I thought that Moon Graffiti was really interesting, and again, I love audio dramas! What I thought was really neat about this episode was the combonation of historical events like Nixon’s speech paired with the hypothetical conversations between Armstrong and Aldrin. I think this grounded the episode and created a really eerie sense of place. It reminded me of the idea of the Uncanny Valley, like maybe I was actually listening to a non-fiction podcast that was recounting the tragic moon landing.
Something that I appreciated was not only the sound design within the dialogue, like the sound of mechanized breathing and the static of a 1960s TV, but the background ambiance. I had to pause the episode at one point, and I was shocked by how quiet everything around me actually was. I wasn’t processing the whiny, almost siren-like noise that was occuring beneath the whole episode. I’d be curious to listen to more of The Truth Podcast’s episodes to see if this was a common theme or if this was something that was meant to be emitted by the moon.
Listening to Moon Graffiti was a very cool experience. It is interesting to think about a timeline where the mission to land on the Moon failed and to contemplate how worthwhile it is to go to the Moon. Last semester I took Writing About the Moon with Dr. Scanlon, and we talked a lot about the history of the Moon landing. Pretty much as soon as Apollo 11 landed back on Earth, pink slips of paper to fire employees were being handed out because the project was over and they could no longer expend the resources necessary to fund NASA. I wonder if Apollo 11 had failed if they would have continued to push for it, or if they would have just given up. The radio-sound of the podcast makes it feel like a real historical audio of something that happened.
Sound is all a part of life. Even with your eyes closed your brain can easily recognize the sound of bacon as it hits a sizzling pan, heels clicking against tile floor, or even splats of rain against a window. This is how so many creators are able to use audio to bring their stories to life without even adding the visuals of a video. So lets test it out and see if you can visualize what I am doing in my room right now with only audio as a clue!
Even without being in the room with me you can use the audio to easily imagine the scene. I am literally listening to music right now while the racing clicks of my keyboard subtly play over the muffled snores of my sleeping dog below me. And that’s the power of SOUND! Amazing right! Film, radio, and even audio books use sound effects like this to help tell a story. Even with all our world’s advances in technology like music apps with instant queue we still have radio . . . why? Well Jad Abumrad explains it pretty well in a RadioLab video, its all about connection. That feeling a viewer gets when they feel like the speaker is talking directly to them. Kind of like a parasocial relationship that makes people feel included and engaged. Its one of the same reasons podcasts thrive so well in current day with apps like Spotify getting over 32 million listeners.
Here are two other good examples of how audio is used in storytelling. The first is Moon Graffiti, on the Truth Podcast they use sound effects to help narrate the story of what if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin crashed instead of being able to land on the moon. They use radio static, electrical beeping, button clicking, loud explosion sounds, etc to all help their viewer visualize the scene effortlessly. They are capable of making you feel like you’re in the room with the Mission Control team tracking the spacecraft itself. Even in this other example from the ds106 radio, they played the story of Limetown about journalist Lia trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the hundreds of people who disappeared in Limetown. The storytelling and voice acting is done amazingly well and I highly recommend listening to at least the first episode to try it out. But what stands out the most is how they used sound to set the atmosphere and mood for certain scenes. From the how voices start quiet then slowly get louder to portray someone getting closer or the sounds of crickets to show that they’re outdoors at night. Even the shift in the voice actors’ tone helps to show fear which drives the storytelling for many scenes. In other cases besides story, creators are able to use sound effects to make an impact. Radio bumpers are a good example of this. They are only a quick announcement lasting a few seconds reminding their viewers what radio station they are on in between songs, but they can still be entertaining with the use of audio editing.
Radio Bumper
Here is one I created myself inspired by the assignment bank for the ds106radio. Since this radio station is used by a college class I wanted to keep that theme by making mine based on a wild college party. For my audio editing I used Audacity and added rave music found from TikTok. The voice acting is Ai generated from Canva where I wrote out his script and spent like 30 minutes searching for the closest voice I could find that matched similar to young laidback guy. Lastly, I added the effect of party people cheering while he was making his announcement. Originally the cheers triggering early was a mistake in editing, but I kept it because in real life situations young college students would probably interrupt him with their cheering while partying anyway so it made it more realistic.
I think audio storytelling is a very creative, unique way to tell a story. It can be difficult, because it is harder to convey a message without the listener being able to see what they are hearing. The sound effects and dialogue have to have a certain tone in order for the listener to infer and connect what they are listening to, to the story. Specifically, Moon Graffiti was very interesting. The beginning speech immediately grabbed my attention. My first thought was, “I do not remember them dying on the moon so this is a twist”, but hearing that it was an actual speech that Nixon recorded in case they did not return was crazy. Also the details of adding dialogue between Buzz and Neil as they are trying to land on the moon was very cool. Hearing their first reactions to the little things, such as the how the dust moved made it realistic and really puts into perspective what it must have felt like for them to land on a different planet. Overall, I enjoyed Moon Graffiti, and listening to all these audio stories makes me want to look into more.
After listening to Moon Graffiti I was able to form an understanding of what the videos of Jad Abumrad were talking about. One of Jad Abumrad’s first comments was that he liked pictures with words. He enjoyed films, which I could agree with. He then goes on to describe a scene with only his words allowing the viewer to create their own image just based off his words. I am glad that I watched his videos before listening to Moon Graffiti because then I was truly able to listen to someone else’s words and create my own picture. The use of tone, background noises, and sound effects painted the perfect picture for me to really understand the scene they were trying to portray. The sounds of crashing and panicked voices depicted the fear in each character.
Starting off did not love the fact I couldn’t figure out subtitles or captions, so I was a bit lost. Audio stuff is certainly not the best for me, but I can appreciate sounds since words never reach my brain right and come out even worse. The beeping was nice but I did not enjoy the radio sounds but that does tell how easy sounds allow you to imagine things. Hearing the crash and hearing the panic in the men’s voices was interesting. Weird to realize I recognized so many small sounds. Are you there mike with a soft buzzing that made you feel anxious. The sound of unsteady breathing, anxious breaths unsure of what was happening. Didn’t know kicking dust was so important. Rip to the cosmonauts sacrificed. After listening you can feel the emotions even without ever seeing face.
Audio storytelling creates an immersive experience that engages the listener’s imagination, making them active participants in the narrative.
The lack of pictures in radio storytelling encourages a listener to go beyond simply enjoying but allows their minds to craft a scene making it a work between the storyteller and the listener.
Sound is not just a background element but the driving force in audio storytelling, shaping the world, shaping the mood, and advancing the narrative. More than a boom and bang here and there.
Sound effects, changes in tone, music, and silence create a powerful sense of place and atmosphere.
Sound design allows the listener to feel the reality of the situation without seeing it.
Sound advances the narrative by introducing changes in the astronauts’ tone of voice, program alarms, and the Nixon speech.
Jad Abumrad’s insights into radio’s power are applicable in the way “Moon Graffiti” uses sound to prompt the listener to create their own mental images. Jad Abumrad’s ideas on radio and sound are important in audio storytelling. He argues that the absence of visuals in radio is a strength, requiring the listener to actively participate in creating their own mental images. This co-authorship is essential, as the listener paints their own mental images based on the audio cues provided by the storyteller. The human voice, a fundamental element of radio storytelling, can convey significant emotional weight, emphasizing the immediacy and intimacy of the story. Abumrad’s ideas are demonstrated in the audio drama “Moon Graffiti,” where the listener uses audio cues to construct their own understanding of the story.
While listening to “Moon Graffiti”, I could tell you what the setting was, the tone/atmosphere, how the characters feel, and overall what’s going on just by listening to this audio story. I’d never really thought about how important and powerful sound is in storytelling. Sound drives stories with the dialogue, sound effects, and atmosphere that will inform or entertain the listener. With all of these elements put together, it creates a scene or narrative with layers of context and depth.
Sound ultimately builds a feeling that can be interpreted differently by the listener. This can trigger emotions and transport the listener to a particular setting or emotional state. This contributes to what perceived atmosphere the listener will create from the story. The types of sounds or melodies that are being used can influence the mood and often evoke nostalgia, joy, sadness, or comfort as they activate memories and feelings from the past.
Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad – Abumrad’s videos were very insightful and broke down sound, storytelling, and creation down to its core fundamentals. I liked when he was talking about the power of empathy. If a story can create empathy, then it’s doing its job. It’s the storyteller’s job to create the empathy, which will create a circle of connections, or induce a dream state. Current storytelling is the equivalent to sitting around a campfire Power is 1000 years ago telling stories. Which is interesting to think about with all of our modern-day technology. Technology allows people to have a voice to create stories, especially for people who may not like public speaking.
Overall, I really enjoyed listening to his thoughts about storytelling.
The first thing I noticed in the recording was the contrast between the voices of the Astronaut and “home base”, as home base had multiple people in the background and was more clear to hear whereas the Astronaut sounded like communication over a walkie talkie. This was an immediate way to distinguish the two ends of communication and establish sides of each party. The crash then depicts a distinction from history creating an alternate timeline, but the sound being so loud conveys the seriousness of the event. The cut to a different voice lets the audience know the change of time and then cuts back to a more static like communication between the Astronauts. They talk about the crash and there’s many different sound effects, most notably the sound of a camera shutter taking a picture.
Overall, the sounds of this podcast created a hypothetical alternation to the Moon Landing that was hyper realistic and an insight to what could’ve been if the original astronauts crashed. The sounds and layering of voices included make it immersive for listeners and allow for a more detailed visualization of time and location of each person.
Listening to the audio drama Moon Graffiti was something I really enjoyed. Im not sure how I have gone this far without realizing how much I love audio dramas and podcast productions.
In audio storytelling the connection of visual immersion is almost non-existent. I say almost because the use of background music, sounds of people doing things, and the voice acting its almost like I can see what is happening and I can see in my mind in the most clear picture of the scene that is being told.
Although design is purely visual I feel there is an aspect of balance similar to design that goes into audio storytelling. You don’t want the noise in the background to be overwhelming (unless that is the goal) and you want the right balance of emotion to sounds to make an effective mood for the story. In Moon Graffiti there is a scene at 12:03 where one of the men start to die and fall unconscious. The noises in the background got louder and more disoriented until the the other guy snapped him out of the (panic?) episode. This is something that not only do I hear a lot but it is used in movies and TV shows but the fact that I cannot see what is happening does not change how I feel when this situation occurs, and this is because of the sound design!
There are some noises in the backgrounds that you do consciously notice but still creative a scene that you still are picturing the situation and its almost like you are living with the characters. For example, in Season 1 Episode 2 of Limetown the reporter is walking with the person she is interviewing and there is sounds in the background of footsteps walking through grass. Though its a little detail, it added so much to the story and the experience I had listening to it.
Sound design in audio storytelling is so important and something so minuscule that listeners don’t realize its there. But if it wasn’t there, you’d miss it.
Hearing this podcast gave me a feeling as if I am walking on Moon myself, together with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The narrative was so involving that it felt like a film unfolding in my mind. But, this wasn’t the victorious Moon landing we’re familiar with it depicted frightening “what could have been” situation that nearly took place. The acting of Matt Evans, Ed Herbstman, and John Ottavino along with the writing and production by Jonathan Mitchell gave an uncanny real feel to everything.
What left a deep impression on me was hearing the speech prepared for Richard Nixon, meant to be used if Apollo 11 mission had resulted in failure. It was unsettling to listen to those words being spoken, with the knowledge that they might have been imprinted in history. This made me reflect upon how perilous space exploration truly is and continues to remain so today. The difference between success and tragedy was very thin.
The thing which made this story feel more impactful was the strength of audio storytelling. In absence of any visuals, I found myself creating the scenes in my own head, and somehow it became even more intense that original one then started off . The sounds from radio transmissions hinting on cracking noise, changes in voice tone, an a quiet space with strange feeling it all drew me much closer than before. The absence of pictures was not a restriction; it was the element that made it so captivating.
This podcast made me remember the uniqueness of storytelling through sound. It doesn’t just narrate a tale it causes you to experience it. You are compelled to interact, visualize and enter the moment at hand. In a narrative such as this, where history might have turned disastrous, that experience continues to linger with you even after the story concludes.
