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Sitting by the river in El Pardo, discussing more culture-clash aspects of life and death in Spain. Plus a request for video-casting inspiration… What would you want to see on a video cast of Spain?
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Ivan
7 Nov 05 at 4:09 am
Agree with Marina, the audio format is more ‘magic’ and imaginative, as she says, meaning that it elicits pictures and, indeed, soundscapes which no camera could possibly capture. That said, I have enjoyed the videos which I get from http://www.crashtestkitchen.com, occasionally from http://modulation.biz/, or even the embedded photos in http://www.cuisinepod.com/, where I get my French recipes, as well as http://www.commecadujapon.com/, he too is considering adding a video format, though for the moment, always attaches photos to the actual download which can be viewed on iTunes, and, of course, the video iPod.
As you can see, my interests are culture, language and food. So anything to do with that would make a great contribution to your already excellent podcasts. I think people would also enjoy seeing the interaction between the protagonists, namely Ben and Marina who, in an understated way, are giving us a captivating narrative of their lives by way of the podcasts. So, finally, I think both/and, audio with every second or third podcast as a video feature… for what it’s worth.
Marina, thanks on the suggestion for the potatoes for the tortilla.
All the best from
Ivan (& Julie)
Scotland/USA
Lawrence
7 Nov 05 at 4:05 pm
I personally really like the podcasts as they are. I find it hard to think of many radio programs that have been improved by a move to television. I think as well that video can sometimes be limiting e.g. something like a visit to the market has a very authentic feel using just audio since the audio recorder is (I imagine) unobtrusive. As soon as you point a camera at people it changes things.
Still, I can see the attraction of sometimes also being able to see what is being described e.g. the Follartour, a Real Madrid game or, on a serious note, flamenco or the trip to Cordoba.
Ben
7 Nov 05 at 4:41 pm
Don’t worry, the podcasts would stay, the vid-cast would just be an addition. But I can’t see Marina and myself in front of the camera, not just yet anyway. I envisaged more just visual snaps of Spanish life. People filmed unontrusively in a bar, the life of a Spanish Plaza, that sort of thing. Maybe I just have to get a camera some time and do a couple of experiments to see how they go down…
Ben
7 Nov 05 at 4:58 pm
p.s. If anyone can recommend any more interesting video casts as Ivan has above – great research for us!
jt_skip
7 Nov 05 at 9:04 pm
Ben and Marina, Love the podcast! The stereo mic is fantastic, I think I heard an electric train buzzing by in the distance, also I think I heard the distinct sound of a multi-engine prop plane flying way overhead, of course the magpie… it was very nice! I could almost feel the brilliant sun beaming down, it so reminded me of my lazy childhood days laying under a tree in our front yard. I think this is the magic that Marina was referring to!
What would I like to see on vid-cast? I think I would enjoy seeing the everyday things that you guys might take for granted… for example, the daily commute, the dinner prep, the local people shopping, a window into the life of local folk in Madrid… Being an avid people watcher, I would love nothing more than just sitting on a park bench watching the folks go by.
btw, I’ve listen to your podcast for months and have delevolped a certain image in my mind of you guys, the image was not what I had imagined.
best regards!
Chris
8 Nov 05 at 1:15 am
Another good show!
In the picture of the two of you, Marina looks exactly like I imagined, but Ben doesn’t look quite as tall (sorry, not a slur, I just imagined a 6’6″ rugby player-type).
I agree with jt_skip that the mic sounds good. Seeing the setup that you have and hearing how good it was inspired me to spend a bit extra on a stereo mic for my own recorder, rather than just a mono one.
I wouldn’t get distracted with a video-cast. Just keep posting still photographs on the web site (or enclose them in the same feed as the MP3 file if they’re really good). People can still get the idea from photos. Video takes extra time to edit, brings file format issues, adds to your bandwidth cost, etc. Just my 2¢ worth.
philip
8 Nov 05 at 1:48 am
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a videocast!
Ben
8 Nov 05 at 11:13 am
I’d love to be a 6’6″ Rugby type but no, sorry
It’s true the format thing with video is a minefield… that’s a week’s investigation in itself!
Pol
8 Nov 05 at 10:55 pm
Talking about the dodgy issue about how we deal with death I think Pedro Almodóvar’s next film (called ‘Volver’ I think) which is now on the editing stage and which is due to come out in the next few months, talks exactly about that. How people in rural Spain (Castilian Spain in this case) deal with death. It will be interesting to watch it on the big screen.
Lawrence
9 Nov 05 at 2:00 am
If the vid-casts are just an addition, I’m with Philip. The still photographs are great and can definitely enhance the pictures painted in the podcasts (e.g. Formantera) and I’m sure video would as well. I’ve never been to Madrid or, say, San Sebastian and I’d love to see some of the streets and sites.
On funerals in Britain, I agree with Ben’s view that the drinking afterwards is a great way to celebrate someone’s life but I can understand Marina’s unease. As a teenager at a distant aunt’s wake and unable to handle much alcohol I was laughing too long and too loudly at something someone said when I caught a look in a relative’s eye and realised that I’d stepped over some line. There are all these unspoken rules of behaviour that become more obvious when you’re older, or maybe just sober. Uncle Bert has hardly spoken to me since. And yes, I only ever see him at funerals.
Kristen Adams
10 Nov 05 at 1:24 am
I would love just a walking tour of Madrid from you guys, but I absolutely adore listening to you. Haha I just finished listening to this podcast while working on my AP Spanish IV homework. I love your photos too. Makes me feel warmer amoungst this 40 degree weather here in Seattle.
Richard Morley
10 Nov 05 at 1:12 pm
I remember someone commenting on the difference between television and radio, remarking that radio had the better pictures. That said, for those who have not visited Spain, sampled Tapas in a crowded bar, gone to a bullfight or just mingled with the evening crowds on the streets of Madrid, then perhaps moving pictures would be a good idea. But for you to do it properly, with you and Marina on screen, you are going to need a cameraman and a sound man. Suddenly your intimate chats take on a whole new dimension and perhaps lose the element of immediacy which I find so enthralling. At least it doesn’t sound rehearsed, although I’m sure you must work out something between you beforehand.
Possible subject: I see many homeless on the steet of Madrid and find it uncomfortable when begged for money. I could have given away a week’s pay during my last visit if I hadn’t steeled myself to say no. Why are they there and where do they come from?
Mariano Iglesias
12 Nov 05 at 5:55 am
Ben & Marina:
First of all, I have found your podcast by looking over podcasts with similar interests to that my friend Claudia and I develop: podcasts about a country / city.
I have to say that this is definitely one of the coolest podcasts I have found. I certainly enjoy you guys talking about life in spain, because of several reasons. First of all, as an Argentinian, Spain is our “mother country” (my grandparents are from Oviedo, Asturias, an absolutely beautiful part of Spain that I had the chance to visit for a long period of time), but also Argentina has been strongly influenced (mainly in the beggining of the 19th century) by England. So this England-Spain combination is quite interesting to hear for me.
Marina: me encanta tu acento español en las intervenciones. No estoy muy de acuerdo con César (publicado en el podcast numero 12) en cuanto a las preparaciones. Nosotros solemos preparar los programas, pero creo que salen más fluidos cuando la interacción es más natural, y no tan estudiada.
Ben: good show, Men. We’re just some hours away to yet another England-Argentina soccer match, so it should be quite interesting to hear your comments on this issue in your next podcast, hehe
Keep up the great work, guys.
Kind Regards,
Mariano.
Richard Wise
12 Nov 05 at 5:32 pm
Whew, I’ve just got up to date with the podcasts after a late start!
I love the podcasts as they are. Somehow radio and therefore podcasts have an intangible quality that mean something diffferent to every listener. I loved listening to the podcast feom San Sebastian (so much so that I intend to make a trip there next year).
I feel an occasional videocast would be ok, but maybe on the basis of a couple of minute clips of say a restauarant, plaza or seaside location.
To be honest I would just welcome more of the excellent quality that we get now.
Adios,
Richard
Miguel
12 Nov 05 at 6:28 pm
Hi,
isn’t a funeral parlor equivalent to “tanatorio”? If not, which are the differences?
Cheers
Miguel
Ben
12 Nov 05 at 6:57 pm
Maybe you’re right… Marina seems to think they prepare the body in the tanatorio as well. The surprising thing about the tanatorio we went to was the scale of it – there must have been 30 large rooms/areas, each for a seperate deceased person, but honestly, this was like the size of a small school. I think I always thought of funeral parlours as on a smaller scale…
Ben
12 Nov 05 at 8:47 pm
Hey Mariano:
“1835: FULL-TIME Argentina 2-3 England
The final whistle goes on a quite wonderful friendly international. Argentina will be stunned at the late turnaround in a match they did not deserve to lose.”
Sorry!
Mariano Iglesias
13 Nov 05 at 12:15 am
Hi,
Eventhough I speak the same language they speak in Spain (Spanish
there are a lot of differences in each spanish-spoken country. I remember when I visited all my relatives in Spain, and also in San Diego where I had friends that lived in Spain, most of the times they didn’t understand a word I said (in spanish) because: a) argentinians talk really fast, and b) we have a lot of slang, so there are a lot of language differences.
Here, in Argentina, we have “Velatorios” (plural for Velatorio, english translation would be Memorial Service) were family and friends gather to pay their respects to the lost one (much as Marina described). Most of the times the body gets prepared by the same company that provides the velatorio. It is not common to have it done in two different things. So for us a Velatorio encloses the concept of preparing the body, and the wake.
On the other hand, I have never heard of “Tanatorio”. But browsing the internet I have found the definition in spanish, and it seems Spaniards call Tanatorio what we in Argentina (and Uruguay as far as I know) call Velatorio.
Now, exact translation for this two words give me:
Tanatorio: chapel of rest.
Velatorio: wake, vigil, memorial service.
So it seems in Spain they use the word Tanatorio not only to describe a place, but also as we use Velatorio, to speak of the wake.
Hope it helped.
P.S: Thanks Ben for the reminder, never should’ve brought it up
At least it says “A match Argentina did not deserve to lose”. But in soccer (football for you and me), you don’t deserve things, you earn them. hehe 
Kind Regards,
Mariano.
Tim
14 Nov 05 at 6:53 pm
Re videocast vs podcast.
I think the occasional videocast would be good. Perhaps things like your audiotour of the local market and such, so we can see the types of things that go on, see the people, the scenery, etc. But I have to say that I’m firmly in the podcast camp. Audio is not all-absorbing in the same way as video, which means I can work while listening. Also the background sounds in the podcasts add an extra dimension which I think would be lost if they occurred in a videocast.
Whichever you decide to do, keep it up! I for one really enjoy your podcasts.
Ben
14 Nov 05 at 8:20 pm
OK, I think you, and most of you in fact, are right. Podcasting is king and shall remain so at nfs. I really like the fact that it is not all-absorbing as well. However, I do love playing with new toys, especially creative ‘media’ ones, so no doubt at some point in a richer and hopefuly not too too distant future I shall get a video cam and put out the occasional vid-cast of who knows what descritption. Thanks a lot for the comments so far on this!
Ben