Production Diary 4

This week came a disaster as the person who we originally cast as Carlos dropped out suddenly so we had to find another person to replace him and redo all his part of the script, we then had a few problems setting up the equipment so didn’t get as long as we wanted to record, which once again was very time consuming.

Production Diary 3

We then had to cast our radio show, we wanted to have voices that suited the character’s personality. We also wanted to get different accents in their too. This was harder than it sounds as we had to find people with free time.

The next step was to start recording our radio drama. This started off a little slow as there were many mistakes with the reading of the script and we had to keep repeating things. This became very time consuming.

Production Diary 2

We then started drafting the script, at this point we weren’t aware of the six minute time constraint and therefore went ahead and created a huge script. We started off just with narrative, as we felt we had to perfect this before adding any other elements to it. Later on we added in cues and links, and the tone in which the characters would speak. We then added in what sound effects we would use and where they would be placed.

We also started thinking of names for the Drama we finally came up with 'The Unseen'. We chose this name as we thought that this connotes a stalker.

Radio Drama as a Form

"Radio Drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. With no visual component radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the story."
Wikepedia

When listing to radio you have to be able to imagine what you are hearing, as you cant physically see it. One of the main conventions of a radio drama is that they have to give huge descriptions, so the viewer can imagine, things such as clothes, scenery, and characters without just listing what somebody is wearing.

Sound is an important element of radio drama as unlike television, you cant see the characters expressions or movements, through sound effects, music and narrator you have to no everything about the characters. Sound effects are often used to fill gaps, and set the scene. Music is usually used to create tension, or suspense and to signify the beginning and end of the drama. Narrators are often used to pass time, and establish the story.

History Of Radio Drama

Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within a decade of its initial development in the 1920s. Radio drama started when networks began adapting short stories, and even writing original scripts, for broadcast.By the 1940s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. With the invention of televisions in the 1950s, radio drama lost some of its popularity, and in some countries, for example America, has never regained its large audiences that it once had.

One of the first Radio dramas was “Danger” by Richard Hughes, broadcast by the BBC on January 15, 1924, about a group of people trapped in a Welsh coal mine.

Radio drama has now become a niche market around the world, but is still very popular, in countries such as the U.K .The BBC produces and broadcasts hundreds of new radio plays each year on Radio 3, Radio 4, and BBC Radio 7. The relatively low cost of producing a radio play enables them to take chances with works by unknown writers. Radio can be a good training ground for beginning drama writers as the words written form a much greater part of the finished product.

You can see from the chart (left) that the boom in radio drama was from 1930s to the early 1940s, and since 2000, there has been an increase in radio listening, this could be down to programmes such as Little Britain and Silver Street.

On the BBC there are two ongoing radio soap operas: The Archers on BBC Radio 4 and Silver Street on the Asian Network.

On October 30, 1938, The Mercury Theatre performed a radio play called "War of the Worlds". It aired for 60 minutes and was based on a science fiction story by H.G. Wells which entailed Martians landing in New Jersey to take over the world. The broadcast imagery produced through sound effects and acting was so powerful, it caused mass hysteria throughout america. Thousands of listeners panicked nationwide, not realizing it was just a radio play, even though disclaimers were announced before and during the production. The broadcast was so shocking that the next day The New York times ran headlines on it; there was a huge negative response to the story as people were petrified it was labelled by some as being cruel and deceptive, but others as genius.

Production Diary 1

For my A2 Media Coursework, I have been given the assignment of creating a radio drama, then recording and editing it. I worked in a group of 3 people Sammie Kerri and me. Sammy already had the idea of a radio presenter. As a group we started brainstorming and came up with ideas such as having a red herring, people phoning in with different problems, or a chat show type thing.

We finally decided that we would have a caller that is abused, and the abuser was Kaitlin’s ex boyfriend who later turned out to be stalking her.