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Difference between revisions of "Ben-Hur"
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After almost killing the Roman governor, Valerius Gratus, accidentally, Judah is betrayed by Messala and sent to the Roman galleys as a slave. | After almost killing the Roman governor, Valerius Gratus, accidentally, Judah is betrayed by Messala and sent to the Roman galleys as a slave. | ||
| − | He stays alive on his hatred of Messala, and his desire to have revenge upon his friend, turned bitterest foe. | + | He stays alive on his hatred of Messala, and his desire to have revenge upon his friend, turned bitterest foe. |
== Cast == | == Cast == | ||
| Line 106: | Line 106: | ||
== Comment by Dirk Maggs == | == Comment by Dirk Maggs == | ||
| − | Sometimes a real challenge coms along, and when I was offered the chance to adapt and direct Ben-Hur for Focus On The Family Radio | + | Sometimes a real challenge coms along, and when I was offered the chance to adapt and direct Ben-Hur for Focus On The Family Radio Theatre I couldn’t turn it down. The big scene - of course - was the Chariot Race. I decided to use my [[Peter%20pan%20dirk%20maggs.htm|Peter Pan multi-camera idea]] to tell the story of the race from various perspectives. |
The chariot jump was not in the book but was so cool in the 1959 movie I had to have a go at doing it in sound only! | The chariot jump was not in the book but was so cool in the 1959 movie I had to have a go at doing it in sound only! | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | == Techincal Info == | ||
| + | Dirk faced the ultimate "Audio Movie" challenge: how to render the most famous visual sequence in cinema history—the Chariot Race—entirely through sound. | ||
| + | |||
| + | To achieve this without a single frame of film, Dirk moved away from the "static" recording style of traditional radio and employed a "First-Person Sonic Perspective." | ||
| + | |||
| + | == The "Hyper-Real" Horses == | ||
| + | Instead of the standard BBC "clip-clop" of coconuts on a gravel tray, Dirk layered the sound to create biological weight: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Breath and Snort: He prioritized the heavy, rhythmic breathing and flared nostrils of the horses, placing these sounds extremely "close-mic" to give the listener the sense of being right in the middle of the team. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Layered Hooves: He used multiple tracks of hoof-beats at different pitches and textures (some "wet," some "dusty") to represent the 36 hooves of the nine competing chariots. By varying the rhythm slightly, he avoided the "mechanical" sound of a loop. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == The Anatomy of the Chariot == | ||
| + | Dirk treated the chariot not as a vehicle, but as a character that was "screaming" under the pressure: | ||
| + | |||
| + | The "Wood Stress" Sound: To simulate the wooden frame straining during high-speed turns, Dirk utilized the creaking of leather jackets and the grinding of old wooden crates held close to the microphone. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Wheels: For the high-pitched "whir" of the spinning axles, he used recorded sounds of bicycle or pram wheels spinning at high speeds, which were then digitally "dirtied up" to sound like heavy iron and wood on sand. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Spatial Combat (The Messala Factor) == | ||
| + | The drama of the race is the proximity of Messala’s chariot. Dirk used Pan and Depth to create a 3D arena: | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Hub-Scraper: When Messala’s chariot (with its scythed hubs) approaches, Dirk introduced a metallic, rhythmic "shink-shink" sound that grew in volume and moved across the stereo field. This was often achieved by scraping metal pipes or scaffolding poles against each other. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The "Wind Tunnel" Effect: To convey the 40mph speed, he used a constant "whoosh" of filtered white noise, which changed in pitch depending on whether Ben-Hur was in the open or being "drafted" by another chariot. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == The Crowd as an Ocean == | ||
| + | Rather than a static "loop" of cheering, the crowd in the Circus Maximus was treated as a fluid atmospheric layer. As the chariots passed the stands, the crowd noise would "surge" and "ebb" in a Doppler effect, mimicking the way sound behaves in a real stadium. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Maggs' "POV" Philosophy: "I don't want the listener to be in the grandstands watching the race. I want them on the chariot, with the dust in their mouth and the reins burning their hands." | ||
| + | |||
== Running Time == | == Running Time == | ||
Latest revision as of 19:56, 28 February 2026
1st Broadcast 2000
Contents
- 1 Producer
- 2 Adaptation
- 3 Director
- 4 Produced for
- 5 Synopsis
- 6 Cast
- 7 Production Crew
- 8 Casting & Creative Director
- 9 Recorded at
- 10 Music composed & Arranged
- 11 Comments
- 12 on working with Dirk Maggs
- 13 Comment by Dirk Maggs
- 14 Techincal Info
- 15 The "Hyper-Real" Horses
- 16 The Anatomy of the Chariot
- 17 Spatial Combat (The Messala Factor)
- 18 The Crowd as an Ocean
- 19 Running Time
Producer
Adaptation
Director
Produced for
Focus On The Family Radio Theater USA
Synopsis
Judah Ben-Hur is a young Jewish prince, son of Ithamar Ben-Hur, who refused to obey Herod's wicked decree, was killed by him. One of his boyhood friends, Messala, a Roman nobleman's son, had gone away to Rome to become a soldier. He comes back different: sarcastic, caustic, and opposed to anything that stands in the way of Rome's might.
Their meeting ends with hatred on both sides for what the other has become.
After almost killing the Roman governor, Valerius Gratus, accidentally, Judah is betrayed by Messala and sent to the Roman galleys as a slave.
He stays alive on his hatred of Messala, and his desire to have revenge upon his friend, turned bitterest foe.
Cast
Russell Boulter Judah Ben-Hur
Timothy Bateson Balthasar
Colin McFarlane Messala
Peter Goodwright Simonides
Sally-Ann Burnett Esther
Martin Jarvis Quintus Arrius
Eleanor Tremain Iras
Wendy Craig Miriam of Hur
Bernard Cribbins Seneca
Robert Benfield Malluch
Sarah Bradley Mary
Nick Burnell Tiberius
Justin Butcher Lyssipus
Karen Clegg Tirzah
Max Digby Centurion
Tenniel Evans Simeon
Michael Haughey Joseph
Matthew Lawrence Shimon
Polly March Amrah
Robin Meredith Pilate
Peter Moreton Ithamar Ben-Hur
David Oakley The Captain
Michael Roberts Ilderim
Philip Sherlock Decurion
David Simeon Gratus
Victor Spinetti Herod The Great
Mervyn Stutter Hortator
Philip Sully Gaspar
Richard Syms Maxentius
Simon Treves Drusus
Other roles were played by members of the company
Production Crew
Paul Deeley Voice Recording Engineer
Casting & Creative Director
Recorded at
The Soundhouse Ltd Shepherds Bush London, England
Music composed & Arranged
Comments
on working with Dirk Maggs
Comment by Dirk Maggs
Sometimes a real challenge coms along, and when I was offered the chance to adapt and direct Ben-Hur for Focus On The Family Radio Theatre I couldn’t turn it down. The big scene - of course - was the Chariot Race. I decided to use my Peter Pan multi-camera idea to tell the story of the race from various perspectives.
The chariot jump was not in the book but was so cool in the 1959 movie I had to have a go at doing it in sound only!
Techincal Info
Dirk faced the ultimate "Audio Movie" challenge: how to render the most famous visual sequence in cinema history—the Chariot Race—entirely through sound.
To achieve this without a single frame of film, Dirk moved away from the "static" recording style of traditional radio and employed a "First-Person Sonic Perspective."
The "Hyper-Real" Horses
Instead of the standard BBC "clip-clop" of coconuts on a gravel tray, Dirk layered the sound to create biological weight:
Breath and Snort: He prioritized the heavy, rhythmic breathing and flared nostrils of the horses, placing these sounds extremely "close-mic" to give the listener the sense of being right in the middle of the team.
Layered Hooves: He used multiple tracks of hoof-beats at different pitches and textures (some "wet," some "dusty") to represent the 36 hooves of the nine competing chariots. By varying the rhythm slightly, he avoided the "mechanical" sound of a loop.
The Anatomy of the Chariot
Dirk treated the chariot not as a vehicle, but as a character that was "screaming" under the pressure:
The "Wood Stress" Sound: To simulate the wooden frame straining during high-speed turns, Dirk utilized the creaking of leather jackets and the grinding of old wooden crates held close to the microphone.
The Wheels: For the high-pitched "whir" of the spinning axles, he used recorded sounds of bicycle or pram wheels spinning at high speeds, which were then digitally "dirtied up" to sound like heavy iron and wood on sand.
Spatial Combat (The Messala Factor)
The drama of the race is the proximity of Messala’s chariot. Dirk used Pan and Depth to create a 3D arena:
The Hub-Scraper: When Messala’s chariot (with its scythed hubs) approaches, Dirk introduced a metallic, rhythmic "shink-shink" sound that grew in volume and moved across the stereo field. This was often achieved by scraping metal pipes or scaffolding poles against each other.
The "Wind Tunnel" Effect: To convey the 40mph speed, he used a constant "whoosh" of filtered white noise, which changed in pitch depending on whether Ben-Hur was in the open or being "drafted" by another chariot.
The Crowd as an Ocean
Rather than a static "loop" of cheering, the crowd in the Circus Maximus was treated as a fluid atmospheric layer. As the chariots passed the stands, the crowd noise would "surge" and "ebb" in a Doppler effect, mimicking the way sound behaves in a real stadium.
Maggs' "POV" Philosophy: "I don't want the listener to be in the grandstands watching the race. I want them on the chariot, with the dust in their mouth and the reins burning their hands."
Running Time
Episode 1 No detail known.
Episode 2 No detail known.
Episode 3 No detail known.
Episode 4 No detail known.
Episode 5 No detail known.
30 Minutes per Episode 5 in series 150 Minutes in total.
