QL Devil's Due (It's done)

  • Thread starter Eric Lance Busby
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Eric Lance Busby

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Well its done.

All the acting, mixing and post production work is all done for Dark Projects first ever Quantum Leap story.

I hope to get it out to MJ sometime tonight or tomorrow. And then its in her ball park when it goes up.

Peace
 
Hey, Eric, I don't know if you've had a chance to speak with MJ, but her computer got infected by the MY DOOM virus a few days ago... so it might take her a while to reinstall everything and make sure the computer is working properly again.

Just figured I'd let you know...
 
Actually, you can check with her. She just told me she's basically up-and-running again now...
 
Well I've just given it a listen and I must say it certainly is... different.

I think it's a really solid piece, and in that respect I think it's pretty good.

The performance was well done - the devil was an interesting character - sort of like Q in the Spock vs. Q audios, only consciously more evil. Kind of dark, while also possessing a sort of dry humor. Nifty.

The writing too was pretty solid: it flowed nicely and incorporated some interesting ideas and elements from the show. I kind of wish that there was a little more action/dialogue. I use a lot of monologues myself, so I'm probably not the best person to be criticizing, but I felt that it was at some points kind of "tell-not-show", which is a little frustrating - especially given that you do have a part where you actually have him comment on a scene from the series.

It also a little frustrating, but totally fitting to the character, to be led along with the monologue toward an idea, only to be told that he's not going to talk about it. I suppose it's effective, given that he is supposed to be evil and talking to the audience.

This piece is really interesting in its interpretation of the series - it really turns some of the happy-goodness-hopeful feelings of the series on their heads. This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, the darkness idea has been done very well in the past - some similar ideas have been discussed in Rodvision, the Leap Continues RPG, and Quantum Retribution. Darkness and cynicism seems to compliment QL pretty well. However, I felt that something here seemed missing - I can't really pinpoint what it is, but there were some parts that just didn't feel quite like it meshed with the feeling of the series. Sorry I can't really be more specific than that.

All in all, a well done production, in spite of an ambivalent mixed review on my behalf - I like it on a technical level, but I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about it emotionally and content wise. Different is good, but I don't know if it worked fully for me. Anyway - Great job to everyone involved!

~gelfling
 
I pretty much agree with Gelf...

In terms of technical aspects and the ideas Eric was trying to convey, I think he conveyed them pretty well. But, I agree... it's missing... something...

I think I kind of know how to explain it after giving it some more thought... it was almost more like listening to a promo than an actual script. There just wasn't enough going on within the script to leave me satisfied. The best comparison I can make is: SNL ending their show after the host's monologue. There needed to be just a little something more to hold my interest.

That being said, it was a decent effort and well put together for what it was. I especially liked the Rolling Stones reference: "Pleased to meet you. Won't you guess my name?" It's been used in several instances, such as Stephen King's "The Stand" miniseries, and I got a kick out of it back then too.

And just to let you know, Eric... this IS a bit similar to the current story I'm working on for TVS. I won't say exactly HOW it's similar, but some of our ideas seem to be along the same lines. Everyone will see what I mean when it's finished and posted on MJ's site. I've already sort of touched on some ideas in my previous 2-part story.
 
I look forward to reading your story Damon. Maybe we should collaborate on an audio or something sometime. I'm always looking for good writers.

As for having more. I could have stretched it out a lot more. But I was trying to keep it short and sweet and lay down some ground work for something in the future. If I ever do anything QL again in the future. This was more or less an opening the door.

However I am glad you got the Rolling Stones joke. Needless to say I kind of lifted that from The Stand. But its cute all the same.

Peace
 
Eric,

I think what I meant by "needing something more" was not so much about stretching it out or lengthening it, but in a more conceptual sense. A monologue is great for conveying an idea in a play and 10 minutes is a good length for a monologue - but in radio, as a listener, I want something more than just a monologue - no matter how solidly written or performed it is.

I think I may have wanted a little more richness, which could have been done by making the ideas you have more tangible and concrete to the listening audience - making the references a little clearer, making sections a little more demonstrative than explicative. A lot of the time, I'm asked put more "oomph" into my writing - playing up the emotions more, upping the dynamics, etc. I think that some of what you needed was the "oomph" factor.

I'm not trying to knock your piece - I'm just trying to clarify a bit.

Just my two cents,
~gelfling
 
Well, Eric, if you'd like to see a sample of my writing, you can read my 2-part story on TVS:

Second Genesis, Part I & Second Genesis, Part II

It was "aired" at the beginning of January to favorable reviews, and I'm pleased that people enjoyed it. I was going to mention it at the Quantum Realities e-mail group back then, but I was going through some emotional pain at the time and I needed to be "away" from the online groups for a while.

Anyway, I know the world of Quantum Leap pretty well... probably as much as MJ does. (If she's the Queen of QL, then I'm probably the King, LOL!!) The VS story I'm working on at the moment is called "Post Traumatic Leap Syndrome" although seeing as how there are only 6 slots left for the remainder of the season, I might hold off on it to get my "Lifetime" trilogy done asap. It's very possible that I might call upon a few people here, namely Sue, Brian, and MJ, to help me flesh out certain ideas I had for it. (Why them specifically? Well, just a hint... Sue's upcoming fanfiction site is Into The Future, Brian's site is The Starbright Project, and MJ's other fanfic site is Quantum Retribution. They'd be more familiar with some details I'm incorporating into my trilogy.) There was also a story I proposed to Aurora about a year ago for The Radio Files, but unfortunately, I can never seem to come up with enough to make it a full-length audio... that and the fact that I have virtually no experience writing script formats. It's a great idea too... one that's perfect for an audio production. If you'd like to know what my idea is, Eric, you can e-mail me at suggie176@hotmail.com. I don't want to discuss it here, because I'd rather surprise people with it... Gelf, Aurora, and MJ know what it is, but that's it. If you e-mail me, just be sure to put your name in the subject title of the e-mail so that I know it's you, otherwise I might consider it junk mail and trash it. Can't be too careful these days...

One last note... although QL is my passion, it's not the only thing I'd like to write. At some point, I'd like to be able to expand my writing to encompass many other ideas I've had over the years. I even have my own epic saga that I'm determined to write someday, although it will most likely take me years to finish it because it's so incredibly complex. It's about time-travel, but it's more of a fantasy "Star Wars" type of story: Good vs. Evil, love, betrayal, sacrifices, etc. It's my ultimate "dream project" and I really hope I can write it someday and share it with the world. I guess everyone has one particular "legacy" they'd love to be remembered for... Star Wars is George Lucas', Star Trek was Gene Roddenberry's... I'm hoping Timescape will be mine. That's why I need to wait. An epic like this can take years to fully conceptualize, it needs the absolute best I can give it. I mean, look how long it's taken George Lucas... close to 30 years to complete the entire saga. Hopefully, it won't take me THAT long to complete my saga.

Sorry this kind of went off-topic, but I figured I would use this forum to share my thoughts and ideas.
 
I also just listened to this audio file tonight. I thought it was an interesting piece, not fully QL (the mention of Doctor Who), but I thought it was enjoyable. ^_^ It was interesting to listen to him talk, and I think the length was just perfect.

Great work, Eric!

... Mike. ^_^