podcast

Marina, Colleen, and I just published our 30th After the Credits podcast!: After the Credits Episode 30 - A Dark Rant.

I suppose 25 is a more traditional milestone to mention but I missed it, so I'm going with the next multiple of 10!

The first episode of After the Credits was posted on November 30, 2007. We've been averaging over 3 podcasts a month for the last 8 months. It doesn't seem like 30 episodes. Looking back, the biggest surprise was how long it took to get the audio quality up. We still have our off episodes but thankfully they're far more infrequent. I'm still struggling with my stammering, though. I swear to God the ideas ricochet around my head 20 odd times before getting to my mouth, greatly befuddling coherent expression. Fortunately my two most excellent co-hosts are there to bail me out.

When I bought my mixing board and microphones I remember wondering if I'd use them enough to justify the purchase. It's so very cool to look back over the 30 After the Credits podcasts and the 25 Mad About Movie podcasts and answer: Yes. But coolest of all, it's still as fun now as the day I started.

If you're interested in checking out After the Credits a list of recent podcasts can be found in the right sidebar or at Row 3.

In the better late than never department, an announcement:

The Mad Film Gab podcast is now After the Credits and hosted at Row Three.

Those of you who followed the podcast already know this, right? Except for the name change and a different location, it's still the same podcast.

I've updated my sidebar box on the right to show the latest podcasts.

Why the change? Marina, the Mad About Movies primary mover and shaker, decided to throw her towel in with the folks at Row Three. Row Three is the coming together of a number of independent movie bloggers like Marina. Like Paul Schaeffer and the band when David Letterman moved, fellow Mad About Movies postcast host Colleen and I moved with Marina.

Although I'm still with the podcast, I'm not an story contributor at Row Three. I was a sporadic contributor at Mad About Movies so this isn't a biggie and it gives me a chance to contribute a little bit more content here.

Last month I attended a book launch party for Cry of the Phoenix by Colleen O'Connor. It was a Shebeen Club event held at the Shebeen Whiskey House (an offshoot of The Irish Heather). I'd been wanting to make a Shebeen Club event for some time but there always seemed to be some conflict or another stopping me. The stars were in proper alignment this month and I could actually make it.

I'm not sure if Cry of the Phoenix is my kind of book but I'm looking forward to reading it. Although the event's chapter reading didn't inspire me, the side discussions from people who had read the book did. It's hard not be curious about a life that could have gone in two very different directions. And it's nice that it's a local story.

The presentation portion of the evening was recorded by yours truly and is available for listening at Cry of the Phoenix podcast on Shebeen Club Radio!.

Back in a January post I said the words "I", "podcast", and "produce" in the same sentence. Episode 1 of the Mad About Movies was a little rough but it was start.

The latest Mad About Movies podcast, number 4 in fact, is out: MAD Film Gab - Episode 4 - The Little Guys! (The Little Guys refers to the smaller May movie releases)

The past three podcasts have been a bit of a struggle with audio quality. Three people crowding around a single microphone really sucks! With podcast number 4 we each have our own microphones and I finally feel like we're touching the bottom of the minimum audio quality bar. Still have one microphone problem to work out. Maybe podcast 5 is the charm!

As far as content goes, I can only hope people are finding it interesting. I'll know we've hit that quality bar when a complete stranger gives us kudos.

But in the end audio quality and audience approval doesn't matter. I'm having too much fun doing this.

It's well past time to highlight my favourite podcast: the sniffer

I've been fans of Nora Young and Cathi Bond since their Definitely not the Opera (aka DNTO) days on CBC. Young hosted the show and Bond did a segment on videos. Flash forward to the CBC strike when they teamed up to try out podcasting. Happily, they kept it going after the strike.

These women both have a keen sense of irony, an eye, er, a nose, for the interesting issues beneath the story, and aren't worried about calling attention to an emperor with no clothes while many of their media colleagues are admiring the weave. Even though they each have very different personalities they compliment each other beautifully. And it isn't until Bond makes Young laugh that you realize they both have a wicked sense of humour.

The sniffer podcast is five to ten minutes long and comes out two to three times a week. They discuss trends, pop culture, technology and sometimes the stuff that's just plain goofy, and are never afraid to call bullshit if the topic deserves it. I recommend checking it out.

I finally helped produce an original podcast!

I've wanted to produce a podcast ever since discovering them, but have never considered myself "on-air" talent. Val and Marina are! So the three of us got together and c'est voila! It was a lot of fun hanging out with them and talking Oscars. I hope that comes through. The podcast is posted at the Mad About Movies website:

FilmCast Episode 1

My biggest contribution is the equipment, but I am in there making the occasional comment.