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hey writers, did you know,
when you get other people involved and start properly taking your audio drama from page to airwaves,
that you get to talk to those other people about your world and your characters and your ideas all the time?
that all the cool people you got involved because you think their work is brilliant will ask you to tell them about those things?
and that you don't have to worry "am I being tedious/dominating the conversation by talking about my writing", because all these cool people whose work you admire literally need you to talk about your writing so they can do their jobs?
I Need A Miracle:
Recording day 2
Today's schedule was much more packed, so I didn't take as many photos. Basically just this one
I know writers with cohesive aesthetics and they're all cowards
But Sarah at Wireless was thankfully much more on the ball
The cast and crew reveals have begun!!
(they're all listed on the website already if you want to fill your boots, or you can follow @inyourbenevolence and get them with details and commentary, or both!)
I Need A Miracle is produced and edited by Sarah Golding
Sarah is an award winning versatile voice actor, director, writer, producer, podfest organiser. Also pod host of the writing how-to pod ADWIT, (with Lindsay Harris Friel) and sole host of Audio Fiction interview pod INDIE AF.
@merelymatt says, you've probably heard Sarah's voice in The Silt Verses among other productions, but did you know she makes audio drama happen as well as being in it?? Sarah's a huge fan of monologues, which I did kind of know when I pitched I Need A Miracle to Wireless, but I definitely didn't know to what extent. She's produced the mum-themed Mummylogues and now the dad-themed Daddylogues to get more monologues out there for your ears, and that made her the number 1 correct person to make I Need A Miracle everything it can possibly be!
Questions about I Need A Miracle that temporarily stumped me
When you, a writer, bring in a production company to produce an audio drama you wrote, members of that company will ask you questions about that audio drama.
Some of those questions will stump you.
That's the first step of the piece becoming a collaboration instead of a solo work. Because those questions will make you see your writing through someone else's eyes. And coming up with answers changes the finished thing into something you couldn't have made alone.
When @wirelesstheatre agreed to work on I Need A Miracle, I was ready to take my hands off the wheel. Didn't want to be the overly precious writer dictating how other people interpret the scripts! But mostly I just really enjoy learning other people's takes on stuff I've written. I thought I'd sit back and enjoy watching them all cook.
A thing I've learned: when you're the one funding the project, the people involved want to know your opinion and that you're happy with the direction things are going 😅
So I found myself in meetings being consulted on things I hadn't prepared myself to have opinions about. Questions like...
Who'd be your dream cast?
My first response to this one was just to give them names of people I know (the usual @merelyroleplayers suspects – once a theatre luvvie...)
When Sarah and Fiona pushed, I started naming audio drama podcast luminaries, your @woodenovercoats people, your @thesiltverses people.
And then someone in the meeting threw out a name as a possibility, which made me realise we were operating on different definitions of "dream casting". I'd made assumptions about what our budget could comfortably accommodate and unusually, those assumptions were overly modest.
This is one arena where, after offering some names because Fiona asked so nicely, I did end up just stepping back and letting Fiona do her thing. And look at the incredible cast we put together thanks to her!
What's the vibe?
This one came from composer Katie. There was a point where I was seriously considering not using music in I Need A Miracle at all (past Matt, what were you thinking?), so I hadn't given it a lot of thought.
We talked melody versus ambience/vibes. We talked moods. We talked instruments and influences. It was a lens I hadn't seen the story through before and it was so damn much fun.
And motifs! Each character in I Need A Miracle is one and done, so they don't get themes, but that led Katie to ask what does recur between different episodes. Are there realisations or turning points that multiple characters experience? What moments echo through the series and how can the score make those moments resonate?
It wasn't until Katie asked the question that I consciously thought, wait, yes, there are parallels and correspondences and themes running through the series (and like, of course there are, but you don't plan that stuff out when writing). And that got me excited to hear the music lifting those moments!
What's the tech level?
Final one, from sound designer Sarah Buchynski (Polarity Audio Works).
There's a specific bit of scene-setting in the series finale that I'd kind of thrown in there for funsies but which raised some (it turns out) interesting questions about technology in a miracle-powered world.
Miracles are magic, so are we talking fantasy? Or sci-fantasy, with sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic? Steampunk, electropunk, or some other -punk?
My job is the characters, and the bits of worldbuilding that inform them, their wants and needs. Everything else is fill-in-the-blanks. But then Sarah asked the question, and I had a fun old time coming up with basically just enough of an answer to make her job more fun.
Make it up as you go along
Did you think I was going to end this by advising audio drama writers to have answers ready to questions like these? No! Experience the thrill of discovery as I did! Answer whatever questions you need to answer to write the thing, then make up the rest as and when people ask you. That way you never waste imagination juice answering a question no one ever asks. It's foolproof!
I Need A Miracle is directed by Robert Valentine
Rob is a writer, director and producer, mostly working in the wonderful world of audio drama. His work frequently combines secret or hidden histories, adventure and a dash of the fantastic – be that magic, horror, the paranormal or science fiction.
@merelymatt says, as soon as I saw Big Finish Doctor Who, Dead London and Murmurs in Rob's portfolio, I knew the high concept genre-straddler that is I Need A Miracle would be in safe hands. He got such a strong handle on the material right from the start that it was like he'd written it himself, and he had just as much determination to make it brilliant!
I Need A Miracle is produced with broadcast assistance from Teresa Milewski
Teresa Milewski is a firm favourite at @wirelesstheatre, and has been a dedicated and highly organised broadcast assistant on many of the company's most popular Audible Originals, and Wireless Original production Peace and War.
@merelymatt says, Teresa lit up our recording days, keeping on top of a technical job I won't pretend to understand while also being friendly and encouraging to everyone who entered the space.
Casting for I Need A Miracle is by Fiona Thraille
Fiona Thraille has an impressive audio pedigree as a voice actor, audiobook narrator, writer, director, sound designer and producer.
@merelymatt says, I wanted to make Fiona our final crew reveal, so I can follow her up immediately with the incredible cast she assembled for I Need A Miracle. As soon as she started floating names, I knew I'd made the right choice to work with @wirelesstheatre instead of going it alone. Fiona's sense of who fits what role has been flawless from the start; director Rob commented more than once that she'd done more than half his work for him, just by finding people with the instinct for their role, so all he had to do was keep them on the track they were already on. When you all fall in love with these characters, you'll have Fiona to thank first of all.
To get my upcoming audio drama I Need A Miracle off the page and into the airwaves, I decided against the indie production scramble where everyone donates their time, and against crowdfunding – and instead I basically sent the scripts to @wirelesstheatre and said "What'll it cost to make this happen?", then compared that number to my savings and said "Ok, let's do this".
(It was obviously more businesslike than that, but that was the basic maths of it on my side.)
Here's why I didn't do it those other ways this time:
Why not the indie production scramble?
Scraping it together on a shoestring. Buttonholing friends to perform, using whatever recording equipment I already have to hand, doing as much of the production as possible myself and begging favours for the parts I can't.
In some ways this would have been the easiest option. It doesn't rely on anyone else's approval, or involve putting any new infrastructure together.
But! For me, for I Need A Miracle specifically, this was the option of absolute last resort, for various reasons.
First and foremost, I already have one podcast (@merelyroleplayers) that I run on this basis. I already ask a lot of my friends to perform on that show for nothing, on the promise it'll be fun and I'll buy everyone a pint afterwards. I think you only get one of those, or you should only get one. If you run every project like this, especially if you're calling on the same people each time, it starts getting exploitative.
Second, I'm trying not to exploit myself either, by which I mean, I've put work into writing this series (admittedly on spec), I think it's worthwhile, and I'd like to see if I can make some money in return for that work. And if one person involved in a project is getting paid, everyone should be getting paid.
Why not crowdfund?
There are sub-options within this option: subscriptions and patronage-style funding (like Patreon, Ko-Fi or Gumroad) and up-front project-based funding (like Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Seed & Spark).
I actually have been weighing up the idea of a Patreon or Ko-Fi for a while, not for I Need A Miracle specifically, but for @foggyoutline in general. At the beginning it would effectively be a Merely Roleplayers subscription, because that's currently the only Foggy Outline show. But if enough people pay a bit a month for bonuses like uncut episodes, that could help fund new projects like I Need A Miracle, which could bring in more listeners and more patrons, whose contributions could help fund the next thing, and so on.
But the problem I would have with any kind of crowdfunding model is, right now I'm only pulling a small crowd! I'm an unknown writer, Foggy Outline is an unknown player at least in audio drama. And it seems like to succeed with a crowdfunding campaign, you really need your audience already built and poised to give you money.
If I Need A Miracle takes off and finds its audience, the kudos off that might make crowdfunding an option for the next thing. But I just wasn't confident it would succeed for this show, at least without a load of spend on a consultant and advertising (which then eats into the campaign proceeds).
So go on then, where is the money actually coming from
Me! Supplemented by my Foggy Outline business partners, who are also my Mum and Dad. But the majority of the production costs for I Need A Miracle are coming out of my savings.
This is one of the reasons I prioritised I Need A Miracle over other audio drama projects I'm working on: because it's simple enough that I felt confident I could cover the costs myself if I needed to. There's no dialogue (only monologues), so it's not a complex edit. Most of the episodes take place in one location, with little action beyond the character speaking, so it doesn't call for elaborate sound design. All the episodes are under 20 minutes. For a more complicated production, I would have had to bring in some funding from somewhere, or convinced a producer to take on the production costs themselves. This one was, to some extent, designed (by me) to be more affordable.
It's worth saying that getting started wasn't just a case of getting a quote from Wireless and agreeing to pay it. Producer Sarah Golding read the scripts and wouldn't have taken on the project if she didn't think it was worthwhile. So it's not pure pay-for-play.
So the plan now is:
Sell ads and subscriptions and see how much of the production cost I can get back that way after the fact (I expect not all of it, but that's ok, because...)
Also think of that money I've spent as an investment in both this and future projects – by spending money on an amazing production company that's making the show brilliant, I'm getting something that's hopefully going to make this whole process easier next time. Because next time I can point to Wireless' confidence in my writing, and the quality of I Need A Miracle, (and hopefully its success and acclaim and awards and all its fans), to get someone else to put their hand in their pocket instead, whether that's listeners, producers or sponsors.
Our latest #audiodrama collaboration has been released!
#INeedAMiracle by #mattboothman @merelymatt
Has an utterly stellar cast
Exquisite production skills
Thanks to Matt for sending us the script and employing our team to create this audio gold!
If you want to work with us, send us your script and potential budget and we can help cast, direct, edit, produce your audio drama to be the very best creative experience!
Email sarah@wirelesstheatre.co.uk
Can any world survive a benevolent god?
Featuring
Annette Badland, Nathan Blades, Saffron Coomber, Dédé Davi, Robyn Holdaway, David Holt, Patrick McKenzie, Harry Myers, Caleb Obediah, Lizzie Waterworth and Sarah Whitehouse
Created and written by Matt Boothman
Directed by Robert Valentine
Produced by Sarah Golding
Broadcast assistance from Teresa Milewski
Casting by Fiona Thraille
Music by Katharine Seaton
Recorded by Stephen H. at Jukebox Studios
Sound design by Sarah Buchynski
Produced by Wireless Theatre for Foggy Outline
I Need A Miracle is a new audio drama where every episode is a prayer, some prayers are answered, and a miracle can upend the world.
⏩️ Short, intense, emotional episodes
💫 Strange worldbuilding
🎼 Produced by multi-award winning @wirelesstheatreco with beautiful original music by Katharine Seaton
We're 3 episodes into season 1, so it's a) a great time to start listening, and b) a time when even one more person listening, rating, reviewing and shouting about it can make a huge difference!
Follow @inyourbenevolence
Listen wherever you find podcasts
Ok folks, we're going to try this out and see how it goes!
It's midday UTC and it's
✨Fiction podcast self-promo Saturday!✨
Reblog this post with your audio fiction related self-promotion, or send me an ask, and I'll do my best to reblog every one I see!
Saffron Coomber: so good, we simply had to cast her twice.
If ten minutes at a time of Saffron's performance isn't enough, she's also the star of the latest feature length audio drama from @wirelesstheatreco :
https://www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk/podcast/geezer-bird
In your benevolence,
hear the Trophy's plea for disappointment at the dig.
Episode 6 of I Need A Miracle is out now. Search for I Need A Miracle in podcast apps or head to foggyoutline.com/ineedamiracle for more ways to listen.
Saffron Coomber returns to I Need A Miracle as Orsa, the Trophy (after appearing as the Collector in episode 3)
Written by @merelymatt
Directed by Robert Valentine
Recorded at Jukebox Studios
With broadcast assistance from Teresa Milewski
Sound design by Sarah Buchynski
Music by Katharine Seaton
Produced by Sarah Golding for @wirelesstheatreco
Cover art by Dionysis Livanis