Uncovering the Storyteller Behind the Chilling Aurora Files: Podcast #20 with Matthew Dewey17/7/2023
In episode 20 of the Loosen Up Your Painting Podcast we meet the talented writer, animator and scary story fan behind the new YouTube Channel, The Aurora Files. Plus how you can participate in the BIG launch giveaway where you could win a Kindle Paperwhite. Check it out!
The Podcast Episode:You Could Win a Kindle!
Podcast Transcript:
[00:00:10.080] - Malcolm
Welcome to the Loosen Up Your Painting podcast, a podcast for creatives to get inspiration, tips, and advice on anything to do with art and creativity. If you enjoy creating something, then this is the podcast for you. I'm your host, Malcolm Dewey, a full-time artist at Malcolm Dewey Fine Art. Com. And let's begin the show. [00:00:41.060] - Malcolm Welcome to episode 20 of the Loosen Up Your Painting podcast. Today I've got a special guest, Matthew Dewey. He is a writer and author. He has a popular blog where he gives writing lessons, and he has created a couple of YouTube channels devoted to writing as well. And we're going to be talking especially about his new venture called the Aurora Files. This is a channel on YouTube that has stories that you can listen to and enjoy. A whole series of scary stories. Things that remind me of the X files, I guess. Matthew's on the show today to tell us a bit more about his inspiration for the Aurora files and what it's all about. And we're going to find out a little more about what makes him a writer and somebody interested in this genre. Now, before we get into the interview, there's some exciting news. If you are subscribed to the Aurora files on YouTube, you will be in line to win a great prize in the Aurora files YouTube giveaway. Yes, Matthew is going to be giving away a Kindle Paper White. All you have to do to be eligible for the for the giveaway is to be a subscriber. [00:02:03.390] - Malcolm There'll be more details of the giveaway in the link in the description where you can find out more about taking part. But remember, you have to be subscribed to the Aurora files YouTube channel to stand a chance of winning a fantastic Kindle Paper White. All right, let's get on with the interview and meet Matthew Dewey. [00:02:26.460] - Malcolm Now, Matthew, you've been writing for a long time, and you're also a published author with several books, fiction and non-fiction. And you've covered many genres in your writing career so far. And you're also a writing coach providing coaching services for aspirant writers as well. So can you tell us a little bit about yourself, how you became interested in writing, and what made you decide to turn this into your career? [00:02:57.530] - Matthew Well, I think it was a few years ago when I started my first novel, I was still in school and it was exams approaching and instead of studying, I decided to write something. And this was a usual escape. Just dabbling with smaller stories. But most of the time it was surfing the internet or playing a video game. But this time I decided to do something bigger and start writing my first novel. And I really did enjoy it. By the time I returned to school later that year and final exams were going on, it was all that was really on my mind. And I've been sticking at it ever since. When it comes to writing novels, it's a much larger project, but in between I like to still keep writing. And so I started a blog, started writing short stories, and it was a great way to keep the passion going for a longer term. And so here I am today. [00:03:52.050] - Malcolm Your latest project, the Aurora files, is on YouTube. And this combines storytelling, artwork, and video. Could you share with us the inspiration behind this unique concept? [00:04:05.560] - Matthew I've wanted to actually do this for a while, and I've tried a few times in the past, but with very little understanding of how it all worked. After a few years, I got a bit more experience into audio editing and creating interesting backgrounds. And so that's what I did with the Aurora files. I wanted to tell my own original audio story in the Aurora files series, as well as read some of my short stories. There's also some classic short stories that I read as well. And I feel that this is actually the best way to approach people who are interested in learning about new worlds or following new characters. A lot of people out there don't even have the time to read a short story in a blog, let alone a full novel. So I feel that audio stories are now the growing market. A lot of people want to listen to a story while they do their own thing and not stop what they're doing and spend it on a book or something like. [00:04:59.920] - Malcolm Now, I must be honest because I'm an old guy, the channel reminds me of the X files that I used to watch when it first came out on TV. So let me ask you, what draws you to the horror genre or scary stories? What elements or themes do you find most fascinating or captivating in this whole concept? [00:05:24.020] - Matthew Well, when I was writing short stories for my blog, I often find myself settling into thriller and horror short stories. I soon discovered that that is actually one of the largest genres of amateur fiction online. A lot of people want to write and read short scary stories, but not a lot of people want to read short stories that are fantasy based or science fiction based because they're often too short for them to really capture the feeling that those genres create. But when it comes to a scary story, well, we've all told scary stories around a campfire or with our friends late at night. So it's immediately appealing and it's a lot more preferable when it comes to short fiction. That's not to say you can't write short stories in the other genres. It's just that this one is the go to genre. And that's certainly something I've also seen when it comes to audio fiction as well. [00:06:18.760] - Malcolm So let's look at the mechanics of creating your stories. How do you approach the process of crafting a scary story? Are there specific techniques or strategies you use to create suspense and evoking a sense of fear in your audience? [00:06:36.480] - Matthew Well, there are two types of stories that I work with. The first type is simple stories where they are written as stories and I read them as stories. But when it comes to the Aurora files, I write them out as scripts, the characters and their dialog, because I want to speak directly to the listener. And they're also written in a report format where it starts with the character speaking an audio report and then it goes into the story. And again, they are speaking directly to the listener as the events transpire. They are learning with the listener, so that way I can really immerse them with the sound effects and the dialog. As for how these stories typically start, it's always the start of a situation. I don't want the reader to immediately relax and think that everything's okay. So there's always something going on. The question is, what? And that's what builds the suspense and the dread. And it's only later that I tip it into the scales of whether something is good or bad, whether a little detail of the story is revealed or a new creature or entity is revealed something that really keeps them guessing with each episode. [00:07:48.800] - Matthew Because not every episode is going to have a monster or an antagonist that is immediately present. And this is very important with this series. Otherwise, it could lose a lot of its charm if every story was read the same way. You don't know what you're going to get going into each episode. And I think that's what makes it a lot of fun to write as well. [00:08:10.770] - Malcolm I've spent a bit of time going through your YouTube channel, the Aurora files, and listening to the stories. I must say the YouTube channel is looking great. What motivated you to start creating videos and sharing your stories online in this format instead of a straight podcast, for example? [00:08:32.190] - Matthew Well, I certainly created these stories to be presented in an audio format for people on podcast platforms like Spotify. But I felt that YouTube was also a platform where a lot of listeners wanted to find their audio fiction. I could have just simply set the background image and that would be that. I felt that there needed to be a little bit more than that to make it visually appealing. So when it came to standalone stories, I would create an animated background which would play. It wouldn't follow the story. It was simply a character and a background that fits the story. But when it came to the Aurora files, I wanted to present it in a retro, log like format where it had VHS effects, where the images were presented in 4x3 format, the square images, and I wanted them to be grainy and unclear and really gave that fun footage look. So if you like to watch the short stories, you can when it comes to the Aurora files and get a little bit more out of it because these are unique images for each story. But you don't need to either. I do initially create all these stories to be presented in audio format, so you won't really be missing out on the story whether you listen to it on Spotify instead of watching it on YouTube. [00:09:54.320] - Malcolm So for anyone listening who is interested in how the ideas, et cetera, come together for this type of channel, could you walk us through the process of generating ideas for your videos, from developing the story to illustrating the artwork and narrating the final product? [00:10:15.390] - Matthew When it comes to the standalone stories, it's all about finding the right image and background. And the animating of it does take a little bit of time. I have to have a separate background as well as a separate figure. I have to then put those both in a drawing program, make sure the formats are just right, and then take those separate images and put them in an animator. It was a real learning curve for me because I hadn't done something like this before. But when it came to the Aurora files, I wanted to present something as analog as possible. So that meant still images. I also wanted to make sure that what I presented wasn't cartoony, so it had to be realistic. These had to be images that looked real, and that would add to the immersiveness of the stories. As for finding the stories, when it comes to standalone stories, I have hundreds of short stories to choose from, which I can edit as I wish to keep them more unique. And there's also plenty of other fiction out there to read, too, as I've read some of the classic stories from HP Lovecraft and will continue to read some from other classic fiction. [00:11:25.380] - Matthew But when it comes to my Aurora Files series, that's where things become a lot more complicated. Each episode must reveal a little bit more of the story in that season. So it becomes a balancing act of presenting little by little what the antagonist is, what they can do, but again, not presenting it all, even by the end of the season. It's a lot about keeping that antagonist mysterious. And the reason I do this is because if you explain how horror works, if you explain how the antagonist works and everything about them, a lot of the dread and fear that is created with their presence disappears. There needs to be an element of the unknown in every episode. As for every episode being connected, so is every season. Although each season will take place in a different part of the world in a different situation. Season 1 takes place in Cold Steel Valley, for example, but in season 2, it takes place in the Bearing Strait in a submarine. And that's a lot more interesting as well. It presents its own type of story as compared to the first season. [00:12:32.860] - Malcolm The visuals in your videos are striking and contribute to the overall eerie atmosphere. So do you spend a lot of time considering the concept and designing the illustrations or coming up with ideas for the imagery? And how do you match that up with your story? [00:12:53.620] - Matthew It's certainly a lot easier to create the visuals for the standalone stories because all I need is a character and a background, and then I can get to work on animating it. But when it comes to the Aurora files, I have to create something that isn't so cartoony or characteristic. I have to create something that's realistic. It has to be grainy. It has to feel like something is there, but you can't see it. And finding an image that fits all of those parameters is a long and hard process. Sometimes I'm lucky, sometimes I'm presented with many images that could work, and it's all about finding the best one. And once I find those images, it's all about editing them to be the right shape. It's about adjusting the colors to make sure it fits the time period, which is the early 1980s. And then it's the sequencing of them. I got to make sure that these images go into the next image and it makes sense. If I find that the images clash with each other too much, I think that can also throw the listener out of the loop. But having worked on these past two seasons, I feel that I've got a better grip on it. [00:13:59.030] - Matthew So for the future episodes of the Aurora files, I feel that I will have a lot more fun working on the visuals as much as I do in working on the audio. [00:14:09.030] - Malcolm Can you tell us if there are any particular mentors in the field of storytelling that inspire you? You can discuss your influences and anything like that that has helped you develop your thoughts and motivations behind a channel like this. [00:14:28.000] - Matthew Certainly the greatest influence for for me when it comes to creating these stories is classic radio shows from the 1950s and 40s. I took to listening to those several months ago, I think over a year ago now, and I really enjoyed listening to them the way the voice actors worked, the sound effects that presented the music, the stings, everything like that. And then it became about how can I create something like that for my stories, but in a more unique and modern way? A lot of the old radio shows used orchestras. They had multiple voice actors. They had all sorts of sound effect machines, and it was very well done when it comes to their stories. But when it comes to my stories and presenting visual elements, it had to be creating the right tone, using the right music at the right times. And it mustn't overcome the audio as well because I am still reading a story or speaking the dialog. But even though there are some clear differences between the old radio shows and my audio show, I feel that there was a lot that I could learn from them. And I certainly tried to use the same ideas that they did back in the day when it comes to my audio show. [00:15:43.940] - Malcolm In addition to entertainment, do you have any other goals or messages you hope to convey through your scary stories? [00:15:51.520] - Matthew Well, if there's anything that I hope that someone wants to learn or gain from listening to these stories, hopefully it is that there's a lot of fiction out there you can enjoy besides the mainstream fantasies or romance that you typically see on the shelves. A lot of people have great ideas and you might be one of them. And if you just simply push those ideas aside because you want to focus on something that is a lot more common, you might be throwing away gold. So if by listening to my stories, you decide to explore these unique ideas and see how good they might be if you gave them your full attention, well, then I consider that a huge bonus. [00:16:32.010] - Malcolm Lastly, where can our listeners find your YouTube channel? And do you have any upcoming projects or events or stories you'd like to share with us? [00:16:42.180] - Matthew You can find my channel on YouTube. It is called the Aurora Files, or you can simply type YouTube. Com forward slash @ the Aurora files. I release a new story every day. It could either be a standalone story or it could be a new episode in the Aurora files series. You can also find the Aurora files on Spotify if you simply like to listen to the audio in the background. [00:17:03.870] - Malcolm Thank you for taking part in the Loosen Up Your Painting podcast, Matthew. I hope you have a lot of success with your channel, and I encourage anyone listening to go along to the Aurora files on YouTube and subscribe right away because there are great stories there and they must not miss your next story. So hit the notification button. I want to just thank Matthew for appearing on the show and telling us a bit more about his story making process. And of course, the Aurora files YouTube channel, which we're all going to be checking out now. And just a final reminder not to forget to check out the fantastic giveaway that Matthew is doing where you can win a Kindle Paper White. All right, so check out the description. And just a final word to thank you for joining me on the Loosen Up Your Painting podcast. I look forward to meeting you again in the next episode. And until then, cheers for now. |
AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa Archives
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