June 2013, PopArts Podcasting
Joint podcasts between Kay Kellam of PopArtsPlace.com and John Mayo of ComicBookPage.com.
Comic Book Readers, especially those curious about sales trends, how their favorite titles are faring in the market place, and readers who listen to podcast reviews of comics may be familiar with John Mayo’s Comic Book Page podcasts which have been available weekly since 2007 via iTunes as well as directly from the ComicBookPage website.
John Mayo and Kay Kellam teamed up for two podcasts to sample the proverbial waters and see if there was interest in their sharing, via that medium, their conversations and views about the Popular Arts. The first was a discussion about the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness. John, and Kay, both have degrees in Radio/Television/Film, in addition to some personal and professional experience with the entertainment industry, which hopefully adds perspectives to their discussions, and insights others might not have considered.. Neither imagines for a moment that these degrees makes their conversation any better in any way, they simply hope that when they view a movie like Star Trek, or a television show like Continuum, they might remember something from one of those long ago courses in the Ivory Tower, or Kay might remember something learned during her time working on the sets of tv shows and movies (admittedly last century) and it might allow them to offer an explanation or viewpoint otherwise overlooked.
Something as simple as John asking during the viewing of one tv show recently, “how come nobody shuts doors on this show!” and Kay answering, “their sound man might have been having issues and complaining no matter how softly they tried to shut it the doors sounded like they were slamming.” A reason that some shows will cheat angles and not actually show a door during that final inch of it closing, because the actors were told not to close it, and yet you hear the sound of a door closing because in post the sound editors added in the just right sound with the just right volume. A real on set experience that takes a viewing experience, explains it, and adds something to watch for and chuckle over. (And can make you aware of just how loud the simple sound of a door closing can be in an otherwise silent room.)
The second Podcast is all about the show Continuum. A fantastic series produced up in Canada airing on Syfy in the U.S. It is not your standard Syfy show, not your by the numbers sci-fi or time-travel. With a few twists and turns that leave you trying to put the pieces together, this is a show that had 10 episodes where, from start to finish I kept trying to figure out if a certain old man acted not just deliberately, but… selfishly? What was his motive? It’s a show with questions implied, and hinted at, yet not blatantly asked… well, listen to the hour long discussion – the first 15 minutes are a spoiler free discussion of season 1 for those who haven’t seen it yet. If you haven’t, take a listen, then go watch season 1, and come back to hear the speculation. John and Kay discuss the show, try and figure things out, and after listening you may find yourself going back to notice details you missed. Watching to see if something was put in a pocket on a pier, or while Kiera was on the phone… and wondering just who has what in store for us, the intrigued viewers, with this fantastic show.