Stephen Levinson and Kevin Carter, two of the co-hosts of locally produced podcast The Novelizers, joined WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt in studio to talk about the launch of their latest season, covering The Matrix.
Beginning its third season in early April, The Novelizers is a Dayton based podcast that combines cinema and comedy. The premise is to take a well known movie that's not based on a book, and get writers, comedians, podcasters, and other funny folks to novelize the film.
"The fun of it is that every every chapter is totally different," said Levinson. "Totally different voice, totally different style. But you're hearing the film from start to finish, like as you listen to the whole season. So we really don't tell the writer anything, you know, the less they kind of have preconceived going and, the better. We just let them let them do their thing."
Kevin Carter, who's both a local hip hop artist performing under the name K. Carter and a co-owner of the Black Box Improv Theater, fills out each episode with an improvised interview with a comedian who poses as a member of the film's crew.
"I start with a basic, welcome here is blah, blah, blah. Ask them what is their definition of the position they chose? And from there on out is completely improvised," said Carter, who also gets to showcase his rapping, creating a song to sum up each movie's halfway point for the audience.
Both Carter and Levinson say that although the podcast features talent from all over the comedy world, they're proud that it's produced here in Dayton.
"In a way it feels of like a very Dayton project, like a very DIY. Some of our bands we have this season, we have KNOTTS, and Paige Beller doing our theme song, and, you know, there's just a bigger feel in Dayton that people want to, you know, pitch in on a creative project and be supportive," said Levinson.
"Andyou know me," said Carter. "I'm all about Dayton anyway. So, the idea that, we can do that, you know, and be a part of that and, I think either this season or next season, we may start incorporating some other Black Box improvisers for the interview portion of it. Yes, we use other narrators and actors and things like that. But the creation of this and the foundation was from Dayton."
The third season of the Novelizers, chronicling The Matrix, is underway now wherever you get podcasts.
