TITLE: Know Thyself AUTHOR: Tavia DATE: 6/05/2008 08:23:00 PM ----- BODY:
Yesterday I listened to a really disturbing hour of documentary radio, an episode of Chicago Public Radio's Resound, which was written and voiced by the writer A. H. Weatherman. While her content was interesting - and wicked twisted - I was disappointed in the overall production. There's a problem I'm picking up on in public radio, and it's the This American Life effect. Ira Glass has branded his show brilliantly, and there's a TAL voiceover sound that is consistent. It really WORKS for his production. But it isn't for every production. Not every bit of content sounds right with the restrained energy, undercut, quiet, nearly blase approach that sounds just SO for his program. And while I love the fact that so many people are fiercely committed This American Life fans, it should be said that their production is not the RIGHT way to do radio, it's just THEIR way. To me, it sounded like the whole production was influenced by the TAL mindset, even though the stories Weatherman shared were deeply personal, pretty shocking, and not stories a few steps removed. Voiceover is incredibly challenging. There are so many things to consider. It's the technical - mic placement. It's the emotional - how much do you emote and how far back do you need to pull in order for the audience to have room to feel what THEY'RE feeling? It's the creative - pacing, volume, musicality, tone. Adding in the layer of a writer reading their own work, especially a writer who's not a voice performer, and that just made the production all the more precious. Finally, rounding out the whole shebang with not just a bit music, but full musical scoring, and you've got either a recipe for a great success, or something that just falls short. This show, for me, didn't reach its potential. Still, I'm glad I listened. Because of the power of the writing, "Confessions of a Child Beauty Queen" is definitely worth hearing, even if the execution is awkward. (But don't listen with children in the room.)

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