This is a list of resources that are needed to run a radio show:
Computer, 2 Mixing Desks, Money, Time, People, Microphones (A set), Radio Studio (Sound Proofed), Voice Recorders, Specific Radio Software, Editing Machines, Compressor,Transmitter, Receiver, Aerial, Connecting Leads for Aerial, Students, Station Manager, Producer,Presenter ,Communication Skills,Technical/ Editing Skills, Good Time Management Skills
These are some important costs that need to be taken in to account when setting up a radio show:
Per day, MCPS must be paid for copyright work. The MCPS pay the composers for the radio play of the songs.
Per day, the PRS gets paid and the money goes to the performers for every play of their songs.
OFCOM to broadcast an RSL (restricted service license) for two weeks & 10 days
Streaming Costs to PRS- £60-£70 for two weeks
Viability
In order for the radio show to be successful, we could scale down by involving a small group of students because it would be less to manage, therefore easier to run and would cost less. A way of paying for things that are needed could include the money received from advertisements.
Audience
The types of different ways that the audience would be able to listen to include being able to connect to the radio station online- live, through podcasts from previous shows, radio station etc. This gives a wider variety of listeners, as not all people have access to a radio, or the internet but most people can use at least one. For example, an older listener would be more likely to listen to a radio, whereas younger listeners spend a lot of time online- so it would be convenient for them to have a site that they can go to.
Competitors
The competition from local or regional radio stations has to be taken into account when deciding what type of show you are going to play, what style of music and themes for the shows you will have etc. Some of the popular radio station around the area include; Galaxy, Real Radio, Radio Aire. Research into the style of shows they play should also be done in order to get an idea of what competition is out there. From there you can create your own style that will be different to theirs.
Quantitive Research
The types of research that should be carried out when setting the up the station include things such as stats, patterns etc. This type of research can be carried out in different ways, either online- sites such as Rajar, or by carrying out market research you can find out what type of things people like to hear on the radio, in order to create an idea of what would be most popular and get the most radio play.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research must also be carried out in order to find out why people do things (e.g listen to Terry Wogan) creating questionnaires or blogs online can be made to find out why people like to listen to him, what is good about him etc.
Secondary Research
Extra research should be carried out to find out information that people have already found out. By looking around the internet for different information- such as blogs, wikipedia etc, you can find out what people want to listen to & what is popular, such as the top 40 charts.
New Radio Station in Pudsey
I decided do some primary research to find out what various students thought about the possiblity of a new radio station in Pudsey, and what benefits they thought it would hold for them and the rest of the community.
Task 1 (P1,M1,D1)
What is the population of Leeds?
There is a total of 715,404 people in Leeds which makes it the third largest city in the UK.
What percentage of Leeds are female/ male/ old/ young/ employed/ unemployed?
There are 369570 females and 345834 males in Leeds (census 2001). From the ages of 0-15 years the population is 143091, 16-74 years is 520479 and from 75+ years there are 51832 people. The number of employed people is 306670, and the number of unemployed people is 17280.
What is the population of Pudsey?
There are 87286 people who live in Pudsey (census 2001).
References:
Where i got the information from-
I went to the library and was told to find the Geography section, after the receptionist looked up a book that i would find useful, and she said it would be on isle L 914. The author of the book was Ed J Burrow. The publishers are Cheltenham & London, and it is from 1970. The page is 13.
Task 3 (P1,M1,D1)
What is the most listened to Radio Station in England?
The most listened to station in England is Radio 2, which has an average of 13,424 listeners per week and people tune in for a total of 159,270 hours in a week (in total)
How many hours per week does an average person spend listening to the radio?
Which Regions do Galaxy cover?
The regions Galaxy Radio cover are the North East, Manchester, Birmingham, Scotland and the South Coast.
What is a Restricted Service License?
A resricted service license enables people to run their own radio station legally. There are two different types of RSL- short term & long term. The short term license allows you to broadcast for a maximum of 28 days & a maximum of two licenses per year, whereas a long term license is usable for up to 5 years.
How much would it cost to purchase a restricted service licence for one month?
Before you get the RSL, there is an application fee of £400. After this, the fee is charged per day and for one month i worked out the cost to be £980
What is PRS/MCPS/PPL?
PRS allows you to broadcast music whilst making sure that the artists get paid whenever their music is played. MCPS are paid for copyright and the royalites of this are normally paid to the composer, songwriter or publisher. PPL license allows radio and tv stations to legally use sound recordings & music videos whilst live.
How much would the PRS/MCPS/PPL copyright cost? PRS copyright would cost £62.42 per day MCPS copyright would cost £70.93 for upto 28 days PPL copyright would cost £35 per day
How much would it cost to hire a transmitter for one month? The cost of an RSL transmitter kit for a month is £345.00
What would the total cost be?
The total cost of everything for one month is £4123.69
I asked a group of 25 sixth formers what they thought the average amount of time they spent listening to the radio was per week, and collected the data.
Radio Questionnaire
How many hours per week do spend listening to the radio?
What Radio Station do you listen to the most?
What is your preferred method of listening to the radio?
Task 5: Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan has been famous for his Irish charm throughout the UK since the late 1960's, and is now often referred to as a 'national treasure' by many media figures and listeners. He is most famous for his work with 'Children In Need', and he also presented a breakfast show on BBC 2 named 'Waking Up To Wogan'. In 2005, this show had approximately 8 million listeners, and Wogan was the highest paid presenter on BBC Radio- earning over £800,000 per year. This show was vastly popular for two reasons- the first was because of the level of audience interaction; they could phone, email or write into the show. The other reason was simply due to his personality- he would often fall from the topic, creating a more informal atmosphere- incorporating witty jokes and banter with show producer Paul Walters. This more informal show meant that it appealed to different audiences types and age groups.
Speech packages can be split into a variety of different genres and topics. Some of these include:
Lifestyle: For example, Fashion & Health
Business: Such as stocks & shares, mergers
Sport: reviews & results of games.
Consumer: Increase of prices on products, services
Current Affairs & News: Reports, Bulletins
Audience: National, International, Regional, Local
I have listened to three different speech packages and classified what I think the genres are, and the type of audience the producers are aiming to reach:
The Beijing Olympics speech package could be classed in both the sports and the news genre, as it is informing listeners about what is happening currently, whilst being on the subject of sports. This podcast is intended to reach an international audience as the Olympics is a global event that many people like to watch and hear about.
The second podcast I listened to is an informative piece which is categorized in the business genre, discussing the company 'Dell'. The audience reach would be national for all people who are interested in business, however it is only aimed at a specific audience- not everyone will find it interesting.
The next podcast was in the sports genre, as it was informing listeners of all the latest sports news. The audience reach would be national because it is a popular topic with a big audience.
Task 2 (P1, M1, D1)
On the radio, different topics have alternate genre's and target audiences depending on what the show is about and how many people it is aiming to reach. To give examples of the variety of topics on the radio, i am going to analyse some shows that have been aired.
The Olympics 2012 would be a sports orientated genre, and I think that the target audience for this show would be quite a wide range of people- from teenagers to older adults around Britain, as the Olympics is a global event that a lot of people watch. On the other hand, the 'Alcohol Price Rise' topic would be more suitable for an adult audience- as the age limit for alcohol drinking is 18, and additionally, this could be aired around the UK as it applies to all people that drink. The genre of this show is news, as it would be classed as quite an important subject to be informed about and taken seriously. The 'Asda- Where do they stand in the supermarket league tables?' topic would also be in the news genre, as it is informing listeners of how good the supermarket is, therefore people are going to want to know whether to shop there or not. The target audience would also be an adult audience- from late 20's onwards, as i think that these people are more likely to shop more often due to families etc. Additionally, due to Asda being a well known company, the reach of the show could be around the UK, because most people know what it is. The 'West Leeds council owned gyms- comparisons to national gym chains' article would be likely to reach an audience in the local area, as it would not apply to people that aren't from around Leeds. The genre of the piece is sports, and the target audience would be people who enjoy the gym- from teenagers onwards. Like this topic, the 'Leeds UTD- History, administration, what's been happening lately' issue is also a sports genre, but aimed at an audience from children onwards- as some children love football. This piece should be aired around Yorkshire because Leeds United is one of the main football teams for this area- therefore people from the region are more likely to want to hear about it than people from down south, etc. My last example is; 'Smoking Ban- Have the pubs and clubs suffered? What else has the ban affected?' this issue would definitely be aimed at an older, adult audience because of the age limit on Smoking- children wouldn't understand. This topic would reach around the UK, as the ban is applied everywhere, so everyone who smokes would want to know about it. The genre of this would be news, as it is informative of that current affairs.
Task 3 (P1, M1, D1)
The topic for my speech package is going to be on 'How music influences today's youth'. The primary target audience for my product is teenagers from age 15+ and the secondary target audience is adults. I think that teenagers would be able to relate to the topic better, which is why they are my primary target, whilst adults would also be interested in listening too because they may have children themselves- so they would gain a better understanding on the music their children listen to, and how the media claim it affects them. The genre for my piece will be a mixture of Music and News, as it is informative of the way music is blamed for the way teenagers behave.
Task 4 (P1, M1, D1)
I listened to a BBC Radio 6 podcast based on music news:
Straight away, a jingle introducing the show is played using a range of different voices, both with high and low pitched voices. This is giving variation to the piece, connoting that it is aimed towards a wide variety of listeners. The texture of the main producers and interviewers are smooth, making the podcast sound professional and genuine. The tone used throughout is an upbeat, fast paced range of voices, making the podcast run quicker whilst the listener is getting all of the information announced with ease.
The presenters both use different microphone techniques- mostly sibilance when pronouncing the words. This makes the sentences better pronounced, ensuring that the listener can hear clearly what is being said. Additionally, it makes the podcast suitable to reach a broader audience as the pronunciation means that anyone can understand.
There is a jingle before the 'voice', which includes an announcer explaining what the pocast is about. The atmosphere that is heard with the voice is quite electro, which could connote the type of music that is going to be discussed on the show. It also gives a more modern and futuristic tone to the show, which suggests that it is aimed towards a younger generation of listeners- from teenagers to adults. Each voice has its own space, which makes the piece sound better planned and more informative. Furthermore, this approach disallows any confusions about what is going on whilst listening.
Task 5 (P1, M1, D1)
I listened to a speech package called 'Free speech radio news', to find out how they put their interviews together. First, the commentator was informing people of the latest news live in the studio, until she announced the first interviewer, who was a pre-recorded interview in a studio. When the interview has ended, the commentator then explains more of the news which then she links into another pre-recorded interview from a studio. The next interviews are immediately introduced and have been pre recorded live from a location, over a telephone. The commentator then introduces the next interview which has also been pre-recorded live in a studio. The reason that most of the interviews were recorded in a studio is because the news is a serious topic, therefore better quality sound is needed for the listeners to make out what is being said without difficulty. the telephone interview from the location discussed gives the listeners an inside account of the events.
Task 6 (P1, M1, D1)
For the genre i have chosen- News/ Music, the usual things to be included will be some interviews, a backing track to set the mood of the piece and some Vox Pops, to make the piece appeal more to the listeners.
I will need a variety of different sources to produce my chosen speech package on 'The way music influences today's youth'. One of the main things I need to find is people to interview about the topic. The type of people I aim to interview are primarily teenagers who each prefer a different genre of music. My reason for this is that they can individually talk about the ways in which their preferred music has influenced their lifestyle- or if they think it has at all. I will also interview someone who has experience in the music business to find out their opinion on the effect of music on today's youth- how it affects their dress, their attitude etc.
I will use Vox Pops to open the topic; this will involve a variety of people shouting out their favourite music genre's. This will give an idea of the subject of the piece, but won't give too much away- keeping people listening until the topic is introduced. Furthermore, I will record another Vox Pop of teenagers shouting their favourite bands out, and this will be used during the piece to give examples of the wide range of music that is available in today's society.
My speech package will be recorded in different places. Whilst interviewing the teenagers, I will be using voice recorders because finding these people and recording them where they are would save time and be easier than bringing them into the studio. However, the main part of the speech package and the interview with a person from the music business will be in a studio, as recording there will give a better quality audio and make the piece sound more professional.
The interviews won't be as- live, because to get all of the teenagers in at the same time would cause more difficulty, and make the piece seem more planned out- the answers won't be as spontaneous.
Task 7 (P2, M2, D2)
Radio 4 is a BBC radio station that broadcasts nationally around the UK, primarily targeting an adult audience between the ages of 20- 60 and above. The radio station covers a variety of genres, including the news, radio dramas and politics. The station broadcasts in a variety of ways- both analogue, digital and on the internet through both the live BBC iPlayer, and podcasts. This use of different broadcasting formats makes the shows easily accessible for a variety of different people to listen wherever they are. The speech packages on this station are a main feature, as BBc 4 is 100% speech. The types in which the speech packages are formatted include entertainment, comedy and news programmes.
Task 8 (P2, M2, D2)
My speech package treatment:
Genre: Music/ News
Target Audience: Teenagers from 15+ to Adults
Format: Informational
Social Positions of Target Audience: C2- E (Working Class) I think that the working class and students are more likely to listen to this topic because the jobs they have are generally more involved with communicating with different people everyday- for example, working in a shop or going to college.
Date:
Duration: 3-4 minutes- this will include the interviews and information on why I think that music is influencing today's youth, and whether it is a good or bad thing.
Voices: Presenter, Teenagers (Interviewees)
Actuality/ Ambience: Studio recorded presenters- better quality, live recordings of teenagers- sounds more spontaneous and real; random teenagers have been picked to give their opinion.
Music: Different genres of music- rock, dance, indie etc to give different examples of the styles that teenagers are listening to and influencing them.
Sound FX: Voices of teenagers shouting their favourite genres to listen to at the start to give the listener a primary idea of what the speech package is going to be about. Vox pops of more teenagers shouting their favourite artists during the piece to show how diverse the youth of today are.
Additional Notes:
My speech package on 'How music influences the youth of today' is going to be an informational piece, but spoken in a casual, informal tone to show the type of audience it is trying to reach. Additionally, this will help listeners gain a sense of personal identity. For example, the people who are being interviewed will speak in their own dialect to help the listeners realise this is a community piece.
Task 9 (P3, M3, D3)
In many ways rock music is a positive. It encourages expression of ideas and helps to give a common area of interest to teens. Although it is often blamed for youth problems, the truth is that these problems were around for millennia before Elvis picked up a microphone. Being in a band encourages hard work and discipline because writing songs, and learning to play instruments well is not easy. In today's America, there is a safe barrier around the teen years, so rebellion against society has to be very extreme, and that is hard to do today.
By 1995, only 10 of the 40 most popular CDs were free of profanity or lyrics dealing with drugs, violence and sex.
The American Medical Association asserts, ”The vivid depiction of drug and alcohol use, suicide, violence, demonology, sexual exploitation, racism and bigotry could be harmful to some people.“
”The National Education Association estimates that many of the 5000 teenage suicides each year are linked to depression fueled by fatalistic music and lyrics.
A 1994 University of Michigan study concluded that ”glamorization in the music industry has been an important determinant“ of increased drug use by teenagers.
Dr. Joseph Steussy, professor of music history at the University of Texas, confirms that music affects behavior, psychologically and physiologically.
Child psychologist Dr. David Elkind states that ”music can influence young people as much as any visual media.“ Teenagers rate music ahead of religion, books and television as factors that greatly influence their generation.
Task 10 (P3, M3, D3)
Health And Safety Paperwork:
Task 11 (P3,M3,D3) Speech Package- Does music affect teenagers?
Task 12: Evaluation
Purpose: My original aim in this unit was to create a speech package about whether music was affecting teenagers in a positive or negative way, and to give different reasons for a debate. I think I did achieve my original purpose- I managed to find different people to interview about their own views on music- these were in the teenage category, so their thoughts were genuine. I also did research for expert opinions on the effects of music and what it could be doing. I think teenagers would listen to this speech package, as music is a big part of society, and something they could give their own opinions on.
Audience: From some audience feedback of my primary target audience (which was teenagers), they took the preferred reading of the speech package; it allowed them to debate whether they thought music was influencing them- and whether it was a good or a bad thing. They liked the use of the different vox pops naming various artists, as it drew them into the topic, because they could identify with some of the names mentioned. The audience also liked the music beds, and different clips from songs I used because it gave the speech package more variation.
Representation Issues: I gave both positive and negative messages to balance the debate; giving more room for the listeners to decide which opinions they agreed with. The voices in the speech package included both genders, to keep equality and to show that the debate involved everyone- just as music is for everyone. I used both a rock & a pop music track to keep the piece feeling modern & youthful. The language used in the speech package was all said with a yorkshire dialect, and was quite informal- something the listeners from the area could relate to, as if a conversation was being held between the interviewers & students. I think in a professional product, interviews and research would have also been included, as well as the music beds, however the technical aspects like the sound levels would have been of a higher quality, due to more hi tech equipment & editing.
Technical Issues: The voice levels were fine, sometimes the speech sounded a little quiet, but most of this was adjusted in Audacity, or the music bed was quietened more to make the speakers stand out. The microphone work was fine, at first it was quiet- but again, I used Audacity to solve this problem and the levels were fine. I think there was enough variety to keep the audience interested- I included vox pops, clips of different songs during speech etc, so that the listeners got a better idea of what the debate was about. I used multi track editing to give the piece more variation- fitting in with the idea that there is different music to suit everyones taste.
Self Evaluation: I think my strengths in this task were the editing; it improved as I got used to using Garageband, and found out how to add effects to the voiceovers, to make them sound clearer and more professional.
Radio drama was initially developed in the 1920's, and became popular with the public within ten years of that. Radio drama reached its peak by the 1940's- it became a leading popular form of entertainment internationally. In 1927, radio drama was first introduced- networks began writing and adapting short stories and original scripts for broadcasts. In the 1930's, radio channels began to advertise and started buying sponsor programs and air-time- companies were even competing for their share these. As a result of this, different forms of entertainment were formed, including things like; dramatized news programs, comedy, interview and advice, soap opera dramas etc. During the war, the number of people who listened to radio doubled- however, programs like quizzes, music & audience participation became a lot less frequent, whereas things like the news and human interest programs became more popular because people were more concerned about what was happening in the war. However, on an evening the most popular forms of entertainment became the dramatic programs- such as comedy drama's, comedy variety and thriller drama's. In the early years of TV, not many people had a TV receiver, so production costs were controlled. By this, it meant that the forms of entertainment on the radio were moved directly onto television. The reason is that if the producers had decided to create a new TV show, the audience may not have enjoyed it as much because they hadn't heard of it before- well known shows were going to be more popular an produce more profit. Radio dramas still exist in today's radio. For example, Radio 7 has a range of different types of radio drama that are played daily. Some of these include; '7th dimension'- which is a Sci-fi, 'Lines from my grandfather's forehead'- Comedy, The Colour Purple & The Wordsmith's at Gorsemere.
On October 30th, 1938, American citizens tuned in to the radio expecting to hear a music show. Little did they know, what they were about to hear would have a huge impact on the country. Listeners were unaware that what they were in fact listening to was also a dramatic radio drama called 'War Of The Worlds' and it was created by Orson Wells. The show began with the presenter telling the listeners that the show was on next- however, many people missed this introduction; thus they had no idea what they were listening to- they thought it was a genuine broadcast. As a result of this, wide spread panic flooded around America- people started to flee the area they lived. Orson Wells giving a speech "We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century, this world is being watched closely, by intelligences greater than man..." After this, a fake weather broadcast was mixed in- which confused vast amounts of listeners- they thought what they heard about the upcoming terrible weather conditions were true, and even began to report seeing flashes of lightening on the horizon. 1.7 million people were apparently genuinely frightened by this drama, and it caused such a massive uproar, that within a month there was around 12,500 newspaper articles based on the broadcast.
Another reason this broadcast had such an effect on the Americans was that the voices used in the script were all unfamiliar and unrecognizable to the usual people that the listeners would hear on the channel. This had an effect, because the listeners thought these people were real reporters- not actors. In today's society, this radio drama wouldn't cause such an uproar amongst listeners, as nowadays this type of radio drama is much more scripted and played on a regular basis. Furthermore, in the 1930's, the upcoming war and the depression meant that people were reliant on the radio for any upcoming news- so would believe anything that the broadcasters said. The script was in fact, an adaptation of a novel written by H.G wells. Orson adapted this with the intention of creating as much panic as possible, and he intended it to be realistic. The reason for this was that he actually wanted to get more listeners, because a different drama was getting more people than his original 'Mercury Theatre on Air'.
Task 1 (P1,M1,D1)
The Archers analysis:
The genre of this radio drama is a soap opera, and the target audience is aimed towards a more middle class, adult audience from the ages of 30 and up. The drama was aired at 7pm on a wednesday evening, which suggests that older listeners may be listening- the middle of the week is quiet and older people who are unable to leave their house as much will be more likely to listen to a soap opera drama. on The duration of The Archers is almost 15 minutes long, as it is a serial drama and each episode is an individual narrative, so the story is longer to make it more realistic- as if the events are happening simultaneously and as we listen.
The voices we are primarily introduced to are those of the presenters. The woman who presents the radio drama to us speaks in a formal accent, which is suggesting that the drama is going to be aimed at a more sofisticated, or mature listener.The next voices we hear are of a variety of people, both male and female- from young adults to older people, which is also a suggestion of the wide audience that the drama is targeted at. The variety of characters shows that the drama is meant to be like a soap opera that we would watch on tv- we listen to the lives of different people, and the amount of characters makes the issues raised sound more realistic. There is a wide range of volumes throughout, from quiet, normal speech when in normal conversation- normal between two people, to louder, rasied voices when a disruption happens. The pitch of the voices is also varied throughout- high pitched; e.g, the elderly woman to portray her annoyance at the characters and a calmer, quieter pitch from the man- showing he is less bothered by the events. The rhythm of the speech is varied too- it speeds up when the older woman gets angry, but slows down in normal conversations- and turn taking is more apparent, with less interruptions. The accent from the characters is of different types regional dialects from various parts of England. This is more appealing to from people all over- the listeners would develop stronger personal relationships with the characters than if the speech was to be said in a formal way. The drama is on BBC radio 4, and is a high quality piece. The speech is clear and the range of different voices & sound effects make the piece much more professional and enjoyable to listen to. Sound effects are used, such as doors opening, and forks on plates, and characters moving objects around. These all apply to the uses and gratifications theory of personal relationships- listeners can find these everyday things easy to indentify with and therefore it will apeal to them more. The only music that is identified is at the start and end of the drama, which is played each time The Archers is aired- this is helpful to the listener as they can identify the piece through the theme tune. The music is classical, which suggests that the radio drama is meant to be for a more sophisticated listener. There are occasional silences in the script, which are to outline each change of scenery of changes of character. The pauses make it easy for the listener to tell that they are no longer listening to the same plot line, and can then identify with ease why the characters are suddenly different.
Task 2 (P1,M1,D1)
I made the following three clips in order to show the different conventions of three types of genre:
Comedy clip:
Horror Clip:
Romance:
Task 3 (P1,M1,D1) This is my mind map for my radio drama proposal 'The Tourbus Diaries':
Jack and the Beanstalk Mindmap:
Task 4 (P1,M1,D1)
The proposal for 'The Tour Bus Diaries':
‘The Tourbus Diaries’ will be a series of extracts from a journal, whilst being stuck in a field of sheep. Through the main protagonist, Rhys, we will get a perspective of the events going on. The main story line is that a tourbus has broken down in the middle of a field, surrounded by evil sheep. When we arrive we are transported into the situation through the narration of a journal, in which all the events are played out. My target audience will be teenagers, as i think they are the most likely to listen to the adventures of a popular band. The genre is going to be a mixture of comedy and horror. I would choose to broadcast the drama at around 3- 4pm, as this is a time when most students are on their way home from school- if they were travelling by car they could tune in on the radio.
The manner of the drama will be very chatty and informal, because it is the adventures of friends, and i think that the target audience would find it more entertaining if the band were themselves- this would develop better personal relationships with the characters as they would be able to relate better. An omniscient narrator will begin the story in order to set the scene and who the band are, but then the rest of the dialogue is from Rhys's diary, or the band themselves. I think this will be effective, as it gives the story a more realistic approach- the events are live and more spontaneous, and the listeners are unaware of what will happen next. I expect the full length of my radio drama to be from 6-8 minutes long, as it will be a one off piece. I think that this piece of drama would be most suitable being aired on a local radio station that is aimed at a more specific audience, because they would be more likely to understand what is happening if they recognize the band, tour bus, gigs etc, and would find it more amusing than a broad audience who don't go to gigs etc.
I will use both diagetic and non-diagetic sounds throughout the piece, using non- diagetic music to add tension or happiness to the drama. This will hopefully carry across to the listener to help them understand the changing moods of the characters. I will use various diagetic sound effects to make the piece more interesting and realistic. For example, footsteps, door's opening etc. This should hopefully make the piece more interesting to the listeners than if it was all dialogue. I will also include more random diagetic sound effects, such as party horns and animal growls to add to the humour of the piece- when the band are happy they will blow the party horn etc.
The characters will all be played by different people, who i have already found to play. Sean & Rhys will now be played by girls, as they are going to be seen as quite hyper and display a range of mixed emotions- i thought the girls were able to display this better when read out than the boys. The rest of the band will be very manly, and all will be played by boys. The farmer will also be played by a boy, and his character will be quite jolly, which gives variation to the piece.
The story will begin in an equilibruim with the band travelling to play a gig- swiftly moving to an immediate disruption- their tour bus breaks down in the middle of a field, and the disruption becomes greater when the sheep turn on them- revealing that they are infact, crazy sheep. We see the characters on the broken down bus work to try and put up with their surroundings and work to try and sort out the sheep problems- they are the damsels in distress. Later on in the tale, the hero of the film becomes apparent when the helpers- other members of the band and their driver- find a local farmer, who helps them to both solve the problem of the evil sheep, and to fix their bus.The drama will end in an equilibrium, where the band drive away happily to their gig.
This is my proposal for my adaptation of the classic fairy tale 'Jack And The Beanstalk':
My 'Jack And The Beanstalk' adaptation will be based on the same characters as in the classic story- Jack & The Giant & his wife- except his wife will have a name, to make it more fair to women and men. The piece will have a modern twist, and the issues of the character of Jack will be related to more crimes that we see in modern society- such as drugs & thef, and the prejudice that some people still have against teenagers. This drama is going to be a one off drama as it is based on a fairytale, and so i estimate that it would be around 5 minutes long. My target audience is going to be teeangers from the ages of 13 to 16, as i feel that the issues surrounding the story would be suitable for them to relate to. I would aim to play it on air at around 4-5pm, as teenagers are either on their way home from school, or at home at that time and so would be able to listen either online if they are home, or on car radio's if they are travelling. The genre of the piece would be more comedic- with the wife 'Martha' adding a modern twist, constantly quarrelling with her husband over his old fashioned ways. I would aim to play my peice on a radio station like Radio 4, as that is a popular place for radio dramas. Another option would be a local radio station, as i would include actors with a regional dialect, so local people would be able to create a stronger personal relationship with the characters.
I hope to include a range of non- diegetic and diegetic sounds throughout the piece, to help make the fairy tale seem more realistic and ultimately more interesting to listen to. It would add drama to the piece, and diegetic sounds, such as sniffing- when the giant is detecting Jack, would add a more comedic effect. Non- diegetic sounds, such as deeper sounding, fast paced tracks would be useful in showing the rage of the giant when he is expressing his anger towards Jack.
The characters will all have different traits, which will be easily recognisable to the listener. I would choose a teenager with a bit of attitude for Jack, but someone who can be both helpful and sweet to the giant, in order to outline that teenagers are good people. For the character of the wife, I would cast a jolly person, maybe someone older, or someone that can act the part of a middle aged woman. She should also express the individual attitude of the modern woman, but at the same time have a kindness in her voice. I would aim to find someone who can use a deeper tone of voice for the character of the giant, either a teenager or an adult- anyone that can sound angry and grumpy.
The story will begin with a disruption, which is the helpless Giant smelling Jack's presence- him being agitated, not knowing where the boy is. The wife (Martha) and him have a debate over the boy- whether he is a thief or not and why, ultimately resulting in finding Jack to question him about it. After various arguments, the Giant fails to overcome his prejudice over Jack, and the climax of the tale is when he attempts to throw Jack into the human world- only resulting in failure. The resolution of the tale is that Jack and Martha live happily ever after- losing the grumpy Giant forever- he falls down the Beanstalk, and they break it so he can never return. The equilibrium returns and they live happily ever after.
Task 5 (P1,M1,D1)
Treatment for 'The Tour Bus Diaries':
The Tour Bus diaries is a serial drama based on the adventures of a band called 'The Blackout'. The main narration in this story is told through the dairy of one of the members (Rhys). Through this, the listeners will get a better idea of how the scene each day is set. The target audience of this piece is teenagers from around 14- 17, and mixed gender. The story is set in a field in the welsh countryside- and there are many fields in Wales, so they could be lost anywhere, which adds to the mystery of the drama- why would they be in a field anyway? Why not take a road route? This could connote to the readers that the band is slightly on the crazy side, and they like an adventure- which is what the drama is based on. As the drama would be played once a week, Each story line will be different, so they would last about 7 minutes.
The characters in the story are all meant to be male in the story. However, when casting I used both male and female voices to help to provide a wider range of personalities. This is portrayed through the characters 'Sean' and 'Rhys', Sean is an excitable, strange individual who likes to make jokes and is at one with nature- he likes to talk to the animals. Rhys is a little more serious, and likes to write about the crazy events that are happening around him, however, when faced with a disruption he does get as excitable as Sean. I thought that by casting females on these roles, they could connect better with the character traits than the boys did- the boys were less enthusiastic and more down to earth. The male parts I casted were for the other band members & the farmer. The band members were all portrayed as being a bit more 'normal' than Sean and Rhys, and less easily led than them. I thought that the boys who I cast for that part carried these characteristics across better, as they had similar traits to the characters in real life.
Treatment for 'Jack And The Beanstalk':
Jack and the Beanstalk is a one off radio drama that is a modern adaptation of the classic. The story involves three characters, Jack, the Giant- Gerald, and the Wife- Martha. The story will be set and will end with a narrator, who will open the story and set the scene, making it easy for the listener to understand the situation. The end of the tale will close the story with a classical fairy tale ending 'happily ever after'. The target audience is from the ages 13-16 because they will relate to the character of Jack, and the predjudices he comes to face from the Giant. My secondary target audience is an older audience- they all know the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, so with a modern adaptation it may interest them to see how it can be changed with the times, and additionally inform them that not all teenagers are bad. This is portrayed through the voices of the actors who make it clear that teenagers are good people. The setting of the story is in the Giants house, mainly in the kitchen where the beanstalk happened to be, In the realm of Giants. Although the story is based in a foreign land, the kitchen setting makes the scene more familiar to the reader, thus making it easier for them to imagine. The story will last about 6 minutes, as this is a good amount of time for the full story to make sense, rather than if it was a shorter piece- there is more time for the scene to be set & sound effects to make the piece more entertaining.
Task 6 (P1,M1,D1)
This is the script for my radio drama 'The Tourbus Diaries':
A tour bus is driving through the countryside- a band 'The Blackout' are on their way to play a gig when it breaks down, in the middle of a field of sheep. Country music playing, interrupted by a record scratch.
It was a bright sunny day in the middle of the welsh countryside and The members of The Blackout were happily on their way to a gig, only to find out that their tour bus had broken down in a field, far from anywhere with other human contact. Or so they thought...They didn’t know how to work the sat-nav. Rhys is sat next to a window writing his diary...
Inside the tour bus, one of the band members 'Rhys' is sitting, writing his diary. Sound of a clock ticking.
Rhys: Dear diary... Day 1 on the broken down tour bus…the past few days have been absolutely mental!... I was really looking forward to playing the Cardiff gig. The driver says there’s no way we’ll make it. It wouldn’t be so bad if only one of us could get signal on our phones or computers. The fans are going to go mental. Sean is enjoying the joys of the countryside though...
Door opens, footsteps, Sean enters the room, Baa’s of sheep in the background
Sean: Did I hear you say my name Rhys? Are you talking to yourself AGAIN?! Rhys: No I was umm. Sean: Oh it’s your diary isn’t it ;) well… I’m going to do some farming!
Footsteps, door closing
Rhys: Sean has taken a liking to the sheep... he’s spending more time with them than us! And its making me scared for his sanity. He just sits in the field with them, talking to them- and if we try to go near him they chase us!!
Pause to show time gap Rhys: Dear diary… Its now day 2 on this bus and I think the driver went for help…Sean is dancing about the fields again… He’s trying to teach the sheep screamo...
Baa's of sheep
Sean: Lalalaa…. Oh the joys of the countryside. Right so all you have to do is go BAAA but with a little more RAWRRR! baa’s from sheep Oh? You aren’t comfortable with this? Urm. Okay. Hey! Back off!!! Running footsteps, crys out, sheep baa's, fast paced, non- diagetic music. Guys get inside!!! The sheep are attacking us!!! Rhys: What the-?! Gavin: I don’t know Rhys, I seriously don’t know…*walks to the window* Ohhh. Myyyy. Rhys get over here! Sean: They’re surrounding the tour bus!! Rhys: Sean what are you talking about...?!
growls, sheep baa's What the-?! It looks like they’re about to attack us!!!! Sean!!! Help!! Sean: What do you want me to do about them?! Gavin: Stop them from doing what they’re doing! Rhys: What are they doing?!?! ARGHHHHHHHH Blackout, music stops
Clock ticking Rhys: Dear diary…its now day 3 on this damn bus. The lights all went out yesterday and we’ve been frozen in a corner for hours… is this a sign of the sheep taking over?? Or is it just a power cut? Either way, those sheep have gone nuts… Gavin: Guys, we can’t sit huddling in this corner forever. Sean. What did you do to make them get like this?! Sean: Well when I went in the field to teach them screamo they suddenly went crrrazyy and they said they want our chips and dips. And our sweeties!!! Cries from the members in the background Gavin: NO WAY!!! If they take them we’ll go insane!!! Rhys: But WHY Sean?! WHY?!?!!?!? Sean: They didn’t like my teaching methods. They thought they should get some compensation. Gavin: Sean, if you give them our food we WILL eat YOU. Sean: I would never do that!! Plus, I ate all the munchies when the lights went out… screams of anger from the band members Gavin: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT SEAN?! WHY?! YOU’RE SO MEAN!! Sean: I eat when I’m scared!!! Rhys: Oh for godsake. Theyre just sheep! Aren’t they?! All goes silent Rhys: Dear diary…its day 4. The sheep know when we talk about them for some reason… Gavin: Rhys I’m scared...make them go away!! Rhys: I can’t!! Sean has to talk to them!! Sean: Why me?!?! Gavin: They’ll eat him!!! Rhys: He was the one who upset them in the first place!! Sean: Alright i’ll do it. I‘ll go now. Door opens, footsteps Sean: WOAH guys! All: What is it?!?! Are the sheep gone?!?! Sean: No silly! Have you seen that cloud?! It looks like the banana king!!! Gavin: Oh my god! It actually does! Take a picture and we can put it on myspace when we get out of here!!! Rhys: EH HEM. Your supposed to be talking to the sheep!! Sean: Gosh, Rhys you’re like a constant downer aren’t you! Rhys: Stop quoting from you tube videos! I’m being serious! We’re not gonna get outta here if you don’t help! Sean: Fine I’m going now... footsteps to outside and various baa sounds as Sean and the sheep barter with each other, shouts
Rhys: Dear diary, its day 5. We’re still in the bus. Sean talked to the sheep yesterday to try and settle everything out… Footsteps into the bus, a door shuts Gavin: What did they say Sean?! Sean: *Sigh* They say the only way we can settle this is by leaving me here with them- to join them in their fields. Forever! Gasps from the other members of the band, shouts Gavin & Rhys: No, they can’t do that!!! The door opens and there are footsteps and chatter Enter the driver, follwed by snoz, james, matthew & a farmer. Driver: Hey guys!! We found a local farmer!! He’s helping to fix our bus and get us back on the road again!!! Isn’t that great! Gavin: Yes. Yes it is. You took too long!! Sean ate all our munchies! Rhys: These sheep are mad!!!
Snoz: Guys, how old are you?! Honestly. We leave you for a few days and look what happens. Matthew: What’s all this about mad sheep?? Farmer: What’s going on here?! Why are my sheep surrounding you?!
sheep baa's Sean: They want me to stay in the fields with them forever!! Snoz: Sean you’re a really good actor you know? Sean: Yeah I am a good actor. BUT IM NOT ACTING NOW. Rhys: No, he really isn’t acting. James: HAHAHA. I think they’ve all gone mental!!! Matthew: Awww, did they miss us that much that they went crazy for our love?! Sounds of annoyance from Sean & Rhys & Gavin Gavin: We’ll show you. Gasps, Baa's Farmer: Don’t panic. I’ll sort this. First thing ‘omorrow.
Pause into next scene Rhys: Dear diary. Its day 6. I think. I’m not even sure anymore. Hahaha. The lack of sugar is making me feel funny. The farmer should be here anytime now. To sort this kerfuffle out once and for all! YAY. Then we can get back on the road!!
Happy sounds, party horn, yay's Farmer: Hey guys! The sheep won’t be bothering you anymore. I gave them some nice roast lamb and potatoes. Should keep them quiet for a bit.
Gavin: CANNIBALS!! Gasps Sean: Who cares?! They’ve gone! I’m freeeeee!!! Sighs of relief and YAYYYYYS Driver: Ok, now back to fixing the bus!!! footsteps and then sounds of mechanical things Farmer: Done! Fixed! The sat nav is now up and running! And the lights should turn on any minute! You’d best get along with yer tour!!! Cheers from the band Rhys: Dear diary… These past few days have been mental!!! We’re setting off in the morning, but first we’re gonna get some REAL FOOOOOD!! yawns from members and the sound of an engine starting Rhys: Dear diary… I’m so happy! We’re setting off now!! Gavin: Put your diary away Rhys, its time to go! Driver: Allllll aboarddddd!!! Sean: So long guys! I’ll miss you!! Rhys: Whaddya mean Sean?! You don’t need to stay with them anymore!! We’re saved!! Sean: I know! I’m saying bye to the sheep!! Gavin: Oh. Fair enough. I’m not going near them. They don’t deserve my goodbyes. *Footsteps onto the bus and shutting door. Bus engine noises as it drives off* Rhys: Dear diary. Where was I? Oh yes. Mental. Gig tonight! Can’t wait… Sean: Urm. Theres something I thought I’d tell you guys before I twitter it to the world. Band: What? Sean: Im going to turn into a sheep. Gavin: What the- Sean: They were actually weresheep. They bit me when I went to say bye. Never wonder why they liked meat so much? Band: You WHAT?! Sean: Guys I’m JOKING. Gosh. he laughs I don’t know why they like meat. Phews. Gavin: don’t do that again please. *agreements from the band* Sean: Sorry guys. But I can’t make any promises. Rhys: Dear diary, so yeah. Mental. That’s our lives. I wonder what tonight will be like… OOOOH SWEETIES! The next script is for my adaptation of a classic fairytale- Jack and the Beanstalk:
A giant and his wife are sat in their kitchen, the giant suddenly starts sniffing the air and thumping about.
Giant: FEE FI FO FUMB I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISH-... oh whats the use?! that dude is never gonna stop robbing us.
Wife: Why are you so bothered about him?? He's just a boy. A tiny boy.
Giant: I slave away for years to build us a life of luxury and he comes in and ruins it all. It just isn't fair.
Wife: But he's poor. For all we know he could have nothing in that world below the stalk.
Giant: Nope. Its drugs. It has to be. Or candy. Kids these days are so selfish. He's stealing all of our stuff just so he can sell it on ebay or whatever so that he can afford the drugs.
Wife: Oh gosh, i never thought of that before! Not all kids do that, but when i think about what he's been doing we must stop him!
Giant: *Sigh* I've been saying this all along! Its the 21st century now dear, boys don't steal for the hunger of thier families anymore.
Wife: This means war!!!!
Dun dun duuun
Giant: No, it means I can FINALLY eat him!!!
Wife: And you say IM living in the past?! no one eats people anymore!!! Lets just get one of those new electronic lock systems and an alarm...
Electronic beeping
Giant: Ah okay, sounds like a plan!! All this talk of humans is making me hungry though... Macdonalds for tea??
Wife: Yeahh!!! Oh look!!! Its jack!!!
Giant: How do you know his name?! Oh my gosh. Have you been sneaking off with a human?!
Dramatic Music
Wife: I'd never do that!!!
Giant: What the- Well i should hope not!!
Wife: Im off to speak to the little guy... Jack! Jack!
Footsteps
Jack: Alright Martha?!
Wife: Yeaah, it seems Gerald is a bit upset about you wandering around our house all the time! He seems to think you're selling our stuff for drugs! You aren't, are you Jack?!
Jack: Oh. Um, No way! Not all young people do drugs, ya know!
Giant: You've been stealing our stuff haven't you! I can't find my Playstation anywhere! Or my favourite jacket! Or my Car keys!... Have you been driving my car?!?!
Jack: What?!! No! I don't steal! And your car is about a million times bigger than me! What do you take me for?!?!
Giant: A THIEF THATS WHAT.
Wife: Gerald! Would you shut up! I believe you Jack, its wrong to assume that because you're a teenager you do drugs and steal. Of course he hasn't stolen anything! He comes round for Cake and to watch the 'big' Tv!
Cheerful music starts playing
Jack: Yeaah! I love your cooking! Its sooo much better than at the care home. They can only afford beans and toast, which is good stuff, but a bit repetitive when its all you have to eat....And your TV- Its absolutely awes--
Giant: You cheeky boy! How can you just waltz around, eating our food and watching our Tv?!! We have to pay for these things you know!
Wife: I let him! He's a good boy, Gerald! Brings me the post from the human realm every week!
Giant: Fair enough, but that doesn't give him an excuse to STEAL!
Growls
Jack: I haven't taken anything from you! I swear!
Wife: Gerald! For god's sake, I know exactly where all your things are!
Giant: What?!?! Have you been hiding my stuff Martha?! How could you?!!!
Wife: Of course im not hiding things! You're just forgetful and lazy, and can't be bothered to actually get up and look for your things.
Giant: Me?! Lazy?! I go out hunting everyday for YOUR dinner!
Wife: Yes you do, but whats the point! Theres an Asda right across the street! Get with the times!
Giant: Ugh. Fine, but its a waste of gold.
Jack: Um, don't mean to be rude or anything, but can i watch TV now please?
Wife: Go ahead Jack, ignore Gerald! He's such a crank.
Giant: Thats it i've had it! Out Jack! Now!
Giant picks up Jack, attempting to throw him down the beanstalk, but trips over a random harp, dropping Jack to the ground and then falling down the stalk himself.
Giant: Noooo!!!
Wife: Quick Jack! Cut the stalk! You can stay and eat Cake for ever!
Jack: YAY!
Sounds of cutting the beanstalk
...And so, Jack & Martha lived happily ever after...
Task 7 (P1,M1,D1)
This is my radio drama called 'The Tourbus Diaries':
Task 8 (P1,M1,D1)
The Tourbus Diaries Evaluation:
Purpose:
My original aim was to create a comedic piece about a band whose tour bus had broken down, in the middle of nowhere, and it would be primarily aimed at a teenage target audience. I wanted to include a range of different sound effects to accompany the speech and give a more realistic and amusing edge to the drama. I think that I achieved my goal in the final product, as the audience who I played it to were teenagers, and they liked it. Furthermore, I included a variety of different sound effects throughout, which brought the drama to life.
Audience:
I decided to get some feedback from my primary target audience- teenagers to tell me what they thought of my radio drama.
"The Tour Bus Diaries was very entertaining and it made me laugh loads of times. I thought the editing was done very well and effectively"- Georgie Isle
Representation Issues:
Throughout 'The Tourbus Diaries', I aimed to make a bad situation into a lighthearted comedy. The characters in my drama were all supposed to be male characters, with a female narrator. However, the actors I chose to use were both male and female. I thought this would give more variation to the drama, and create equality.
The music tracks I used helped to speed the piece up, making it flow quicker and add to the comedic genre. I also used more sinister tracks that would help to carry across the horror that the characters were experiencing.
The language used was appropriate to the primary target audience (teenagers) as I decided to use informal speech, as well as some popular references, such as 'myspace', which I thought would help the listeners to create a better personal identity with the characters.
Technical Issues:
The levels of the music varied, when a disruption took place, the music would get louder and the piece would cut to nothing, to make a bigger effect on the listener. The microphone work was occasionally quite loud, so I edited the levels down to make the piece sound more even. I included a variety of sound effects all the way through, to keep the listeners interested and to make the piece more lighthearted and comedic- for example, when something good happened, a random party horn would play. I edited my radio drama in Garageband, using multi-track editing to give the piece more variation and realism. I think my editing was fine, and thought carefully into the type of effects that I would use in order to fit with the comedic genre I aimed to achieve.
Conventions/ Narrative:
In 'The Tourbus Diaries', the enigma throughout is why the sheep were attacking the band- which they never find out for sure. The piece begins with a brief equilibrium- the band members are sitting in their tour bus, on their way to play a gig. However, this is soon ended with a disruption - the tour bus breaks down in the middle of the welsh countryside. The disruption continues throughout, with a number of events throughout the days that the band are stuck out in the field. The piece closes with a resolution- a farmer helps them fix their tour bus, as well as taming the sheep and soon they are on their way to a gig again! The characters included the villains (Sheep), a hero (The Farmer), 'damsels in distress' (The band members) and a helper (The bus driver). These all played a vital role in my piece, as they contributed to the comedy of the piece- grown men we're in distress, as opposed to the stereotypical female role in a lot of other dramas. I think the effects I used were typical of the comedy genre- they were outlandish and over the top, adding more variation and drama to the speech. I think that professionals creating a comedy radio drama would have the advantage of higher quality editing software, and a bigger team of people to help put the whole advert together.
Self Evaluation:
From creating 'The Tourbus Diaries', I learnt how to use Garageband much more efficiently than previously. Additionally, I learnt how to organise the things I needed in order for the piece to work- for example, instructing the actors and how they were meant to act as a character. I think that I did well, because I managed to plan and put the whole piece together by myself. I had one team member, but I did the majority of the work by myself, because nothing on their part was being done. I think my weaknesses at first were being unable to use Garageband properly, as I had never used it for a big project like this before, however, through hours of editing I overcame this problem. I think my strengths were in putting the piece together, and organising the scripts & actors.
Future Targets:
If I was to create another radio drama, I would improve on my editing skills- pre recording more of the sound effects, to give a more varied performance and effects that suited the piece slightly more than Garageband effects.
Ofcom:
To put this radio drama on air, I would first make sure I was sticking to all of the cap codes so as not to causes any issues with the public. I would broadcast the product at a time that I think would be the most popular time for teenagers to tune into the station- for example, 3pm to 4pm; a prime time whilst teenagers travel home from school and college.
