Pre-Production Planning Document (PODCAST)

GENERAL INFO
1. Your Name: Caitlin Trude
2. PROJECT: Podcast

CREATIVE BRIEF

1. What must it be? A short and sweet conversational podcast segment that identifies the experiences between three different subjects
(comprised of at least one male millennial and one female millennial). The questions may reveal stark contrasts that exist in everyday life,
from treatment in the workplace, to online dating, to dating in general, to societal expectations. The podcast will be conducted over drinks,
which is why I’m calling it “The ClinkCast.”

2. Who is it for? The podcast is aimed at young people (people aged 21 to mid-30s).

3. How long must it be? The result will be a 2 to 3-minute audio piece.

4. What is your objective with the piece? I want to highlight the different perspectives people have when it comes to dating/online dating in
particular. I was partly inspired after watching a “Master of None” episode in which Aziz Ansari’s character and his character’s friend are
shown walking home from a bar at night without a care in the world – the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” can be heard playing throughout
his scene.” The worst part of his night is stepping in a pile of dog mess. His scenes are alternated with another character’s, a woman who is
shown being scared, alert, and determined to get home quickly after leaving a bar. The worst part of her night was being followed by a man
she rejected at the bar, only to have him tail her to her apartment. My overall goal is to share different perspectives that multiple people
may have when it comes to one topic.

5. When is it due? Sunday, July 21.

6. What is the overall idea? The overall idea is to get a glimpse as to the different challenges, interactions, expectations, and behaviors each
person engages in on a regular basis. This particular segment will focus on the ‘rules and rituals’ of online and IRL (in real life) dating
expectations and experiences.
7. What is the storyline summary? What are the laws of modern dating? What seems A-okay for one person might represent a red flag for
another. The ClinkCast’s host and two guests share their thoughts.

8. Elevator pitch: When it comes to the three days’ rule, red flags, and height requirements in a potential dating partner, what are the laws to
abide by? Like many people’s Facebook relationship statuses, it’s complicated. Three millennials embark on a semi-impromptu roundtable
discussion over their favorite adult beverages to hash out what the rules are when it comes to modern romance.

9. Tagline: “Three parts podcast, thinkcast, and drinkcast.”

10. Look and feel description: Being a podcast, my project won’t have a particular ‘look,’ but the idea is that the podcast will be a very
conversational format. I want to line up me and my subjects’ responses to my interview questions in a way where listeners can compare
one person’s answers to the next person’s answers as naturally as possible.
MIND MAP

Is "ghosting" ever okay?

Unspoken "rules" of online dating
Is the "Wait three days to call her" rule real?

What is the appropriate amount of texts before a date?

What do you look for in terms of appearances?

Challenges for women vs. challenges for men

Online Dating

Success rate

Red flags?
What men and women look for in potential partners
Why did you choose to look online?

Are there societal expectations for what it means to be an

LGBTQA person?

What challenges still face the LGBTQA community today?

Areas to grow
What needs to be done to ensure inclusivity and acceptance for
all?
LGBTQA
Male and Female Dynamics
& LGBTQA topics
What successes have you seen as far as acceptance from the
community at large?
Progress
Did you feel that you had support/were supportive of someone
who was realizing his/her identity?
How can people outside of the LGBTQA community be better
allies?
Support Systems
Who do you rely on for support?
Family Life
What, if any, societal expectations do you feel are placed on
women?
How do you envision your future in terms of possible family
If you are a female, have you ever been accused of being
planning?
"bossy"?
Workplace
Have you ever felt treated differently from your colleagues due to How do you handle rejection (on either side)?
your gender?
Feminism Do you feel you must filter yourself more than usual due to your
Do you feel that there is equal opportunity in your workplace? sex?
Social Interactions
Do you go out of your way to remove yourself from
Is there a wage disparity in your workplace? people/situations that may be unsafe?

What does the word "feminism" mean to you?

Definition
Do you feel a negative connotation with the word "feminist"?
QUESTIONS / NOTES

HOOK:
1. What will grab the attention of the audience within the first few seconds?
2. Hook ideas:
• Starting off by sharing the most compelling, odd, funny, or shocking part of someone’s story
• Share how our parents met compared to how dating partners meet nowadays
• Share a statistic
• Ask a pointed (rhetorical) question to listeners

MESSAGE/STORY:
1. What message are you trying to deliver to the audience? Your experiences are unique – there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all.’

2. Clearly describe the following parts of your story:

a. Beginning: Introduction of topic (online dating)
b. Middle: Pose questions regarding the topic to guests, who then iterate their own stories
c. End: Wrap up topic

NARRATION/HOST:
1. Who will lead us through the piece? Myself, Caitlin Trude
2. Narration ideas:
• I’ll share a bit of my own experiences before opening up the floor to my guests
• I may share a stat or key piece of information that can segueway us into deeper conversation
• I can start off with a pointed question such as “What have served as red flags to you while browsing online profiles?”

MUSIC:
1. What is overall “mood” and “feel” of the piece? Relaxed, casual, perhaps slightly upbeat
2. Music track ideas:
• “Sadie Hawkins Dance” by Relient K
• “First Date” by Blink-182
• “Girls Chase Boys” by Ingrid Michaelson
• “HandClap” by Fitz and the Tantrums
AMBIENT AUDIO:
1. What is the “location” of the piece? If we close our eyes, where should we imagine that we are? My goal is for the sound that
accompanies my subjects’ narration to match the locations they mention in their stories. For example, if one of my guests describes a time
he/she was at a restaurant, I’d want to incorporate sounds that reflect this. But the actual location of the podcast recording will be in a
quiet room in a house.

2. Ambient audio ideas:

• Restaurant sounds
• Crowd of people
• Scratching of pen
• Clinking of glasses
• Phone-tapping sounds

SOUND EFFECTS:
1. What sound effects (SFX) would help tell this story? Why?
2. SFX ideas:
• Smartphone button sounds (text tapping, “sent” sound, to indicate phone use)
• Glasses clinking to indicate social drinking
• Crowd cheering sound effect to indicate support for a good thought
• Falling object landing with a “thud” to indicate a turn of events in the story

SCRIPT
Name: Caitlin Trude
Title: The ClinkCast – “First Date”
VIDEO AUDIO
(NO VISUALS FOR AUDIO PROJECT) Intro:
(Fade in “First Date” by Blink-182)

VOICE OVER:
“Welcome to The ClinkCast, where it’s
three parts podcast, thinkcast, and
drinkcast. Responsibly, of course.”

(Fade music to background level)

(SFX here: Ambient phone text/tapping

sounds)

VOICE OVER:
“So according to eHarmony, more than
40 million Americans are on online
dating sites, 27% of whom are ‘young
adults.’

It feels like the possible stigma

when it comes to finding love
digitally seems to be going away but
since I’m curious about everything, I
wanted to talk to my two friends and
pick their brains about the subjects
of red flags, unspoken rules, and the
success rate with swiping left and
right.

Discussion Portion:

Questions to ask -

• Why did you choose to look

online?
• What apps do you use and why?
• What do you look for in
prospective partners?
 • What are some red flags for you?
Dealbreakers? Any interesting
stories that arise from that?
• What are some of the challenges
you’ve faced?
• Best/worst date stories
• What do you feel are some
unspoken rules about modern
dating?
• Is “ghosting” ever ok?
• If you are seeking a person of
the same sex, how have your
experiences possibly differed
from that of a person seeking
someone of the opposite sex?
• Do you feel that there’s still a
stigma when it comes to meeting
someone online versus
organically?

*Incorporate SFX that correspond with

elements of subjects’ commentaries.

Conclusion:
(SFX of phone ringing)

Whoops, well that’s my fake emergency

call to get out of this segment –
just kidding. More on these topics
and more later!

(Fade music up – “First Date” by

Blink-182)