NMP 15 - Podcast Illustration

David our Tutor has give us an idea that it may be good to illustrate a sound piece with visuals, one of his suggestions was to listen to the series of podcasts called Wireless Nights by Jarvis Cocker. These are an excellent set of podcasts based on the theme of night, working, living and existing in the night. An interesting one for me as in my previous working life that’s where I did 90% of my work..

I listened to a few and the couple that stood out for me to illustrate would be the one about the night tube and one about Dungeness. Trying to pinpoint what i like about them, part of the reason I think I was attracted to the subject matter was the combination of the busy urban and the quietness of the seaside at night.

Visually I can see the shingles, cold waters of the estuary, the hot tea in a thermos, the fishermen with cans and Doreen stood at her window looking out…Think they would all work really well, how they would fir together would be an interesting proposition I see it as a still moving piece where the action is interspersed with chaotic moments.

Exactly the opposite with the Night Tube piece where I see the chaotic overview of blurred tubes, people moving, being rowdy to quiet tender moments when Jarvis leads a Christmas carol over the tannoy, an of course a portrait of Beyoncé loving Kylie would have to be in there she made it and pulled it all together in my opinion. She’s the sort of person you want to work the night tube so long as that doesn’t affect here life with her daughter too much.

Think you’d have to have the characters whose voices are heard, you couldn’t do it with actors that would take away from it and you need to add the authenticity that that brings. Speaking of which i must mention Jarvis pulling it all together in his unique style too, he was made for this sort of irrelevant look at the simplest of subjects, the night. His wry observations and thoughts make me think he must have been a photographer at some point in time…