What's That Racket?

Here is something new below!
What you are reading is a story presented as a script for a recording like an old time radio broadcast. We are experimenting with embedding sound in the script, which you can call up by clicking on the highlighted script cues. This format is the same as I used for the new recording of the Bahnburner story, which is due to be released soon on Amazon Audible. I will tell you all about that recording next month, and hopefully give you a sample of it. I have received enough positive feedback on the stories in the book that we thought a full professional production audio script and recording might be a stepping stone to a movie.
What do you think? Want to see a movie of the story?
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AUDIO SCRIPT
HER
What’s that racket in the garage? Dinner’s almost ready.
HIM
I’m making a recording for a CD.
HER
You mean you’re recording something for our neighbor that dresses funny? Why are you doing that?
SFX: FLATWARE
 
HIM
Not that kind of CD. This is for a computer disc of my Bahnburner story that is being made in Hollywood.
HER
Hollywood California? Sure you don’t mean Englewood Colorado? What’s going on in Hollywood?
HIM
Mara Purl, the well-known author and producer who is my writing coach, has a small audio production studio out there, and she’s agreed to make a professional full sound recording of the Bahnburner story. We have some big ideas, and this is a beginning step to see if we can turn those ideas into reality.
HER
What big idea is rattling around in your empty head now?
SFX: LIQUID POURING INTO GLASS
HIM
How many movies have we watched in the past couple of years? We never go out any more, and I bet we have watched a couple of hundred movies on the TV.
SFX: CHAIR SCRAPES
HER
So? Eat. Your dinner’s getting cold.
HIM
We think the Bahnburner story would make a really good movie. So many of the movies we watch have such hackneyed plots. The Bahnburner story is fresh and different. Not an overblown special effects mess that is total fantasy, but a plot that engages the reader and says to them, “This could be you.” You could be caught up by total chance in a death race on the Autobahn in Germany.
SFX: FLATWARE CLANKING ON PLATES
HER
Ha! Fat chance of that. What do you know about making movies? Bad enough that you spend the kid’s inheritance on old cars; now you want to go broke making a movie? Mmm, this is quite tasty.
HIM
For crying out loud, for once in your life, try to think positive. Mara used to be an actress in Days of Our Lives, your favorite soap opera. Then she produced her own soap that became a very popular radio broadcast series in England. She knows that there is an increasingly growing audience for well-done dramatic audio recordings.
SFX: FLATWARE CONTINUES TO CLANK
HER
(Skeptical) Mmm?
HIM
It is a case of “What comes around, goes around.” I remember as a kid all those great radio programs. They were just so good the way they tickled your imagination. You could hear the train pulling into Grand Central Station and ride along with the Green Hornet as he chased the bad guy. It was ““Hi ho Silver – away” with the Lone Ranger.
A full production audio recording could be a successful product if we can promote it properly. It also could be used as a presentation piece to interest a potential movie maker. They must be eager for good material as there is such a huge appetite by the public for entertainment now that movies and dramatic series can be delivered right into our homes by the internet.
HER
I thought you already did an audio recording of the entire book, not just one story.
HIM
We did! And it’s excellent. The audio book was done by the very talented Richard Rieman. Now we are kicking it up a big notch, and offering a different kind of experience. This CD will have a full cast of professional talent plus full on background sound. It will be a modern version of the good old days of radio. We have a whole new cover for this new audio, too. See?

HER

Nice. I like the colors. That car looks mighty hot.

HIM
Radio has been replaced by the computer with headsets and funny things that stick out of your ears that makes you look like you have an earache.
HER
So what does this have to do with all the noise and stink that you are making in the garage?
HIM
A critical audio part of the Bahnburner story is the noise made by the race modified engine in the old 40 Ford. I’m trying to get some authentic recording of the engine for them to blend into the dialog. Right now, I’m frustrated at trying to do that. My mind drifts back to the Aeromed research lab at Holloman AFB and the really great recording systems that I designed for the neuropsychology lab. I could connect any channel to the tape recorder from any of the sixteen channel brainwave recorders in three different labs along with telemetry transmission from implanted chimp brains. Those 14 track Ampex FM/FM recorders were state of the art, and I could set them up to perfection.

Now I am trying to get a decent recording of a high performance engine using a laptop computer and a Best Buy microphone and have to deal with a wife who bitches about the noise.
SFX: DISHES BEING CLEARED

HER
Oh shut up. Stop complaining. Just get on with it.
HIM
I can’t help but think what the engines would sound like in a theater with full on professional sound recording. The scream of the V12 Mercedes engine and that staccato rap of the race fuel powered 40 Ford V8. It would blow the snot right out the audiences’ nose. “Whunp” into the fog bank. “Whoosh” as you exit. “Blam – bang” as the engine blows and fire streams out behind the car. The screech of tires skidding out of control, and the panic scream of me as the driver. It could really work if done right. This will put the audience right in the car with me and bring them to the edge of their seat as they stare at impending death!

 

HER
Well, you certainly sound excited about it. You’ve got more enthusiasm than I’ve seen in a long time.
HIM
I bet Bill Berkuta, the audio engineer, can do something with the sounds I’m sending. Hope so. When the project’s done, I’ll set it up so we can listen on the big speakers. You’ll love it.
HER
We’ll see about that. It’s more important your followers buy the CD or the download or whatever it is, and find out.
HIM
I guarantee you’ll enjoy the rest of the cast, and I know you’ll love the story.
HER
HIM
(Complaining to himself)
Guess I’ll head back to the garage and work on the sounds some more. Damn little phone jacks I have to use now. In the good old days Myrtle, the AT&T operator, had husky phone jacks that she could plug in reliably for years.


Still, what could be better than Theatre Of the Mind? I bet this new audio is gonna wow everyone who hears it. And then . . . who knows . . . the silver screen is next! Stay tuned . . .

Visit my website soon for the link to The Bahnburner Audio Drama!!
 

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