Radio Drama

Lo1

Courtney Wilsnagh

What are Radio Dramas?

This is a dramatised
performance that is purely
audio based. Radio drama
relies on dialogue, music and
sound effect to entertain
there audience as they don't
have any visual components
to assist them leaving the
listener rely on visualising
the story themselves. They
are usually heard on Radios,
tapes or CDs.

Codes:

Words and Voices

Voices are important as they must be clear, strong
and easily understood by the audience or the
attention will be lost as it will be useless to the
audience if they cant hear the script .Another aspect
is the tone in which the narrator is speaking in
should make it clear to the audience of how he or she
is feeling Also using multiple voices makes it clear to
the listener which character is speaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjq-SdNm5KE
Start at 9:43
words

Speeches
In each show of a radio drama has a
different script and actors, it is there
responsibility to portray different
characters making the different voices and
accents sound as authentic as possible to
really make the audience believe it is real.
By doing this they displaying different
personalities and their characters making
it more enjoyable for the audience, an
example of the is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=65j06uOltmQ
Start 30:20

Music
Music used in the background assists the Radio
Drama in creating the right atmosphere and
setting the correct mood. This helps the audience
to feel the correct emotion when listening to the
show resulting in entertaining the audience thus
more. Music assist the show by keeping it going
when theres no other sound effect or voices swell
as making the show sound more appealing to the
audience holding there attention.
an example of this is when listening to a romance
you would hear soft sweet acoustic music as well
as orchestral themes which draws emotion from
the listener.
An example of this :

Ambience and Aural

signposts
Aural signposting This is a sound that helps Ambience could be music or
establish the scene.
background noise that helps us identify
the style or mood. it is almost the same
A good example of this is in the Twilight
as sign posting.
Zone Radio Drama when the main
Character gets out of the car and you can
This could be music, sound cues ect
hear the rain pouring and the crickets
and is usually done at the beginning of
around the car. this lets us know a lot about the scene before the script starts.
the scene as we can already tell that hes
driven to his friends house and that its
is the although its purpose is to create
raining outside as he approaches the door. an atmosphere and it can be diabetic
and non diabetic. Due to this it make
At:
listeners become more observant of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq2 how the character is feeling.
oSnUgF-0

sound and silence

On radio dramas the listener has to rely on sound
for entertainment, there is no visual aid for the
audience making them rely on the sound. When
used correctly silence can also be used, especially
for dramatic effect! When silence is used in
correctly it can leave the audience bored or
distracted which could mean they no longer pay
attention or even switch channels. This could
happen when they leave a pause for too long.
another use for silence is to mark the end of a
scene or break in dial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tHHc8eehe8Q
Start at 2:35

Conventions:

Aural signposts

A good example of
this:https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Wq2oSnUgF-0
At:

Cliffhanger Endings
This is a technique used to
grab the audiences attention.
this at the end of a script when
it finishes abruptly to make a
scene end dramatically and
leave the audience
it is also used on audio as well
as visual dramas and is seen
commonly on TV shows.

Flashback and
Chronological
Development
This is when you have a non linear narrative that isn't just
beginning, middle and endShift in a narrative to an
earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological
development of a story.
This technique is used to shake up the narrative as well as
giving more insight into a particular characters story in a
short time period. this technique is challenging to pull of
in radio dramas because it is so important that the
audience follows along and understands that it is indeed a
flashback or they will be confused and lose interest.
Chronological Development is a linear narrative that
follows the beginning middle and end structure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g

Use of fades
Cliff-hangers are an excellent method of
maintaining or extending a high level of
suspense and anticipation in your audience.
This is usually used for opening and closing
scenes, emphasising certain sounds or
characters as well as changing locations and
times. you will see of hear a cliff-hanger
where the story line of a radio drama, film,
book or tv show ect dramatically ends
abruptly with no explanation after a climax or
big revelation.
the point of this is keep the audience in
suspense until the sequel or next part of the
story as it holds there attention and interest.
a good example of this :

Characterisation
This is when the Radio drama skilfully
and subtly conveying a lot of information
about a character that suits a narrative.
Its important for the audience to
understand and if possible feel
connected to the characters. this is why
the process of conveying the information
is so important as the listener will make
there opinion on the characters biased
on what they hear and how is is
displayed therefore dictating there
attention and interest in the show.
this is easier to do in tv shows and
movies as the viewer can judge the
character based on what they see and is
presented rather than needing the hear
good or bad things about a character.

Narration and direct

speech
A clear voice that narrates what is happening
or what will go on in the documentary/TV
programme, what it will be about, this will
help the audience understand what is going
on and what it will be about, it makes it a lot
more clear for the audience, the narration is
the story telling for the audience.
Direct speech is important as it as it helps the
listener connect with the Character and
empathise with them as it is more personal
and direct and listening to a third party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KpfzlsQRbDI&list=PLhHQDe3_4tqj1Rzm_aFFwSbbzVNs0UbH
Start from 1:30:57

Titles and credits

Credits and titles are used to credit the people who are involved with the
production. This includes actors, directors, editors and sound technician.
Titles are used to announce the radio drama in the beginning of the
production to introduce the show to the audience so they know what they are
listening to, this could be in the form of a theme tune, jingle or spoken word!
On the other hand the credits are spoken at the end most likely over quieter
music than the title. Credits often mention the radio channel it is being aired
on as well as tell the audience who contributed to the production.
Credits are there to create publicity for the people involved in the radio
drama, it is important so the audience can also find out who was involved if
they liked the production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq2oSnUgF-0 At: 00:10

Styles:

Appropriateness to target
audience
This is making sure the content provided is
suitable for the age group of the target audience.
this is also making sure your content isn't
offensive to the listener as this will create
problems legally and will limit who will enjoy the
radio drama

Dramatic reconstruction

This is when a radio drama is assessed and

analysed before it is aired to corrected any
errors within the show before it is aired.this
is important as it stops radio dramas from
being aired before they are ready and makes
sure the radio drama runs smoothly before
there final production.

Radio drama styles

Traditional is when a
radio drama consists of
an attention grabbing
storyline which
features both voice
characters as well as a
narrator.

Postmodern

Structures:

Duration
Examples of a short radio drama would be The
Babysitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3fe2CAXkAI
And an example of a long radio drama is The
Forgotten Planet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ_rY77XX8