Listening Reflection: Podcast

1. Which podcast episode did you listen to?

   1. I listened to the episode about the movie Hoodwinked.

2. Who is speaking in this episode, and what expertise do they have that allows them to be speaking on this issue?

   1. The speakers of this Podcast are Cassie Greenlee and Drew Rothhaar. From what I understand Cassie and Drew are actors in plays, and Cassie has also directed her own musicals. They have experience with the telling of many fairytales through plays, musicals, animation, etc.

3. In what ways do the podcasters in your chosen episode reference multi-modality? That is, how does their discussion refer to visual, auditory, gestural, or spatial modes of communication?

   1. They make reference to the animation, the voice actors, and the multiple points of views from the different characters in the film. Cassie mentioned that the movie, despite not having the best animation, had an excellent lineup of voice actors. Another thing they liked about the film was that it was not a typical retelling of Little Red, it assumed that the audience already knew how the story does and decided to twist the story in a fun way and instead make it like a crime investigation.

4. Based on listening to this episode, what would you identify as some of the conventions of the podcast genre? That is, what will someone listening to this episode expect to hear in it? Include an explanation for your reasoning.

   1. With this being a podcast about taking a closer look at all sorts of retellings of classic fairytales, I would expect to hear about comparisons to other adaptions. The description of their podcast says they take a look at how most fairytales have been diversified, so to a listener like me who hasn't tuned into all the episodes, I would expect that they mention for a bit how this one particular adaption compares to others. That is exactly what they did at the end of the podcast. They mentioned what is is they are look for in that specific fairytale, and what makes it a good adaption. The speakers also mentioned which adaption was their favorite.

5. Jessica Tiffin, in her article “Magical Illusion: Fairy Tale Film” (The Classic Fairy Tales, p. 481-491), writes that "As with the adaptation of oral folktale into written literature, the adaptation of written literature into film brings with it the possibilities and the constraints of the new medium." She is talking about affordances: the possibilities or limitations of a certain mode of communication. What are the affordances offered by film - how does the medium of film either expand or limit storytelling possibilities? What is lost in the translation of a fairy tale from the page to the screen? What is gained?

   1. In fairytale films, one thing that might limit and expand them is time constraint. Stories can be a short read, but that is because it leaves the things like the setting, tone, facial expressions, gestures, etc., up to the imagination of the reader. In contrast, films have to take a firm stance in their interpretation. This includes transitions, music, and everything else just mentioned. A movie is typically an hour and few minutes or so, therefore they would have to come up with something that can meet, but also not exceed the time by too much.

   2. I think what's lost in translation in fairytales are descriptions and fine details. For example, in Snow White, we can be told in the tale about her age, her naivety, what she means to other people, etc. But in the film, we have to come up with those ideas ourselves.

   3. Written works are often more descriptive and can be nicely written, which is why I think most of the time people tend to say book versions are better than film adaptions, this goes for more than just fairytales. But I do think some adaptions have done a great job at portraying what they have to work with, even if film has its own limitations. In that sense, what's gained is almost a feeling of reality. Readings can feel distant, like it's something you can just imagine. Film does a good job in making tales "come to life".