Written and created by Matt Schrader, with producer Kenny Holmes, this is a tale of the birth of Spielberg and Lucas. Actors do voiceovers to play these iconic directors. The voice actors are Ray Chase, Max Mittelman, Matthew Bohrer, Julia McIlvaine, and Lex Lang.
You can check out the podcast HERE
The Podcast Synopsis
Blockbuster is a six-part series about the friendship and rivalry between a young Steven Spielberg and young George Lucas between 1973-77, when they both failed spectacularly in their careers ... before JAWS and STAR WARS. The podcast series also follows their shared collaborator, an up-and-coming composer John Williams, after the sudden death of his wife, and the transformation that followed.
Matt Schrader - Creator
A Podcast Review from a film school graduate….aka your founder puts her two cents into it. These views are only of one person. Do not judge this podcast on the basis of my review. Listen to it and make up your own mind.
Out today the podcast opens to a man in a very “Hollywood” movie trailer voice. You think you are about to watch a movie, but then you hear the iconic voices of Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg when they were just starting out. If you’ve ever been by or in Mel’s Diner off Hollywood Blvd. you will know exactly where they are in the opening minutes of the first episode.
I hate to say it but the podcast feels pretentious and fake. I keep waiting for a story to happen, but it’s just men we already know. Hearing origin stories of billionaires who are privileged, white men in an industry with so many other incredible voices I found myself getting bored and thinking I was back in film school. In a redeeming quality you learn more about John Williams the legendary composer for the Star War films.
To the creators credit, Schrader found an incredible sound team with amazing composers Benjamin Botkin and Ryan Taubert who take you into the world of movie land and a very talented sound designer Peter Bawiec to wrap it all together.
If you are a fan of film history and like to take your mind to an auditory world of excitement and adventure then this will be the podcast for you. This is definitely better than reading about the film history in your college course you’re definitely going to take one day. I know as a film alumni I had to take my fair share of classes that talked about these famous film directors and why they influenced culture. If I had something like this to listen to the history book would come to life.
Overall the structure, pacing and acting are spot on, which probably make me more cranky than usual. It means the story is doing it’s job representing people in a realistic way. I love Star Wars don’t get me wrong and find the worlds Lucas has created magical, but please Schrader please make your next audio doc about the underrepresented voices in this incredible spectrum of storytelling media.
