Going through a few more audio dramas and I'm dealing with a heavy case of "hipsteritise" or what I'm going to call "Bell-bottoms Dialog". Too many folks of the modern day persuasion fall into social media references and phrases that are instantly familiar to most podcast listeners.
These are geekisms and pop culture references that will be here today and eye-rolling tomorrow.
Don't in the name of heaven, fall into that trap unless you're purposefully epoxy-fitting your audio drama into a particular decade.
Like watching seventies cop shows with wide lapels, gaudy gold medalions, platform shoes and the like, these phrases and terms will be here today and painful to listen to tomorrow.
So if your dialog has:
"Don't go there" or "Oh-em-Gee!" or "He's such a Mary Sue" or any other such blog, tech, or pop related items- tear them out.
A rule of thumb is, if its a quarter of a decade old and it's been consistently popular, you're probably safe.
Maybe not even then.
Once upon a time, I read that when Dick van Dyke did his legendary Dick van Dyke Show one of the rules he laid down was there was never to be any slang used on the show. As a result, a person can watch the show 40 years later, and still get most of the humour and follow it with no problems.
ReplyDeleteThat struck me at the time, and it's always stuck with me for some reason. Slang is good for quick humour from a modern audience, but if you want something you're doing to have staying power then stay away from it!
Yeah, great points..
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of this just the other day when listening to some older (80's) radio drama and how current it managed to seem because it had avoided this trap.
I also (have to say) that this influences me on the older audio drama that I listen to.
I like bell bottoms-LOL
ReplyDelete