After listening to more episodes from ‘The Black Tapes’ podcast, I heard about many more interesting ghost stories, and noticed some continued patterns from the first episodes. I’ve been interested in the different stories and cases since I like crime, murder and ghost stories so I enjoy listening to more episodes of the podcast. Each episode begins the same with the intro song, which I find myself starting to sing a long at the beginning to each time. Then a clip plays of a phone call with Dr. Strand, since this season focuses on the Black Tapes of Dr. Stand’s. Then the host, Reagan starts introducing the podcast, but before the main introduction there is an intro where she messes up and makes jokes, and says something along the lines of ‘don’t put that in’ but keeps the same fake intro clip every time which I enjoy since she messes up and laughs about it and it keeps the podcast more real, and I can definitely relate from when I did podcast recording. Lastly, she gives an actual intro for herself and the season and about what is to come in the episode.
Each episode focuses on a different case, some about ghosts, exorcism, paranormal activity, murder, and a few others, so each one is very different. Of the ones I most recently listened to, I really enjoyed one where they interview a Simon Reese, who was convicted for the murder of his parents. He has some issues going on with communicating, so when being interviewed he taps one for yes and two for no. However, when asked certain question he doesn’t respond, or will respond with no and yes, like in regards to being there when his parents died. This interviewer adds suspense since you can hear the change in his tone of voice as he starts to feel overwhelmed with the answers he is getting from Simon. I enjoyed this particular episode since I think the story is very interesting, Simon is a unique character, and there is a lot of suspense, and I encourage you to listen to find out more!
I’ve noticed that similarly to the intro and intro music, the transition music/sounds are always the same. I think this is an important feature of the podcast since in this specific podcast, the way the stories are told you do not always not what is true or not, so this music that plays in between is like a reminder signal to the audience to reflect. It being the same sound every time is like a mental clue for the listener to step back, and reflect on the information given, and to think about how true everything is.
The stories in these podcasts are told in a way with many clips to make the stories much more compelling. During the interviews Reagan conducts, you can hear the different tones and inflections of those being interviewed when telling their stories, which add realness. The podcast is very intriguing since with some of the editing, we hear a clip of an interview or a noise track like for paranormal activity, and then Reagan cuts in and says something like we will get back to that later, or gives background before going into the full story. Altogether the podcast has been great so far, and although every episode is different, I can tell they all go together and I like the setup, and I am excited to listen to more and see what season 2 will have in store!
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The podcast “The Black Tapes” is a very creepy and just overall suspenseful show. I also chose to listen to the episode involving the boy Simon Reese who was accused of murdering both of his parents at age 11. Right off the bat you get a fun yet spooky intro song that leads you into the podcast, starting to build the eerie feeling in your gut letting you know this podcast is going to get weird. When I read this blog I was immediately interested in hearing the infamous introduction song and hearing how the podcast utilizes music, especially since you pointed that out in a later paragraph. And wow I was not disappointed. The usage of music in the podcast helped build suspense, make nice transitions, and make interviews much more interesting than if they were just the people talking. This is very similar to my podcast “Bear Brook” because they use music to build suspense when new information is revealed and music slowly starts to climax at the most dramatic (and scary) parts of the podcast. I am a big fan of using music to build suspense in an already dramatic type of podcast. Music really helps to establish a mood/tone for the podcast if its’ content hasn’t done so already. However, music can sometimes detract from the content of the podcast if it gets too loud or distracting for the listener.
In addition to the usage of music, “The Black Tapes” does a great job of including interviews, as you mentioned. The variety of interviews included, whether it be from the boy Simon or doctors involved in the case, help to bring multiple perspectives and opinions of the case at hand. You can hear the confusion and apprehension in their voices, ultimately concerned with the well-being of Simon but also trying to figure out what the heck happened. The inclusion of Simon’s interview really helps scare the listener because he only responds in taps rather than verbally responding to the questions that increase in intensity as the interview goes on. This is also very similar to the podcast “Bear Brook” given that the majority of their information and new leads come from interviews, and they also do a great job of including a variety of people. Sisters, police officers, reporters, local kids, the list goes on in the types of interviews they include in each episode. This is advantageous because it not only brings varying perspectives but it also gives us a break from the narrator’s voice(s). It brings in genuine emotion, feelings, and concerns given the cases at hand and helps us feel the same way. The interviews in both podcasts are my favorite part and I can’t help but become more invested as more interviews get added in. Sometimes though, having so many interviews could be disadvantageous because it’s easy to get lost in who is speaking and which interview says what. This could distract from the overall case at hand, but I stand behind the advantages that interviews bring.
You did a great job of summarizing all of the fascinating components that make this podcast so interesting. I will definitely keep listening.
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After reading your analysis and experience with the black tapes I noticed a lot of similarities with my thoughts as well. I also, have caught myself singing along to the theme song of Serial and the catchy background music. Although the subjects of the two podcasts are very different, they have a lot of the same styles. They both have a main narrator and then interview people that are important to each story. Just like Jordan mentioned in her response, Serial also allows us to hear the phone calls that Sara Koenig makes to the people she is speaking to which gives it a much more real feel to it. Serial also uses music transitions to give you time to evaluate the most recent information after important segments. I feel that this podcast also has the unknown factor of letting the listener determine their own thoughts about the matter rather than telling them what the final outcome is. I like this a lot better because it allows me to have some deep reflection on what has happened rather than brainlessly listening to it. It keeps me engaged because I don’t want to miss any of the important information given that may sway me one way or the other. In Serial the outcome of whether Adnan Syed did it or not is never solved so it is open ended for the audience. While this sounds like they don’t tell you if ghosts or paranormal activity is real or not but rather tell different stories and give you different perspectives/information to interpret it for yourself. I don’t believe in ghosts but I would be open to hearing some of these stories and see if my mind changes.
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Hey Jordan! Fantastic overview, and identification of the strategies used in your podcast. I love that fact that you’re enjoying your podcast, it sounds interesting! Though our podcasts may be different, I see a lot of similarities in the strategies that our podcasts use to engage the reader and build continued interest. For example, you discuss the theme song/background music of “the black tapes” and how you recognize it immediately to sing the song word for word for know the hum of it. See, that’s a great way to engage the listener, because it builds sense of belonging to the audience, they are familiar and comfortable with the podcast, and can nearly anticipate what is going to happen in various episodes, even if they vary. I do the same for my podcast Serial. I can immediately recognize the theme song and know what the podcast focuses on theme wise – it becomes a sixth sense. In some cases, the music also indicates the unknown where the listener can establish their own perspective on the situation – allowing the podcast to be mystery and interactive at the same time. In addition, our podcasts share similarities in having a main narrator that interviews people important to each story. We’re able to hear the opinions of our narrators, in my case Sarah Koenig, and other perspectives to the story like victims, lawyers, judges, etc. It helps build credibility to the story because we understand that these stories aren’t simply read off a newspaper, the narrator was present, interviewed those involved, and introduces their own opinions along with others. This is extremely helpful as it keeps the listener engaged and keeps them thinking about the missing pieces of evidence or story that complete the mystery. The listener is always wanting more – and that’s the beauty of both Serial and the Black Tapes. For example, if we refer to Episode 1, Season 1 or Episode 1, Season 3 from Serial, the narrator is never able to tell us whether Adnan Syad is guilty of murder, or if Anna truly deserves a misdemeanor. The audience is left which many questions, however, the podcasts are formatted this to have the endings open to audience interpretation based upon the facts presented in the episode.
In reference to the Black Tapes, I personally don’t believe ghosts or paranormal activity, what do you think? I’m curious to know if the podcast has changed your viewpoint on this at all? Great job!
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