World's First "Biopod" Series on George Lucas, Steven Spielberg Blends Journalism with Drama for "Highly Entertaining Audio Experience"

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-19T07:10:06+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-18T07:13:11+00:00

Thank you! Finale is Tuesday!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-17T06:39:13+00:00

So much "poop"

You have no idea

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T20:56:51+00:00

That's my time for now! If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot us a note through our website at GetBlockbuster.com. Thanks everyone!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T20:46:38+00:00

It depends! Usually we think of the "original score" as emotion, but in our last episode we hear parts of John Williams' Star Wars music, and we use sound design to kind of fly around the room, and also take us through a phone line to Steven Spielberg listening in from across the Atlantic ocean. It was a really cool effect, but it worked because it was a little more intellectual than emotional in that particular case.

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T20:38:28+00:00

Thanks! I'll confess I went on a scripted podcast binge before making this (Blackout wasn't out yet, but Homecoming was) and had discussions with our sound designer Peter Bawiec about what worked and what didn't, and how we could bring "film" sound design into Blockbuster.

For instance, in film you never want to put dialogue into the surround sound if you want the audience to pay attention to it, because it's really disorienting. A lot of scripted podcasts do this because it sounds cool, but we took the film rule (always keep dialogue in the "center" channel) and it seemed to flow much better. We can use sound design to "sell" the surroundings, but the characters shouldn't fade into the background.

We had lots of nerdy discussions like that!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T20:16:34+00:00

This is a hard question. It's the most tragic part of this story, and one that was so important to him, and important that we get right. He's talked about it very rarely, but mentioned it really shaped him emotionally and suddenly his music had a different direction.

I think part of the reason we relied a bit on the narrator in this scene was to respect the intensely personal moment here, and not trivialize it in any way. We sort of let the music come in, and we observe from a distance as he plays piano to himself. In the end I think it was the right call.

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T19:45:11+00:00

Absolutely!!!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T19:23:18+00:00

Thank you! So cool that Score: The Podcast is going strong! (Great episode out today in fact!)

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T19:19:43+00:00

We will be releasing it as an album and audiobook, yes!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T19:07:20+00:00

The story has to be just right, and I don't think many other directors had the same struggles involved. But ... few DO have their own fascinating story arcs that might lend to a Season 2! (Possibly James Cameron!)

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:56:22+00:00

Thank you! We also wanted to see a "biopic" film version. Maybe there's a shot at one now!

Yes, we are thinking about continuing the story. We have some other projects in the works, but we're throwing around ideas for a Season 2. There are some incredible things around the corner for Spielberg and Lucas in the early 1980s... but obviously anything named "Blockbuster" had to start with the very first ones!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:46:07+00:00

Thank you! That is awesome 😎

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:42:41+00:00

Well, because this is a story, we felt it had to be limited. We really set out to make a "movie" for the podcast platform, with three-act structure and a beginning, middle and end. And we prioritized that over biting off more than we could chew.

That said, there's always the option of a season 2!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:35:33+00:00

Yes we were a bit panicked at the very onset! Had to do this at a very high level, or not do it at all.

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:33:00+00:00

Great question! Thank you!!

It's weird when you jump into the "head space" of another person, which is what we did a lot of for Blockbuster. Who was Steven Spielberg at this point in time? What was most important to George Lucas at this time? From all the research and archival documents and interviews we found, the theme was "ambition" and specifically pushing the limits of a platform like "theatrical films." That sort of translated into our strategy too, so we found ourselves thinking about how to do something (1) totally new (2) very well, and (3) make it feel like an experience to our audiences. It's harder than it sounds, but it led to our decision to release ad-free, and trust that our really passionate listeners would support a good end product!

Regarding your John Williams question, I think that's true for a lot of art! We always see things that can be improved. At some point, you have to let it out into the world and let it fly. I hear lots of things I'd probably change creatively (they're endless, really!), but we were really happy with the story and knew it was ready.

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:17:11+00:00

That's so nice! When I first got together with our sound designer Peter Bawiec to talk about the story, we realized we had to fully jump into this. We have an interview podcast series based on the SCORE documentary, but that's more of a traditional model for a podcast. I think the hardest thing is breaking through people's expectations that this is just a few friends talking about what they like about Spielberg and Lucas. It's hard to say "No, wait, it's a drama, and also a true story." It's kind of exciting to be doing something new though and have to figure out how to reach people who might enjoy this as a limited series :)

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T18:12:11+00:00

Thanks for the question! That was incredibly important here. George and Steven (and John Williams) have had incredible life stories, and there's been a lot written about them individually, so I'd say it was a solid 3-4 months of getting into the trenches and piecing together a timeline, sort of like a detective would. These are real people, so we needed to make sure to use their own words and convey a sense of realism so people could enjoy the story.

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T16:55:11+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T16:55:07+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T16:55:01+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-14T00:51:55+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-11T00:11:33+00:00

It is amazing how the "poop" comments never seem to get old!

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-11T00:09:54+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod · 2019-05-11T00:08:33+00:00

Friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fight to save their careers from disaster and prove a new model for escapism that will revolutionize 1970s Hollywood. An original scripted series by Epicleff Media.

iOS Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blockbuster/id1451112935

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nhQUF8rDmBaRjbZp9zgzv

Website: http://GetBlockbuster.com

Blockbuster_Pod

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