1. RADIO
DRAMA
is a performance where there is no visual components but only sound. It
is broadcasted on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or
CD.
2. CODES OF RADIO DRAMA
Words & Voices
Speech
Music
Sound & Silence
Ambience
Aural Signposting
3. Words & Voices
There is no visual in Radio Drama
so the only way the listener can
get attention is from words and
voices. The listener has to depend
on the words and the voices saying
the words to communicate with the
listener.
4. Speech
This is how the words are spoken.
This could be the pitch, accent or
volume of the voice. This is important
because it will give an idea on what
kind of character is being described
or used in the radio drama. It could
tell us important information like
where the character is from or what
kind of lifestyle the character lives.
5. Music
Music will be helpful when setting the
mood, tone and setting of the specific
scene. This becomes more important and
needed with radio as there is a lack of
visual signs for the audience. For example
you will be able to notice something bad is
about to happen if the music changes and
becomes more dark and you may hear an
instrumental from the lower pitch side of
grand piano.
6. Sound & Silence
The listener has only silence, this
could be useful as it adds dramatic
effect if used right. If the silence
carries on for too long the
listener, depending on their attention
span, would probably switch off. It is
also used to show where a scene
ends in all the dialogue.
7. Ambience (Background Noise)
This makes it clearer to the listener where the
location of the scene is as they wont have any
visuals. It sets the scene. For example if the
script said that the location of the scene was
to be at a school you may add background
sounds like children laughing, a school bell, the
sounds of lockers closing and other relevant
noises. Without the background the audience
would have no idea where it is being set.
8. Aural Signposting
Used to establish location at start of a
scene. Could be done using different
effects, but it sometimes described. It’s
likely that this effect is used before the
dialogue begins. An example of this would
be if the scene started off as a school
bell, to show that the scene is set in a
school, before the script starts.
9. Conventions Of Radio Drama
Cliff
Hanger Endings
Flashbacks
Use Of Scene Changes
Narration
Direct Speech
10. Cliff Hanger Endings
Cliff hanger endings make the listener
feel like they want to listen to more. A
cliff hanger is a way of ending the
episode without telling the audience what
is going to happen next or leaving it at an
unfinished ending. The audience will start
feeling curious and want to keep
listening in to find out what happens
next. It is a really good way to get your
audiences attention.
11. Flashbacks
Flashbacks tell a short story to the
audience which requires a short amount of
time but explains a lot, and they are a good
way of doing so. Many T and Radio shows
use this at the beginning of an episode to
explain what happened in the last/previous
episode. It is like a catch up as even if you
missed the last episode you are able to
know the key events.
12. Use Of Scene Change
The audience will sometimes need
awareness that the scene is changing
otherwise they would start to feel a
bit confused and lost. Some people do
this by playing a specific tune (which
only lasts about 5 seconds) where
the listener will know that the scene
has changed.
13. Narration
The narrator is able to set the mood for a
scene. It is an easy way of making the
audience understand the setting and
characters in a scene. It is a quicker and
more described way of informing the
listener what is going on.
14. Direct Speech
Direct speech is repeating the words
of the actual speaker. Nearly every
radio drama includes it as it is almost
the only way to explain what’s
happening in the radio drama. It tells
the listeners opinions from the
character. It is mainly used by the
main character.
15. Styles: Appropriateness to target audience
This is a very important feature when
planning a radio drama. Once your
target audience is chosen you have to
make sure your script is aimed at that
same audience. The script has to be
ideal and interesting for the chosen
target audience.
16. Narration/ voice of god
Narration can have both good and bad
effect in radio drama. A good thing is
that the narrator is able to give more
detailed and interesting plot and
description of characters and also
explain an individual characters mood.
The bad thing is that it makes it more
confusing for the listener as they may
start getting mixed up with who's talking.
17. Structures: Duration
Depending how long your radio drama
is, it must be action packed throughout or
have to build up to the action. A short
radio drama which is only 4-5 minutes
would have to have a small but interesting
plot, but still interesting. A 25-30 minute
long drama would have the plot leading up
to the action so the audience in
interesting throughout.
