Forest 404

Last updated

Forest 404
Forest 404.png
The official cover art for Forest 404.
Presentation
Starring Pearl Mackie
Genre Science fiction podcast
Created by
Written byTimothy X Atack
Directed byBecky Ripley
Voices
LanguageBritish English
Length10–20 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Production
ProductionGraham Wild
Theme music composed by Bonobo
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes27
Publication
Original release5 March –
1 April 2019
Ratings4.7/5  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Cited for
Provider BBC Radio 4
Related
Website www.bbc.co.uk/forest

Forest 404 was a science fiction podcast starring Pearl Mackie with writing by Timothy X Atak and theme music by Bonobo. The show is composed of nine narrative episodes each accompanied by a soundscape and discussion on the show's themes. The narrative of the show follows a data analyst from the 24th century who discovers recordings of the natural world and finds that the audio has a profound effect on its listener. The show received largely positive reviews and in 2020 won both a WGGB award and an ARIAS award.

Contents

The podcast was accompanied by an academic study led by Alex Smalley with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The study focused on the psychological effects of listening to sounds from nature. The project was a collaboration among BBC Radio 4, the BBC Natural History Unit, the University of Bristol, the University of Exeter, and the Open University.

Production

The show was commissioned by Rhian Roberts, written by Timothy X Atack, produced and directed by Becky Ripley, with theme music by Bonobo, and sound design by Graham Wild. The 27-part series is composed of nine narrative episodes each accompanied by a soundscape and a discussion on the themes. The soundscapes are roughly five minutes in length and use binaural recording to immerse the listener in the sounds of the natural world similar to forest bathing. The show was first released as a podcast on BBC Sounds and later broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and was also made available as a box set. [1] [2] [3]

Timothy X Atack credited works such as The Left Hand Of Darkness and The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin as influences on the story of Forest 404. Atack cites his experiences working in the BBC Archives of natural history sounds, and specifically a Digital Audio Tape of a Sumatran rainforest recorded by Sue Western, as an inspiration for the show's premise. The inspiration to use "forest" in the title came from Rhian Roberts's childhood stomping ground and the full title is a reference to the 404 not found error—the protagonist is literally searching for the forest and is unable to find it. [4] [5]

The show is an environmental thriller and dystopian science fiction podcast starring Pearl Mackie. The show was created in Bristol where Mackie had previously attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The all-female cast included LGBT people and people of color, which is uncommon in media related to climate change. [6] [2] [7]

Cast and characters

Synopsis

In the 24th century during an era called "The Fast Times", people live offworld or in crowded skyscrapers high above the earth. After a catastrophe referred to as "The Catacylsm", the majority of the world's digital information was lost and nature was destroyed. Any remaining data from before "The Cataclysm" is untethered from its historical context and taking up valuable space needed for the city to grow. Pan, a sound archivist working in the "heavy data" section at the Department of Convocation is tasked with cataloguing or deleting the remaining audio files from "The Slow Times" and she is good at her job—clearing 40 to 50 terabytes a week. [8] [9] [10]

While working through the audio archives, Pan discovers a recording of a rainforest and, having never even seen a tree, is unfamiliar with the sound. Fascinated by what she believes is disjointed music, Pan begins to investigate and finds more perplexing audio files. Her boss and potential love interest, Daria, finds out about her new obsession, and informs the "The Hands" at the Department of Convocation. These automaton-like police exist to serve the "Law of Progress" and view the audio that Pan has uncovered as "The Rupture", which has the potential to spread a "deadly virus" throughout the city. While the audio has had a strange effect on her, Pan seems to be immune to the virus. [11] [12]

Daria and "The Hands" pursue Pan and she flees to the lower city known as "Fume Town". The pursuit and Pan's investigation lead her further downward where she encounters Theia, who is the last living human. Theia is protecting an enormous underground tree and reveals that the audio clips are of nature. What the Department of Convocation called "The Rupture" is nature and the "deadly virus" is the unbearable realization that humans were responsible for its destruction. When listening to the audio, the realization is so overwhelming it can be fatal. The story ends with Pan travelling toward a radio tower to broadcast the audio file titled "Forest 404" and share the knowledge of nature and its loss with the world. [5] [12]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleRunning
time		Original release date
0Ep0"Enter The Forest"2:155 March 2019 (2019-03-05)
1Ep1"Life in the Fast Times"23:156 March 2019 (2019-03-06)
2T1"Why should I listen to trees?"8:487 March 2019 (2019-03-07)
A talk by Alex Smalley.
3S1"Rainforest Symphony"4:168 March 2019 (2019-03-08)
The sound of a rainforest in Sumatra.
4Ep2"The Fumetown Priest"21:109 March 2019 (2019-03-09)
5T2"How is the sound of the world changing?"6:2110 March 2019 (2019-03-10)
A talk by Cosmo Sheldrake.
6S2"Frog Chorus"6:5211 March 2019 (2019-03-11)
The sound of croaking frogs.
7Ep3"Into the Inner"18:5512 March 2019 (2019-03-12)
8T3"Could I live in darkness?"8:0313 March 2019 (2019-03-13)
A talk by Herman Wijnen
9S3"Whale Songs"6:1514 March 2019 (2019-03-14)
The sound of whalesong.
10Ep4"Of Earthly Delights"23:4015 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
11T4"Why do trees live so long?"5:5516 March 2019 (2019-03-16)
A talk by James Aldred.
12S4"Woodland Walk"4:5617 March 2019 (2019-03-17)
The sound of a British woodland and birdsong.
13Ep5"Last Days of the Slow World"24:1418 March 2019 (2019-03-18)
14T5"Will we all become cyborgs?"7:2419 March 2019 (2019-03-19)
A talk by Andy Miah.
15S5"Theia's Hometown"4:3920 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
The sound of St Petersburg.
16Ep6"A New Leaf"22:0621 March 2019 (2019-03-21)
17T6"What is death in the digital age?"7:0622 March 2019 (2019-03-22)
A talk by Katie Thornton.
18S6"Pan's Dwindling"4:5123 March 2019 (2019-03-23)
19Ep7"Dreams of the Autopilot"17:5724 March 2019 (2019-03-24)
20T7"Would you vote for an AI government?"7:1125 March 2019 (2019-03-25)
A talk by Elsa Sotiriadis.
21S7"Daria's Nightmare"5:0726 March 2019 (2019-03-26)
22Ep8"Future Conditional"20:1327 March 2019 (2019-03-27)
23T8"How will humans die out?"9:5528 March 2019 (2019-03-28)
A talk by Michael Rivera.
24S8"The Memory Transfer"3:5329 March 2019 (2019-03-29)
25Ep9"Enigmata"25:2630 March 2019 (2019-03-30)
26T9"Love Letter to the Forest..."8:2831 March 2019 (2019-03-31)
A note written by David Haskell and read by Pearl Mackie.
27S9"Bonobo's Theme"3:351 April 2019 (2019-04-01)
The show's theme song by Bonobo.

Reception

The plot and writing for the show received mixed reviews from critics. Writing in The Observer , Sean O'Hagan asserted that the show was "conceptually bumpy" and contained some "jarring moments" and plot contrivances that broke his suspension of disbelief. [8] Whereas Torri Yearwood recommended the show in The Tech , calling the story "beautifully believable" and praising the series for its worldbuilding and character development. [9] Commenting in Refinery29 , Jazmin Kopotsha wrote that the show has a captivating story that pulls listeners into the series, however, the compelling protagonist is the driving force that keeps the listener engaged. [11]

The show's experimental format and companion episodes received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics. In the South China Morning Post , Suji Owen argued that the show's use of companion episodes deepened the themes and ideas throughout the series. [13] While Sam Fritz at the Mississippi Valley Conservancy remarked that the companion episodes allowed the show to "transcend other mediums" and provide context for the plot while grounding the narrative in reality. [2] Recommending the show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , Carl Smith praised the show for its experimentation with form and pushing the boundaries of podcasting. [14]

The show's sound design received a positive response from reviewers. Praising the show's use of binaural technology, Sarah Hemming expressed in the Financial Times that she felt the "richly textured soundscape" was best appreciated with headphones. [3] Similarly Barry Didcock of the The Herald , recommended listening with high quality speakers and emphasized that he enjoyed the show's sound design. [10] Writing on the website Stuff , Katy Atkin recommended the show calling it "a masterpiece in sound design" and asserted that it intensified the story. [15]

Awards

AwardDateCategoryResultRef.
Prix Europa 2019Best European Digital Audio Project2nd Place [16]
BBC Audio Drama Awards 2020Best Podcast or Online Audio DramaFinalist [17]
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards 2020Best Radio DramaWon [18]
Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2020Best Fictional Storytellinggold [19] [20]
Earphones Awards2021Science FictionWon [21]

Academic outcomes

The Forest 404 Experiment was an academic study that accompanied the podcast as a collaboration between The Virtual Nature Project and the BBC. The experiment was open to participation from 4 April 2019 until 31 October 2019, concluding with a total of 7,596 participants. The podcast encouraged listeners to participate in the study, which examined how the sounds of nature impact health. While many previous studies have focused on the effects of seeing nature, there is limited data on the effects of hearing nature. [22] [23]

The experiment was conducted on an online platform called nQuire, which was developed by Open University and the BBC. The platform was intended to provide a place for anyone to design and conduct academic studies and to facilitate mass participation in experiments. The nQuire platform was formally launched with The Forest 404 Experiment. The study was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and conducted by a team from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol led by Alex Smalley. Participants answered a series of randomized questions in response to nature sounds and poetry about nature. Many of the sounds were from the BBC natural history archives and the poetry was read by Pippa Haywood. [24]

The results of the study were published in the journal of Global Environmental Change in May 2022. When participants listened to landscape sounds such as waves or rain they experienced theraputic effects. If the recording included wildlife noises such as birdsong the listener was even more likely to experience relief. Similarly, whenever the audio triggered the participants' memories there was an even greater positive effect and an increased desire to preserve or protect the soundscape. If the audio did not contain wildlife sounds, the motivation to protect the soundscape decreased, which indicates that a decline in the quality of the environmental noise also leds to less conservationist behaviors. [25]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (2 April 2019). "Doctor Who's Pearl Mackie to Star in New Sci-Fi Podcast Drama". Radio Times . Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Fritz, Sam (1 December 2021). "Forest 404 Podcast: Advanced Views and Diverse Perspectives". Mississippi Valley Conservancy. University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 Hemming, Sarah (7 April 2020). "The New Wave of Radio Drama Bringing Plays to Your Home" . Financial Times . Nikkei, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Sparks, Heather (18 May 2019). "Insight: BBC's Forest 404". CLOT Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 Parker, Elizabeth (14 September 2019). "Forest 404: Interview with writer Timothy X Atack" (PDF). Gothic Nature Journal (1): 321–330. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Simpson, Craig (2 April 2019). "Pearl Mackie to star in 'experimental' BBC podcast". Irish Independent . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Button, Katie (29 April 2019). "Innovative new BBC podcast series made in Bristol". Bristol24/7 . Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  8. 1 2 O'Hagan, Sean (14 April 2019). "The Week in Radio: Forest 404; the Reunion; Archive on 4 – Review". The Observer . Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 Yearwood, Torri (25 April 2019). "Echoes of the Slow World". The Tech . Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  10. 1 2 Didcock, Barry (25 August 2019). "Our new favourite podcast: Forest 404". The Herald . Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  11. 1 2 Kopotsha, Jazmin (10 April 2019). "'Forest 404' Is Your New Favourite Dystopian Thriller – In Podcast Form". Refinery29 . Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  12. 1 2 Parker, Elizabeth (2020). "Television and Podcast Reviews" (PDF). Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies (18). Ireland, Dublin: 228–230. ISSN   2009-0374. OCLC   166327754. ProQuest   2500499086 . Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  13. ↑ Owen, Suji (16 August 2024). "5 nature podcasts to tune out the heat and refresh your mind this summer" . South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Smith, Carl (25 December 2019). "The Best Podcasts to Dive Into This Summer". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Atkin, Katy (13 April 2019). "Why fiction podcasts are the best new thrillers". Stuff . Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Digital Media Projects - Online and Digital Audio". Prix Europa . 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "BBC Audio Drama Awards – Audio Drama Awards 2020 – The Finalists". BBC Audio Drama Awards . 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Writers' Guild Award winners 2020". Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards . 13 January 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "The ARIAS 2020". Audio and Radio Industry Awards . 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  20. ↑ Hanley, James (4 March 2020). "BBC Radio 2, Greg James and Dotty honoured at ARIAS". Music Week . Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Patterson, GPat (2021). "Earphones Award Winner". AudioFile Magazine . Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  22. ↑ Rebello, Abreen (5 March 2020). "A world without trees?". British Psychological Society . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  23. ↑ Smalley, Alexander J.; White, Mathew P.; Ripley, Rebecca; Atack, Timothy X; Lomas, Eliza; Sharples, Mike; Coates, Peter A.; Groom, Nick; Grand, Ann; Heneberry, Ailish; Fleming, Lora E. (1 May 2022). "Forest 404: Using a BBC drama series to explore the impact of nature's changing soundscapes on human wellbeing and behavior". Global Environmental Change . 74: 102497. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102497 . ISSN   0959-3780. PMC   9664366 . PMID   36406626.
  24. ↑ Reisz, Matthew (5 April 2019). "Open University platform scales up citizen science" . Times Higher Education . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  25. ↑ Massey, Nina (23 March 2022). "Sounds of nature 'benefit mental health and promote environmental protection'". The Independent . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
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