Media
Audio, Podcast
Collaborators
Salt Audio, Spotify
Year
2021
Status
In Development
Anime Colored Glasses (ACG) is a narrative nonfiction podcast focused on how anime as a medium reflects the world back to us even in the most grandiose & off-the-wall ways.
It follows our protagonist, Shayla, as she navigates adult life, grapples with finding her purpose, and tries to keep hold of her child-like spirit of curiosity & imagination; even as it often runs away from her. She observes the world around her through the technicolor & stylized lens of anime and pop culture, blurring the lines between the real and surreal along the way.
It’s an audio diary and a love letter to anime and storytelling as a whole.
Format
For this podcast, the narrative nonfiction format combines immersive dramatized fiction, the MC’s personal journey, with research & pop culture commentary exploring anime’s impact on her and other fans. It’s a coming of age story mixed with insights on the history, culture, and behind the scenes aspects of anime as an industry and an art form.
Art by Céli // IG: @aepoyi // Twitter: @pianta_
Behind the Scenes
Anime Colored Glasses project was developed, workshopped, and produced during my time in Spotify’s SoundUp program. I talked a little about my experience on the ‘About’ page, and below is how things took shape.
I paired with audio extraordinaires, SALT, to make ACG’s pilot episode. From scripting, casting, recording, sound design, music scoring, to editing and mixing, this insanely talented crew and their network of insanely talented people practically adopted me and brought me into every step of the production process. Nothing was a mystery.
The result of our partnership was an immersive, rich, playful, and fun episode that far exceeded what I could have hoped for. I’m immensely proud of what we accomplished in the span of a summer. The experience left me excited to keep going and encouraged that I could.
Below are a few clips of what we accomplished. Headphones are highly encouraged.
Commute
Not many people would look at early morning work commutes fondly, and neither does our protagonist. She’s got a few ways to make them more bearable and sometimes, dare we say, enjoyable.
Entering the Bar
Our heroine meets up with an old friend, a unabashed tv & film head, for drinks and can’t help but notice the bar he chose gives off a familiar vibe.
Death Parade
Shayla & Alex make a deal. He agrees to check out whatever show(s) she recommends, if she’s does the same with his movie recs. He wants to know what he’s in for, and she’s all too willing to share.
Lost & Found
Shayla’s digging through boxes at her childhood home and finds some unique eyeglasses that she doesn’t quite remember ever owning. They are enchanting in more ways than one.
Credits
Cast
- Kendra Hill
- Gabe Kunda
- Stephen Fu
- Alba Ponce de Leon
- Noah Gersh
SALT Audio & Team
- Liz LeMay – Head of Production
- Jordan Galvin – Head of Engineering
- Allie Strobel – Producer
- Sam Plattner – Sound Design
- Noah Kowalski – Edits, Engineering, & Mixing
- Jasper Van Dijk – Audio Supervision
- Tess Ryan – Writer Assistant & Script Supervisor
- Myrone – Composer
What’s Next
Creating this audio experience took a village. ACG is an independent production and while I am fleshing out the roadmap for the series and polishing my skills, I am also working on the roadmap for gathering the talent, resources, and funding for moving the show forward as true to the vision as possible.
Watch this space for updates on where this project is headed and ways to support.
