LO1: Codes & Conventions

Freddie Goring

Codes

Silence

Silence is used to great effect in radio dramas. Some radio dramas can be accused of packing too many words or sounds into the production without leaving any room for the effects silence can create. Perhaps the most effective use of silence is too build suspense, similarly to how it is done so in television programmes and films. This element can be greatened by a loud, sharp noise following a period of silence. An effect regularly found in horror or thriller style dramas.

Words

Words are the most essential element of a radio drama. They can progress or unravel a storyline in just a few seconds.

These can be spoken by the narrator and/or character in the production, making it an incredibly versatile part narrative movement.

Music

Music in radio drama can be used for plenty of different parts. Usually a drama will open with a them tune that will nicely open the production and allow the audience to recognise the production in a instant. The same tune can also be used to close the production.

Music can also be used as a transition between scenes to either emphasize and shift in time or location.

It can also be used to add to the ambience of a scene that will help the audience to gain a more vivid picture of the scene being described.

Voices

Having a wide range of voices in a radio drama is very important. However, what is more important is that the audience will be able to differentiate the characters by their voices with ease.

A character or narrators voice leaves lots of room for creativity, however it needs to suit the genre and style of the production and actual character. For example, a young teenager could have deep, mumbling voice with the use of new urban slang and language.

Effects

Sound effects are subtle elements of a radio drama that help to add more imagery for the audience. For example, a shop door bell could ring to emphasize that a character has just entered a shop.

Effects can also be used on the voices of characters. For example, adding reverberation to a characters voice would allow to audience to understand the size and type of room a character is situated.

Conventions

Aural Signposting

Signposting is a method of allowing the audience to gain an understanding of the location of the scene as it opens. This can be achieved by Sound FX or even a description from a narrator. It’s a popular technique used in many radio dramas to give the audience as much imagery as possible.

Cliff-hanger Endings

A cliff-hanger ending is where the story abruptly ends without a full conclusion. It usually ends with a character left in an awkward or precarious position.

The purpose of a cliff-hanger ending is to keep to audience in suspense. Also to intrigue them into watching/listening to sequels of the production.

However, so viewers may argue that this technique has been drastically overused. By using it so often audiences may become tired of always having to wait for a follow on or a next episode.

Cliff-Hanger Examples

Cliff-Hangers in films:• Kill Bill: Volume 1• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers• Halloween• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Cliff-hangers are also regularly used in TV dramas. Dramas such as ‘Lost’, ‘Hawaii 5-0’ and ‘The 4400’ are all great examples that are constantly demonstrate the use of cliff-hangers. However, the over use of this technique has made audiences become bored and inevitably give up viewing.

Cliff-Hanger in Radio Drama – The Archers

Radio 4’s, ‘The Archers’, is a long running radio drama that constantly uses the cliff-hanger effect.

This is an example of the show itself:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nxw2b

Flashbacks

Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory. A character origin flashback shows key events early in a character's development. In the opposite direction, a flash-forward (or prolepsis) reveals events that will occur in the future. The technique is used to create suspense in a story, or develop a character.

Examples in Films:• I am Legend• Forrest Gump• Robocop• Up

Flashbacks in a Radio Drama

To indicate a flashback in a radio drama there are a few techniques that are regularly used to create this effect. The most common technique is to use a dream like noise effect. This allows the listener/audience to hear and understand the shift in time.

Other ways of indicating movement in time is just by a narrator explaining it. This technique is easier but certainly not as effective. Pulling of a musical que is much more professional way of demonstrating time movement.

Use of Fades

The use of a fade in a Radio Drama can be used effectively in many different ways. For example:• Indicate the end of the opening/ending of the production.• Used as a transition between scenes.• Differentiate the distance that characters are.

Fades ‘in’ primarily introduce the production, the scene or even a character. As opposed to fades ‘out’ where this will usually indicate the end of something.

Characterisation

Characterisation involves the creation and development of a character within the production. This will give a good representation of the character, adding more imagery for the audience. This can involve mannerisms, style/tone of voice, confidence in voice etc. to make each character distinguishable. Characterisation is used across all forms of media.

Chronological Development

This would include the development of a character (emotionally or physically) through a consecutive sequence of time.

Non-chronological develop is the opposite of a continued lapse of time. The sequence of the narrative may jump between periods of time add another element of suspense to the drama.

Narration

A narrator is an entity that will tell or describe the story to the audience. However, there are three types of narrator will distinguish how the story is being told:1. First Person – This is when the story is told from an ‘I’

perspective. The narrator will speak from their position, usually a character in the production. This is the most personal narrator for the audience as they only know what they know.

2. Second Person – This is a narrator that will speak in ‘we’ terms. It is not a very common style of narration.

3. Third Person – A third person figure is not a character in the story, but an ‘all seeing’ observer who is separate to the storyline. A third-person narrator might be omniscient , but that is not always the case. Third-person narration may also be focalized through a particular character, meaning that the narrator tells us how that character sees the world, but can't, or at least doesn't, read the mind of all the characters this way.

Speech

Speech can be used in many effective ways within in Radio Drama. The most obvious would be the speech of the characters within the drama. This can be differentiated by the audience from the tone and style of voice used (see characterisation).

Credits

This is a list of members that were involved with the production of the product. All members of the crew, cast, production team, technicians etc. will all be credited. The credits are a way of giving everyone involved credit and acknowledgment for the creation of the drama. Credits are found throughout all types of media other than radio drama including TV programmes, films and even theatre productions.

Style

Style is decided upon in radio drama by researching into the audience that the product it targeted at. Stereotyping an audience can be the key to success in terms of making it appropriate for the chosen audience.Dramatic reconstruction will literally recreate imagery of a scene or emotion within a radio drama. For example, a radio drama may use the sound of a telephone, printer, coffee machine and a description from a narrator to recreate the scene of an office environment. Typically, the most popular types or genres of radio dramas are horrors/thrillers, murder mysteries and cultured narratives. This is probably because of they are the easiest to create lots of imagery for the audience. When it comes to radio dramas, creating vivid images for the audience to deal with is the most important aspect.

Structure

When constructing the structure of a radio drama it is essential to consider the length of the production. Most radio dramas last between 20 and 60 minutes. Within the time limit there needs to be all the elements of a good narrative (situation, complication, resolution, denouement). These time constraints are there for a few reasons. For one, the cost of production can be quite expensive and since radio dramas are not a very popular method of receiving media, it could be hard to make money with them. They also can’t be so long that the audience lose interest with them. You would need to have a very good production and patient listener for anyone of this generation to listen to a radio drama that lasts longer than an hour.

Examples In Existing Radio Dramas

The Shadow (Poison Death)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzShbpY-Oqg Words/Voices – 00:00 – 10:00 minutes

(Throughout) The use as a first person narrator.

Music – 02:00 – 02:14. The music is used as a transition to the next scene and imply a shift in time.

Fade – 02:14. The music fades so that the voice can be heard in the next scene.

Sound Effect – 02:24. The sound effect of a telephone ringing and being answered.

Suspense – Sorry Wrong Numberhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPQE3Pykto Voices – Throughout the drama, there are few

voices. The woman in the house begins with a calm voice but slowly becomes more a more panicked. This really portrays the emotion of the character.

Silence – There is no specific silence but the silence of the characters voice adds to the suspense of the drama. It makes the audience put together what has happened to the woman as they listen to the policeman on the phone trying to get hold of her.

Suspense – The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

Narrator – 00:00 – 00:30. The first person narrator opens the drama by explaining the context of the story.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Aural Signposting – 07:28. As well as the characters hinting that they are in a hotel, the knock on the door and tone of voice used adds more imagery for the audience. There is also slightly less depth of the woman behind the door to insinuate the door is still shut. The use of the sentence “and how does madam like the room?” finally lets the audience know they’re in a hotel.

Bibliography

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~jbass/courses/402/402_spr10_sns.htm

http://www.ruyasonic.com/wrt_narration.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_narrative

http://udleditions.cast.org/craft_elm_characterization.html

http://www.irdp.co.uk/scripts.htm

http://dramaresource.com/strategies/flashbacks-and-flash-forwards