Last updated on January 10th, 2018

Sometimes, regardless of the medium, you simply want to be entertained without thinking too much. Whether you’ve had a long day at work, you’re exhausted, or you just need a break from other heavier themed material, these lighthearted podcasts are refreshing.

This is the area where B-Roll Podcast falls in. Are you looking for a fun and silly podcast where two hosts invent movie titles and roll a dice to randomize the genre and plot? Look no further.

I got a chance to catch up with the creators and hosts of B-Roll Podcast, Rob and Matt. We talked about their podcast origins, whether or not we’ve reached peak podcast, and some of the fake movies they’ve created that might have a chance at getting made. Check out our full Q&A below.

Discover Pods: What’s your podcast about?

Rob: We invent movie titles and then roll a dice to decide its genre, plot points and tropes while improvising the scenes. We also add music and sound effects to create a very well-produced, albeit silly, show. We like to think it’s about creating an over-arching narrative and inventing a world of movies and characters that are all linked in the same universe without really going into detail how. Just like Tarantino does. Are we saying we’re as good as Tarantino? No. We’re not saying that but we can see why you would make that connection.

DP: What are some of your favorite fictitious movies you’ve created so far? Could you see any having a chance at being made?

Matt: One of my favourite fictitious movies we’ve done on B-roll Podcast is our most recent episode. It’s called A Most Magical Rose and it’s about an anti-social nerd who decides to bring an autonomous sex robot to his sister’s wedding and hijinks ensue. It’s a combination of zany, heightened comedic premise stuff with a story that I think would genuinely make a decent comedy movie. When we hit that combo we are at our best, I think.

We’ve had a few ideas that could be easily turned into sellable scripts. One of my favourites, story-wise, was a movie idea that I pitched called “The Wormhole Gang” and I think it was a turning point in the podcast. It’s about a kid who had to move away because his parents were getting a divorce but he and his friends find a wormhole that takes them back by one day. So, the gang decides to go back and try and save the parents’ marriage. We were used to turning our premises very silly in the first dozen or so episodes but with the Wormhole Gang we went story first and it turned out to be pretty touching.

Rob: I agree with Matt. We have two types of episodes. We have our silly, wacky episodes and then other episodes where we have an amazing story that would work as a film. One of my favourites that I think would make a great premise for a script was Memory Bank. It’s about a guy who works in a place where people can sell their memories forever for some easy cash. It started out as a sci-fi thriller but then quickly changed into this end of the world narrative through the rolling of the dice.

We’ve had a couple of sillier episodes that I think could become films and those would be Monkey Business: a film in which Kevin Spacey swaps bodies with a monkey and Up in the Air: a juggling/fantasy movie.

DP: What’s unique about your podcast?

Rob: It’s a comedy podcast that is a mix of a couple of other ideas but is entirely unique. We start with a fairly grounded movie idea which then becomes more and more absurd the more we roll the dice. Creating and improvising a show each week is definitely a challenge but we don’t see a lot of improv shows that have the same quality of production that we try to deliver.

DP: It’s a breath of fresh air for podcasts to be just silly and fun. It seems like everything today is so serious and somber. Do you think podcasts will shift to be more lighthearted and entertaining?

Matt: Most of the podcasts that I listen to are fun and hilarious. Even My Favourite Murder keep their dark subject matter pretty light for the most part. People listen to podcasts while doing some activity like cleaning, or jogging or whatever- so it’s hard to keep the thread of a somber podcast most of the time. With the way the world is right now also people definitely need escapism and silly podcast feels like you are listening in on a conversation with your funny friends…and in our case your insanely attractive friends. *Please don’t look into that last part.

Rob: I mostly either listen to comedy podcasts or shows about something I’m interested in. I’ve never been a big fan of somber podcasts that tell a story over 10 episodes. I much prefer listening to funny people saying funny things. That being said, I think a show needs a good premise and those shows about “a couple of guys hanging out and shooting the shit” don’t cut it any more.

DP: Why did you choose to podcast?

Rob: Podcasts have the unique ability to reach people when they are doing things where normal media can not be consumed. We get to create a world using our imagination and music that would not have the same impact via other mediums. It’s an incredibly intimate medium where you can become a part of somebody else’s routine and enter into their weekly habits.

DP: Do you think we’ve reached “peak podcast”?

Matt: No. I think podcasters are slowly getting their footing with what can be done in the genre and, in my opinion, podcasters should look back to the heyday of radio. Old shows like “the Goon Show” with Peter Sellers were surreal and in depth skit-comedy that hasn’t been rivaled in the podcast world yet. There is still a lot of territory to be explored with what can be done in podcasting.

Rob: I think podcasts are still evolving and we’ve seen how using the medium to weave narratives has been very successful if you look at shows like S-Town and Serial. I think a lot more shows need to be more experimental and not just do what the successful shows are doing. You look at a show like The Adventure Zone and they made a show about playing D&D and mixed it with some great story-telling with music and great production value. I would say a lot of new shows don’t focus so much on the production side which can really make the difference between an okay show and a brilliant one.

DP: What’s the last podcast you listened to that became a part of your regular rotation?

Matt: Dumb People Town slowly became a favourite of mine. It’s great hearing professional comedians doing something as simple as reading news stories about dumb people doing dumb things. It cracks me up.

Rob: Not a lot of shows make it into my habitual listening but I think the last show I added was My Dad Wrote a Porno. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

DP: Anything else you’d like to add?

Matt: Just that no one has sent us any insulting emails or messages yet. We actually had a Reddit thread that Rob created and there were a lot of people that gave us some great pitches and even made posters for our movies, which is great, but no insults. I couldn’t believe it. So, please, if anyone hates my ideas or Rob’s voice send us an email at brollpc@gmail.com I will be waiting.

Rob: We made this show as a way of getting to know each other in probably the most public way possible. We are blown away by some of the posters some listeners have made and we do it for a great community that we hope to continue to grow. Please visit the subreddit/r/brollpc and add some ideas to the thread for the 2nd Community Special. We would love to see what you guys come up with.

DP: What are your top 5 favorite podcasts?

Matt:

  1. The Cracked podcast
  2. My Favourite Murder
  3. Harmontown
  4. WTF
  5. #Dumb People Town

Rob:

  1. My Brother, My Brother And Me
  2. The Adventure Zone
  3. Cool Games Inc.
  4. My Dad Wrote a Porno
  5. Welcome to Night Vale

DP: Where can listeners find you?

Rob:

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