Podfic
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| Synonyms: | audiofic | |
| See also: | fanfic | |
| Click here for articles related to this term on Fanlore. | ||
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General
Podfic is a podcast of fanfic, read aloud and recorded by a fan. A fan who produces podfics is sometimes called a podficcer. The term is also used as a verb; someone may ask to podfic someone else's story, or spend an afternoon podficcing. A podfic that is slash may be called podslash.
A podfic generally consists of a single fanfiction story, uploaded as an mp3 file, although sometimes they are converted into m4b audiobooks, called podbooks in fannish vernacular. Other fans can then download and listen to the podfic, perhaps in situations where they would not otherwise be able to read fanfiction, such as during their daily commute. Sometimes fans podfic their own stories; however, most podficcers read stories by a variety of authors.
It is customary to ask permission before podficcing someone's else's story, probably due to the unwritten fannish rule that dictates not archiving other people's stories without their permission.
Technical
In the user info of the first podfic community on Livejournal, podslash, community mod oulangi states that "the equipment for [making podfics] can be as simple as the mic & bundled software that came with your computer to a high tech recording studio." [1]
While there are many available programs for audio recording, Audacity is one of the most popular within fandom as it is free, is fairly intuitive, and is available for PC, Mac, and Linux. Several podficcers have posted tips for recording successfully - including noise reduction and information on bit rates, along with other technical explanations. [2]
Meta
Common meta discussion topics revolve around whether author permission is required[3], whether podfic constitutes a creative work in itself, and whether or how to include music[4][5][6].
A dreamwidth community, podficmeta, was created in January 2010 "to articulate and debate aesthetic theories about podfic."[7]
Communities and Archives
- podslash: For all slash podfics. Created August 3, 2005. Moderated by ginnytonnick, oulangi, and zabira.
- audiofic: For all podfics. Created June 2006.
- hp_podslash: For all Harry Potter slash podfics. Created January 15, 2007. Moderated by djin7 and oulangi.
- podfic_tips: Information and Advice for Podficcers. Created January 5, 2008. Moderated by mathmusician and torra.
- amplificathon: For all podfics. Includes an annual podfic challenge, a podfic recs challenge amplirecathon, and a long podfics challenge podbang. Created February 2008.
- Audiofic Archive: a multi-fandom podfic archive run by general jinjur.
Resources
- Newbie guide to podfic on livejournal: Created September 8, 2008, last updated January 20, 2009. Includes links to all livejournal podfic communities and a number of tutorials.
Notable Works
- Written by the Victors, a five-hour long podfic, produced by Lim, featuring 36 different readers.
- And Be One Traveler, a nine-part podfic featuring 32 different readers, each playing particular roles.
References
- ↑ oulangi USER INFO First posted August 04, 2005. Last accessed November 19, 2008.
- ↑ isiscolo, Quality, filesize, and Audacity/Lame settings First posted February 01, 2008. Last accessed November 19, 2008.
- ↑ See comments to Poll!, posted by juice817, February 7, 2010
- ↑ zvi, Podfic grumblings, Nov. 7th, 2009.
- ↑ cofax7, an open letter to podfic recorders/readers, 2009-12-06
- ↑ zvi, If music be the food of love, play on, posted in podficmeta, 2010-01-14
- ↑ podficmeta profile
Categories: Stubs | Glossary | Audio
