Uneasy

Unlike other dramatic works, it can be found not only on the Czech Radio website, but also on third parties - its biggest success has been on Spotify. It was essentially made using the binaural method, so the creators recommend listening with headphones. Dominik Budil and especially Ondřej Gášek aka Aleff, who also composed the music, are behind the excellent sound design.

The podcast was also helped by Film and TV School graduate Diana Cam Van Nguyen, who created a special visual and video for it. The youngest children from Disman’s radio children’s ensemble also participated in the recording. The first two episodes of the series were selected for the Grand Prix Nova International Festival in Bucharest.

Basic Information  

Uneasy. A thriller about a relationship gone too far. Petra studies at university and works as a taxi driver. One night she gives a ride to the slightly older Šimon, who will remain in her life. They become the perfect couple. They soon move in together, but living together starts a spiral of strange situations. There are strange noises in the apartment, the furniture is moved around. Liberation is supposed to be a weekend together at a cottage, but it ends tragically.

We published Radio Wave’s five-part podcast series at the station’s website, where it is available permanently, and on third parties (Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more) on 1 September 2021 all at once for binge listening. The series has been a success, with 100,000 starts in the first twenty days and tens of thousands more to come. By the end of April 2022, it had recorded a total of 185,000 downloads. It is supplemented by additional materials, such as a video and special visual.

Since this is a thriller with a plot based on strange sounds, we chose a binaural treatment. Moreover, a significant part of the story takes place in Šimon’s head, as becomes clear in the final episodes (Šimon is a mentally disturbed individual, he manipulates his partners). From the beginning, some of the sounds seem choppy, some scenes are repetitive and have varied developments. At the same time, we anticipated in advance that most young listeners would play Uneasy from their mobile phones on headphones - this fact also supported the binaural solution.

About the author: Klára Vlasáková (1990) is a Czech writer, playwright and publicist. She regularly cooperates with Czech Radio. For children, she has written a series about cyberbullying called Po tom, co Aneta zmizela (After Aneta Disappeared) and a fairy tale called Valentýnův první den na Zemi (Valentine's First Day on Earth), which introduces the topic of death to young listeners. She has published a prose piece called Praskliny (Cracks).

Listen the document at Prix Bohemia Radio festival!

When: Thursday 13^th October 2022 | 10:00 – 10:20 | listening session
Where: Film hall, Arts Centre UP
Entrance: Free admission with accreditation

Look at the detailed program of the listening session.

All podcasts are available here.