Thread by @apollopods

Popping in a second late to @missdefying talking a great first scene of an #AudioDrama here at #PM22! Live tweet starts here!

First: think about the vibe of your story. Set the vibe up top!

Next: make your audience curious. Encourage them to ask questions. Who's the antagonist? What does the protag want?

Next: you do not have a lot of time to hook an audience. Add tension FAST! #PM22

Make sure the dialogue between your characters shows what makes them different. Audiences will get characters confused! We get them confused in TV different!

Start with strong dialogue and distinct actor voices. #PM22

Set a precedent for your sound design and tone. How much sound design does your show incorporate? What is your soundscape like?

Let your audience get to know what your show will sound like right at the beginning. #PM22

TONIA RANSOM SHARES THE SCRIPT FOR THE FIRST SCENE OF @AfflictedAudio omg omg omg

She's using it to point out examples for how she writes a script

...but also omg omg omg 😍 #PM22

Think about your sound designer. How well do you know them? What budget are you working with?

Your script might need to be more descriptive to make sure your sound designer has the right idea and direction, especially if your budget is small. #PM22

This script immediately starts with tension and questions. Who is this character? Why is she not responding to a question? 👀

And then, adding in lots of character information: this character is apprehensive.

And it also adds time: set in the 90s, and references are made #PM22

Ransom isn't wild about narrators, but is clear that isn't the case for everyone! And that means that if you have no narrator, you have to learn to "describe things without describing things."

Focus on characters reacting to the situation to give description! #PM22

Ransom is giving us three minutes to write as much as we can.

Y'all have seen me live tweet. You know how much I can type in three minutes. 😎 #PM22

Ok let's do this I'm a minute behind BUT!

omg wait... how do i... write words that aren't just coverage? 😥

uh... wil williams... looked at the stage. they were... sleepy.

"hey," wil said to themself. "how's it goin good lookin"

maybe i should. stop. 😂 #PM22

and then WIL EXPLODED! GUTS EVERYWHERE! EW!

"oh shit," other Wil said. "uh oh."

and that's my three minutes. gold star pls 😌 #PM22

Ransom asked pronouns when referring to the script guinea pig whose work we're now looking at 🖤 thank you we love to see it #PM22

Ransom points out: make sure you're not writing more characters than you can afford in your budget!

Getting some great characterization and setting from this guinea pig script already, dang! No clones hitting on each other or exploding though 🤔 #PM22

Ransom then starts punching this script up!

First up: be more specific about soundscape. This setting is desert--what's specific about this desert? Is it by a highway? Totally remote? Is it day or night? Where is the desert located?

Think about city vs rural, too! #PM22

Another thing we can add re: sound: what kind of footsteps do characters have? What clothes are they wearing? Do they take any breaths?

Writers tend not to think about sound much initially. Try to tap into the sensory experience of listening! #PM22

Okay another five minutes to write! Ok ok ok um...

As Wil looked at the pile of goop that was once Other Wil, they were pretty grossed out.

SFX: glooping and schlorping as the Wil goo starts creeping back to where Wil was standing when they kaboom'd real hard #PM22

three minutes ok ok um

as Wil 1 started reforming they tossed their hair a little.

"hey," Wil 2 said, "so like. what the fuck was that?"

"allergies," said Wil 1

"i..." Wil 2 began. they did not know how to continue. they took a beat to think. #PM22

"babe i full on don't think that's how allergies work," Wil 2 said

Wil 1 huffed. "Oh so what, you're my doctor now?"

Wil 2 raised an eyebrow. They had a point. Neither of them knew a damn thing about the human body. Maybe sometimes they do that. #PM22

ok that's time again phew.

time to look at another script from another guinea pig! once we figure out airdrop 😂 #PM22

Real quick on the meantime: how to adapt a screenplay to audio!

Ransom's first was a spec script for The Twilight Zone 😭🖤

Ransom took all of the visual details and considered the soundscape of each scene. That's how you convert visual to audio, plus some finagling #PM22

The main difference between a screenplay and an audioplay is a screenplay will have more physical direction, typically.

Pacing is also very different! #PM22

Now looking at another guinea pig script someone worked on in this five minutes 👀 #PM22

And now she's punching up this script too! Essentially: if you have an important action--here, someone dragging themself across the ground--make sure it sounds clear amd distinct in audio or is described by a character. How does the audience know they aren't BEING dragged? #PM22

Q&A time!

Q: How do you deal with music licenses?

A: 🖤TONIA RANSOM IS NOT A LAWYER🖤 but don't use copyrighted music!

I highly recommend the Free Music Archive! freemusicarchive.org #PM22

Q: What experimental tricks can you use for weirdy woobly times?

A: Use dialogue! What can they discuss that MATTERS and feels natural, but also discusses the setting? "I can't believe it's been twelve years since Wil 1 exploded..." #PM22

And last thing, of course: follow Tonia Ransom! @missdefying nightlightpod.com 🖤✨

And that's been our first real day of #PM22 WRAPPED!