Christopher Jarvis's Blog, page 5

A Long Overdue Update

Hello, listeners! Thought it was time we gave a little update with the progress of the recording of Five shiny new audio projects coming your way and an update on our Kickstarter-funded studio!

The studio has performed brilliantly and delivered exactly what we needed it to do. We christened the studio with a brilliant first appearance by the legion-voiced Toby Longworth, who brought his wide range of characterisations as well as his huge experience of audiobooks and the sci-fi genre. Drew Wagar's amazing Elite: Reclamation is recorded, as well as the start of Toby's contribution to the Elite: Tales from the Frontier anthology of short stories.

Elite: Reclamation temporary artwork

Next up we had the amazingly talented Penelope McDonald, who has recorded half the short story anthology for us as well as a number of parts for Elite: Lave Revolution, our new full-cast audio drama, adapted from the forthcoming book. It's sounding amazing so far - some great performances - and the multi-booth design of the studio is helping us to get the best out of audio drama recording.

Illustration from Elite: Tales from the Frontier (Children of Zeus)
We've also had the pleasure of recording with Scott Ainslie, who has voiced John Harper's Elite: And Here The Wheel - a debut novel from a New Zealand writer. Additionally, Kate Russell has finished recording her own novel, Elite: Mostly Harmless and the recordings are winging their way to us for post-production magic.
Finally, we'll be looking forward to wrapping up recording of the Elite: Dangerous anthology of short stories, Elite: Tales from the Frontier and also welcoming the rest of our talented cast for Elite: Lave Revolution.
The script for Elite: Lave Revolution; it's quite an epic...-- Chris

Studio progress - recording begins!

Hey folks. A very quick update here because it's all hands to the pump at The Radio Theatre Workshop. Thought you'd like to see some updated pics of our new bespoke audio drama recording studio! We've got our first major recording session this week, with the fantastic Toby Longworth, reading Drew Wagar's Elite: Reclamation as well as a bunch of other stuff we'll fill you in on soon!
We've been making custom microphone boxes. Booth 1 Booth 2 Booth 3

Shiny new studio incoming!

It's been a while since we've given any updates on activity here at The Radio Theatre Workshop. So much has been going on and we have so much exciting news that we've been far too busy to stop and take stock.

Firstly, congratulations to Fantastic Books Audio for completing their Kickstarter to produce audiobooks based on the upcoming videogame Elite: Dangerous. In an exciting finale to the fundraiser, four books suddenly became five with the signing of BBC presenter and Elite author Kate Russell with her book, Elite: Mostly Harmless.

We're overjoyed to announce that that The Radio Theatre Workshop will be producing these audiobooks. In the next few months we will be recording four audiobooks of three of the novels and the short story anthology. Finally, Elite: Lave Revolution will be adapted into a full-cast audio drama by the creative team behind Elite: Escape Velocity.

As part of this great new project, we received funding from Fantastic Books - as part of an agreement to continue to produce high-quality audio fiction for them for some time to come - to construct our very own purpose-built voice recording studio. Author and producer Christopher Jarvis has agreed to sacrifice his garage for the project and work has commenced.

However, the timescale for the books is extremely tight and we discovered that most brickies were not available in the window within which they were needed, so Chris and Dan Grubb, CEO of FBP set to work starting the conversion. All I can say is it's a good thing Dan is an expert builder. It's funny the jobs you get involved in to make a project happen when you are really passionate about it! Take a look at some of the pictures below and see the first stage of creating the studio!

The mostly empty garage at the start Measuring out the booth spaces A precise business, this Booth 1 and outer wall begin construction Publisher Dan gamely tries to fit in some publishing Booth 1 taking shape The first full-height booth, #3! Outer wall and booth 1 We have a door The finished studio space from inside. Next stop electrics!

Forced Entry, by Michael Brookes - Now Available!

Now available on our download store, Forced Entry. Adapted from the popular short story by author Michael Brookes, this tale sees a group of special forces operatives called in to assist in a hostage situation.

Inside the house, however, something is very wrong. Something not attributable to human action. Sweeping room by room, all the teams find is implacable evil and unimaginable horror.


Forced Entry by Michael Brookes (Trailer)
Audio player not compatible.
Forced Entry is now available in our shiny and new download store for £1.99. Listen and enjoy!

New Audio Episode Coming Saturday 21st December!

Come back and check out The Radio Theatre Workshop as we go live with our brand new audio store and a great new radio drama for you to enjoy!

"Forced Entry" is an exciting action/horror from the pen of acclaimed writer Michael Brookes. From the production team behind Elite: Escape Velocity comes this creepy tale of four special forces teams, two hostages and the horrific contents of one mysterious house.


Head back here on Saturday 21st December to see our new store and grab a copy of this great audio drama, for only £1.99!

Why We Love Audio Drama

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "why do you love audio drama so much?" The other one is, "I really like your audio series, Escape Velocity; where can I hear more audio drama?"
The second question gives me a great amount of satisfaction. Not only because it shows love and support for my own audio series, but because there's nothing I like more than switching people on to audio drama.
Firstly, I need to draw your attention to a fantastic and worthy Kickstarter project. Fantastic Books Publishing is currently raising funds to produce four audiobooks, to be produced by us at The Radio Theatre Workshop, based on four exciting new science fiction novels set in the Elite: Dangerous universe.

Hear an example extract from Elite: Tales from the Frontier:
Audio player not compatible.

Supporting this Kickstarter will enable us to produce new, high quality, fantastic audio adventures for you to enjoy as much as you've been enjoying Escape Velocity. Head over there now for exclusive backer bonuses and spread the word about our campaign.
Firstly, the form itself is a beautiful compromise. I always think that there are two ends of the spectrum: film at one end, with its clear and unmistakable view of the story's world and books at the other, where the reader's imagination draws the pictures and allows imagination to roam free. Books are enormously personal, but interpretations differ and the experience (except I would argue, with the most exceptional books) can be rather cold. While films deny the imagination release, they allow all audiences to share the same experience and the conviction of the actors, combined with music allow for a greater emotion response to the material.
Audio drama occupies a fantastic space between those two poles. The action takes place entirely in the audience's mind, guided only by the voices and sounds that they hear. In this way, the experience is akin to books, in that it allows the recipient to take part in the imaginative process of creating the story's world. However the story is told with the power of human voices and all the additional support of sound effects and music to create an intensely emotional experience.

In a time-poor society, of course, films have won audiences with faster communication of ideas. A film may take two hours to tell a story which takes a reader several times longer. Audio drama generally moves at film or television pace, possibly a little slower. It is after all, dependent on conversation to depict environments which a film could convey in one or two images.
Ultimately, I love audio drama because I am a consumer of tales; a wanderer in adventure. I don't like to be far from an escapist story. I love books and films, but they demand my sole attention. Nothing enlivens a long drive or a day's housework quite like being accompanied by an audio adventure. The chore at hand may demand my body and my eyes, but my ears and mind are free to explore the heavens, the depths of the ocean or the wilds of an uncharted rainforest.
So what audio dramas would I recommend? Keep an eye on this website, as we have exciting plans for upcoming audiobooks and serials. But until then here are a few of the series which have inspired me in my love of audio drama.
Journey Into Space - The Red Planet by Charles Chiltern


This is an epic of British science fiction. Originally broadcast in the 1950's the science of space travel may have dated but the characters, psychological tension and horror still pack a weighty punch. Creepy crewmen, dreams of victorian exhibitions, martian pyramids all set against the challenges of surviving on a Mars expedition. This remains my greatest inspiration, not just for audio drama, but storytelling. This was the second of three series, but it by far the best and stands on its own. Also followed up in the 80's with the excellent Space Force, which must be available for purchase somewhere!
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This was where the journey began for me. A classic of radio comedy, it also represents a cracking adventure in time and space. My folks had the tapes of the first two series and I listened to them over and over until I could speak along to the whole saga from memory. With the eventual production of series 2-3 in 2005, it's great to have the whole audio story catch up with the novels.
UNIT: Dominion (Doctor Who) - Big Finish


More recently I've discovered Big Finish, who produce a great range of audio dramas, mostly based on Doctor Who and Blake's Seven but go much further. The technical brilliance of their soundscapes is a bar to aim for, but beyond that they are also great and addictive serials. UNIT Dominion is an excellent and recent example of their work, featuring my own Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. Other great examples of their Doctor Who serials are The Chimes of Midnight (by far the best Christmas special to date!), Max Warp (a Top Gear spoof in the far future, mixed with a murder mystery) and Brave New Town (a brilliant story with an unexpected twist, harking back to my own teens with the memory of Bryan Adams' epic marathon at #1 in the charts).
Other great audios I personally recommend are Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, Planet B and The Brightonomicon by Robert Rankin.
-- Chris

Series Two of Elite: Escape Velocity has begun!

Elite: Escape Velocity is our free full-cast audio drama, set in a sprawling universe of space travel, trade, piracy and survival. It is an unofficial homage to the world of Elite: Dangerous, the new open-world space-flight simulator in development by Frontier Developments and created by David Braben, creator of the original space classic "Elite".

You can listen to the episode here, but for the full experience please feel free to subscribe for free using an RSS reader or iTunes or visit the main Escape Velocity website at LaveRadio.com.

Series Two Episode One: Trading Run
Audio player not compatible. Reeling from the events in Imperial Space, a desperate Commander Thane trades and fights for survival with enemies close behind. Meanwhile, May has a new visitor in her dreams... Download MP3

Escape Velocity Series 2 Incoming

Hey folks. Thank you all for your patience, but series two of Elite: Escape Velocity is almost here! For those who don't know, Escape Velocity is our free audio drama based on the forthcoming game "Elite: Dangerous."
In the meantime, you can enjoy a bumper pack (Is two classed as bumper? --Ed) featuring a teaser and a trailer. Enjoy!
Lave Radio Network News BulletinAudio Player Not Compatible   listen/download the audio file here
Series Two Full TrailerAudio Player Not Compatible   listen/download the audio file here

Recording for Escape Velocity Series 2

It's been a few months since last heading into the recording space to record actors for Escape Velocity. With the principle recording days for series two now under our belts, I've been thinking about how the recording process for the Radio Theatre Workshop has evolved.
The first ever episode was written and recorded as an one-off experiment, to see how well the idea and plot would be received by the Elite: Dangerous community and to explore the process of producing audio drama. Escape Velocity was my first attempt at writing and producing a full-cast audio drama. The first episode was written stand-alone and recorded in a single evening with the full cast.
Alan Wales as the Cyborg Tech-Bootlegger "Kurlek"

Series two of Escape Velocity required a slightly different approach to recording. Series one was six 20-minute episodes, with the last four recorded in a single day. Series two of Escape Velocity will comprise five 30-minute episodes. It's a much bigger show than the previous series.
Left to right: Janet Westwood-Wilson (Camilla, S1), Katie Howes (Student/Pilot), Christopher Jarvis (Writer/Director/Thane)At present, Escape Velocity is recorded on the stage at the theatre in Coventry in which I am involved. It is from The Wheatsheaf Players that nearly all of the actors involved in the production are gathered. The commitment and talent of this Coventry-based group is always hugely encouraging during Escape Velocity's production and I heartily recommend anybody in the area at the right moment to check out one of the Wheatsheaf's fantastic shows and support their ongoing campaign for a new stage.

Recording in a theatre has come with surprises in the past. Series One's big recording day featured a completely boxed set on stage for the theatre's next production - requiring us to improvise with ladders and duvets for the reverb-neutral environment we require for quality recording. For a free production these challenges are an ongoing part of our passion!

Amy Timms (May Havelock) recording in an improvised booth.So, with Escape Velocity Series Two mostly recorded it's time to say a massive Thank You! to all the actors that have so far given their voices and time. It's also time for me to chase down those last few elusive performers and cameos that will see the series fully complete. After that it's into the editing suite.
But that's another story.

(Pictures from Series One recording)

First series of Elite: Escape Velocity now complete

It's been quite a ride over the last few months, but the first six-part series of our Elite: Dangerous-inspired full-cast audio drama is now finished. You can hear and download the entire series from the Escape Velocity website at Lave Radio, or from the links on this site.

Escape Velocity - An Elite: Dangerous Audio Adventure Serial


We've received a lot of comments and reviews for Escape Velocity over the last few weeks which have all been (in equal measure!) heartwarming, encouraging and motivating. Here's a selection...

"Latest episode is just amazing I am so hooked!"

"Really brilliant stuff. The production quality is so perfect."

"Well done. I didn't think I would like audio dramas but you have made me see/hear the error of my ways. Can't wait to hear what happens next."

"Very professional, better than many audio plays I've heard on national radio."

"Sounds fantastic. Voice acting, sound effects and story is first class. Excellent work."

"From an entertaining plot to the soundtrack and editing, this is a fantastic piece of work worthy of broadcast on any radio station."

"Captivating and intriguing!"

"Brilliantly produced."

"Escape Velocity is a real work of art!"

"A very professional affair."

"Loved it all, and really hoping there will be a sequel."

The reception it has received has proved the concept beyond a doubt. It's an understatement to say I'm pleased that Escape Velocity has not only found an audience with first time audiences coming to audio drama, but has also grown the enthusiasm for rich audio adventures. I hope to be able to come back to Escape Velocity for more adventures as soon as possible, plus a whole load of future projects.