For most of our dramas we head across the Atlantic to record with one of the world’s most talented radio theatre producers, Phillip Glassborrow at SoundHouse Studios, London. In the future, we’ll tell you all about Phillip. But as a precursor to that, I’d like for you to see some of our actors and production staff in action with these “behind the scenes” (pun intended!) videos from the recording sessions for A Peep Behind the Scenes. Enjoy!

If you’re a fan of the cinematic version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then you’ll doubtless know the name John Rhys-Davies, the 6′1″ Welshman from Tanzania who plays the dwarf, Gimlee, in The Lord of the Rings. John Rhys-Davies is an accomplished actor on screen and in the recording studio with a list of over 190 acting credits and over 25 soundtrack and voice-over appearances to his name. Here is an excerpt from the Internet Movie Database about John’s background:

Acclaimed British actor John Rhys-Davies graduated from the University of East Anglia and is probably best known to film audiences for his roles in the blockbuster hits Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He has also had leading roles in Victor Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987) and King Solomon’s Mines (1985).

Rhys-Davies, who was raised in England, Africa and Wales, credits his early exposure to classic literature for his decision to pursue acting and writing. he later refined his craft at London’s renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. His television credits include James Clavell’s “Shogun” (1980) and “Noble House” (1988), “Great Expectations” (1989), “War and Remembrance” (1988) and “Arch

aeology”(1991).

An avid collector of vintage automobiles, Rhys-Davies has a host of theater roles to his credit, including “The Misanthrope”, “Hedda Gabler” and most of Shakespeare’s works. He divides his time between Los Angeles and the Isle of Man.

John is the host of Lamplighter Theatre, the voice you’ll hear at the beginning of each series, welcoming you Abington Falls, where Finnian Jones has a quirky little shop full of “more than you would expect.” His voice over work for Lamplighter Theatre is recorded at a studio on the Isle of Man.

Well, you’ve got 53 scenes with some challenging action and settings…it ain’t a Whit’s End or Barclay’s show! Even with 2 of us working on it together (with me doing some stuff on my own), the time commitment will probably end up being around 80-85 hours for the foley. That might be about 15-20% longer than if I was doing this at Focus – in a true foley room with all surfaces and props readily available – but foley is always a very time-consuming process, especially when you have to get very unique sounds like crawling through weeds, jumping on/off wagons, horse dismounts (did that with a real saddle on a stand), building a dam in a stream (used a real stream), jumping on/off a rolling ladder, getting in/out of a boat and rowing, etc, etc, etc. Can’t just get that stuff off of sound fx CD’s and make it sound in-scene or timed correctly.

Foley is the art of recording the natural, everyday sounds that would occur in a soundtrack for a movie or audio recording. Basic sounds would be cloth movements, foot steps, doors opening, body movements, etc. It is the sound that provides a real life aspect in a fictional environment. You may not notice when it’s there, but when it’s not, you would certainly feel a difference. Foley recording involves long days of much physical activity, scrutinizing the performance to ensure accuracy, and a lot of editing. For a high quality, realistic sounding audio drama like Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince, much of the recording would be done at various locations outside the studio in order to capture the most realistic sounds.

Our producers and sound designers have put an incredible amount of effort into making this audio drama the very best that it can be in a relatively short amount of time. There has been a great number of long days and nights put into the creation of Lamplighter’s first audio drama. We can’t wait for you to hear it!