Humbug! Hoaxes in Literature and Culture.

One style that could suit my podcast is a news report style. I envision including different interviews from eye witnesses that have seen signs of Dobbs being haunted and even an interview with a “professional ghost hunter.” There is a creaking sound in one of the lounges in Dobbs, so I would use that as evidence for the “ghost hunter.” This style targets people who are genuinely interested in paranormal activity without the fear that is usually associated with it. Another style that could suit my podcast is a storytelling medium. I picture something similar to the Blair Witch Project. The podcast would be a live feed of students who are exploring Dobbs, and it would include different sound effects that appear to be paranormal activity. This style would target an audience that enjoys watching scary movies and like being scared.

One brand that initially came to mind was presenting this hoax drug as an infomercial type style. Meaning, It would be catchy and slightly informal but also be credible. So I would want to interview scientists and such in the podcast so it seems like a legitimate drug. This route would be more conversational and less overtly satirical, more of a “haha” kind of funny. Another idea I have for a style was presenting my hoax as the inventing scientist as the main narrator on a popular radio show like NPR’s morning edition. For this style, it would be interesting to have the narrator be an NPR news reporter who drives the questions. Having a two way exchange opens the doors for more creativity for what tone I want to establish. Either route I think will work, I just have to decide which fits the nature of the hoax better.

The first brand for my podcast could be a news report style; I could discuss the facts in a dramatic fashion and include some believers and interview them. This could target the average citizen, and the more gullible person could fall for it and become convinced by my news report. Another possible brand could be similar to the radiocast style podcasts; I could give the information in a factual style with some sound effects on the side and occasional background music. It could target a more knowledgeable audience, students, and not the average person.

One way in which I might approach my podcast is in a live sports newscast format. I would include real time updates on Kimo’s progress as well as various interviews from spectators. I would try to make my podcast appeal to an audience who often watches sports on television as well as people flipping through channels who happen to see the broadcast and are naïve enough to believe the situation.  I will include a reporter with a professional voice as well as the runner with a breathless, exhausted voice to appeal to the audience’s ethos. Another way I could present my podcast is in a radio newscast reporting on a past event. I would include descriptions of The Daily Mail’s reports and pictures. Utilizing rhetorical devices such as interviews from people who watched part of the “marathon” may also make the situation more credible. The audience, rather than people who often watch sports television, would include a broader range of people, including those who listen to the radio in the mornings or on their way to work.

For my podcast about Taco Bell’s hoax of purchasing the Liberty Bell I think I could go in one of two directions:

1. The first, going in a much more relaxed style podcast, such as sawbones, I would try and make it funny and entertaining. This brand would allow me to explore what had happened in the hoax and how and why society reacted. I could incorporate historical evidence, to make it connect with people, but I would mainly focus on analyzing and commentating using different mediums. This brand of broadcasting would be more for hoax or historically interested individuals who want to hear an compelling story in history.

2. My second route could be similar to that of War of the Worlds, start by reading the add Taco Bell put out as though it’s the truth and then talking about the ramifications of having Taco Bell buy the Liberty Bell. I would have “call-in listeners”, who could express there outrage. The whole podcast would be presented as though it were live. This style would allow me to recreate the hoax and would be targeting those who haven’t yet heard of the hoax therefore allowing me to trick the public once again.

For my extraterrestrial podcast regarding aliens in Area 51, I can approach the situation in one of two ways. I can do a newscast, and use a spooky and realistic form of broadcasting to make the audience feel anxious and on edge. I will take an approach to make the audience believe that that aliens really do exist in area 51 and they just are not telling us. I will use an anonymous insider from area 51, a UFO sighting near the plant and audio evidence. The other  way I could go about this is a satirical form that makes fun the information regarding area 51 and extraterrestrial life. This way will (hopefully) get a laugh out of the audience who have relative knowledge about the speculation regarding what actually goes on inside the classified area. For this platform I can use less serious sound effects, a more open tone, and for audio I plan on using witnesses that have seen UFOs, a worker inside of the area under scrutiny. Another idea is to do a sort of mix of the two, such as the way we discussed in class. This may be the most useful way of getting in relevant information, but also putting my own twist in it with my own tone.

“War of the Worlds” proposed a sort of podcast that illustrated a mass release of fear through the release of apparently realistic, yet supernatural reports. The “brand” of a play would be an effective way to state almost any hoax, but aside from that method, there’s a possibility of releasing the information through a potential children’s story. This story could be released as a fairytale with the cliche beginning of, “Once upon a time….” and continue with a sort of demeaning tone. Oftentimes, fairy tales are told in a sing-songy voice, but can still incorporate interview and personal accounts. It would be directed towards children, similar to the Sasquatch  or Lockness Monster myths, and would not necessarily contain the intention of being believable, but rather have the intention of intriguing children’s creative minds. Another potential brand that could be used to advertise my hoax (tree-octopus) could be a scientific analysis of the species. This analysis would describe what, aside from the obvious parts, would make this phenomenon impossible, yet why people may believe it. It could incorporate other myths (again, i.e. Sasquatch) to state why people had believed fables like this in the past. While this specific creature’s existence hadn’t been mentioned, acknowledged, or necessarily believed prior to recently, it could be fun to examine what’s recently changed or how this story differs from others similar to it.

My podcast could be approached the from the perspective of a breaking news story report or a documentary style broadcast explaining the true details behind Emory’s rhinoceros appearance. From a news story standpoint, I would utilize interviews with witnesses such as students and professors because they will give convincing and credible accounts of the incident. In these interviews, I would also have the witnesses speak with a panicked tone to make their statements more realistic. Specifically, bringing in an African studies professor to verify that the tracks were from a real rhinoceros would boost the credibility of the evidence. Furthermore, adding sound effects in the background such as police sirens, false campus alarms, and screaming people would add to the feelings of distress already growing in the audience. This style of podcast would most likely target Emory students and staff in an attempt to fool them. However, a documentary style podcast would probably target a specific group of students who want to study hoaxes or the history of Emory. A documentary style broadcast would require different techniques in order to be most effective. It must include a narrator who would go through the facts of the story and explain how the evidence was falsified. It would also need to include witnesses, but most importantly, they must include people who didn’t believe in the whole fiasco. Additionally, recruiting a professor to discuss how the tracks were falsified since rhinoceroses only live in Africa and South East Asia would be helpful. Although utilizing the same story, this podcast could be effectively executed through two very different styles.

I will be carrying out a ‘breaking news’ style along with a comedic style to break up the podcast and to make it more interesting. The breaking news will interrupt a show and will be a series of serious reports from a news station and a government official or investigator and the comedic element will come into play from the interview with the pirates or other eye witnesses.  I will use the breaking news sound effect, which people are accustomed to hearing and immediately associate with emergency. The audience will be prime time, aiming at family TV time. I would also consider using a ‘crime and investigation’ style. In which the audience would be older and the show would be more analytical. There would be one commentator retelling the story along with interviews of a serious style. The show would focus more on the details and law of the crime, as well as following up with the lives of those affected.

For my podcast I want to makeup a hoax rather than report on a used one. I want to do an infomercial/ branding type of podcast to promote a new drug that allows humans of any age increase their intelligence/ ability to retain information and efficiency in everyday and work related tasks. I am claiming that this drug works on all ages and want to interview a child, adult and the scientist who invented the drug and a secondary scientist to back up his claims. I want the podcast to both be satirical and kind of act as a commentary on our societies obsession with being more efficient/ saving time, and our impatience. But at the same time I want it to be balanced by a solid scientific backup in the way that War of the Worlds presents hard facts to make it more believable