Unit 42: Radio DramaCODES AND CONVENTIONS TO MAKING A RADIO DRAMA

I Will Be Looking At North Of Riga and The Archers Omnibus to explain the codes and conventions of making a Radio Drama

CodesWords and Voices:

The Words and voices used in a Radio Drama are the backbone of the whole production, they can set the scene by use of narration and description develop characters, it can be written in a specific way and include specific accents, this also helps set the scene and give the audience a better picture in their head. It is important because it will give the Radio Drama a more realistic feel. The main objective of a radio drama is to make the listeners see the story in their mind as the writer/directors see it in theirs, It needs to be clear as day.The Archers

CodesMusic and Ambiance:

Music and Ambiance will determine the genre of the drama, tap into the emotions of the TA and make a more interesting production due to the real life feel it will provide. It works with the words and voices in order to create this feel. The music and ambience will paint the picture of the drama in the listeners mind. Without sound effects and music the dialogue will be far less effective in creating the tension/emotion that the director wants the listeners to feel.

North Of Riga

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Codes

Speech/ Dialogue: The Speech is self explanatory, it is how the words are said and could include someone with a speech impediment, or vocal defect or multicultural backgrounds and accents this makes the Radio Drama sound like it has a wider range of people just like the real world, It is also required due to equality laws. If the drama was just a white, British man and woman talking the dialogue will be far less real and interesting. The dialogue will give the information and tell the story and by having a range of accents and cultures it will sound far more real and professional

The Archers Omnibus00:4:00+

Conventions, Styles and StructuresAural Signposting:

This will usually set the scene, it is all the stereotypical sounds found in the particular location the scene is set, E.g. a seagull sound for a coastal scene in north of Riga . Aural Signposting is used and required in order for the listener to gain a clearer picture of the scene that is trying to be set. These sounds will aid in the creation of the scene along with the music and dialogue.

North Of Riga

The Archers Omnibus00:10:30+

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Sound & Silence:

Sound is important because it will set the atmosphere and keep the target audience interested with the use of sfx, atmospheric music and the aural signposting. Breaks in that sound (silent areas) will identify a scene change or the end of the production usually with an exponential fade at the end of the sequence or the clip. The sound is always recorded on professional microphones rather than on location because the dialogue needs.

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Cliff-Hanger Endings:

This is where an episode would end right before the climax of the scene so the viewers are left in suspense wondering what will happen, This is a good technique for drama’s that have deep story lines and well developed characters. Often used as a way of keeping an audience for the next episode.

The Archers Omnibus01:14:55+

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Flashbacks:

Flashbacks are used to sometimes develop a characters past in order to understand the present version, Identify an unsolved issue from the past or recall information purely for the viewers interest, this can be done by using SFX and a younger voice or narrator.

Conventions, Styles and StructuresUse Of Fades:Fades can identify the end/start of a scene or the end of an episode, it is the equivalent of a dip to black in video production. As a Radio Drama is purely just sound the change in a scene needs to be obvious and easily recognized The Archers

Omnibus00:11:55+

Conventions, Styles and StructuresCharacterization:

The characters must be developed by using a string of information that is woven into the storyline, it also needs to happen quickly but not made to sound like a list of facts. Each Character must develop (from just a name) a personality, hobbies, likes and dislikes and a background story. Just random snippets of information will bring a character to life without the listener feeling like they are been told about the characters before the plot line starts

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Use Of Silence:

The use of silence In a Radio Drama is to identify the change of a scene, this is far more commonly used than a fadeThe Archers

Omnibus00:4:21+

Conventions, Styles and StructuresNarration:

The narration in a Radio Drama provides an insight to the story, often describing what has happened in a previous episode or what is to come in the next.

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and StructuresChronological Development:

A radio Drama (such as The Archers) will always, just like television, follow a chronological order in the story and character development so that the listener will always be informed and up to date on the characters and plot line, this is key as unlike TV the listeners cannot see anything, the chronology of the drama will often be narrated.

The Archers Omnibus(Whole Production)

Conventions, Styles and StructuresTitles:

The titles in a Radio Drama will be the same as anything you would see on TV but making use of the spoken word to tell the listener what would have been shown on a screen. It will introduce the show saying the name and who is was written by .

The Archers Omnibus01:15:11+

Conventions, Styles and StructuresDirect Speech:

This is a very important element, its all very well having sound effects and narration but not if there is nothing to narrate or put sound too. The direct speech will be conversations or thoughts that the characters may have. Always said as if speaking to a person rather than plainly reading off a script.

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Music:

The music will be key in creating atmosphere for the Radio Drama, If it is a large production it will also have a jingle, same sort of thing that would be found at the beginning of a Eastender’s show for TV. North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and StructuresCredits:

The credits will be similar to the tiles, read out as they would appear on a screen, the cast in order of appearance , producers and editors will be mentioned at the end of the show after the end titles.

The Archers Omnibus01:15:14+

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Dramatic Reconstruction:

Dramatic reconstruction is also known as an adaptation. Shows like torchwood have been turned into a radio drama after their success on tv.

Conventions, Styles and StructuresAppropriateness to Target Audience:

The Radio Drama will always have to be appropriate for the target audience, E.g The archers is a mid day show, on a BBC radio station, therefor will be appropriate to the TA by not having swearing, sexual scenes or scenes that would be seen as inappropriate for the listener which in this case could be any age, gender or race The Archers Omnibus(Whole Production)

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Creation Of Mood or Location:

The mood and location can be made clear to the listener by using a narrator, stereotypical sounds of the location (Seagulls for a coastal scene), Diegetic music local to the location and music to create the mood and identify the genre, direct speech is also necessary to create the mood (Angry voices for an argumentative scene)

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and StructuresRadio Drama Styles:

There are a few forms of Radio Drama these are:-Post modern Postmodern productions are centred around highlighting the fallibility of definite truth, instead encouraging the audience to reach their own individual understanding.-TraditionalWith no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story.-AdaptationAdaptation Radio Drama’s are a film or book that has been re-written for radio, Things like star wars and war of the world have been adapted, whereas the archers is produced purely for radio -Kitchen SinkA Kitchen Sink Drama will relate to social and political issues, this style was developed in the 50’s and has been used ever since

Conventions, Styles and Structures

Narrative Structure:

The narrative structure is how the narrative is put together, nobody wants too much but it is always necessary to provide information or a background point that the listener needs to know but may miss if just direct speech was used. It is also used as a ‘Meanwhile’ style of scene change

North Of Riga

Conventions, Styles and StructuresDuration:

The duration of a Radio Drama is important because it can be too long and it can be too short, listeners can switch off at anytime so the duration (amongst everything else) must be hugely considered. Generally a Radio drama will last between 25 mins and an hour. Programmes like the Archers will have an end of week omnibus which will go for over an hour The Archers Omnibus(1hr+)

Conventions, Styles and StructuresDevelopment of Plot:

The Plot will always develop in a chronological order and be made very clear to the listener so they can easily understand the details of the storyline, Often individual characters will have there own storyline and it may intertwine with another character, this will be made evident through the way the script is written and the use of silence, music and narrativeNorth Of Riga