My friend, Ryan, and I had just watched Scream prior to recording and it sparked discussion between us.  We talked about how the film impacted the use of meta humor in film, so his interview topic was a no-brainer for me.  My topic came to light after I watched Halloween (1978) and it got me thinking about its impact.  With these two ideas, I was able to craft a narrative about classic films’ influence.

I interviewed Ryan over Skype.  Since we weren’t in person, I had him record his audio through Garageband and send me the converted mp3 file.  I simply recorded my audio directly into Audition with my headphones’ mic.

For this project, I created the beat that is heard in the background.  I did not want to mess around with finding free-to-remix music, so I made my own.  I found a Halloween-sounding piano sample from Apple Loops, added a snare, bassline, and a distorted pad.  These few elements established the creepy vibe pretty well.

When I started my first draft, I had an intro that set up the topic which then transitioned into Ryan and I being cut back and forth talking about our respective films.  This was a good idea in concept, but the narrative was unclear and the pacing was inconsistent.  I decided to rework the entire project because of these shortcomings.

The first thing I did when crafting the final draft was re-recording my audio.  I completely scrapped my initial clip because I focused on cliches and did not provide any examples.  The new recording focused on Halloween’s impact on the slasher genre and other media that it heavily influenced.  My new interview tells a better story with examples and compliments Ryan’s anecdote better.

After the new recording, I decided to ditch the initial quick cutting structure.  It was too confusing for the listener, so I reworked it by leaving the full audio clips of each person uninterrupted.  This allows the listener to focus on one interview at a time without getting confused.

The two clips of Ryan and I talking are woven together with transitions to help the story along.  I start the track with the same intro from the first draft, which transitions into Ryan’s audio by me saying “And, Ryan, you are the guest, so you may go first.”  As soon as “guest” is said, I cut the music for dramatic effect.  Then, Ryan’s audio starts with the same beat in the background, but pitched down two semitones.  This creates even more atmosphere and suspense.  Ryan’s audio transitions into mine by me saying “Thanks Ryan, now my turn.”  Once again, the music cuts after “Ryan” is said.  The beat returns with my interview audio, but this time it is raised back to its normal pitch.

Finally, the story is ended with a small conclusion and a soloed quote of “respect the classics” that pulls everything together.