PODCASTS
I decided to listen to two podcasts, both of which ended up being about cynical things which I promise I didn’t do purposefully. The first one is titled “Up and Vanished” and is a documentary podcast about the disappearance of Tara Grinstead, a mystery that still hasn’t been solved. The second is called “And That’s Why We Drink” and is a series of discussed ghost storied and murder cases.
This podcast has many aural modes. It is attempting to tell a mystery story and in order to get the listener in the mood of suspense. First, there is background music, setting the scene to be very dreary and a little uncomfortable. After the vocal introduction of what the podcast is about, which was in a very serious tone, it jumps right into a creepy high-pitched background song paired with multiple overlapping news excerpts about the case. As the story progresses, there are effects that match with the monologue such as police sirens, knocking on doors, car handles, etc. This aspect to the podcast really made me feel like I was part of the story, it allowed me to play it in my head as a movie type situation rather than just listening to someone speak. It enticed me to keep listening, almost as if I was already in too deep to turn it off.
I listened to this podcast as a comparison between documentary and simple story telling. “And That’s Why We Drink” is a podcast told by two women whilst drinking milkshakes and wine, they talk about murders and ghost stories so upon starting the podcast I was hoping there would be intense sound effects to keep the listener interested and involved. I was disappointed with this podcast because the only sound effect besides the speaking was a milkshake slurp, which honestly grossed me out. The tone of voice throughout the podcast also stayed the same.
Overall, I think that if a podcast does not include sound effects that allow the speaking to become animated and imagined in a clear way, it’s not very entertaining (at least for me).
