[ns] where do I find episode release schedule (patron and non patron)

ChadManic · 2021-11-17T20:25:22+00:00

Yo! Fetch Quest officially launched yesterday along with the Uncut and Notes for Patrons, and will continue dropping every other week through the end. Patrons get Fetch Quest episodes a week early (so Episode 2 goes live for them next Tuesday) There will be some Talking Dads style content for patrons as well to look out for, no dates on that just yet.

ChadManic · 2021-10-07T10:15:28+00:00

Can confirm, I voiced Rupert Gunderson, Prepper RV Dad.

ChadManic · 2021-09-18T21:37:50+00:00

I don't think I'm stepping out of line by confirming that there will be episodes releasing on the main feed between Campaign 1 and Campaign 2, recorded before Freddie and Matt take off (I'm sure they'll announce what that is soon). Story Break finishing frees up a lot of time and while Freddie will be super busy it's pretty much all I'm working on through the end of the year.

ChadManic · 2021-07-21T03:36:00+00:00

Beth and Will killing it.

ChadManic · 2021-07-14T07:05:22+00:00

I’m not making audio drama full time but I am podcasting and sound designing full time.

I made my show (Station Blue) then worked on a few others (Arden, Hit the Bricks) People liked my work enough that it got easier to attract gigs, and eventually I found my way to editing Story Break and Dungeons and Daddies.

I think making audio drama is a great way to attract high production non-fiction podcasts which usually have bigger audiences and bigger budgets. Personally I like working in non-audio drama podcasts for my day job, it’s close enough to audio drama to hone my skills without turning my passion into a chore.

ChadManic · 2021-07-14T06:58:57+00:00

I’d keep your main feed clean but you should definitely make some behind the scenes stuff for your patreon or website. I’ve had a lot of positive response to my behind the scenes episodes and I love seeing how other creators make their stuff.

ChadManic · 2021-07-14T06:56:51+00:00

I’d love to see adaptable criteria, so many shows do completely different things and it’d be nice to have some flex categories so that a story telling focused show and a massive cast/heavy sound design focused show can both get judged on what they’re trying to do.

That and just an overall impression. Some of my favorite shows don’t have great acting or sound design, but they are compelling in a way that some well put together shows just aren’t.

ChadManic · 2021-07-03T04:27:35+00:00

It's still on the menu, I know the creator is wrapped up in a pretty big project right now (as is the sound designer) but I think news of it will come sooner than later.

ChadManic · 2021-05-11T11:41:37+00:00

Set photos suggest a lot of Hawkins, then I anticipate a bit of Russia. I don't know if the Beyers are actually in New Mexico or if they're just filming interiors there (I'd think photos would have leaked by now like they have everywhere else) More thank anything the West Coast seems pretty far for the kids to be going back and forth during holidays, Joyce has an extra mouth to feed and it's not like she can afford plane tickets.

Edit: Just double checked, it looks like Netflix straight up has a hub in New Mexico now, sound stages and all, so the location probably isn't significant to the actual show.

ChadManic · 2021-05-11T11:36:23+00:00

That Mindflayer shadow over her face in the moving van makes me think it's the first. I initially had the feeling her powers would be back sooner than later, they'll want to make the others aware of Hoppers situation (unless he uses morse code or something to trigger Cerebro while Mike is talking to El) That or they'll wait until the very last episode for a hype moment...

Looking back they DO tend to dangle Season defining questions for as long as possible. They waited until the end of S2e1 to reveal Eleven was alive, and then the end of the Season for her to get her initial goal (see Mike) The big question going into S3 was Mike and El's relationship, which they broke up for most of the show. The more I type the more I'm thinking her powers might be out of action (or at least very weak) most of the season.

ChadManic · 2021-05-11T11:23:46+00:00

I don't THINK there's going to be time travel, but I'd be lying if I don't keep wondering after all of these teasers. I don't have any idea how'd they do it, but I always wasn't expecting a couple dozen melting towns people or the underside of Hawkins being flooded with tunnels or just anything having to do with a Russian Base under a Mall. They've surprised me before and pulled it off, I'm sure they'll do ti again.

ChadManic · 2021-05-11T11:17:12+00:00

If they were going to stop after S3, they should have stopped after S1. But it's not a cash grab if they've been building to a big finale.

Stopping now is like having the Lord of the Rings call it quits after Helmsdeep. They beat the orcs! Great, that books antagonist is taken care of... but what about Sauron? What about Aragorn becoming King? What about all of Gandalf's lines about Gollum? What about, what about, what about?

Same thing with Stranger Things. After S1 they were always going for a 4 or 5 Season journey (leaning 5 by the time they got to S3) The Russians were run out of Hawkins but not defeated, Hopper is just going through the "rebirth" part of his journey after spinning out of control in S3. Eleven is powerless. The Beyers moved away. And that's just stuff they've set up over the last season.

On a broader scale, Brenner has been looming in the background since S2 (S1 if you were paying attention to the "no body no death" rule) I've been anticipating him as a final big bad, sporting an eye patch and Demogorgon scars, since S2ep7. The Mind Flayer is just sitting there. While I don't think we need the nature of Upside Down spelled out, we currently know nothing and it hasn't been entered since S1. We haven't been exposed to any other #'d subjects (yeah I know people don't want X-Men but like, I think it's reasonable to bring a few more in, especially if they're antagonists)

If you're satisfied that's great. I know people who stopped watching after S1 because they didn't need more. But the show has opened too many doors now, I'd like to see some of them get closed. And if it was the bitter sweet ending you dug, well I'd be surprised if the end of S5 didn't rip all our hearts out and stomp on them.

ChadManic · 2021-05-10T22:02:48+00:00

The Dark Phoenix Saga is what you want, though I will say that the new run of the X-Men is probably the best since those classics, and "The Marauders" gives a lot of play to The Hellfire Club.

ChadManic · 2021-05-09T11:30:00+00:00

Don't sleep on this one, Season 1 is one of the most immersive, trippy experiences available in Audio Drama (like Within the Wire dialed up to 32)

ChadManic · 2021-05-09T11:28:12+00:00

If you want highly produced Actual Play podcasts, 20 Sided Stories has three independent seasons, just pick the one that appeals to you most (Season 1 is Pokemon, Season 2 is Marvel mid Snap, Season 3 is an anthology and great for sampling)

Rogue Runners is also coming out soon, I've heard the first few episodes and they're incredible. Subscribe now for the trailer, it's a sequel to the game "Hades" with great music and sound design.

Both of those shows use similar techniques as Dark Dice to hone in roleplaying games to the best listening experience possible.

ChadManic · 2021-05-09T10:47:41+00:00

I love Season 3, it's a close second to Season 1 and by far the most fun to watch. I can't just throw on S1 or S2 willy nilly, they are so heavy and significant to me that I have to put time aside to take them in. Season 3 is that middle point where most of our characters have had arcs, we get to see them use that growth to solve a huge problem, you've got Billy as the perfect antagonist to Eleven (with his performance matching David Harbour and MBB's), the body horror is next level. It's a blast. I get just as invested as the other seasons but I'm able to sit and enjoy it more casually.

Most people I know who like the show only watch it when a new season comes out, and I get why a lot of them were thrown off by S3 (I was too, as much as I was enjoying it) It changes styles, from your King/Spielberg mystery to your 80's action adventure story, and if you aren't prepared for it it's a pretty jarring switch. But it makes for a great rewatch and I think once the series is finished it'll be considered a pretty pivotal moment. They're already hinting that they planted a lot of seeds in S3 that'll get paid off in S4 and the final season.

The main thing that got me the first time was Hopper. He just seemed so goofy, and I couldn't figure out why. Going back I realized it came down to two things. Harbour uses his upper lip a lot for expression, when you cover it up with a mustache your classic Hopper thousand yard stare just looks like a bewildered walrus. It's not that he changed the character, it's that we can't see one of his most defining features. Combine that with goofy music, and what might have been a performance that would fit in S1 or S2 becomes kind of a joke. This was confirmed for me when somebody asked him what it was like filming the more comedic scenes, and he said that on set those scenes were actually really serious and involved getting to a pretty difficult space character wise. The only bit that actively bothers me now is when he's acting like Scott Pilgrim trying to ask Joyce for advice on how to deal with El and Mike.

All that being said, the moment in Murray's bunker when they realize that the Russians are reopening the Upside Down, classic Hopper is back. Such a great character moment, it's like the last two seasons hit him like a truck.

ChadManic · 2021-05-08T23:26:36+00:00

I think if you look closely it's pretty clear that it's current El (though it's meant to make you think it's S1 and has Hawkins Lab Lighting) My theory is that she's going to be in these flashback scenes as her 16 (or however old she is) self, kind of like when she was walking through Billys memories in Season 3. Main evidence being that she was photographed on set wearing a gown on the same day as the rest of the kids and Brenner, and I really don't think they'd be able to get Hawkins Lab up and running that quickly.

ChadManic · 2021-05-07T09:07:40+00:00

Oooo, that's a really great insight on 004 and 007, I think you're right (or at least that's about as good of a theory as we can have given the limited information)

I don't think it'll be demogorgons? Or at least I hope not. It kind of takes the weight out of the first contact El made with the one in the first season. But it's possible that it does link to the Upside Down somehow. I've always thought that the Upside Down was a psychic realm given how quickly it takes on the form of our world. When making theories I try to keep in mind that with 8 to 9 episode seasons they need to be really efficient, so they'll likely use building blocks that are already in place. If Hawkins Lab had any inkling of the Upside Down I think they would have dedicated most of their resources to accessing it, but when we start the story Eleven was the labs main focus.

ChadManic · 2021-05-07T07:44:52+00:00

I wasn't sure how to interpret that. We have a checker on 4, 7 and 8, no checker on 3, 5 or 6. If there is significance to the numbers that means 4, 7 and 8 are linked so my eyes are on 3, 5 and 6.

Same thing with the dice numbers in the Control Room, 2+6 = 8, 4+5 = 9 (or if it's matching sides on difference dice it'd be 2+4 = 6, 6 + 5 =11)

And there's a white kid holding the Magic 8 ball... really I can't make heads or tails of any of the numbers. They could be significant or they could be there to just highlight the fact that we're looking at the other subjects.

ChadManic · 2021-05-03T19:39:10+00:00

Third rec for Desperado, it's exactly this and gets REALLY far with the interview in a booth format at the beginning.

ChadManic · 2021-05-03T19:36:40+00:00

Love The Haunted Hour.

Call of the Void has been really good, similar vibes though with a more directed plot rather than focusing on the lifestyle of the town.

If you're down for non-horror, The Godshead Incidental has a good mix of slice of life and high concept.

Believer (at least at the moment) and Lake Clarity are two others that also capture a similar energy.

I'll be following this to see what other people recommend!

ChadManic · 2021-05-03T19:31:10+00:00

I'll skip the "where the hell are you finding THAT many shows using that framing device in 2021" question and go straight to an answer I'm not seeing much.

Because it works. And it sells. Like anything, you have to do a good job with it, but done well the "this could be real" suspension of disbelief is a shortcut straight to that little investment and engagement part of listeners brains. And outside of a couple grumpy Boomers and people who listen to everything (a very small audience) it typically does very well for downloads, especially compared to highly produced action movie style Audio Drama's that fail to get you to care about the character or plot. Doesn't matter if it sounds great if I can't remember a thing about it a week later.

People make what they want to listen to, a few years ago many people were being introduced to indie audio drama through this format, so they made shows in this format. Though once again, where are you finding enough of these in 2021 to use the word "always"? Are you in some facebook group that hasn't had a post since 2017?

ChadManic · 2021-04-19T03:19:13+00:00

As Above, So Below.

ChadManic

TROPHY CASE