Ask the Artist: sadcypress
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Ask the Artist: sadcypress |
| Interviewer: | |
| Interviewee: | sadcypress |
| Date(s): | June 29, 2009 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Podfic, Supernatural |
| External Links: | interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
sadcypress was interviewed in 2009 for Supernatural Roundtable. She talked about podficcing; her podfics can be found at the Audiofic Archive here.
Some Excerpts
As someone who's always lamented not being able to create beautiful, amazing things out of nothing- to be a writer, an artist- my heart did a tango when I discovered podficcing. I've lurked in fandoms for years but never felt like there was a way that I could contribute anything of my own to the community- then I saw a post by an author I followed, pimping the podfic that someone had created for one of her stories. 'Oh crikey,' I thought to myself, 'that's IT. I CAN DO THAT.' That was back in November of 2007, and it seems that since then, podfic has really taken off in fandom. There are comms, there are TONS of talented readers, and there's the panfandom audiofic archive hosted by general_jinjur here.
Even though podfic isn't for everyone, I think it's a fantastic medium. For one thing, I think it's a great way to revisit fic. One of the reasons why I'm a theatre geek is that I love the thrill of seeing how a new production will take on an old play- how is the story going to come across through a new set of voices? Podfic is all about that sort of discovery for me- the way a reader can add a new layer to a story that's already fabulous on the page. As a reader, it's also let me really sink into the stories I record on a level that I probably wouldn't delve into otherwise- after the hours I spend recording, I know that story backwards and forwards and probably sideways. Good fic really captures the feel of Sam and Dean or Jensen and Jared on the page, and it's my job to try and figure out how to make their voices sound just as familiar when coming from some distinctly female vocal chords.
For me, the process is pretty much always the same- I find a story that clicks for me, I let the author know how much I love the fic and ask them if they'll let me play in their sandbox, and then I'm off. I can go into my actual recording process more in comments if people feel a burning need to know more, but even if it's basically a simple set up (plug in my headset mic, press record, read fic, press stop), I actually take quite a long while to get it Just Right. Nothing is more important to me than making sure the author is on board with what I read- my greatest fear is Getting It Wrong and being way off the mark in how I interpret their story, so I never, ever post a final podfic without getting a thumbs up from the author on what I've done.[1] If that means holding off posting for a week or two for them to have a chance to listen, I can wait.
Notes
- ^ Although there are multiple traditions of fanfic audiobook making with different standards, in the podfic community that emerged from livejournal in the late 2000s, getting author approval of the final recording is very unusual outside of podfic-author collaborations such as pod_together. This interview predates the trend in blanket permission, which would make seeking author approval even more unlikely, as blanket permission often circumvents the need for any direct communication between podficcer and author.