RADIO STRIKES BACK! SILVER AGE OF AUDIO DRAMA IN FULL FORCE.Byline: Jon Gerung Daily News Staff Writer Long ago (well, December 1979), in an efficiency apartment far away (North Hollywood, actually) Brian Daley Brian Daley (born Brian Charles Daley, 22 December 1947, Englewood, NJ; died, 11 February 1996 in Maryland, of pancreatic cancer) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the Star Wars radio dramas and wrote several of its episodes. sat down to write the script for the radio adaptation of ``Star Wars.'' The impact it would have in the audio galaxy was almost as big as the film had in Hollywood. Radio's golden age may have faded with the demise of shows like ``The Shadow'' and ``Suspense,'' but, thanks to public broadcasting public broadcasting: see broadcasting. , commuter boredom and the Internet, a silver age of audio drama - boosted by ``Star Wars'' - seems to be dawning. And if you're saying so what, consider this: It was George Lucas Noun 1. George Lucas - United States screenwriter and filmmaker (born in 1944) Lucas himself who sold the radio rights to ``Star Wars'' to his alma mater, USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , for a buck because he loved the medium, says Tom Voegli, who produced all three of the radio adaptations (``Star Wars,'' ``The Empire Strikes Back'' and ``Return of the Jedi''). Voegli says that while there are several ``Star Wars'' offshoots from toys to other audiotapes, Lucas considers the movies and radio dramas the official ``Star Wars'' canon. After USC partnered up with National Public Radio for additional funding, Voegli and director John Madden were brought in to create the 13 half-hour segments. Madden's been making a splash of his own lately: He directed the Oscar-winning ``Shakespeare in Love.'' But in the late '70s, the BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. sent him to work for NPR NPR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Nepal Rupee. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. in Minnesota, where he met Voegli, and they became close friends. ``John directed all three of the radio adaptations, including `Return of the Jedi,' which was only done about four years ago,'' says Voegli. Madden has said people thought it was crazy to adapt a special-effects-dependent film for radio. ``In fact, they miss the point that it'll be, in a way, better to do it on radio, because the effects will be stunning. Sound effects sound effects Noun, pl sounds artificially produced to make a play, esp. a radio play, more realistic sound effects npl → efectos mpl sonoros are very evocative ... you can sit at home and have the whole galaxy whizzing around your head.'' Voegli sees ``Star Wars'' radio appeal differently. ``I think what really brought a lot of the fans to the radio productions is that there are scenes that aren't in the films. So that there's new material. I think that's part of the secret.'' Daley, who died of cancer after the completion of ``Return of the Jedi,'' wrote more than 30 new scenes into the radio adaptation of ``Star Wars.'' He called them the ``lost scenes,'' some of which were in Lucas' original script, while others were there to fill in the gaps. All of this was run by the story editors at Lucasfilm to make sure it fit properly into the ``Star Wars'' universe. ``And most of that new material lives in a dramatic area that radio does very well, which is the relatively more quiet, reflective scenes,'' says Voegli. He points to a segment in ``The Empire Strikes Back'' that's not in the film, where Luke Skywalker and Han Solo Han Solo is a character in the Star Wars universe. He was played by Harrison Ford in , , The Star Wars Holiday Special, and . In the first released Star Wars are huddled in a tent on the ice planet of Hoth wondering if they will ever be rescued. ``It's a really terrific scene because of the two of them talking in a very intimate tone ... it's a very wonderful radio point of view.'' Voegli admits, though, that dramatic scenes don't work as well. ``We have to be much more deliberate, telling people where they are, such as describing a battle scene.'' The movie, a groundbreaking special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. tour de force, was also a landmark film in terms of its soundtrack, due to John Williams' stirring score and Ben Burtt's amazing sound design. Voegli built up the radio adaptation from scratch using the basic sound design from the film and the music, which is authentic though highly re-edited. He relied on the Lucasfilm library. Mark Hamill <noinclude></noinclude> Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy. and Anthony Daniels
Anthony Kingsley Daniels (born February 21, 1946 in Salisbury, England), and educated at Giggleswick School, is an English actor best known for his role as reprised their roles of Luke Skywalker and C3P C3P CAD-CAM-CAE Applications (Ford Motor Company) C3P Certified Call Center Professional 0, respectively. Harrison Ford was off doing a little film called ``Raiders of the Lost Ark,'' and Perry King took over the role of Han. ``You have to remember that radio drama is really fun for people,'' says Voegli. ``For the actors, it's a hoot. They don't have to memorize lines. It challenges their ability to tell the truth in dialogue in a way that film and stage don't, with just vocal characteristics. And it's fun, and they're sort of in and out, so people of major stature are happy to do it.'' Hamill says he tried things on the radio series that he never would have tried in front of the camera. ``In radio, what you say and how you say it has to reflect the action of the story. For example, if I'm supposed to be hanging from a weather vane weather vane or wind vane, instrument used to indicate wind direction. It consists of an asymmetrically shaped object, e.g., an arrow or a rooster, mounted at its center of gravity so it can move freely about a vertical axis. , I put myself in that position. You can't worry about how foolish you look, because people won't see that. What matters is how your voice comes across the air.'' When ``Star Wars'' debuted on NPR in 1980 there was a 40 percent increase in the overall audience plus an unprecedented number of letters and calls. There was a similar response for ``The Empire Strikes Back,'' but years later when it came to ``Return of the Jedi'' Highbridge Audio in Minnesota stepped in for what was one of the most expensive audio ventures ever. ``It's definitely one of the top two,'' says Voegli, ``and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what's No. 1.'' Sallie Neall, a vice president and general manager at Highbridge, puts it in perspective. ``This isn't even the same animal as a book on tape. A typical book on tape of about three hours costs about $10,000,'' she says. `` `Return of the Jedi' cost about $350,000. It's a huge difference. It's got all the bells and whistles A slang English term for exceptional features in some product. In the computer field, it typically refers to functions in software that may be greatly appreciated by some users, even though they may not be necessary most of the time. in terms of technology, 24 tracks instead of two tracks. Madden, Voegli and Daley again were brought in, and they returned to the same studio in Hollywood. There were other characters by this time. Ed Asner played Jabba the Hutt, John Lithgow was Yoda, and Billy Dee Williams was Lando Calrissian. Despite the cost, ``Jedi'' has turned a profit, says Neall, and recently has gotten a bump in sales thanks to the upcoming ``Phantom Menace.'' There was one sad note. Daley died of pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer Malignant tumour of the pancreas. Risk factors include smoking, a diet high in fat, exposure to certain industrial products, and diseases such as diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men. the day the production wrapped on ``Return of the Jedi.'' Voegli thinks Daley hung on to make sure everything was all right. ``Star Wars'' was important to Daley, he says. ``I kept a picture of him on the computer post-production system while it was put together,'' says Voegli. So, will there be a radio version of ``Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace''? Lucasfilm isn't saying, although Voegli says he and Madden are willing to do one. And the original ``Star Wars'' and ``Empire'' might not even be rebroadcast on public radio after September, when their agreement with Lucasfilm runs out, says Andy Trudeau, executive producer of culture programming on NPR. Trudeau says NPR has asked Lucasfilm about renewing the broadcast rights but has not heard back. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , NPR will release ``Star Wars'' and ``Empire'' to local station during the summer. KCRW-FM (89.9), which has run them in the past, was unsure if it would air it. All three, as well as ``Star Wars'' offshoot series, are available on CD or cassette from Highbridge (800-755-8532), as well as from local bookstores. Need more `Wars'? Check out the ``Star Wars'' page on the Daily News Web site (www.dailynews.com). We will continually be updating it with new information as we count down to ``Star Wars: Episode 1 -The Phantom Menace.'' You can also hear snippets from some of the radio dramas as well as link to related sites. There are some 50 audio adaptations of secondary ``Star Wars'' novels. Most are performed by a single reader, but a number of entertaining full-scale dramas have been produced (some locally at West Valley Studios in Chatsworth): ``Dark Empire I, II, III'' - Luke goes bad and Emperor Palpatine (or at least his clone) returns from the dead to trouble the Rebel Alliance. ``Tales of the Jedi/Dark Lords of the Sith'' - Concerns events that took place thousands of years before the present film cycle. ``Dark Forces I, II, III'' - The view from the other side with the adventures of an Imperial officer. ``Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina can·ti·na n. Southwestern U.S. A bar that serves liquor. [Spanish, canteen, from Italian, wine cellar.] I, II'' - how did that motley assortment of aliens wind up at that disreputable dis·rep·u·ta·ble adj. Lacking respectability, as in character, behavior, or appearance. dis·rep Tatooine bar? ``Crimson Empire'' - Remember the Emperor's guards, the guys in red? `Star Wars' radio drama on the Web empire.res.wabash.edu/nri/radio/ Listen to the first four episodes in RealAudio format. Official `Star Wars' Web site www.starwars.com LucasFilm site with information about the upcoming film. Seeing Ear Theater www.scifi.com Best streaming audio site on the Internet for classic and contemporary science fiction drama. ZBS Foundation www.zbs ZBS Zealot Battle System (game) ZBS Zack's Bike Shop (Malaysia) ZBS Zero Blocks ZBS Zero Based Services ZBS Zero Bits .org Twenty-year veteran of radio drama, ZBS is now presenting the adventures of ``Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe'' in five-minute downloadable episodes on the Internet. Alien Voices www.alienvoices.com Radio production company of ``Star Trek's'' Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) and John DeLancie (Q). Lodestone lodestone: see magnetite. Media www.lodesone-media.com One of the best sources on the Internet for finding contemporary radio drama with extensive links to other sites. `Phantom Menace' on audio An audio novelization nov·el·ize tr.v. nov·el·ized, nov·el·iz·ing, nov·el·iz·es 1. To write a novel based on: novelize a popular movie. 2. of the new ``Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace'' (Ballantine) will be available in bookstores Monday. Daily News Entertainment Editor Rob Lowman contributed to these stories. CAPTION(S): 2 Drawings, Box Drawing: (1--Cover--Color) STAR WARS ON THE RADIO? Can't wait for `Phantom Menace' to hit the big screen? Then try some sci-fi radio drama (2--Color) no caption (Star Wars on the radio) Jon Gerung/Daily News Box: Need more `Wars'? (See text) |
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