Season 4 Update!!!
Well, it’s been about two and a half months of radio silence, so now’s as good a time as ever to let you all know what’s been happening with the forthcoming fourth season of Witness if You Will…! I probably don’t need to actually mention the title because this blog entry is obviously on the website for the friggin’ podcast itself, but whatevs, I overwrite, deal with it.
As previously stated elsewhere, the scripts for S4 are already finished, and were so long before the time “The Sitting Duck” premiered. So why not just get rolling with recording these new episodes, lest there be another year-long break in between new material? Well, for one, we’re all entitled to a break some time, and I desperately needed some semblance of one. S3 was a lot of work. Absolutely rewarding work, but seeing as though I was working on six episodes all at once and had to balance it with outside world shit as said outside world was open again, my candle was getting burnt at both ends (why does that sound so dirty?) and hot wax was dripping everywhere (sounds even dirtier still). I think it goes without saying that with this next season, I’m gonna take my time. If it takes the whole year, then it takes the whole year. I was wrong to assume that handling the entire season at once was going to shorten the amount of time, so might as well do it the old fashioned way… with working on maximum three episodes at a time. I’m kidding. Kind of. Maybe. We’ll see…
Secondly, even though those scripts were done, they weren’t done. They needed to be polished. One even needed a whole revamp because I was dissatisfied with my first go at it. I needed to make sure the themes were intact. I wanted to make sure the characters had recognizable arcs. I had to make sure that they were all FUNNY. Because that’s something I noticed with these six new scripts. Yes, every episode so far is technically a dark comedy, usually disguised as another genre, with dramatic parts here or there to balance shit out because that’s what life is, and that can be said about the new stuff as well. And it’s not like the dark in dark comedy had overwhelmed the entire endeavor. And I’ve never written anything to be explicitly funny; I’ve just written bits and callbacks and hopefully interesting dialogue and scenarios that can be deemed ridiculous. But the goal has always been and still is to achieve some laughs, and some of the scripts were reading like straight up dramas. I mean, if that’s the path this podcast takes, then cool, I’m down, but it was still too sharp of a turn; I’d rather that change be gradual if it happens at all. That being said, I think they all fit the bill of “comedy,” even if this may turn out to be the “darkest” season yet.
But now that polishing is done (for the most part, anyway) and I’m ready to start recording! However, a big change is in store for this podcast regarding said recording. Remember when I said that thing about the world opening up? Well, even though we still live under the threat of COVID and probably will for years and years to come, life is seemingly returning to some version of “normal,” which means… WE CAN RECORD IN PERSON! You’ve probably noticed that the quality of the audio hasn’t always been consistent. Despite any heavy amount of tweaking I may give them, some performers’ audio has been beyond my, admittedly novice, technical skill. That’s not any fault of their own; it would be too much to expect people to purchase hi-def mics and deck their walls with soundproof foam, turning their one bedroom apartment into a full-fledged studio. And it feels like too much to ask people to record their entire part again if their vocals have some issues that are too glaring to let slide. Besides, my goal has always been for their performances and the stories to speak for themselves. If they are immersive enough, then whether or not the audio is pristine or terrible shouldn’t matter. Well, if it was terrible, I guess that would be an issue; thankfully everything has been 100% listenable, but you get my point (so why question myself? Goddamn my stream of consciousness writing…).
Anyway, as we approach recording time, I’m happy to announce that I am going to do my darndest to make sure the majority of the vocals are recorded with everybody in the same space. They’ve always been fun over Zoom, so I can only imagine they’ll be even more of a blast when we can smell each other’s body odor. I’ve spoken to my friend Dylan and he’s agreed to help me out as much as he’s able. He was an avid Youtuber for a long time and still occasionally uploads some content, so he has the equipment necessary to insure everyone sounds consistently crisp. So in a way, this show has a producer now! Thanks, Dylan! I’m really excited about this development.
So now, I’m in the process of finalizing my dream casts. One episode has already achieved such status, with three wonderful friends/improvisers agreeing to take part in this weird, little experiment, and we’ll soon begin the process of scheduling a date where we can all venture to Dylan’s to do this thang. And hey, that can be my dumb, barely-a-tease tease for you in this blog! How many performers there will be for each episode! Everybody likes numbers! Well, here you go, in no particular episode order:
3
6
4
4
4
5
And that doesn’t necessarily mean that those numbers reflect the number of characters in every episode, nor does it include any cameos I may decide to make. So, still a cryptic and unhelpful tease as always. I have such respect for my audience (truly, I do; I just have a funny way of showing it 😜).
Lastly, I’m also excited to announce that I am joining another podcast! I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say here or not, so I’ll air on the side of caution and maybe wait till those episodes begin to drop before confirming that, yes, that was me you heard on "___.” But it’s a very fun program about a topic near and dear to me, so I’m super thrilled to be a regular part of it now. Stay tuned for that!
And stay tuned for more updates! I’ll try not and leave six months in between this and the next one.
But no promises…
—Andy