Date published: 10/26/2019
Written by: Anne Baird, Katie Youmans, Wil Williams
Produced by: Wil Williams
It’s high time we checked in with our progress, but also ourselves. How are we feeling? Well, um . . . FUGUE STATE! FUGUE STATE! FUGUE STATE!
- Find out what your magic sounds like with our quiz!
- Find the episode of Start with This about writing quickly here
Transcript
ANNE
With the whole team tired from from quitting jobs and going to PodTales and dealing with general life events, this week on Scoring Magic, we have a general check-in on how we’re doing and how we’re feeling and how we’re keeping ourselves from just screaming about how there’s only two months left until VALENCE releases.
The magic quiz we mention this episode, and that was featured at our booth at PodTales in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is now available on our website. You can access it more easily by going to bit.ly/Magic-Quiz. Again, that’s bit.ly/Magic-Quiz. You can find a link to that in the show notes, and if you go on social media, please let us know what your magic sounds like by using the hashtag, #ValenceMagic.
If you’re listening to this episode on release day, then there is recording for Season 1 of VALENCE happening right now. With that being said, next week, on Scoring Magic, we’ll go into a little bit more of our behind-the-scenes in scheduling and recording, live table reads, and recording sessions.
WIL
Alright, how we doin y’all?
KATIE
I think we’re all sleepy as fuck!
WIL
Yeah, uh–
ANNE
Yeah, sounds about right.
WIL
So as we’re recording this, it’s the 22nd. My last day of work is the 25th, so . . .
KATIE
[airhorn noises]
WIL
Yeah, [airhorn noises], but also [alarmed wailing noises]
[laughter]
KATIE
Those two can coexist.
WIL
Like, all of the things that exist at the same time are–scare me, of last day of work, and also we’re like, what, halfway done at least with the finale script, and we’re gonna start recording soon, and–
KATIE
Saturday!
WIL
And today, I sent out–oh my god. [stressed grumble noises]
ANNE
When this episode comes out, there will be– [laughter] –recording happening!
WIL
Oh christ.
KATIE
Cooool, I’m gonna go…hurl now.
WIL
If you listen when this come out, you listen *while it happen*.
KATIE
Yes.
WIL
Wow…
ANNE
Oh nooo.
KATIE
Some of our actors will not be doing a listen, but that’s ok.
WIL
That’s ok.
ANNE
They will if–they will if they get up in the morning, like human beings should.
WIL
Oh Anneberly, that’s not gonna happen.
ANNE
“Annerberly”
KATIE
But time zones…
WIL
Oh, time zones…
ANNE
Time zones–it’s–recording at, like, like, noon here.
WIL
Fugue state! fugue state! fugue state!
KATIE
No, none of that now!
WIL
[still chanting “fugue state” and clapping in time]
KATIE
We need to get things done!
WIL
[still chanting “fugue state” and clapping in time]
[laughter]
KATIE
Oooh . . . it didn’t even take three minutes.
[laughter]
WIL
Ooooh y’all, I’m so fuckin stressed out. I’m, like, so delighted by everything, like, everything that’s happening is the best shit in the universe–I’m still gonna die. Like-
ANNE
Stuff keeps happening and-
WIL
Aaaghh . . .
KATIE
It’s fuckin rude.
ANNE
Yeah.
WIL
Aah, ok, we should give a status update on, like, where we are with everything right now. Um, so, let’s do, like, a bulleted list and then maybe go back and, like, expand on some of those?
ANNE
Ok, yeah.
WIL
So, Anne and Katie, you two just got back from PodTales, um, with some of the actors and with Julia
KATIE
Julia!
WIL
Like I said, we are, at least, like, halfway done with the finale script. All of the other scripts are written, um, Anne has to approve episode 11.
ANNE
Fuck.
WIL
And then that one is done. Um. We have, we have assembled our recording blocks, which I think we’ll go into, probably, in another episode. I kind of want this one to be, like, our emotional state versus a nitty gritty. We have some recording groups scheduled, um, most of them not but we have them all, like, assembled to be scheduled. We have all the scheduling in place, we just need to finalize dates. Um, I have run through a few scenes with John just for some practice.
KATIE
I didn’t know this.
ANNE
Oooh . . .
WIL
Yeah he came over.
KATIE
which ones? which ones?
WIL
We ran through some of the [R E D A C T E D] together.
KATIE
Ooh, nice. Ok, yes.
WIL
Yes, yes, um, he fucking killed it.
KATIE
Please tell me you recorded it.
WIL
He fucking killed it, he made me laugh out loud several times, I was very pleased. Um.
KATIE
Wil, please tell me you recorded.
WIL
No.
KATIE
Nooo!
ANNE
Boooo!
WIL
I know, it was, it was like, pretty casual. I mean, he was just, like, hanging out, you know? Um, [thinking noises], we . . . oh! Um, today, all of the extras, so, people like Halo Employee–not the Halo employee–like, bartenders, baristas, things like that, um, I sent them their little, like, scripts, um. For most of them, I just DM’d them, like, the line that we’ll need from them. For some of them, I sent them actual scripts, but I have names edited out and I have deleted most of the scenes — I only included the lines that they would need to make their lines make sense. Something . . . oh! I have put in the names of some actors from our rolodex that I thought would be good for the ensemble actors. Um, so people who have more than, like, a handful of lines. People like the, um, the start-up CEO at the benefit.
Um, if y’all wanna, like, go through and listen to those actors’ auditions again to see if you like their voices for those roles, that would be great, um. We need to cut a promo, both for VALENCE and for Scoring Magic. Um, I mean, we’re like, it’s crazy. We’re like, pretty much done with the scripts. We’re done with the IndieGoGo. All we have left is actually recording. Um, I do think it’s worth pointing out, for transparency and because, again, this is, like, a documentary, and, y’know, like, honesty and whatever–we are way behind schedule.
ANNE
Y-yeah . . . our original recording schedule from the casting call said we would be recording in September and October, and we’re now at the end of October and only just now starting to record. So, that’s . . . we’re two months behind schedule. But, with that in mind, that’s why we built so much of a buffer in to our planning schedule. Because things like this happen.
KATIE
Also full transparency, I think a lot of that delay falls on me because I am a very slow writer, um. I take a lot of time to mull and a lot of time to sit with my ideas and figure out if I like them before actually committing them to paper, and, like, on a schedule, you only have so much of that time and I definitely abused that with a couple of early episodes.
WIL
Um, this week’s Start With This was actually about writing faster than your doubt, um. It was a great episode–you should listen to it. I think you would get a lot from it.
KATIE
Nice.
WIL
Um, ’cause that’s how I try to write, is like, if I write fast enough, I won’t panic about whether or not it’s good. ‘Cause I’ll write faster than my doubt can catch up. But I do think, like, after a while, we remembered, like, hey! Hard deadlines are really good! so I think sticking to those for season two will be good, and we’ll have so much time before season two, like. I could very easily–
KATIE
Don’t jinx it!
WIL
–well, I was gonna say, like, I could very easily crank out a chunk of season two while we’re recording season one. Um, because, like, I–’cause I’m free.
KATIE
No! More! Day! Job!
WIL
‘Cause I’m free, yeah! ‘Cause I’m fuckin free. Um . . .
ANNE
With that in mind, though, um, from the standpoint of you need to make money, this is not making us money right now-
WIL
Oh, no, I know.
ANNE
So you do need to do the article writing.
WIL
I’m, I mean-
ANNE
Not the script right now.
WIL
Yeah.
ANNE
That’s not a priority.
WIL
I just already have, like, a lot under my belt and I–I’m not–I’m not terribly worried right now.
ANNE
Yeah, with, uh, with getting season two started, I think, because of the changes we made throughout season one, from the source material, season two is going to end up looking a lot different than we first anticipated.
KATIE
Dramatically, yeah.
ANNE
So, before we get to writing any scripts, I think we should do what we did with season one, and come up with a rough outline and work it out from there.
WIL
Oh, absolutely.
KATIE
The story beats and stuff, yeah.
WIL
Yeah. I think that that’s gonna be super, super helpful, and . . . yeah, that’ll be good. Um, how are we all feeling? About everything?
KATIE
[stressed grumble noise]
ANNE
[stressed grumble noise] is right.
KATIE
Well, ok, so like. Full honesty, I’ve had a little bit of life upheaval, and it’s been my choosing, and it’s been, um, for the better?
WIL
Mmhmm
KATIE
. . . I still have, um. Feeling better does not necessarily mean feeling good just yet, and so . . . I . . . am feeling a lot lighter than I was, but I’m still, like, pulling myself out of the tail end of a little bit of burnout, um . . .
WIL
Wow! That is . . . identical to where I am feeling.
KATIE
Wuh-woah!
WIL
Yeah, um, Anne, how about you?
ANNE
I actually feel like I’m in–I don’t want to say the opposite, but, like, after this weekend, I am . . . super, like. I’m feeling very productive right now.
KATIE
Heck yeah!
WIL
Mmhmm
ANNE
So, like, I am in a very “I wanna do stuff and I wanna make things happen” kind of mood. So . . . which I haven’t had in a really long time, so I think I — maybe I’m in the stage right after the recovery from burnout. I think I’m, like, I’m in the “I’m good to go now” stage ’cause a while–
WIL
Yay!
ANNE
A couple weeks ago, I think I was–I was in a, not a good place. But . . . things were–things were happening in my life, but now they’re not, so . . . [laugh]
KATIE
Yeah, I think Wil and I are still in . . . you know, like when you’re doing spring cleaning, which does involve, like, pulling all of the shit out of its hiding places to figure out what to actually do with it instead of just, like, shoving it under the bed so nobody notices [laugh] I feel like, we–we’re still in the “it’s messier than it was, but it’s on the way to being good” and Anne is in the “heck yes, I just wrapped that up and I’m tuckered out from it, but getting to bask in the results”.
WIL
Mmhmm
ANNE
Mmhmm
WIL
I . . . so, now that, like, most of my writing is done, now my doubt is catching up to me, and I have been feeling very . . . worried about season one, even though I know it’s fine–I know it’s good. I know it. But, like, I dunno. I dunno.
ANNE
Don’t turn around and look. Orpheus don’t do it!
KATIE
I was–I was like “we don’t own the copyright, I can’t sing it!”
[laughter]
WIL
I-I
KATIE
I was talking to . . . Alex, one of our actors, this weekend, about writing, and–and scriptwriting specifically, and it came up that, like, if the scripts aren’t being made, they’re just kinda, like, sitting there and so you have this temptation to get sucked into this endless loop of edit-rewrite-edit-rewrite, and like, don’t do that.
WIL
Oh, that is actually not the case for me at all.
KATIE
No?
WIL
Um, no, ’cause again, like, I write pretty quick. And I make edits, and then I consider it done. Like, I have other people edit as well, and then I consider it done, and then I move on. Um —
KATIE
(whispered) Sorcery.
WIL
My problem is more like, it’s not script edits. It’s, like, conceptual things.
KATIE
Oh . . .
WIL
Like, like, one of my biggest worries is that Liam is a bad protagonist–like, that he’s just not–that he doesn’t work as a protagonist, or he’s not interesting as a protagonist.
KATIE
We did surround him with really interesting people.
[laughter]
KATIE
Oops.
WIL
That is not, like, an incredibly encouraging response . . .
KATIE
No no no, like–
WIL
. . . to me saying–
KATIE
–like, I’m trying to–no, I know. I’m . . . I worry that . . . it will be harder for you to see the things that other people will love, or that, uh, in our case already do love, about Liam, because there’s so much of you in him.
WIL
Yeah, that’s valid!
[laughter]
KATIE
I don’t wanna be a butt, but I am also right.
WIL
Yeah, no, you right!
[laughter]
KATIE
Because I think he is very good, and I think his interactions with these extremely different people who we’ve done our best to make interesting and rounded people so they’re not just, like, there for window dressing, because that would feel repulsive, and so it is easy to, for you because he is a lot of you, to look at him and go “well fuuuck”, and I don’t think anyone else is going to have that reaction. Because I do think that he’s interesting and rounded and that he has development that is satisfying to watch happen.
WIL
I hope so . . .
ANNE
Hey, Wil?
WIL
Yeah?
ANNE
Hey Wil, did you know that you’re interesting and well-rounded–
KATIE
It true.
ANNE
–and we enjoy seeing you develop as a person?
KATIE
We do!
WIL
What the fuck is this? I’m–I didn’t sign up for this on this day!
KATIE
And now we have Cathyann on the line! No, I’m kidding
[laughter, Wil clapping and wheezing]
KATIE
Get! At! Us! No, don’t.
ANNE
For anyone who doesn’t know, Cathyann is Wil’s therapist.
WIL
She’s so good, y’all. She’s so goddamn good. She’s so–when I–when I went to therapy after–for the first time after quitting my job, [laugh] um, we were talking and she was talking about, you know, she was saying she’s very very happy for me, and I was like, “I feel like you’ve been telling me to quit my job for, like, a year!” And she went–
[laughter]
WIL
She went, “Oh, did you pick up on that?” [laugh]
KATIE
Wowww
WIL
She’s so good. She’s so good. Aah, yeah. Yeah. Are–are you guys–are you, like, like, I feel like, probably, y’all got a little pumped up for VALENCE because I know that people’s feedback at PodTales was good–
KATIE
Oh my god, yeah.
WIL
Yeah, why don’t–why don’t you two talk a little bit about PodTales–I wanna hear about it
KATIE
My feet have finally stopped hurting!
[laughter]
KATIE
Oh, no, PodTales was so, so good! Everyone, please go, go “at” the team on twitter and tell them wonderful, wonderful things. They worked so hard and I know there were complications and–and, uh, things not happening when other people had promised they would, and the team just, like, made it work! And it–it took effort, and they did not let that affect the attendees’ experience at all. I don’t think a single person left disappointed–I know I said that on twitter, but it’s also, like, still true.
WIL
Anybody who runs an event deserves a million dollars.
KATIE
Yes.
ANNE
True.
KATIE
And a nap!
WIL
Yes. But, tell me about what the table was like–how people felt about VALENCE and things, and–’cause i didn’t get to see any of that, y’know? Like, I–I got to see a lot of people being like “oh PodTales is great! PodTales is great!”, but I’m selfish, and I wanna know how people reacted!
KATIE
So legit. So, it was, I mean, it was all extremely lovely, and a . . . surprising-to-me, although maybe not to you, Anne, I don’t know, a surprising number of people already knew, and were hype about VALENCE or already listened to Scoring Magic, and were just . . . delighted! Um, there were a handful of people from the podcast problems server who were like, “hello, it is I!” and that was really lovely, but also, the–the people who, like, I don’t know from Adam who were coming up like, “Oh my god, I listen to the show and it’s great,” and I’m like, “YES!”
WIL
Oh, shit, wait, there were people who we don’t know who listen??
ANNE
Yeah, people who we don’t know who would come up and be like, “I am so excited for VALENCE, I’m looking forward to it”
KATIE
Mmhmm
WIL
Oh my god.
ANNE
“It’s gonna be–I’m so excited.” Like, people we didn’t know! Which, was just like, [explosion noise] mind blowing.
WIL
Yeah, that’s . . .that’s a very–that’s–yeah. That’s wild.
ANNE
For not having–for not having a show out yet, or even a trailer, like, nobody has heard anything from VALENCE, except, unless they took our magic quiz
WIL
[goofy chuckle]
ANNE
–at there, though. But, before they did that, people knew of the–knew of the show, and knew about us–
WIL
[dreamily]
Wow . . .
ANNE
–and were excited for it, which was–
KATIE
Uh-huh . . .
ANNE
–just–it–it was so, like, that’s what’s got me pumped up right now. Like, I am riding that high from Sunday still.
KATIE
And to watch people light up like a Christmas tree when they listened to their magic sounds, and the fact that, um, I tried to get goofy with the answers and to make it entertaining ’cause otherwise it’s just, like, a fuckin chore. Um . . .
WIL
Yeah, you did a really good job with the quiz.
KATIE
I’m so happy! But there were a couple of questions where people would get to that and then turn to us and be like, “This is cyberbullying. You’re bullying me.”
[laughter]
KATIE
Because one of the questions was “what does your podcast queue look like right now?” And I hadn’t thought about it in terms of, we’re going to be at a podcasting event where people are going to find new shows to add to their queue to listen soon. . . . oops?
[laughter]
KATIE
Like, “you are bullying me.” It was very good–there was a very good energy. Josh helped me man the table for a–Josh is our Liam–Josh helped me man the table while Anne was off being amazing!
WIL
Oh, and I know that this was the first time that Caleb and Josh met! So, Caleb is our actor who is playing Flynn, um. He’s using Caleb now. He and Josh, who’s playing Liam, had never met and they’re playing best friends, and they finally got to meet! And I’m so happy.
ANNE
There was–there was one point when I was sitting at the table and, uh, Caleb was–Caleb was actually manning the table next to us for another podcast and I turned and looked because I saw that Josh was standing at the edge of the table, and he was standing there and I think, Katie, you had gotten up to go somewhere, and Alex was sitting in your seat, and Alex and Josh were just hugging and I turned and looked and I was just like “siblings!”
WIL
Oh!
ANNE
Because Alex and Josh are playing Noel and Liam, who are siblings, and I just. It made me so–made my heart so full to have the three of them, like, within arms reach of me.
WIL
Ooh!
KATIE
Yeah, I think I had left to lovingly harass Jordan, who is playing Sarah.
WIL
Sarah!
KATIE
So, it was just a very VALENCE weekend!
WIL
Wow.
KATIE
It was good stuff!
WIL
Wowww!
ANNE
I think Julia kept–Julia bull–only bullied two people into coming over to our table–
KATIE
She says.
ANNE
–to take our magic quiz.
KATIE
She says she only bullied two people. [laughs]
WIL
I believe her.
ANNE
But she also said that she was in the middle of a conversation with someone at one point and saw someone taking the quiz and excused herself to come watch them take the quiz and see their reaction to their magic sound.
KATIE
I love that so much.
WIL
So good.
KATIE
oh, we were all super, super nosy and some podcasters who I just get very heart-eyes over came over and took the quiz and I was like, oh, don’t mind if I do find out what magic you have . . .
WIL
Did Gabriel take it?
KATIE
No
ANNE
Nooo
KATIE
But Rose Eveleth and Sarah Rhea Werner did.
WIL
Rose Eveleth did?
KATIE
Mhmm!
WIL
Holy shit. Are you fucking kidding?
[laughter]
KATIE
No! She got kinetic magic.
WIL
[gasp]
Oh my god.
KATIE
. . . I think. I’m pretty sure . . .
WIL
Dude, she’s so cool!
KATIE
She’s very cool! We talked for a minute and then I saw her nametag and went “OH NOOO!! I’ve been a goon this whole time!”
[laughter]
WIL
Oooh, she’s so cool. Aw fuck. She got kinetic? I love that.
KATIE
I’m pretty sure, but like, there were a lot of people and it’s all a blur.
WIL
Aww fuck. [extremely goofy laugh]
KATIE
That’s it! That’s it! That’s your Waluigi laugh!
WIL
Yeah!
ALL
(Laugh)
ANNE
Um, and then, this weekend, we have a meeting with Raul to go over–
WIL
Yeah!
ANNE
–the theme music for VALENCE.
WIL
Oooh my god, we’ve got–we got, like, the first pass and . . . it’s so beautiful. It’s just so . . . it’s so . . . beautiful. It’s so beautiful.
KATIE
Mmhmm.
WIL
I still can’t believe that it exists. Like, it’s just . . .
ANNE
There’s music for a thing that we made up!
KATIE
It’s–it’s extremely good, and also Raul is extremely good!
WIL
Yeah.
KATIE
And, I think, just, like, gets the vibe.
WIL
Yeah. I knew he would. I knew he would.
KATIE
But it’s always exciting to see it . . .
WIL
Yeah.
KATIE
. . . or hear it happen.
WIL
I’m so happy we get to work with him. God, what a fuckin–I still can’t believe, like, the people we get to work with. It’s so–it’s ridiculous. Um. Yeah. Oh god. Ok. Ok.
KATIE
Breathe.
WIL
No.
KATIE
Did you say no?
WIL
. . . yeah.
KATIE
Oh my god.
ANNE
Scoring Magic is a Hug House production. Find more at HugHouse.Productions.
WIL
Our music is by Broke for Free.
Credits
“Budding,” “The Gold Lining” by Broke for Free Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Support Scoring Magic by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/scoring-magic
Find out more at https://scoring-magic.pinecast.co