I didn't know anyone made radio dramas anymore. In the age of multimedia, why are you working in such an outdated medium?
The same could be said for novels or newspapers, yet they still proliferate today. If Watson whispers to Holmes, "There are a hundred angry tigers waiting for us down there, Holmes!", the listener's imagination fills in the visual details. By limiting the listener's story perspective to exclusively aural information, unique possibilities present themselves. As with writing, the listener's imagination tends to sew disparate elements together, creating individual experiences out of sensory gaps. The radio dramas of the early twentieth-century are a testament to the compelling nature of audio-only narratives. We used the radio drama genre as a point of departure to explore more experimental audio-only storytelling. Although we are using the term radio drama, we are really experimenting with the broader form of audio-only storytelling.
How do you produce these radio dramas?
We don't follow one particular approach and we are open to experimenting with production techniques. Structure, however, is the key to efficiency. One technique we are working on fine-tuning is the following:
  1. script writing, research, etc. resulting in a production draft
  2. rehearsals and first draft dialogue recordings
  3. rough cut with sound design and effects placement
  4. script re-writes based on rough cut
  5. final dialogue recordings
  6. final sound effects edit
  7. foley effects
As mentioned above, we are interested in experimenting with all phases of the production. Starting with music or sound effects and adding improvised dialogue would be equally interesting ways to work, though perhaps more time consuming for a cohesive final product.
Where do you get your actors?
Wherever we can - friends, roommates, the ether. So far though, we do most of the voices ourselves. Anyone with a skill for voice acting and is easy to work with is gladly invited to join our cast.
Who writes your radio drama scripts?
We write and whittle our own scripts. Though we'd be interested in producing other people's scripts if they seemed like they could be interesting (and fun) endeavors for us. We encourage anyone to send us experimental scripts that push the audio-only storytelling format.
Who directs your radio dramas?
We do. Cnerf more so during writing and dialogue recording, and Crackerbarrel acts 'in charge' during editing and fx recording - but we're interested in working with with other directors, too. Anyone who has an interest in directing for the audio-only medium should contact us.
Who does the music for your radio dramas?
In a pinch, we'll do our own music, but we love to work with other musicians. We don't put any limitations on the music we use. In fact, the line between music and sound design is often much blurrier in audio-only productions. There is also a distinction to be made between "practical" music (such as a live band in a dance hall scene) versus soundtrack music (mood music) which exists in a conceptual layer beyond the characters' perception but still within the context of the story. We are also interested in using music as inspiration and structural seeds for audio stories. If you'd like us to use your music within an audio narrative, send it to us. We can't guarantee that we'll use it, but we love collaborative efforts and hearing new music.
Will you produce my radio drama script?
We can't guarantee that we'll produce your script, but we'd love to take a look. Email us a copy (ASCII text, PDF, or Microsoft Word format) at radio@compound-eye.org.
Wait a minute! I heard this on the Internet, not the radio. How can this be radio drama if there's no radio involved?
We have broadcasted our stories on the radio since it is the most obvious medium for audio-only stories, but we are also using the Internet for distribution. Since the term "radio drama" originates from a means of distribution (radio carrier wave with audio modulation), it might be more accurate to call our audio stories "Internet Audio Dramas". As a point of reference, we use the term "radio drama" since more people are familiar with that term than "audio-only narratives", "internet radio stories", "books on tape", etc, but we are hoping to expand beyond the boundaries of the traditional radio drama and thus a new name will be required. That name will probably evolve through usage more than by our assertions and attempts to define exactly what it is we're doing. If you've got any ideas about what these kinds of audio stories should be called, let us know.
How can I find out more about radio dramas?
To find out more about traditional radio dramas (circa 1930-1950), see our links page.