Sloppy realism: Audio drama, field recording, and the radiophonic unconscious

Neil Verma*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter explores the use of field recording in radio and audio drama, arguing that nonstudio sound capture imparts an aesthetic of sloppy realism to a variety of productions. The chapter explores the use of this aesthetic from the 1930s to the early twenty-first century, arguing that although sloppy realism has been a marginal and difficult practice, it has proven persistent, in part because it has been a way for dramatists to "think" their medium through technique. The chapter then draws on interviews with thirteen practitioners using the method today, exploring what they see as its appeals: allowing creators to show inheritance as well as innovation, providing settings with mystique, prompting creative mic technique, making performances more physical, and embracing contingency. Ultimately, the revival of sloppy realism represents a way of figuring the liveness of old radio as a lingering "repressed other" in contemporary soundwork.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Radio and Podcasting
PublisherOxford University Press
Pages159-179
Number of pages21
ISBN (Electronic)9780197551158
ISBN (Print)9780197551127
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 20 2024

Keywords

  • Audio drama
  • Field recording
  • Liveness
  • Podcasting
  • Radio drama
  • Realism
  • Recording

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Arts and Humanities

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sloppy realism: Audio drama, field recording, and the radiophonic unconscious'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this