Kirok of L'Stok, and marks my debut as a voice talent - using the term in it's loosest possible sense! I hope you find it entertaining and thought-provoking as you ponder the Klingon conundrum: If family honour were more important than life itself, what would you do if you had to choose between family ... or honour?

Well?

Kirok of L'Stok

Posted by Kirok of L'Stok 1:45 AM 4 comments