Scoring Magic – Season 1, Episode 9: ‘Check-In 1’

This is a RadioPublic embed of the Scoring Magic episode “Balancing Responsibilities”, which can be found here.

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/

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Find out more at https://scoring-magic.pinecast.co

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