SERIAL!!!!

First off I can't even describe how excited I am that we are listening to Serial in class. I became so obsessed with this podcast when I first started listening. A friend at work told me about it and at first I was like a podcast, really? I wasn't into the idea of listening to someone talk for 30 minutes. But I am so happy that I gave it a shot. I am also happy that everyone in class seems to like it too. It really is addicting and the way Sarah organizes the shows is great. I listened to the third episode and I forgot that this was the first time that Sarah tells the story without any imput from Adnan. Its interesting because he helps Sarah tell this story but this episode is all recordings and facts about the case. After listening to the episode I read the New Yorker article.

The New Yorker article was beautifully written. I love the story aspect of how they record Serial. It was actually really great to learn how it is done. I also loved that the article was written before Serial's fame and hype really came to light. I didn't start listening until the 7th episode was released but supposedly it reached number 1 on itunes around the time episode 4 aired.

The article is written as a day in the life of a Serial producer. The reporter visits the offices of "This American Life" and meets with producers of Serial. Sarah actually lives in Pennsylvania and works remotely which I found fascinating. She goes over the script which is a google doc with the producers and Skypes them to go over details. I couldn't believe that she actually doesn't work in the offices of WBEZ Chicago. I was astounded by the freedom and respect she is given to handle such a huge show remotely and without a producer hovering over her.

After Sarah reads the script over Skype the producers take the recordings and go over it line by line. This proves the attention to detail that is used for this show. Where should the music be placed, when should they use voice recordings. Which quotes should they use? All of these questions have to be answered by the producers.

I was happy to read the quote from Ira Glass. "'He talks about how, as the reporting has progressed, Koenig, Snyder, and Chivvis “have all flipped back and forth, over and over, in their thinking about whether Adnan committed the murder. And when you listen to the series, you experience those flips with them.” You hear the evidence as they discover what happened. “And, as the series continues, a lot is going to happen,” he says.'"

It was good to see that Sarah questioned Adnan and her findings numerous times. The entire series is disheartening when you hear new evidence. So I was happy to know that the producers weren't always sure as well.

Another thing I enjoyed about the article was we were able to see a glimpse of Sarah's creative process. She worried whether she was being too boring or if all of the detail and information was too heavy. She didn't want to lose her listeners she wanted to entice them with the information she was giving. I was happy to see that the meticulous choosing of information, recordings, opinions, and music were carefully selected with the audience in mind. 

To keep the audience for one guessing and in the dark and also to keep them intrigued Sarah has to do a hell of a job storytelling. She has no video, visuals, or concrete evidence to give the audience. She has to rely on her voice, the recordings she can find, and phone calls. She uses music and sound effects to enhance the listeners experience. She does this as to add to the story, not to tell the story.

I honestly don't think I could change this podcast. But I am one of the people who have listened to the whole thing. So it is hard for me to find anything to change due to the fact that I have listened to it in its entirety and I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Sarah is exceptional at telling this story and you can feel her angst and passion for this investigation that took her a year to complete. I also appreciate how the team of producers from This American Life work so well together to put together such a captivating show.

I am going to be honest whenever I heard the Serial intro music I get chills. So obviously they did a great job of making a fan out of me. I think these people know what they are doing.