Radio Features

Personally, Im not a fan of radio. I feel like there are too many distractions for me to sit and listen to a full radio piece, especially when the piece is from BBC Radio 4, a station targeted at an older audience. When I listened to an extract from Euston to Whitechapel (Cella de Wolff) I noticed how similar to a film it was. Literally it felt as if all I needed was a picture to view the material I was listening to. The sound quality was crisp and almost as if you was in the environment itself. It was hard to decipher which sounds were created within a studio and through editing to real life captures. Also, I noticed a structure to the piece; the drama had an introduction to captivate its listeners. After the introduction, a narrator reiterated the title and the production begins with the crash. I felt all the sound effects were powerful and gripping, but to be perfectly honest, I didnt understand what was happening because the crash happened insinuating it was the man wed just met in the Taxi whod just picked up a girl, which looked like his daughter. Next, we hear him still talking to her viewing a blocked road, yet he keeps saying he sees smoke. I felt as if the tension did build up to the introduction until I lost the plot.

One aspect of the piece I liked was the use of dramatic ambient music, I didnt realise how much it could create a transition. Within my piece, I first thought about using music within my initial idea (I posted the test), but within my main script including Polly, I felt the darkness of the production consumed the viewers more than to add a snippet of eerie music. I hardly noticed sound effects added, the production flowed well enough for me to constantly believe the situation was in front of me. The ending was stereotypical, I feel as if every drama has a death within them. Dying seems to be part of the codes and conventions to shock the audience. I really enjoyed the dying man rapidly telling the listeners everything that came into his head that represented being free as well as the things he loved with an ominous beat underneath, until it flat lines and thats all is heard. I think the ways in which the acting is expressed is very good, with the choice of wording, description, fast pace dialogue, but I dont think this was a very good show. My reasoning for this is simply because I didnt find it interesting.

I listened to a radio comedy, which completely juxtaposed the drama. Whilst searching through the comedy section I noticed Count Arthur Strongs Radio Show! which I thought would be perfect because Ive seen his television show and thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, I found this piece hilarious. The show mocks the fact that older men can be senile. The targeted audience for this production is a very high range, considering its banded within Radio 4, which already has a niche audience. The structure of the piece was mini sketch after mini sketch in a different location of Arthurs day. The plot consisted of Arthur giving a lecture to impress the Egyptology Society, but the jokes are focused on Arthur constantly getting grumpy at everyone; he believes he knows everything, but usually gets things wrong.

I noticed the editing process within this piece more than the drama. Phone calls were involved where the bass had been taken out of the dialogue to create the sound of a phone call, as well as other peoples distance from Arthur sound lower. To transition scenes a magical sound is heard; the reoccurring noise makes it easy to realise the scene has changed. Laughter can be heard within the studio its being filmed in, so the atmosphere guides the listener into his or her own mood. The comedy seemed very linear with its construction and not very difficult to generate the mood compared to the drama.

Comparing the comedy to the drama, I felt the drama had more power and a more complex construction. Even though I didnt like the production, it felt as if I was there entwined with the scene, whereas Arthur Strong was more of a relaxation to listen to. The codes and conventions are very different. I see the drama as a film construction without the image, whereas the comedy is mainly about how the vocals are pronounced and what is being said. From listening to these pieces I feel I can take more influence away from the drama by using certain techniques to gain a powerful plot.