For both podcasts, the use of music sets the tone and mood of the story. The soundtrack provides a relaxing mood for both shows. This effect allows the audience to be completely comfortable with the show’s topic. While music was only played in the intro of the podcast, it is important to get the audience immersed in the podcast.
Another interesting aspect is the interchange the between the narrator and the actual people talking to the narrator. In the Serial Episode 1, the narrator was doing a investigation of the death of a 17 year old high school girl. Her ex-boyfriend was charged guilty of her death and was sentenced to a very long time. The narrator goes around asking other people about the situation of her death and the important people that are central to this story. While she does collect audio samples of the people related to the ex-boyfriend, she sometimes interludes and provides guidance of the samples. For example, when she interviewed several of the boyfriend’s friends, it turns out that they changed their story multiple times before being convinced of a single narrative. In this instance, she provides the narration of when they contradict themselves. Thus, this narration is important as it a guide for the audience to know the situation of the plot.
The nuances in voice of the audio are very important. Since these podcasts only feature people’s voices, it is difficult to determine what type of attitude or mood they are in. The only factor is the tone of the voice itself. Homecoming is a thriller that only has speech as their medium of communication. To generate a immersive feeling, the voice of each of the actors must be exaggerated to communicate their emotions. This aspect is important allows the audience to know how the actors are feeling.