LordOfTheReamRadioPlay

This page exists for notes, discussion, and comments regarding the proposed LordOfTheReam radio-play, which I (AlexBobbs) have opted to organize.

---

Updates:

1/24/04: Hopefully most of you are still interested in doing this, even if you've forgotten. Now that people (presumably) aren't bogged down with finals and break and beings sick, let's try this again. The end to the Book II script has been patched together, so no problems there. Just try to get around to recording relatively soon (before work and suck take us over), and send what you have. Or if you don't care and never send me anything I can probably fill in the gaps myself (hey, I did 17 voices in "That Prequel Movie"). Anyway, main message being: this will get finished. Also, I'm a bit short on ideas for the Book II soundtrack, so post ideas if you have them.

Can we get updates on people's progress? My voice having finally mostly recovered from the Doom, I started recording today. Files are posted: [here]. Note that this isn't a permanent archive. When all Book 1 is posted I'll decide whether to remove book 1 and put book 2 up, leave book 1 up as a sample, or leave up the problem files so people can tell me how I *should* read them.

---

Why?

Because it'd be fun to make, and because I think LordOfTheReam would be really cool as a radio-play with all of us doing our best impressions of the characters.

---

How?

This is the basic process I have in mind:

1. People take on various characters to read for, and record themselves. Ideally, people will get together to do recordings, but if that is impossible/inconvenient they can just record separately and get spliced together in the editing stage.
2. The recordings get sent to me, and I put them together.
3. I add in narration bits, music, and goofy sound effects.
4. After I'm done editing the tracks, the finished product gets sent out, and you can all burn it to CD, trade over the network, play over web radio, play at the next Time Suck party, or whatever you want.

---

When?

We can start planning now. Recording can probably begin once Wankership of the Ream is looking more finished.

---

Who?

You. Your friends. Any Mudders, ex-Mudders, or friends of Mudders who are able and willing to participate.

I want to hear some samples. Specifically, I want to hear Alex do Galadriel. ^.^

Your wish is granted, though I think [this] may qualify as one of the WrongestThingsEver

• Gaaaah!
• I think its somewhat ruined by the fact that i recognize the voice as Alex, but it is damn good. But please, please, dear god, whatever you do, pronounce Ga-lad-(d)ri-el right when you record it for real.

Cast List.

• Narrator: Me
• Bilbo / Butterbur: Micah
• Frodo: Jeff
• Sam: Ed
• Pippin / Arwen: Katy
• Merry / Galadriel: Steph But it will be so anticlimactic after Alex! ;) -sg
• Gandalf: Southie
• Aragorn: Will
• Boromir: Brian
• Legolas: Julie
• Gimli: Vrable
• Elrond: Eli
• Saruman / Moody: Nick
• Haldir / Celeborn / Gollum / Lurtz: Alejo [SWEET! I can TOTALLY do that ;o) --Alejo]
• Engineering Students / Angry Norfies / HUM1 TA's / Registraaargh: Alejo and Julie and whoever wants to shout crazy stuff to put in the battle scenes (Alejo and Julie seemed the most appropriate for this job, and I'll need quite a bit of noise to have going on while I read the narration for those scenes) I'll pick up a couple extras, if I can. --Steph
• The Ream / Reamwraiths: Me
• Fluffy the Sheep: Cal (someone should probably tell him about this)

---

Discussion and Wanking

I'm trying to decide how I want to do the music. I'm seeing three possibilities, which we can do combinations of. (1)We just to use the music from the movies, (2) we piece together an alternative soundtrack of music we feel is appropriate (or inappropriate, for extra silliness), or (3) we do sort of a silly cheapo rip-off on the movie's score, with us singing or playing instruments. The first option is the least amount of work, but I think the other options, used in an appropriately limited fashion, have a lot of potential to add extra humor. Mostly I just want to play the violin for this.

• We get to use TakeOnMe?, right?
  • Absolutely
• May i recommend Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta for the fight vs the Registraaargh (either vs Wankership or Unicyclers)
• I think it would be fun to do this sort of like the Star Wars (IV) soundtrack, mostly reasonable stuff like the movie soundtrack, but interspersed with very bizarre things. Specifically, there ought to be something very silly playing at Denny's. Also, can we use Harvey the Wonder Hamster for something? We might have to record an instrumental version or get a midi. --StephGrush
• It would be amusing if we somehow managed to record real Northies (in their native habitat and, er, natural state of happiness) to use as part of the background noise mentioned below. --LauraKanofsky
  • Sneak a microphone into a dorm barbecue or meeting or something? I have a couple fairly small recording devices. But this would be a mission of much peril... You could just ask them Aw, you're no fun.

I would like to point out, on a somewhat unrelated note, that Registraaargh is !#$%@#% hard to say out loud without making it indistinct from Registrar. --WillShipley

• You are hereby sentenced to watch that scene from Monty Python. Again. And again. And again. And again. And.... maybe I should stop before my fingers fall off.

This letter was sent to everyone cast (I hope), but I'll post it here too for reference:

"I hope I got everyone's emails right. I'm sending this info as email as well as posting it to make sure it gets to everyone who signed up for Lord of The Ream. If you've decided that you're actually not interested in participating, let me know NOW so that I can reassign your part(s). The "due date" for finishing all recording (Book I and II) is December 12, so this can be finished before ROTK, and because if I don't set a deadline, this will never get done before the frosh graduate. It would be exceptionally nice if people start earlier and can get at least a couple of their scenes finished and sent to me, say, by the end of this week, so I can start putting things together. If everyone trys to send me everything at midnight, December 12 (and a few people are late), I can assure you that there is little chance I will be able to get it done in time.

That said, here are basic guidelines for recording/sending:

• You're sort of on your own for recording, since I can't direct or supervise, but it's really easy. Just get a simple computer microphone from someone and record using Sound Recorder of whatever you want to use. There are lots of programs out there.

• IMPORTANT! You want to record in Mono, 16-bit, with a sampling rate of 44100 Hz. If you record with really crappy settings, it will not sound nearly as good, and when I assemble it, it will sound really discontinuous. To adjust this in Windows Sound Recorder, go File->Properties->Format Conversion, and adjust the recording format.

• In general, don't be afraid to do multiple takes until you get a really good performance.

• To send stuff to me, avoid sending me anything by email unless the file is really small (say, a few megs). Rather, put the files on the web and send me the links. You can save space by zipping files. I'd ask people to avoid posting links on Wiki (save for a few sample clips, perhaps), just so we don't have random observers hearing the whole thing before it's ready.

• I can be contacted at abobbs@u.arizona.edu, or paged on Wiki.

--AlexBobbs"

Obviously, you can ignore the bit about "due December 12" above...

Planned Soundtrack so far: Book I

1. Prolog : FOTR soundtrack, “The Prophecy”
2. Happyville High (Gandalf’s arrival): The Simpsons, “The Land of Chocolate” (it’s super-happy)
3. Happyville High (Party): “Take on Me”
4. How the Ream Came To Frodo: FOTR Soundtrack, “The Shadow of the Past”
5. The Treachery of Platt : Beethoven, “Fur Elise” (piano)
6. Leaving Happyville (Meeting Pippin and Merry): John Williams, “Ewok Parade”
7. Leaving Happyville(The Black Rider): John Williams, “The Emperor”
8. At the Sign of Dennys (in Dennys): Weird Al, “Eat it”.
9. At the Sign of Dennys (in the Ream world): Fur Elise, played very slowly
10. Journey to Infinity (Nintendo segment): Super Mario Brothers theme
11. Journey to Infinity (Nazgul attack): Orff, Carmina Burana, “O Fortuna”
12. Interlude: FOTR soundtrack, “The Treason of Isengard”
13. Trolls in the Archives: Strong Bad Sings, “Circles”
14. Race to the Quad; At the Courtyard: Khachaturian, “The Sabre Dance”

Book II

1. Council of Elrond:
2. Caradras: ("Climb Every Mountain"? Or just some Blizzard sounds We require more minerals!)
3. Moria (prior to battle) Grieg, "Hall of the Mountain King"
4. Moria (Battle with Troll): Final Fantasy IV, battle theme
5. Moria (Balrog): Strong Bad Sings, "Trogdor"
6. Lothlorien:
7. Saruman Segments: Joel McNeely?, Xizor's Theme (from Shadows of the Empire)
8. Amon Hen (Boromir and Frodo): Prokofiev, "Romeo and Juliet" (well, a specific section that actually fits)
9. Amon Hen (Battle) "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta'"
10. End: FOTR Soundtrack, "The Breaking Of The Fellowship"
11. Credits: The Hamster Dance