How does Madison on the Air get made? A little walk through the process.
PICK A SHOW
First I pick a radio series I want to adapt. I try to do one western, one sci-fi and one superhero each year, as well as the Halloween and Christmas specials. Naturally in the beginning I focused on the shows I already knew. But so many of the series I’ve done in the last few years have been audience suggestions. I love that because I get to expand my scope and listen to new shows.
WHICH EPISODE?
After I’ve decided on the show, I set out to listen to the episodes. I go to archive.org and bookmark the show and just start at episode one. I’m looking for a story that would have a natural fit for Madison. Either taking over for a character or finding a different reason for her to be there.
DECIDED ON AN EPISODE
When I’ve picked a specific episode, I then check GenericRadio to see if they have a copy of the script available. I was using them exclusively in the very first few episodes, but found it limiting (Ep. 8, The Shadow, was the first episode I picked that wasn’t in their collection). Now if I don’t have a script, I will download the mp3 audio file and run it through Descript which will transcribe the audio for me. Meanwhile! I will still be listening to more episodes of the original show. I want to be in that world, to feel those characters and how they talk so I will be ready when the writing starts.
TRANSCRIBING THE TRANSCRIPTION
When I have the Descript transcript, it isn’t in script form with character names. So I take the text and put it into my writing program. I use Movie Magic Screenwriter, which I’ve been using as a writer since the mid 1990s. It’s not perfect, but I was also a software tech for Final Draft and certainly do not recommend that software (you can email me if you want my reasons!) Whatever writing program you use, as long as it’s not Word or Google Word or… ugh, any software like that. Trust me, a script writing program has bells and whistles you NEED to get a proper script format.
LISTEN TO IT AGAIN
Once I’ve put the transcript into Screenwriter, I listen to the original episode to make sure the dialogue is correct and that I have assigned the right dialogue to the right character. AI Transcribing is super… but it ain’t perfect. I can’t believe how many curse words it automatically defaults to! Wash your mouth out, Descript!
WRITE IT
After I’m confident I have the original episode in script form, I start from the top and put Madison into the story. The episodes already have plots and arcs, so I don’t have to outline. I just dive in. As I go I think about my cast roster and who might be right for which roles. I have a whole Musings on how to cast VAs, but the main thing is the blend of voices so there is variety in the sound of each character. And, naturally, if I think that actor can deliver on that role. I can usually turn a script around in 5 days. Depending on my life and obstacles as I write it. But that’s the average.
CASTING
When I am approaching the completion of the script, I reach out to the actors I want to include. This show being episodic (rather than serial) if an actor has too much on their plate and can’t record for me for this particular episode, I can choose someone else. Once they’ve agreed to the role, I finish the script, proofread the hell out of it, and then reach out to the cast member. Since we record remotely, I give a 3 week turnaround so they can record at their leisure. I include a “pronunciation guide” (did a Musings on that) and give them extensive character notes. Sometimes it feels like those notes take longer to write than the script!
RECORDING
I record Madison by myself and await the return of the cast’s recordings.
PREPARING FOR EDITING
I use Logic Pro X for editing, purely because Jeremy had the software already as a musician. Heck, the whole reason I started Madison is because we already had the recording set up ready to go! I create a separate file for each scene and, as I wait for the cast’s lines to come in, I gather up all of the SFX. I have a fairly extensive library I’ve collected over the years now. But, gosh darn it! There’s always something new I need. And off to the free online libraries I go. I will say, this is a TIME SUCK. And if I was asked the worst part of audio drama producing? I would say tracking down SFX!
EDITING
When the cast gets their lines in, I load them all into the files I’d already created and off I go editing! I do the lines with the SFX as I believe the timing of the two need to be put together to work. And I do all of the editing myself because the story is told in editing. Which takes I pick, the pacing… it all contributes to the final product and all must be married together. I also have been asked, if you had the budget, what would you pay someone else to do for you? NOT the editing. It’s part of the storytelling.
EQ AND MUSIC
As I edit, I make notes for Jeremy. Anything from “make these footsteps fade as he walks away” or “this person hit the T too hard, can you soften it?” Then Jeremy takes my scenes and follows my notes, while also leveling and EQing each actor. EQ is “equalizing” He is tasked with taking a bunch of different people’s recordings and make them all sound like they’re in the same space together. And some folks take more work than others. But he’s my ace!
REVIEW
I then review what he’s done and make more notes. We both have different hearing. So we work off of each other. “That SFX is too loud” or “I can’t hear the background” etc. Then back he goes for fixes.
MUSIC
Then Jeremy loads all the separate scenes into one file where he can do the transition music or any other scoring. He has a keyboard and a ton of midi instruments to try and mimic the tone/music style of the original episode. But it’s all done by Jeremy. We don’t use any sourced music. Music is not only very, VERY copyrighted, but he can create exactly what we need. We don’t have to just take what someone else has done and make it fit.
EXPORT!
The full episode is done. I take another review of the full piece. It’s my last chance to catch anything that I bump on. I’d like to say we never go back in after it’s completed… but we do!
MADISON DAY!
Oh… not so fast! I still have to do the trailer released on the 15th in the newsletter, 20th to the world. Then I have to build the YouTube video which takes several hours. THEN it’s Madison Day! I try to have it go out 9PM LA time, so it’s Midnight on the East Coast.
That whole process takes 3 months. And don’t forget: I’m writing one episode while I’m promoting another episode, while the cast is recording another episode, while I’m in editing/post for yet another episode!
And I love every minute of it.
Chrisi (aka Madison)
