Cold Reading
| Synonyms: | cold read |
| See also: | podfic |
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Cold reading has two distinct meanings in podfic fandom.
First Definition
The term was likely imported from theatre terminology, where it meant "reading aloud from a script or other text with little or no rehearsal, practice or study in advance."[1] In podfic fandom a cold reading is when a podficcer records a fanfic that they have never seen before. This technique may be done for a challenge or may be the podficcer's preferred reading style. When multiple readers meet to record a podfic together, it is not uncommon for one or more of the readers to be reading cold.
Many podficcers report selecting fanfic to record that they have read at least once if not multiple times. Some (but not all) podficcers read the fanfic aloud before recording.
Second Definition
In the 2020s in some fandoms, a "cold read" came to mean an unedited "live" reading (audience not required). This usage is said to have been started by kisahawklin, a prolific podficcer in MDZS fandom, which was also a popular fandom for podficcing. kisahawklin's first of many "cold reads" was posted in December 2020.[2]
In 2024 Voiceteam included a "cold read" challenge that allowed for both definitions:
Definition 1: Record the story as you are reading it for the first time (with editing).
Definition 2: Record a story in an unedited or minimally-edited reading-aloud-to-a-friend style (which can optionally also include your reactions and commentary on the story, pauses to sip tea or comment on things happening in the room around you, etc).[3]
For podficcers using definition 2, a recording where the podficcer hasn't read the fic before is sometimes called an ice cold read.[4]
Links
- Cold reading by tinypinkmouse in podficmeta (2012-04-06)
References
- ^ Wikipedia:Cold_reading_(theatrical) (Accessed 12 October 2024.
- ^ (Podfic) Cold read of Utterly Inevitable by kisahawklin, 2020-12-25.
- ^ Round 2 Challenges, dreamwidth post in voiceteam, 8 May 2024.
- ^ "what I call an ice cold read (read something you haven't read before) with no editing and no commentary" (Podfic) Sprinter by kisahawklin, 2024-05-10.