The BBC has released the third of its immersive audio trials, a drama that it says should be experienced in the dark.
Monster uses the listener’s connected devices to create the experience, rather than the listener being plugged in via headphones. It is the third immersive audio trial on BBC Taster, follows on from Decameron Nights and Pick A Part.
Elements of the audio scene are dispersed physically around the listener’s space, making use of the devices they already own— such as phones, tablets and laptops. This makes Monster different from its predecessors, as they were designed to work in stereo and could be augmented by adding extra devices.
To unlock Monster, listeners are required to connect at least two devices and are given instructions on where to position them.
The drama was recorded remotely with the voice actors, and built using BBC R&D’s Audio Orchestrator.
“Horror is a whole-body experience. It is the perfect genre for pushing the boundaries of what is possible in an audio experience,” said Monster’s writer Brad Birch. “Thanks to this brilliant technology, the audience exists alongside the characters within the story. So, when the world turns upside down for the characters, it happens for the audience too.
Monster is available on the BBC’s Taster website.
