Visiting “The Rock” as a voice over artist, and listening to narration by real prisoners and officers, as part of an audio tour.
Last month, I returned back to Cairo after a lovely summer vacation spent in San Francisco. I had time to visit many places, including the once-escape proof incarceration island; Al-Catraz.
Before visiting Al-Catraz, I never watched “The Rock” movie; however, that was the first thing I did returning from there.
Why was it unique?
During the visit, I heard stories of the escape attempts by the inmates. I also knew about their charges and the consequent prison terms that lasted for dozens of years. A prisoner ended up serving over 25 years in jail for stealing $16 from a shop.
This visit was incredibly unique for one reason, the self-guided audio tour. The audio tour, which received an award, was narrated by former prisoners and officers, which made it real and authentic. The interchange of the voices also made the experience vivd.
Once you put on your headsets, the narrator guides you throughout the place. As you check the cells through the bars, you find the prisoners’ personal items, chess boards, drawings and other stuff. You move from one place to another, listening to stories about the facility through an immersive narration.
Hearing real voices of prisoners
The narrators lead you to a hall where the cells are on both sides of you. Then, you start hearing the real voices of the prisoners while they are banging, and their guards’ shouting. Then you listen to stories of how some prisoners were punished over their escape attempts, while others remain unfound.
I can still recall that moment, when noises were loud (they were real prisoners’ voices). The noises shocked us, the visitors of the prison, and we started looking around. I literally felt as if the place is still serving as a prison, while the prisoners are in the place and we are locked in.
The voice could be the hero
The narration was smooth; it was provided in different languages. The production also used sound effects of kitchen utensils and sounds of real family visits in the background.
As a voice over artist, I found the visit an amazing experience. The exceptional tour reminded me how much significant is the role of the sound. The sound can play the hero role in a production, even when the picture is not available!
During the tour, I was amazed to know that three prisoners managed to escape Al-Catraz in 1958 after leaving “dummy heads” in their beds and digging a hole in the wall.
