RADIO PLAY ANALYSIS

Earleatha Oppon

NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY Production Planning Evaluation Submission

PLANNING I initially used MS Word to layout the story of my radio drama,

this was an effective way of expressing my thoughts in a simple format

Emails, blogs, and the shared area on my computer network within my school allowed me to communicate my ideas with my teacher this was effective as it allowed close to immediate feedback which enabled me to make changes to any ideas I had. This use of new digital technology allowed me to produce several drafts of my radio drama script.

I used the internet to help me gain information on the BBC, I also used the BBC Radio 4 website to access radio dramas; before this project I had not heard a radio drama so I knew that I needed to listen to a few in order to gain insight on the conventions that a radio drama consisted of

I then used MS Word again to take notes on all the aspects I noticed on the BBC Radio 4 dramas that I had listened to, this was effective as it allowed me take notes simultaneously as I listened.

PLANNING CONTINUED.... I used MS PowerPoint to help me

express all my planning; all the ideas I had and all the information I found that assisted me in my production. This was an effective way of expressing all my ideas and planning in a more visual way.

PRODUCTION I initially used MS Word to layout the play; the transfer from

just a story to an actual play was difficult and required several drafts before it was actually ready to be recorded

Again the use of emails, blogs and shared areas allowed me to express all my ideas with my teacher

To record I used a Sony ux 60 recorder and a Sony 907 microphone, I found that this equipment was effective as it allowed clarity and picked up all sounds, there was a disadvantage to this device picking up all surrounding sounds, it meant that I had to ensure that I recorded in an accurate environment, for my radio play that accurate environment for the majority of the narrative came in the form of a quiet room. I needed the focus to be on the dialogue or the sound effects and not accidental background noise in order to ensure that my listener does not lose concentration.

PRODUCTION CONTINUED.... Audacity was used to make all the

edits, add sound effects and align different tracks from the different scenes I recorded. I was able to fade scenes in and out also

Using Audacity I was able to record backing tracks from YouTube in order to put in my radio play, this is the backing track that I imported http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrHkZ4rH1Nw

AUDACITYUsing Audacity I was able to name each track to allow easy editing The time shift tool allowed me to align tracks in the right areas

You were able to turn up or turn down the volume on each individual track

The use of Audacity really benefited me to produce a radio drama how I wanted it to be without complication. The only one problem I had with Audacity is that it once shut down without saving my work. Luckily I had all individual tracks saved so it was just a case of re-editing.

PRODUCTION CONTINUED... I used MS Word to create my

advertisement for my radio drama, using word was effective as it allowed me to manipulate the colour of the image and it allowed me to add text boxes. I needed to use text boxes in order to inform the audience of key aspects about my radio drama and when it would be aired

RADIO ADVERTTitleI tried to follow the conventions of a radio advert by front facing my title

Date and timeAre clearly written for easy access for the reader

Radio 4 logoIs used to add credibility and to also easily demonstrate quick recognition and also the designated station for the radio drama

Radio drama detailsGives the reader a brief insight into what the radio drama is about, conventionally these details are not to give to much information away, but enough to leave the reader wanting to listen to the radio drama

ImageThis image is a portrayal of the intimacy between Sandra and Raymond

PRODUCTION CONTINUED.... MS Publisher enabled me to create my web

page, the reason I found this program so efficient was due to the fact that Publisher already has a web template which allowed me to frequently look at a web preview to ensure, my web page was following the usual conventions of a web page, this conventions consist of the following

WEB PAGETitlethis title as with the advert needs to be clear for recognition for the reader Details of dramaThe details for the drama are needed to give the audience a brief account of what the radio play is about, on a web page the text can more detailed than on an advert, as an advert only has a short amount of space to cover

CastA cast list is a conventional item to be found on the web page for a radio play

BBC search engineThis is typical of most major web pages, I print screened this image from the BBC Radio 4 website

BBC contact detailsIs also another conventional feature

Duration of radio drama and ‘Listen now’ iconThis is needed to allow the audience to have easy access to the radio drama

SUBMISSION the submission of all the work for my radio

drama was uploaded on to my blog, and the shared area in the media department, network Q, I found this effective as it meant that I had various copies of my work, so if I lost it in one place, I would be able to find it in another, it also allowed my teacher easy access to my work.

CONVENTIONS OF THE GENREHow much I followed, extended or

challenged the conventions of either.......

1. Genre – radio play2. Theme – domestic drama3. Medium – radio

GENRE- RADIO PLAY Radio play is a form of audio

storytelling broadcasted on radio, it is defined by these four codes; words, sounds, music and silence

My radio drama follows the conventions of a radio play as it uses the four codes to deliver its message to the audience.

WORDSIn the end I managed to use the right

language to convey meaning to my audience this was effective as from my audience feedback I found that my radio drama was easy to follow and easy to visualise. This means that my effort of drafting and re-drafting was effective as the words effectively portray meaning within the radio play.

SOUNDSMy sound effects sounded realistic, I

found this fulfilling as I needed realistic sound effects to add to the realism and to follow the conventions of a domestic drama.

The camera clicking in the press conference scene further expressed the setting in order for the listener to get a sense of how the characters themselves are feeling, I needed this effect of a surrounding sound in the radio play.

SOUNDS CONTINUED..... The sounds used in Sandra’s monologue

when she describes her husbands movement was successful as in my audience feedback I was told that it was just enough, it wasn’t too little or too much. This is the effect I was looking to achieve, as I did not want to take away from Sandra's speech but I did also want to help aid the listener to set the scene in their mind

MUSIC

I added this music in my radio drama to convey the battle of emotions between Raymond and Sandra

YouTube - Set The Fire To The Third Bar - Karaoke versionFrom my feedback, the use of this

background music had a good affect on the radio drama, as it did emphasise the mood of the scene in which it was placed.

SILENCEThe silence in my radio drama is used to

allow the listener to fully understand what has just happened, I used them as dramatic pauses. There is silence used in the background of one scene of my radio drama. This scene is used to portray how Sandra feels about her husband not telling her that he has just been put in charge of a serial killing case. The silence in between each sound effect emphasises that this is a key piece in the radio drama. Click on the sound icon to hear this scene.

THEME- DOMESTIC DRAMAMy radio play follows the conventions within the

theme of domestic dramas through the use of: Realistic and relatable events. My radio play

portrays a conference and an argument between husband a wife this follows the conventions of a domestic drama as it is an event that the listener would be able to relate to, the only thing that could be viewed as not relatable would be the press conference, however I challenged this conference as I believe that the press conference adds entertainment depth to the narrative, it also portrays Ray Jones as this essential patriarchal character.

THEME- DOMESTIC DRAMA CONTINUED.

Realistic and relatable characters are also present in my radio drama, this is another key feature needed in a domestic drama.

Sandra is realistic and relatable and this is shown through the setting in which she can be found, she portrays the perfect loving housewife.

Ray also portrays a loving husband that the listener can relate and empathise with, this is seen through his use of dialogue.

MEDIA- RADIO Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme

broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom. In its current format, the first 45 minutes of the

programme consists of reports, interviews and debates on health, education, cultural and political topics ostensibly aimed at women and mothers. The last 15 minutes are taken up with short-run drama serials (Woman's Hour Drama) which is where my radio drama would be featured. Research consistently shows that approximately one third of the programme's listeners are male.

Woman's Hour has been broadcast at 10am,a weekend version is broadcast on Saturday afternoons at 4 pm, which features highlights of the previous week.

MEDIA- RADIO (CONTINUED) My radio drama follows the conventions

of the media, radio and would be suitable to be shown on Woman's Hour this is shown through the style of the narrative which appeals to Woman’s Hour’s audience.

REPRESENTATIONS The words and sounds in my radio play act as signs

and they build towards the representation of the individual characters and themes within the narrative

Raymond's sigh at the end of the argument with his wife portrays his feeling of helplessness without the use of words

The door slam at the end of their argument also portrays their frustration without the use of words

The children playing before Sandra's first monologue is effective as it is ironic compared to the subject matter of her monologue. The children playing conveys happiness but Sandra's monologue portrays the opposite, it shows her anxiousness about her husband.

CHOICES AND OUTCOMES IN PRODUCTION from my first redraft to the final edit I

had to make a lot of decisions these included:

1. The decision to add music2. The decision to extend opening3. The decision to include more

monologues4. The decision in casting

All these decisions were effective apart from one; the decision in casting.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE/ DO DIFFERENTLY? Add more depth to the actual narrative of

my radio drama in order to further intrigue the audience and challenge their thoughts.

If I could I would have casted another person to play the part of Sandra, she is a key character and from my audience feedback I was told that the person who played her did not convey the emotion or intensity needed for the dialogue, I do not believe this affected the radio drama as a whole as the words themselves still managed to convey emotion.

REPRESENTATIONS CONTINUED. I feel my planning was successful in

representing my ideas and this can be seen through my audience feed back.

I planned to try and make my radio drama as relatable as possible which for my target audience, I think it would be, however i asked two 18 year old girls to listen to my radio play and they found the narrative easy to follow and also found the whole radio play enjoyable.

I also tried to make the characters and settings as realistic as possible in order for the audience to relate to them easily.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK (NON MEDIA STUDENT) Stronger actress for role of wife. Slow pace, but enhanced understanding, the gap allowed visual aid

but left audience anticipating Clear storyline Setting changes are clear- easy to follow We expected a different turn out in argument No climax is actually established Sound was effective to set mood Pace in monologue But dialogue was a bit slow- could be quicker Well balanced sound effects Sounds finished Audience was intrigued, wanted to hear more First time hearing Notes on characters Sandra; ‘stress head’, maturity Raymond; relaxed

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK from the feed back I learnt that there

were both flaws and successes within my radio drama, however I believe I was still successful in communicating my intentions as the audience did give the preferred reading of the text.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY TO CREATE Easily accessible media technology

allowed us as media students to become media producers and not commentators

the radio drama I made is comparable to the conventions and standards of real media texts, this is shown through the use of the signs; sound, music, words, narrative, themes and characters.

INSTITUTION My target audience that I had in mind

for my play was females especially wives and mothers, this fits into BBC Radio 4’s demographics

The service of BBC Radio 4 is to appeal to listeners seeking intelligent programmes in many genres which inform, educate and entertain.