Radio Drama Codes and Conventions

Radio Dramas

Forty Weeks
Lentil
Series 1 Episode 1
Written by Katherine Jakeways
Produced and Directed by James Robinson

Narrative:
This episode of Forty Weeks is a romantic comedy about the fall out from a one night stand.
The opening scene is about Sam having sex with a girl in a car. This scene shows Sam
cheating on his girlfriend (Rosie). I know that it was in a car as Sam says “it's not easy with
the gear stick in the way”. Therefore, this indicates to the audience the opening scene is in a
car. This indicates to the audience that Sam isn’t very classy as he has had sex with a
random girl in a car. The rest of the episode shows how Sam had sex with that girl because
he was confused and wanted affection as his dad had just died. Rosie was away on holiday
so he couldn’t get the affection off her. This episode shows Sam debating whether or not he
should tell Rosie with the help/advice from his mum. Sam ends up telling Rosie and she
eventually forgives him. Just as things look like they are going well for Sam and Rosie he
bumps into the girl he had sex with and she tells him that she’s pregnant and is keeping the
baby. This episode is a non-linear narrative. I know this because it goes back in time. For
example, a female voice (doctor) appears through the use of elliptical editing. The voice that
appears is the conversation between the doctor and the girl that Sam had sex with. It shows
the doctor telling the girl that she’s pregnant. This conversation already took place before
the girl told Sam. Therefore, indicates that the narrative has gone back in time. This episode
of Forty Weeks is an open narrative. This is because the audience doesn't know if Sam will
tell Rosie that he got the girl pregnant. Also, the audience won’t know if Sam will stay with
Rosie or leave Rosie and form a relationship with the girl that he got pregnant. This is a
cliffhanger which makes it an open narrative.
Sound Effects:
There are plenty of sound effects used throughout this episode of Subterranean Homesick
Blues. Sound effects are used to keep the audience’s attention and to help create a sense of
theatre of the mind. Theatre of the mind will allow the audience to get carried away with
their imagination which will engage them and will make the story more enjoyable to listen
too. Therefore, they highly recommend the radio show to other people. In this episode of
the radio drama, they have used sound effects which help the audience paint a picture in
their mind of where each scene is located (theatre of the mind). For example, sound effects
such as; jeans rustling, footsteps, car door opening, keys/bag rusting, bag zipping, car door
shutting, mobile phone ringing, cupboards/doors shutting, cutlery rattling, tea cups tapping
together, water going into a cup, door slamming, clothes rustling, phone notification and
the sound of static noise when Rose is on the phone to sam.
Atmospheric Sounds:
There are plenty of atmospheric sounds used throughout this episode of Subterranean
Homesick Blues. Atmospheric sounds in a radio drama help establish the location and
setting. This will help the audience get an understanding of the dialogue as they will know
the location and setting of each scene. In this episode of the radio drama, they have used
atmospheric sounds to show the setting and location of where each scene is. For example,
they have used atmospheric sounds such as; church bells ringing, birds tweeting, people
chattering, cars going past and sexual noises in the background at the start of the episode
whilst the voice over speaks. These sounds help the audience understand where the scene
is. For example, the church bells indicate to the audience that the scene is set near a church.
Characters:
Radio drama’s usually feature a small cast. Small numbers of characters are used in each
scene because it is too hard for the audience to distinguish between voices if there are a
large number of characters. Also, characters are used to add dialogue to the story. Without
characters, you couldn’t have a radio drama and they are the people who speak, create
action and guide the audience through the story. The characters used are called Sam, Rosie,
mum (Sam's mum), pregnant girl (Sam’s fling) and a Doctor. Sam is a male in his late
20’s/early 30’s. I know this because he is very close to his mum which suggests that he is
young. I know that he is close to his mum because he tells his mum about cheating on his
girlfriend (Rose). He also sounds quite young too based on his tone of voice. Sam is also
middle class as he is from the south of England based on his accent. He’s also well spoken
which suggests that he’s fairly privileged. Sam seems very guilty about cheating on Rosie.
For example, he says “oh god” multiple times whilst explaining to his mum what he’s done.
Therefore, this suggests that he wasn’t thinking straight when he did it. His guilt builds up as
he doesn’t know how to tell Rosie because he still loves her and doesn’t want to lose her. I
know that he still wants to be with Rosie as he says “I can’t lose you as well as dad”. Sam is a
very innocent and genuine person. For example, Sam tells Rose about him cheating on her
with another girl straight after the conversation with his mum where she was adamant
about him not to tell Rose. They used elliptical editing for this as it cut out time and moved
straight to a different scene. Sam feels extremely guilty as soon as he cheated. I know this
because Rose rings him up just after they have sex and she asks where he’s been. He tells
her that he has been with his mum all day when really he’s been cheating on her. This shows
that Sam couldn’t face telling her because he feels very guilty. Sam sounded a bit more
relaxed towards the end where him and Rose sorted things out together until he bumped
into the girl he slept with and told him that she’s pregnant and is keeping the baby. Rose is a
female in her late 20’s/early 30’s. This is because she is a similar age to Sam and they are
just boyfriend and girlfriend which suggests they aren’t too old. Rose is middle class/upper
class. I know this because of her posh accent, she is well spoken and she travels abroad with
work which suggests that she has a good job. Rose seems very caring and supportive
towards Sam. I know this because she says how brilliantly he did during the funeral, hugs
him and says she loves him at Sam’s dad's funeral. This will make the audience feel bad for
her because she doesn’t know that he cheated on her at this point. Rose seems quite funny
and sarcastic too. For example, she says “Right! Should we get on with the handshakes and
the sorry for your losses”. This is sarcastic as it’s as if she knows that they’re going to have to
go around to everyone receiving kind words and “sorry for your loss”. She’s trying to lighten
up the situation to cheer Sam up. Rose seems very angry when Sam tells her that he
cheated on her. I know this because she says “you know what Sam. You’re an arsehole”. She
then storms off and slams the door. This indicates to the audience how much she loves him.
Rose seems quite shocked when Sam tells her that he cheated on her. For example, she says
“it’s so unlike you Sam”. This suggests that she wasn’t expecting it at all as she’s never
noticed any signs of Sam being that type of person. Rose seems sad when Sam tells her that
he cheated on her. For example, she says “why did you tell me”. She says this whilst crying,
she walks out and slams the door. Towards the end of the show, Rose seems more forgiving.
I know this because she says “if we act like that was some sort of out of body experience
and pretend that you were a different person, then maybe… i love you!” This indicates to
the audience that she loves Sam a lot as she’s giving him a second chance. Rose and Sam
both confess that they love each other after Rose forgives him. Sam's mum is quite harsh
and realistic. This is because she doesn’t want him to tell Rose that he cheated. I know this
because she says “don’t tell Rose!” She says to Sam how it won’t be the same ever again if
he tells her. This indicates to the audience that his mum wants the best for Sam, but she
isn’t going about it in the best way. A new, female voice appears towards the end of the
drama. The voice appears whilst the girl is telling Sam that she’s pregnant and it’s his child.
The voice says “you’re six weeks pregnant and your baby's facial features are forming”. She
sounds very formal/serius which suggests that she could be a doctor telling the girl that
she’s pregnant. The drama ends with the same voice (doctor) saying “at six weeks, your
baby is roughly the same size as a lentil”. This explains to the audience the name of the title
of the drama, ‘lentil’.
Music:
In a radio drama, music is used to create an atmosphere and a mood. For example, there is
a guitar that gently plays at the start of the episode. This will suggest to the audience that
the episode will start off slow and peaceful as the guitar is being played very gently and
quietly. Therefore, the audience will know what type of mood/atmosphere that the drama
possesses. The sound of the guitar slowly fades in and out which makes the audio sound
professional as the music doesn’t abruptly stop. Also, the fade in/out has been used to save
time as it’s only a 15 minute drama so they need as much time as possible. This is because
fade in/outs help to end a piece of music or sound professionally as it fades into the
background noise smoothly. There is a loud/strange/humorous piece of music that acts as a
music bridge. It transitions the audience from one scene to another. This noise sets the
mood/atmosphere as it is quite a funny noise which suggests that something funny/positive
is about to happen. If something bad was about to happen then they would use
slow/uncomfortable piece music. The episode ends with the same loud/strange music to
reinforce to the audience that the drama is a comedy as that specific sound is the last thing
they’ll hear. Therefore, this will remind the audience that it is a comedy/a positive drama.

On Kosovo Field
Chain of Keys
Series 1 Episode 1
Written by Fin Kennedy
Directed by Nadia Molinari

Narrative:
This episode of On Kosovo fields is about two siblings, Rebeka and Dardan (brother and
sister) returning to Kosovo after a mass grave is discovered close to their native village. They
discover a young nation striving to forge a path for hope and reconciliation and realise that
they too must journey into their past to move on. This episode is about how Rebeka and
Darden have gone back to their native country (Kosovo) to find out what happened to their
parents, whether they’re alive or not. There has been a war in Kosovo and this is the
aftermath of the war. An army involved in the war was called the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA). Dardan and Rebeka moved from Kosovo to the UK when they were younger after
their parents abandoned them at a young age. This episode is an open narrative. I know this
because the episode ends on a cliffhanger. For example, Darden and Venera get chased by
the police because they tried to protest in the town centre and got caught. This is a
cliffhanger because the audience don’t know what happens to them both. This episode of
On Kosovo Field is a linear narrative. I know this because it follows chronological order as
everything happens in the correct order. This episode is a multi-strand narrative. This is
because the drama gets told from more than one character's perspective. Character
perspectives such as Rebeka, Dardan, Rron and Venera.
Sound Effects:
There are plenty of sound effects used throughout this episode of Subterranean Homesick
Blues. Sound effects are used to keep the audience’s attention and to help create a sense of
theatre of the mind. Theatre of the mind will allow the audience to get carried away with
their imagination which will engage them and will make the story more enjoyable to listen
too. Therefore, they highly recommend the radio show to other people. In this episode of
the radio drama, they have used sound effects which help the audience paint a picture in
their mind of what’s happening in each scene (theatre of the mind). For example, sound
effects such as; a suitcase rolling, bag zipping, keys rustling, heavy breathing, footsteps,
clothes rustling, cutlery tapping plates, lighter clicking, cup hitting a table, chair sliding, glass
smashing, a whistle and glasses tapping together when they make a toast “to the future and
girl power”.
Atmospheric Sounds:
There are plenty of atmospheric sounds used throughout this episode of Subterranean
Homesick Blues. Atmospheric sounds in a radio drama help establish the location and
setting. This will help the audience get an understanding of the dialogue as they will know
the location and setting of each scene. In this episode of the radio drama, they have used
atmospheric sounds to show the setting and location of where each scene is. For example,
they have used atmospheric sounds such as; planes on a runway, kids playing/making noise,
people chattering in a cafe/restraint, cars driving past and a beeping noise on a plane to
indicate that a member of the cabin crew/pilot is making an announcement.
Characters:
Radio drama’s usually feature a small cast. Small numbers of characters are used in each
scene because it is too hard for the audience to distinguish between voices if there are a
large number of characters. Also, characters are used to add dialogue to the story. Without
characters, you couldn’t have a radio drama and they are the people who speak, create
action and guide the audience through the story. The characters used are called Rebeka,
Dardan, Rron and Venera. Rebeka is a working class female in her early twenties. She is
working class because she works for a children's refugee charity. This shows that she is
kind/caring and has been affected by her childhood so she’s trying to help children who are
in a similar situation to her and Darden when they were younger. The charity probably isn’t
the best pay. Also, she is northern and northerners are stereotypically known as being
poor/working class. I know that she is northern due to her Manchester accent. I know that
she is in her early twenties because she says that she moved from Kosovo to the UK when
she was 5 and her and Darden returned 17 years later, which makes her 23 years old.
Rebeka is caring towards Dardan as she says “he’s just being modest” when he tells Rron
and Venera about how one of his photographs have been shortlisted for a competition.
Rebeka is portrayed as being mature throughout the drama. She even says to Rron and
Venera that she’s looking after Dardan even though she’s only a couple of years older than
him. Darden is an unemployed, male in his early twenties. I know that he’s unemployed
because he says that he’s unemployed and wants to be a photographer or a journalist. I
know that he’s 21 because they said that Rebeka was 5 and Darden was 3 when they moved
from Kosovo to the UK. He is northern and northerners are stereotypically known as being
poor/working class. I know that he is northern due to her Manchester accent. Dardan is
portrayed as immature throughout the drama. For example, he leaves a pair of keys in an
open compartment of a suitcase where they could’ve easily fallen out. He is portrayed as a
joker/humorous person in this episode. For example, he says “is that a baby born or is that
what all the food does?” This shows that he is quite a cheeky individual. Rebeka replies
“Dar! Sorry, he can be a bit inappropriate”. This suggests that Dardan is quite immature
compared to Rebeka. Dardan’s unemployed but is trying to get into the
photography/journalist industry. I know this because he says to Rron and Venera “I put my
stuff up online, you should check out my Instagram. It’s just in the city of Manchester really.
This indicates to the audience that Dardan makes money from selling photos, he’s from
Manchester and this modernises the drama as Instagram is modern. Therefore, indicates
that the drama is set in the modern day. Dardan is well educated when it comes to his
childhood. I know this because he says “we were unaccompanied minors allowed into the
UK under the special evacuation programme. We were brought up in care, never saw our
dad or mum again”. This suggests that Dardan can be quite mature. Rron is an educated
man as he went to University. Ron is famous in Kosovo as he threw red paint over a
government man on live TV. He became a superstar and everyone wanted his opinion. Rron
says “you don’t want to bother meeting Luan”. He says this because Luan is now in the
government which is seen as a bad thing. Rron is now a journalist and lives a normal life
with his wife Venera. Venera is a nice woman. For example, she says “you were lucky, your
parents got you out of Kosovo”. This suggests she is happy that they were in a safer country
and didn’t have to experience the war. Venera tells Dardan and Rebeka that they should go
to the memorial this Friday as they will read out all the names of the missing. Venera is an
actionist. I know this because she says “actions are better than words”. She also started a
protest with Dardan. She wanted to attach a banner onto a wall in a busy area where the
banner would have Albanian and Serbain names of missing people. She believes that
Serbian names get vandalised which isn’t acceptable in modern day Kosovo. I know that the
attempted protest went wrong because she shouts to Darden “Police! Run! Don’t fight back!
Blame it on me!” This suggests that she is very passionate about her protest as she was
willing to take the blame. Venera is very passionate about Kosovo being a free country. I
know this because she says “we are a free country! Independent! Free Kosovo!”
Music:
In a radio drama, music is used to create an atmosphere and a mood. For example, a guitar
is played slowly with a female voice singing delicately at the start of the episode. This will
suggest to the audience that the episode will start off slow and peaceful as the guitar is
being played very gently and quietly. Therefore, the audience will know what type of
mood/atmosphere that the drama possesses. The sound of the guitar slowly fades in and
out which makes the audio sound professional as the music doesn’t abruptly stop. Also, the
fade in/out has been used to save time as it’s only a 15 minute drama so they need as much
time as possible. This is because fade in/outs help to end a piece of music or sound
professionally as it fades into the background noise smoothly. There is an electric guitar
piece of music that acts as a music bridge. It transitions the audience from one scene to
another. This noise sets the mood/atmosphere as it is upbeat and more intense. This could
suggest to the audience that something exciting is about to happen. There is another piece
of guitar music that transitions the audience from one scene to another, which is also
known as a music bridge. The drama ends with slow guitar music. This suggests to the
audience that the drama has ended on something serious/bad as slow music connotes
negativity.
 Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions of a Radio Drama

Sound Effects:
Sound effects in Radio Dramas help to create theatre of the mind. This is where the
audience creates images in their mind which allows them to get an understanding of the
narrative and creates a sense of realism too. Sound effects help create action in a scene. For
example, a character walking in and out of a room. This sound effect would include the
sound of footsteps and a door opening and closing which would indicate to the audience
that there is action taking place. Sound effects help create context of the narrative. They
contextualise the time period. For example, a car's engine. This will help give the audience
an understanding of the time period because if the car was loud, it would suggest that the
car is modern. Therefore, indicates to the audience that the time period is recent.
Voice Over:
Voice overs are usually portrayed as a monologue. A monologue is a form of speech
presented by a single character, most often to express their mental thoughts aloud. Also, they
can sometimes directly address another character or the audience. This leads on to how voice
overs help break the fourth wall. This is where the character directly addresses the
audience. Breaking the fourth wall is a technique used to get audiences to connect with
characters. Whether it's in a drama or comedy, when a character stops to address the
audience, a connection is made as it pulls the audience into the show. It allows them to feel
as if they're in on the drama and the action. For example, they allow the audience to hear
characters' thoughts. This helps to fill gaps for the audience as the characters' thoughts
cover detail and will give the audience the characters perspective of the scene. Voice overs
help explain characters motivation as they help to show what the characters are doing. For
example, if a voice overs tend to summaries situations. Therefore, the audience is likely to
know what the characters intentions are. Voice overs help to give the audience information
about the narrative or in general. For example, help give the audience information about
the backstory. This will give the audience a better understanding of the characters and
narrative. Also, voice overs guide the audience through the narrative. This will help to
minimise confusion for the audience. Therefore, will maximise the audience's overall
understanding of the drama.
Atmospheric Sounds:
Atmospheric sounds in a radio drama help establish the location and setting. For example, if
the scene was in a pub, there would be people chattering in the background as that is a type
of noise that you would be expected to hear in a pub. There are also other audio cues such
as vehicle sounds, accents and nature sound which will indicate the location and setting.
Atmospheric sounds also help create theatre of the mind. This is because all sounds help the
audience's imagination expand and create pictures in their heads. For example, chattering in
a pub could help the audience imagine how busy the pub is based off of how loud the
chattering is, or what type of people could be in the pub based off of what their voices
sound like.
Editing:
There are multiple editing techniques used in a radio drama. Fade out/fade in is a common
technique used for the transition between scenes. There are usually a couple seconds of
silence used between transitions. The fade out/fade in is an audible cue to the audience. For
example, it could indicate to the audience that time has passed, the location has changed or
the time of day has changed. Another common editing technique that is used in radio
dramas are music bridges. A music bridge is another form of transition that is used between
scenes. For example, a theme tune or a piece of music. This transitions the audience from
one scene to another. Another editing technique that is used in radio dramas is layered
sound. Layered sound is used to help create a vivid picture which relates to theatre of the
mind. Layered sound involves sound such as music and sound effects. Another editing
technique that is used in radio drama is elliptical editing. This type of editing indicates to the
audience that time has cut out.
Narrative:
A narrative of a radio drama is a spoken account of connected events which help create a
story. Narratives usually contain a clear beginning, middle and end. This will help to keep it
clear and simple for the audience to follow and understand. It is important to keep the
narrative clear and simple, otherwise the audience won’t understand what’s going on.
Therefore, they’ll lose interest in the drama and will stop listening. Single strand structure
can be used in a radio drama. This structure tells the story from one character's perspectives
who play a part in the drama. This tends to make the narrative simple and easier to
understand. For example, ‘The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles’ is a single strand narrative as the
entire narrative is about Darleen wanting a baby and everyone disagreeing with her.
Another form of narrative structure that can be used in a radio drama is a multi strand
structure. This structure tells the story from several characters perspectives who play a part
in the drama. This tends to make the narrative more interesting and action packed but
harder to follow and understand. Another form of narrative structure that can be used in a
radio drama is linear structure. This structure tells the story in chronological order.
Chronological order is where something is told in the correct order in which it happens. This
tends to make it easier for the audience to follow and understand. For example, Craven
follows the linear structure as it is in chronological order. I know this because it has a clear
beginning, middle and end, also it doesn’t go back and forth in time. Another form of
narrative structure that can be used in a radio drama is non linear structure. This structure
tells the story in a disjointed or disrupted narrative. For example, out of chronological order/
ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of events. This is more
likely to make it harder for the audience to follow and understand as it is more complex.
Another form of narrative structure that can be used in a radio drama is a circular structure.
This structure is where the drama ends in roughly the same place where it starts. This
means that the drama could replay over and over again and be similar (circular structure).
For example, if a drama started in a car park and ended in a car park/the same car park. This
would be a circular structure. Another form of narrative structure that can be used in a radio
drama is an open or closed ending. Open is where the ending can continue and isn’t clear to
the audience. For example, ‘The Pursuit of Darleen Fyles’ ends on a cliffhanger. This is
because it ends with Darleen saying “I’m having a baby whether you like it or not”. This
means that the audience won’t know if she does or doesn’t have a baby which makes it an
open structure as there is no clear ending. A closed ending is where the drama has a clear
ending and the audience knows that the narrative can’t continue. For example, a typical
happy ever after ending is a closed structure as it is clear to the audience that the characters
live happily ever after. One storyline will help make the story easier and simple for the
audience to follow and understand. This is because they can only hear what’s going on as
it’s a radio story. This means that the audience can’t get visual help and guidance.
Therefore, having a simple narrative will make it much easier for the audience to
understand.
Characters:
Characters are used to add dialogue to the story. Without characters, you couldn’t have a
radio drama and they are the people who speak and guide the audience through the story.
A small number of characters will be much better than using lots of characters as it will be
easier for the audience to follow and understand. It will prevent them from getting
confused, especially because it’s only a 15 minute drama which means there isn’t much time
to add lots of detail about different characters for it to make sense. Therefore, a minimal
amount of characters used, the easier it will be for the audience to follow and understand.
For example, Craven has lots of characters which is why it’s harder to follow. Subterranean
Homesick Blues only really has 3 characters (Maggie, John and the Registrar). This is why it’s
easy to follow. Tone, dialect and accents of voices creates differences. Different voices help
create a difference between characters which prevents the audience from becoming
confused. Therefore, helps the audience distinguish who is and who isn’t speaking. For
example, male and female voices are easy to tell the difference between as males are
deeper and females are higher pitched. This means it will be better to use male and females
in the radio drama.
Dialogue:
Dialogue is very important to define sounds heard in a radio play. This is because a listener
might interpret a sound in a number of different ways. However, if there is dialogue from
the characters then it will help set the scene. Therefore, the audience will get a clear
understanding of what the sound is. Dialogue is used to drive the story as it imparts
information for the audience and helps move the story forward. Dialogue can be used to
provide a backstory of a character. For example, “where’ve you been”. This will let the
audience know where the characters have been which will allow the character to explain
where they’ve been. Therefore, contributes to the backstory of the character.
Music:
In a radio drama, music is used to create an atmosphere and a mood. For example, an
upbeat piece of music will indicate to the audience that something fun/exciting is about to
happen. Music can be used to create and establish a time period for the radio drama. For
example, if they played modern day R&B music, it would suggest to the audience that the
radio drama is set in the modern day. Also, music can be used to help establish a location of
the radio drama. For example, if a song by Oasis was played, it would suggest to the
audience that the drama could be located in Manchester. This is because Oasis are a band
from Manchester.
Credits:
The credits at the start of a radio drama include the title and the writer. This will give the
radio drama a professional appearance as it will let the audience know the name of the title
and the name of the writer which is a professional thing to do as it shows respect for the
writer and the drama. They will sometimes include some of the main characters' names at
the start of the credits too. The credits at the end of a radio drama include the convention
“you have been listening to… title, writer, producer and director”. This emphasises the
professional aspect of the radio drama. Then they include the full character/cast list. This is
done to show respect for the characters and cast who helped contribute to the radio drama.
The credits aren’t read out by one of the actors, they’re read out by a professional
announcer.

Codes and Conventions of a Radio Drama Script

Front Page:
The front page of a radio drama script is layed out conventionally. The title page starts off
with the title which is centred, in capital letters and in bold. Underneath the title it says
what the script is, in this case it’s a radio drama. Underneath it says the writer's name.
Underneath this would have the name of the producer and the date of broadcast in bold.
Underneath this would be where the copyright information is positioned. Underneath this is
where the contact details such as address and email are positioned. Below this is where the
characters are listed in the bottom left corner with a brief biography. The page numbers are
in the top right corner of every page. At the top of the page at the start of the scene it
includes the scene number, INT/EXT, location, setting and the time of day. For example, in
the start of the scene in the Lover’s Rock, it says “SCENE 1: EXT. RAILTON ROAD, BRIXTON,
LONDON 10/4/81. AFTERNOON”. It’s all in bold, capital letters and underlined.
Music:
The music in a radio drama script is portrayed in capitals. This is because the capitals will
help the music stand out and will make it clear for the crew/cast to see. The title of the
music is in speech marks, it mentions the name of the artist and is ranged left to right. For
example, in ‘Lover’s Rock’ it says MUSIC: “Caught You In A Lie” by LOUISA MARKS.
Technical Direction:
Technical directions are in bold, capital letters, ranged left. For example, in Lover’s Rock it
says “(DISTANT) I don’t go no school. I don’t go any school. I know all I need to know. Laters!
Dialogue:
When it comes to dialogue in a script, every word is selected for a reason, because they
want to conceal something, find something out, kiss them, hurt them and so on. The trick,
then, is in making script dialogue feel like real life, but with every single conversation
earning its place in the script. The dialogue is set out clearly which makes it easy for the
crew/cast to follow. Each piece of dialogue on a page is numbered and the numbering starts
again on each page. The dialogue has a clear column structure. This is so the script is easy to
understand as the dialogue is neat and clear on the script due to the column structure. In
the left column of the dialogue, there is the number, full stop, characters name and then a
colon. For example, in Lover’s Rock it says “3. BENOIT:”. Then the dialogue is next to it and
the text is justified. There is a line gap between each character's dialogue. This has been
done to make the dialogue easy to read and also allows the crew/cast to edit the script and
write notes next/under/above a piece of dialogue which could help them. Direction for the
actor is shown in brackets, in capital letters and then the character follows it. For example,
in Lover’s Rock, it says “(DISTANT) And teach that monkey to speak. He’d be the better for
it”. Usually the script doesn’t allow characters to interrupt each other. If someone was being
interrupted, you’d get ‘...’ after the line. When it comes back to the person carrying on what
they were originally saying, they’d have (CONT’D) in brackets at the start. This is there to
indicate that a character had been interrupted and is carrying on what they were saying
before they got interrupted. For example, in Jane Eyre it says “JOHN REED (CONT'D) If you
crawl out and say ‘Forgive me, Master Reed,’ I might consider it”. Voice over (V.O.) is in bold
for the character. When it’s a voice over, all of the dialogue is in bold including the number
and the characters name. For example, in Jane Eyre it says “DIANA (V.O) St John, we must
get her warm”. Off camera (OFF) indicates that an actor is off camera or further away from
the microphone. Close (CLOSE) tells the actor that they need to be close to the microphone.
This will probably be accompanied by whispers from the crew. Also, every scene begins on a
new page. This makes it easier for the cast/crew to follow and prevents people from getting
confused.