The Making Of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas Audiobook
‘ ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!’ Is there a more iconic festive line out there? We think not! Monkeynut Audiobooks is so proud to have produced a version of this classic Christmas poem, complete with full orchestral soundtrack.
Record My Life Story interviewer Annie speaks to Elliott Frisby (founder and director of Monkeynut) about the process of making such an iconic poem into an audiobook.
So, why record ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas as an audiobook?
Elliott: This project was one close to the hearts of all of us at Monkeynut. A beloved Christmas tradition, I absolutely adore this festive feast of a poem. Every year I read it to my two children, and every year I love to watch their eyes light up with the magic it brings. So, I thought: why not give a version to the world and spread the joy?
Wonderful! And how did you go about capturing the magic of this iconic poem?
Elliott: Audiobooks are such a wonderful medium to create a whole immersive world. Yes, you have the text, but you also have soundscapes and fantastic music to bring the whole thing to life!
I’ve worked with Mike Read a few times before and felt he had the perfect rich, velvety voice to really do the poem justice. We had a long meeting about the vision for the audiobook, and how his voice could be used to evoke that fireside Christmassy warmth we all know and love! From then on we had a shared vision and this really helped to evoke that sense of wonder.
Then we brought in Andrew Stamp - he’s my head composer at Monkeynut Sound and is just all round fantastic. It’s important to have the narration recorded first, so that you can see how the music will fit with the voice, and Mike's voice certainly inspired the composition. I explained to Andrew that I was after something like ‘The Snowman’ - wondrous and magical and complimentary to the narration. We worked together getting the music just right - manipulating and mixing here and there. And now, I’m delighted to say, it’s all come together in a magical Christmas audiobook!
Ultimately, what’s the aim for the ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas Audiobook?
Elliott: We just wanted to share the magic of Christmas with as many people as possible, and I’m so proud of the whole team because I think we’ve created something really special. We are in talks with various radio stations, and also Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, as we really want to spread the joy this Christmas. It’s already receiving some really fantastic press coverage, which is really exciting. At the time of publishing, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas was ranking #1 on Amazon Poetry, which is utterly fantastic!
The last couple of years have been incredibly hard for everyone; anything we can do to bring some Christmas cheer will make us feel like it's been a job well done!
The audiobook of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas also features a 15 minute interview with Elliott Frisby and Mike Read discussing the process and feeling festive!
To purchase the audiobook, please visit Audible, Google Play or iTunes. Also available on all other audiobook sites.
Monkeynut is one of the UK’s leading audiobook production companies. Should you have a project in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch today - we’d love to hear from you.