I’m back again with another look at a film related podcast. This time out it’s yet another podcast that I’m experiencing for the first time, will it pass the mustard or is it another podcast to toss into the forget about it bin?
(To keep it short, for reasons beyond my control The Reelists is shutting down, and that means my Podcast Review feature is making its way to Bill’s Movie Emporium. I’m starting over from the beginning, so the first three or four I post here will be reposts from The Reelists. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when we get to new podcast reviews.)
The Gist
Sound On Sight Radio is a weekly podcast with a rotating group of about seven or so hosts. They gear their podcast towards film students and genre enthusiasts, at least that’s what their short blurb on iTunes says. Sound On Sight Radio tackles all elements of film, they will look at every aspect of the film world, and they have been doing so since 2008.
Episodes Listened To
#268: Screamathon
#269: Justice is Not Served
#270: Elizabeth Taylor Special
My Thoughts
Sound On Sight Radio was able to hook me right from the moment I started listening to episode #268. The first thing I noticed about the show was its commitment to quality production values. The intros, outros and buffers they use in between segments are well put together and give the podcast a very professional sheen. The show does suffer from some of the usual Skype, or phone call as the case may be, problems where one host clearly sounds out of sync or has volume issues. That’s a minor gripe though, and otherwise Sound On Sight Radio is a very professionally put together show.
Professional audio can only get you so far, if you don’t have the content to match then what’s the point? Luckily Sound On Sight Radio delivers oodles of quality content as well. They give ample time to every topic they tackle and most importantly when they are out of their element on an issue they admit it. In a world of film podcasting where the majority of hosts feel the need to come across like they know everything about every topic in film I always get a kick out of the podcasts who go in the opposite direction. The hosts of Sound On Sight Radio know what they are talking about, but when they don’t they let you know before they get into the topic, and that makes the discussion much more interesting and worthwhile.
The only true negative I have to levy against Sound On Sight Radio is that the site and podcast founder, Ricky D, does have the bad tendency to completely take over a discussion. There are times when this isn’t a bad thing, like in the Justice is Served episode where his strong opinions were matched by the co-hosts. However, he took over the Screamathon episode in a very consternating way, almost every time one of the other hosts, Justine Smith and Simon Howell, tried to steer the conversation towards a point they wanted to explore he would jump in and kind of shut them down. Again, it was only present in the Screamathon episode, so maybe it was just a bad day for him or an oddity in his style of discussion. Otherwise I enjoyed his work on the other two episodes, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
I didn’t know anything about Sound On Sight Radio when I started listening to it. After only three episodes I know it is a podcast I will continue to listen to and greatly enjoy. If you are looking for a podcast with an easy going nature that relates easily to the listener then give Sound On Sight Radio a shot. Sound On Sight Radio is a podcast I have no qualms recommending to anyone who loves film and wants to hear others engage in lively and interesting discussions about all the world of film has to offer.
The Bottom Line
Subscribe
Cheers,
Bill
Glad you liked what the team at Sound on Sight does. i listen to them whenever they release a podcast.
I’m a fan, the only real gripe I still have with the podcast is that one of the hosts, Justine, has a level of disdain for mainstream movies that I just don’t get. Otherwise, yeah, I have a lot of fun with the podcast.
She doesn’t hate all mainstream movies just a few particular ones,like Spielberg films.
Maybe her views will become more crystallized as I listen to more shows, but it was the Thor episode that was a bit off putting. She kept making the point that super hero movies aren’t serious, they can’t be taken seriously, etc., and that just rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not like I have any big problem with her though, just a bit of consternation about this topic.
Wow, you’re totally right about Ricky D. He usually doesn’t bother me, but he just can’t help himself sometimes. The Karate Kid episode is pretty painful. I generally like this podcast, but I wish he’d step back sometimes.
He’s gotten better, it’s not like he’s someone I don’t want to hear talk either. It’s just sometimes he takes over a conversation so much that the others can’t contribute as much. Though, like I said, he’s not always like that.