VCDS-Helen Ho script writer interview

Adam Lam12min

Speaker 1

00:00

And for this first question was like to write technical verification? Um, I, I would bet that it's a different experience reading for radio drama as opposed to an in person audience. So I'm very curious to hear about your general thoughts on waiting for an audio drama. I was like,

Speaker 2

00:21

yeah, so I originally wrote technical dedication in high school, and it was a stage play at first. So yeah, getting to like rewrite it and adapt. It was, it was different. I've never written like a radio drama before or like an audio drama. And it was mostly like, like, I was very lucky that Alexa and Gail were pretty helpful. And I had, you know, some friends who were really helpful in terms of reading it. But it was a lot of like, having to think like, and I had to restructure a lot of the jokes, because a lot of the jokes were very, like, Originally, it was a stage show, right? So they were like, actual, like, directions. And, and then in the rewrite, like, I had to consider like, Oh, yeah, nobody's gonna be able to see any of these things. So you know, and like, defects can only go so far in terms of establishing like, things that are, you know, you can't see the room, you can't see the people. So it's like, it suddenly has to be a lot more like, about, like, what the characters are saying, and what's not being said, rather than what's being shown through like, body language and stuff like that. So yeah, it's just, it like, kind of opens up another door of like, you have to think about stuff that you really wouldn't usually think about when you're writing stage play.

Unknown Speaker

01:43

Yeah. Interesting.

Speaker 1

01:47

Yeah, like to expand a bit more that if possible. So I guess from your perspective, if you're reading an in person, play, you might have those days directions, you might have those. I've had this it's been a long, long time, those cues for the actors to read before lines. From your view, writing for radio, for this podcast format, for COVID-19. How did you adapt the script? Did you still have those stage cues? for like, like audio implementation? ghosting? Yeah.

Speaker 2

02:23

Yeah. So, um, yeah, there was still like, there was still like, so I typically when I write like, scripts and stuff, I don't really give too much explicit direction for the actors, because I kind of like it when they like, interpret it as their own. And they kind of like put their own twist on like, stuff, obviously, like for big, emotional moments. Like, I'm like, if I want them to scream, like, I'll put like, you know, you scream at this part, or whatever. But yeah, so I guess adapting it was more there was a little bit more like, I would have to like add a little bit more cues, because it's like, just so the audience can hear it, because they can't see like in their body language, oh, they're frustrated, or whatever. So you want to add, like, in a tone of frustration, just so the actors kind of know, to, like, emphasize that more in their voice. And also, I think it's really interesting, because like, the people that we got in the cast, like, they're lovely, and they're all like, terrific stage actors. And I think very few of them had done like a radio drama before or like an audio drama. So it's just, and like, they probably weren't only acting, you know, with their voices. So, yeah, I did add, like a bit more like of the, into the script. I feel like just to kind of guide them. Yeah,

Speaker 1

03:41

it's a pretty interesting experience. And I was had some questions as well, in terms of the origins of clinical verification, you mentioned wearing this in high school. Did you have a particular inspiration? What to whatever events led you to this work?

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