Movie Reviews With The Surprises Left In & The Spoilers Taken Out

Hi, I'm Mark Esper. I'm a film reviewer and host of the 'No Spoiler Reviews' podcast which offers movie reviews with the surprises left in and the spoilers taken out.

So, if you've ever felt you've already seen the film by just reading a review or watching a trailer then our podcast is the one you've been waiting for.

Nowadays with distributors even keener to recoup their multi-million dollar budgets, they want audiences to know as much about a film as possible – which is fair enough. However, this is where “spoilers” can also creep in - and these can dull or ruin your movie experience before you even buy a ticket.

In our podcast, we aim to tell you everything you need to know without giving away any of the surprises. No more glancing through film reviews, reading only the last paragraph or counting the number of stars that a movie has. We present the film as it should be: a spectacle to be seen and not spoilt.

In a deliberate attempt to expand into something more light-hearted and irreverent than our written reviews, creating a podcast seemed like the right way to go. Initially teaming up with fellow reviewer David Mouriquand from ExBerliner Magazine, the idea was for a more varied review show which would allow for a fun tone which easily becomes serious when it needs to be.

Now with the advent of the coronavirus, the podcast had gone through many changes in a relatively short space of time. Now in a shorter format, which has enabled it to go from monthly to biweekly, the funny rapport now comes directly between myself and those listening. Asking listeners for their best and worst experiences, thoughts and memories, it has led the podcast to become much more intimate and responsive.

That said, interviews and guest co-hosts will soon also be coming into the show's format so as to keep the show fresh whilst complementing the no-spoiler reviews that have become the show's backbone.

In same the way that we have all had to change how we consume movies, with if many, not all cinemas closed during the pandemic, the podcast has also adapted become about making sense of the multitude of movies available streaming rather than those coming down the line at your local multiplex.

I think self-discipline is key. In making a commitment to creating a regular show that people that are going to invest time by listening in or possibly even revisiting previous episodes, it's really important to keep both the standard high and the supply consistent.

And whilst we didn't have the technology and recording quality right there in episode 1, you can definitely hear the difference in episode 2. Similarly, the time that it used to take to produce a single episode has gone from 2 days to a matter of hours - so, in short you just get better through doing it more often. More efficient ways present themselves both in approaching each show's structure as well as its technology.

Whilst at its most basic, it's just voices talking into a microphone and as such, once you've bought a microphone and a computer to record them on - you're good to go. Yet, expect the real time to be spent learning how to create compelling content that people want to listen to, rather than which microphone is the best.

At the moment, the show is entirely self-financed and run without sponsors. Saying that, if the right sponsor(s) approached us who we thought we're a good fit and that our listeners might genuinely benefit in hearing about, then that's something we definitely look at.

As keen podcast listeners ourselves, sponsorship can easily become a "switch-off" moment in listeners minds. I think it's really important to make sure that you have a good marriage tonally otherwise you might find yourself fighting to get people's attention back mid-episode - and that can have really fatal consequences both for the show and your relationship with your sponsor(s).

In terms of process, each episode is a balancing act between topicality and self-interest. The arbiter between the two is your sense of taste. That's what people are really tuning in for. "Do I like this guy or gal's take on a film that I've seen or that I fancy seeing?"

Rather than acting as judge, jury and elocution-er, the role of a movie reviewer is to be a guide. To make you aware of the key considerations without denting the experience for you by talking it into the ground with spoilers and fluff, before you've even taken that first step to the cinema kiosk.

So, in planning an episode we're thinking about what people might be interested in that fortnight. From there, it becomes a case of recording pieces that fit with that vision and respond to the feedback we've received from previous episodes. For instance, when it comes to interviews, we're looking to preferably be in the same room. It's almost a maxim. The rapport is better, the audio quality is better and the experience for the listener is better.

It's really important to know your audience when starting out. Build a picture in your mind, if needs be. Ask yourself "What do these people listen to? Where do they go for music, podcasts? What kind of social platforms might they be members of?"

Once you've got that figured out that should give you a fair idea of whether they're going to be listening to your podcast through a computer, tablet, phone or some other device. As things currently stand each device has a preferred app for podcasts. iPhones have a dedicated podcast app, desktop computers can play your episodes straight from any internet browser window and so on... However, often these apps are directly linked to their own in-house podcast directories (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Alexa (Amazon) etc.) and it's crucial to be on these platforms if you want your show to be found.

When it comes to more direct marketing, start local, as in really local, so that'd be your family and friends. More so, than being gilt-edged influencers that will propel your podcast to the stratosphere, they will at least give some crucial feedback on what's working or not working - and that could be the difference in "breaking out" and gaining listeners outside your immediate social circle.

The harsh, paranoid reality is that initially, you have try everything to figure which kind of marketing is really working and what is just you howling into the wind.

So, whilst the time you spend on producing each episode should eventually go down, you should expect your time creating marketing materials to go up even more. Again, you kind of have to learn by trying - which is what we've done.

It's not going to "happen overnight". It's probably not going to happen over months or possibly even years. Podcasting is a marathon and should be approached as such. So, plan for the long game because that's the one you're entering.

Fortunately, the internet has a wealth of articles and "how-to's" and "10 essential things you must do before launch a podcast type" articles online. Literally copy and paste that last one into Google. There, you're off to the races already.

There'll be a lot of repetition and that's to be expected. My personal top three slices of advice would be:

1) Find a reputable podcast host with a range of features to make your life easy. We started with Buzzsprout - buzzsprout.com (still there) but if money's really tight also look at Anchor's free service - anchor.fm (similar to buzzsprout, just less features).

2) Take it seriously. There are a lot of podcasts which sound awful. Between using substandard tech and just talking drivel, the podcast-o-sphere is chock full of second-hand opinions. Don't be one of them and don't sound awful doing it. Find a quiet space where we can't hear the immediate world outside and bring somebody interesting to talk to. -Now, that's a conversation worth hearing/recording/releasing... you get the idea.

3) Have fun. In amongst all the ambition and burdensome stuff-you-must-do-otherwise-you-will-fail internet articles, remember to have fun. If it's painful for you, it will sound painful for us. Relax. Have a laugh. Ideally, a podcast should be an intimate conversation you're having with a best friend where the internet's also been invited along to. No more than that. The serious stuff can come later - if at all.

You can find out more about our podcast and movie reviews at our website (nospoilerreviews.com/podcast), our Facebook page (facebook.com/nospoilerreviews) and Instagram (instagram.com/nospoilerreviews).

We're also on Twitter, Tumblr and several others but these are the big three in terms of prominence.