TBD - Dark Fantasy Audio Drama

STORY INTRODUCTION

Our story begins in a small secluded village just at the edge of the forest in southern Alcoria in the Kingdom of Gilderon. All along Alcoria people have gone missing in odd ways and all the clues are pointing towards the thick and unusual forests in the south.

Four travellers -- each with their own reasons -- have been chasing the horrors that have been spreading across the land and now find themselves in the village of Keld. They have no knowledge of each other prior but what happens in Keld will bring them together and put them on an adventure of a lifetime.

ME INTRODUCTION

Hey,

My name is J and I’m glad you found my CCC project. I hope it piqued your interest enough for you to want to audition.

This will be my first project of this kind and I undoubtedly will learn a lot along the way, so be mindful of that when auditioning. I’ve co-lead other projects before and can often be seen as a perfectionist, but I will try and quell those urges somewhat for this project. I’m trying to adopt the idea that a flawed but finished project is better than something trying to be perfect but remains unfinished. Even though I will try to be less perfectionist I will still set high standards.

My background is in audio -- everything from foley and sound design to orchestral film music and pumping dark techno -- so my expertise will mostly lie within the audio realm. Although, while I do enjoy writing I wouldn't consider myself a great writer and would appreciate all the help I can get from the team in that regard.

This is a project that’s big in scoop but small in resources so the more we can help each other the better. But for clarity's sake the tasks I will assign myself for this project will be the following:
Writing, Editing, Composing, Sound Design, Foley, Mixing, Publishing

And for the sanity of myself and everyone else, I will hopefully not need to do any VO work.

CONCEPT

The conception of this project began with my love for stories and writing, combined with my love for audio. Those two are usually exclusive to each other -- or at least not the easiest to combine -- so I set out to find a way to be able to combine both of my interests.

What I came up with was this idea for an audio drama with a full cast of actors and a full original soundtrack. I want this series to be like a movie without the picture where instead the narrator paints the picture in the listener’s mind -- like an audiobook with voice actors, sound effects, foley, and a soundtrack. I’ve been looking for something like this but haven’t found much I’m satisfied with.

If anything these World of Warcraft dramas are the closest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_xFZ7b6tOk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsaobgFiiso

The story will be set in a world created by me and filled out by us with stories, characters, events, etc. I want this to be a collaborative effort where you help me write the story and where we decide where it goes next. I believe that if all those involved in the project have at least some emotional bond to the project it will be a better project for it. And if you as an actor can get into the head of your character enough you might be able to help me write them and make them better and more distinct and give them more of a unique voice.

Even though I feel like I would like this to be a collaborative effort, I will take the most responsibility for it and I will have the final say. And don’t fret if you feel like you don’t want to want to get involved in the project more than lending your voice, that’s totally fine. I understand. You should audition anyway. I don’t want you to feel over-encumbered with responsibilities. If all you want to do is read and act -- do it! I rather have you on the project than leave it because it becomes too much work.

It’s a dark story and I will touch on a sensitive subject; the malignant nature of humans is a big one. I will also reference rape -- hopefully only in passing and not too explicitly -- death and murder of both adults and children, sickness and plague, etc. So if you think any of this is too heavy for you, please do not audition for your own sake.

I won’t lie, the scope of this project is big. That’s why my first “milestone” is to only produce the first chapter. The first chapter is mostly a prologue and the narrator will be doing the heavy lifting, so not a lot of dialogue from the characters. On the other hand, the second chapter is looking to be mostly dialogue between the characters.

YOU

So where do you fit into the story? Well, you’re going to make it come alive. You will be at the heart and centre of this story. Since this story is currently only planned to be told via audio it’s very important that all parts of that are very interesting and well made -- especially the voices for the main characters. We want it to be something people would willingly listen to and that draws them into the world; we want it to heighten their immersion, not lessen it.

The idea for the characters is that they will not be one-dimensional and I will need actors who have a broad range of emotions to bring to the table. Even the strongest warrior might cry and the fairest-lady might roar like a true commander. Also if you can do multiple voices that a big plus.

If you like stories and reading that’s also a huge plus because there will be quite a lot to read.

So, what am I looking for in the auditions? I will be looking for a voice that fits the characters I have in my head as well as a voice that I feel can deliver a broader range of emotions needed to really convey what the characters think and feel without seeing them or explicitly telling the listener.

Of course, I already have a vague idea of what each character sounds like, and I will say that I’m a bit partial to any accents from the British Isles and would like there to be a coherency to the accents across the different Kingdoms. But other than that, I’m open to suggestions for the characters and their accents / tone and I will let you do your thing because I might very easily change my mind if I hear something that’s better than what I had imagined.

REQUIREMENTS (VERY IMPORTANT)

A good microphone is a must. At least something like the AT2020 (XLR) (great mic for not a lot of money) and a Scarlett interface. That is probably your best bet for cheap-ish equipment with great quality. USB mics are definitely subpar in quality but I would be willing to listen if you are really confident in the quality.

A quiet room with minimal reverberation. It’s preferred if you have a dedicated treated booth or closet for recording. If not, you would always use heavy blankets and build a very DIY vocal booth/blanket fort.

For me, of course, the easiest to mix would be if everyone would just use the mic with a treated room, but I know that is most likely not viable for a small, for-fun project like this.

Last but not least, I want the audition to be without any effect, meaning; no compression, no eq, no gain automation, no reverb, nothing. I just want the raw wav files. If this simple rule can not be followed it will be much harder for me to mix the different voices so that they sound coherent and as if they are recorded in the same space. Those auditions that can not follow this will most likely be rejected.

The files should be delivered in mono wav @48kHz and try to record them at -6dB at the loudest to avoid clipping.

I would recommend Audacity to anyone who’s not an audio-engineer and just want something simple and free to record. If you don’t know how to set that up, let me know and I will help you get started.

CLOSING WORDS

I think that’s everything. If you have any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to contact me. I know it became quite long-winded and I even cut a lot from the first draft of this casting call, but I didn’t want to miss anything.

Good luck with your auditioning!
JM