Well, after a few wonderful interviews, this rookie reporter was set straight.

So, what’s the first step in creating sound effects? Well, it all starts with the scripts. People in the sound effects department read the script, where they are given certain scenes to work on. It is important that they read their scripts very carefully, so as to avoid mishaps such as using the sound effect for a woman’s high heels when a male character is walking.

Then, they go to websites such as Soundsnap or Freesound Project to search for the sounds they need. Sometimes finding just the right sound effect can take quite awhile. For example, finding the sound of twilight can take some time as it is hard to distinguish between night and evening from an audio standpoint.

Often creativity is needed in finding sound effects, as sometimes the desired sound can’t be found. Once the sound of a safe was needed and in this case, a clicking sound, the sound of a door opening, and some creaking was used. The editors then put these sounds together.
On occasion sound effects don’t take long to find at all, even if they are unusual. Once, an episode of Buffy Between The Lines needed eerie flute music and even though the person searching for it thought it would take forever, It only took ten minutes.

Sometimes sound effects can be found somewhere totally unexpected, such as an alligator sound found at the website for the U.S. Wildlife and Fish Fund.

Finding all the sounds needed usually takes one or two hours, or a little longer if you’re just starting out. As you gain more experience, you learn how to phrase your searches and build up a library of clips for reuse. After all the sounds are found you also need to create a file detailing the creator of the sound effects, where it was found, the original filename, and the new filename [if it needed to be changed.] After doing all this, the sound clips still have to be uploaded to the FTP site. With two or three scenes an episode to provide sound effects for, this whole process can take up to approximately six hours.

Besides finding sound effects, some members of the sound effects crew are also responsible for making their own sound effects. This is called foley. Foley is often done with a lot of improvisation, such as dragging a folder along your desk to make the sound of a clipboard hitting a counter.

I hope this article has given you a better understanding and appreciation of what the amazing sound effects crew does to bring you the sounds that add so much to your favorite podcasts. I know this reporter will never listen to a podcast the same way again!

Location: San Diego Convention Center

Mood: Jubly Early!

Good day fellow fantasy questers questees questions… seekers!

I have returned from my journey. As you know, I was at a gathering of brilliant minds and talents, known to the lay man as a Science Fiction Convention. I went in costume so as not to give away my true identity, not for fear of ridicule (as that is one of the few places I would not fear that), but because I was on a secret quest to find an actual prop from one of my favorite movies. They had for auction one of the really real life… oooh, I’m so excited I can barely type this… Deloreans used in Back to the Future!!! I knew I had to have it, but my arch-nemesis, we’ll call him Biff (seems appropriate), was determined to outbid me and win the Delorean.

Biff had contacted me before the event to let me know that he would be watching for me and so would his body guards, thus why I donned the costume. Although I probably would have gone in costume anyway. My costume was made by my wonderful cook, Mrs. Lovett. She can really use a sewing machine, that lady. She made me a great costume from the classic 80s cartoon, Thundercats. I was Panthro, complete with big, muscley arms. They made me feel tough. I brought my body guard along as well. Tori was dressed as Cheetarah and I’m not ashamed to say, she was smoking hot!

The Con was great. I got some action figures, comic books, video and computer games, and some awesome t-shirts. When it was time for the auction, Tori and I stayed toward the back. I didn’t want to be too conspicuous. Biff’s goons were pacing on the sidelines, just waiting to see when I would make my move. There were some really terrific items: a cape from Superman III, the Dread Pirate Robert’s mask from The Princess Bride, and a life size model of Jabba the Hut. I almost bid on that last one, but I knew what was coming and had to hold out.

The Delorean came one stage and everyone gasped. I won’t bother you with the boring details of the bidding war. Needless to say, it went for a rather large amount of money. At one point Tori had to step on one of Biff’s body guard’s feet. I may have heard a crack. He didn’t come back for more after that. It was the kind of auction everyone wants to be a part of. The auctioneer was talking a mile a minute. Everyone was really into it. Some people may have bid that didn’t mean to, then were relieved when someone outbid them. In the end, an old man with white hair held out longer than anyone else. Come to think of it, he did look remarkably like Christopher Lloyd. Could it have been? Nah, probably just a costume.

I was a little let down after the auction, but then I met Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca. I got an autograph and talked a little Wookie with him. It was a great way to end an awesome weekend.

In my next entry, I’ll try to tell you about my newest project. I think you’re going to love it.

Until next time, this is David signing off
Live Long and Prosper \\//

Singers:
Andrew Ball
Larissa Myhowych
Kim Butler

Edited by Kim Butler

“Silent Night” Father Josef Mohr/Franz Xaver Gruber/John Freeman Young
“Peace”

From the Cast and Crew of Angel Between the Lines, we hope that your Christmas season is full of peace, love and all of the things that make life wonderful.

We’ll see you again in January!

Looking for some Angel Christmas-y cheer? Download this Christmas Desktop!

Merry Christmas Version -> Right Click + Save As
No Merry Christmas Version  -> Right Click + Save As

About KARIE BIBLE — Born a heterochromatic baby (put down the medical reference book – it means she’s got two different colored eyes) with the last name “Bible” on Halloween night, Karie was destined to be nothing if not unique. Her passion for history and Hollywood’s past led her to starting a cemetery tour in 2002 under the guidance of acclaimed historian Marc Wanamaker. In keeping with her love of living history, she gives the tour in vintage gowns from her collection that spans the 1920s through the 1950s.

Karie has lectured at LA’s Silent Movie Theatre, The Old Town Music Hall, The Queen Mary and is also the currently reigning “Lady in Black” to honor silent film star Rudolph Valentino. She is actively involved as a volunteer with the American Cinematheque and the Los Angeles Conservancy and is a member of the Hollywood Heritage and the Art Deco Society.

The cemetery (which started off as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery) had a rough history. By the end of the 20tth century, the owners had run into financial difficulties and the cemetery became run down. This caused California to stop new internments in the cemetery. In 1989, Tyler Cassity of Forever Enterprises brought the property, renamed it Hollywood Forever, and started restoration. The cemetery is in current use and offers a wide array of services, including a live webcast and LifeStory tributes.

You’ll see the graves of many famous folks at Hollywood Forever Cemetery including John Huston, Peter Lorre, Jayne Mansfield, Johnny Ramone, Cecil B. DeMille, and “Alfalfa” from the Little Rascals. There are also tombs, monuments, headstones and two large indoor mausoleums (one of which you might recognize from the TV show “Charmed”).
Some of the BtL crew got to visit Hollywood Forever recently, and see for ourselves where our episode takes place! Due to its history, Hollywood Forever Cemetery has many ghost stories attached to it, including the story of the Lady in Black, which we “borrowed” for Episode 3.

Heidi poses as the Lady in Black, her character for Episode 003 – The Truth is Out There

In 1926, film star Rudolph Valentino was at the height of his fame. On August 23, 1926 he died from a perforated ulcer (which caused blood poisoning). He was so popular that it’s estimated that a crowd of 100,000 people showed up for his funeral services in New York City. After the service his body was transported to Los Angeles by train and fans lined the tracks to get a glimpse of the train. Once in Los Angeles, some 80,000 people came to the cemetery as his casket was carried into the Cathedral Mausoleum on the grounds of Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Valentino was supposed to get a more elaborate memorial, but complications arose and the Mausoleum became his final resting place.

Liane U. (Fred) poses as poor sick Fred!

The legend of the Lady in Black is said to have begun on the first anniversary of Valentino’s death when a mysterious woman, dressed all in black, visited Valentino’s crypt with red roses and left them there. All without saying a word. She apparently appears every year since then. Not long after the media got word of the story and began writing about “The Lady in Black”.

While the true Lady in Black may not have been ghostly, the legend has sparked many tales of a ghostly lady in black kneeling in front of Valentino’s tomb. Others have reported being alone in the mausoleum and finding roses that suddenly appeared in the previously empty vases that hang from Valentino’s crypt. Others have heard footsteps or feel like they’re being watched.

The Lady in Black captured Nashville songwriters Danny Dill and Marijohn Wikin and, in 1959, they wrote and produced a song called “The Long Black Veil”. First recorded by Lefty Frizzell the song has also been performed by Johnny Cash, The Band, The Dave Matthews band, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and others.

If you’re in Los Angeles, make sure you take the historic walking tour which is lead by historian Karie Bible, who has taken over the Lady in Black’s official duties of leaving a rose on Valentino’s crypt every year.

(photos by Tabz)

(with help from Ben Hutchings)

Tue Jun 2 – 2:34 am
Mood: Frustrated
Eating: Nacho cheese Doritos
Drinking: Barq’s
Pete blew off David’s D&D game again. That’s twice in the past month. We all sat around playing Munchkin while I repeatedly called Pete’s cell – leaving a string of voicemails. David took it as a commentary on his Game Mastering abilities, of course. And Bob’s talking about kicking Pete out of the group. Everyone else is very carefully staying out of it. I’ve been “volunteered” to talk to Pete about this – the joys of being his roommate, I guess. No sign of Pete yet, and I gotta get some sleep before work tomorrow…

Tue Jun 2 – 6:23 pm
Mood: Chagrined
Eating: Pepperoni Pizza
Drinking: Mountain Dew
Pete was really apologetic. He got sidetracked by those UFO nuts he’s been hanging out with lately. He called the group up and apologized – even Bob was mollified, so all’s good on that front. I’m just a little worried about his new “friends”. Losing track of time and being a bit late is one thing, but losing an entire night? Weird…

Wed Jun 3 – 9:30 pm
Mood: Mellow
Eating: Crunch ‘n’ Munch
Drinking: Dew
Just catching up on my reading. Ok, so it was RPG books – but that counts, right? ;p

Wed Jun 3 – 11:37 pm
Mood: Annoyed
Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Pete’s WoW clan has been IMing me, he blew off his clan’s Blood Forge raid tonight. I’m guessing it’s the UFO nuts again… He hasn’t been this flaky since he tried dating that barista.

Thu Jun 4 – 6:42 am
Mood: Worried
Eating: Strawberry Pop Tarts
Drinking: Strawberry Quik
Now I’m wigging out. No Pete this morning, and it doesn’t look like he slept here at all last night. Unless he’s dating someone seriously (that I don’t know about), then I don’t know where he could have been… Surely he wouldn’t have been all night with the UFO nuts?

Thu Jun 4 – 6:57 am
Mood: Apprehensive
Noticed a voicemail on the machine and it was from Pete. He was hanging out at the Hollywood Cemetery for some reason last night. He was on his way back – but he obviously never made it. Now I’m really worried. Police won’t do anything, because he hasn’t been missing for 24 hours yet. I’m going to check out the cemetery after work, if he hasn’t surfaced by then.

We’ve found a ripped out chapter of the highly secretive “Evil Master Plans for Dummies” (available only via the Black Market or Evil R Us). We’re releasing it to you all today, but if the Destroyer asks, you didn’t get it from us.

This download is in PDF format and should be easy to read on any computer. If you can’t read it you’ll need a free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat.

Exit Strategy
by P.G. Holyfield
Cover Art by Tabitha Grace Smith

This story is in PDF format and should be easy to read on any computer. If you can’t read it you’ll need a free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat.

Do you have your own Wolfram & Hart story you’d like added to Angel Between the Lines? Email us at betweenthelinesstudios-at-gmail.com.