Here is the blog for the Pre, during and Post production of the audio drama ‘Out of Bounds’.
Short Synopsis: It’s nearly Christmas but on board an Out Of Bounds Airline Fylight to Jamaica, there isn’t any holiday cheer for flight attendant Isabelle, who has to deal with troublesome passengers and backstabbing management.
Long Synopsis: Everybody dreams that their flight goes without a hitch, especially during the Christmas holiday season when everybody wants to sit back and relax; the very same feeling is felt by the flight attendants. Out Of Bounds is the story of flight attendant Isabelle, who during one flight over the Christmas holidays to Jamaica, has to put up with difficult passengers, passive aggressive racism and management who care more about their company’s image on social media than they do about customer service. The flight cannot end quickly enough for Isabelle, who just wants to relax on the beach and enjoy her holiday in peace.
PRE-PRODUCTION
In the weeks prior to recording we were split into groups, after the first few weeks we were shown different recording techniques. I had joined a group a little bit later down the line, consisting of Connor, Callum and Charity, who had named the group “The 3 C’s” and I had been given the role of script editor and added to the team’s Whatsapp Message Group. The script they had chosen was ‘Out of Bounds’, a script entirely based around a flight and an airport, which I thought would be a fun challenge, especially when trying to make the actors sound as though they’re in a tight space during recording and in post production.
Before the week of recordings, we had group meetings in which we went through the script and so that I could get into it and start making edits where I thought was necessary. Connor had also set up a shared Google Drive for the group to access all audio and the script.
RECORDING DAY
On the day itself, Connor and myself went through the lines with the actors before hand to make sure that they were comfortable with their given roles. During the recording I sat in the recording studio with the actors as a calling point for the team in the studio if they needed props added on the microphone to be moved, as well as being a calling point for the actors in case they needed anything, as well as being a calming face so they didn’t panic about what was being said in the gallery. By the end I felt as though I had built up a good rapport with our actors. I thought the recording went well, I even got involved myself in the role of passenger, but after listening back I don’t think acting is for me.
After the recording, it was agreed that the edit was to be split between 3 of us by Charity and Connor. There was a slight sound quality issue with the recording as there would be a slight but constant buzz throughout the recording, which is something I didn’t pick up on while recording as I wasn’t in the gallery to hear it.
REFLECTION
Looking back over the past month or so, I wish I had done a bit more and had scheduled things better. Due to work commitments, It was quite hard to keep on track with my script editing, and had a hand from Charity if I wasn’t available to edit due to these commitments. I had also been struggling with mental health issues throughout the first couple of months of the year which didn’t help, but that isn’t something I want to pinpoint my scheduling on.
I would have personally dug deep into the script to really bring out the best of the actors and the editing team, I feel that any poor quality is on me and a poor sense of direction in the script, looking back I would have really combed through it to make sure that the script was as strong as it could be.
FINAL PIECE:
Out Of Bounds soars to the skies with a story which sees a Stewardess meet her match whilst in training. Like any workplace, trials and tribulations arise and things get a little… turbulent.
IN:
“Out Of Bounds…”
OUT:
“… for the University of Westminster”
DUR:
14’14”
Closing Announcement [from Continuity]
Out Of Bounds, an audio drama by Three C’s production’s.