Understanding Codes, Conventions, Styles and Structures of Radio Drama
Introduction
Radio Drama is a old but still very real format for storytelling, where the imagination takes on a much bigger role during the performance. Radio Dramas are nowadays mostly listened to by Middle/Upper Class people, usually older. In 2011, BBC Radio 4 (famous for being spoken-word only) reached listening figures of over 11 million people. Radio 4 is also the second biggest radio station in the UK.
Codes
There are four important codes to consider when producing a radio drama, and they are the following:
- Words & Voices
- Sound & Silence
- Music & Ambience
- Speech
Words and Voices are key to a successful Radio Drama; there is no other way to hold the attention of the audience and so the drama must capitalize on the words and voices used in the piece. As there is no visual for the audience to follow, they have to rely upon the audio to guide them and give them structure for their imagination to follow. Because of this, when producing a radio drama you should always be sure that the voice fits the character and that the words they speak are appropriate. For example, in the Radio Drama “An Everyday Story of Afghan Folk” [1], actors from middle-eastern backgrounds have been chosen to provide the voices for the characters. This works because their accents will really help the audience picture themselves in such a location.
Sound and Silence are also valuable tools when used correctly (no sound can be useful for dramatic effect), but it can also be dangerous if used incorrectly. What I mean by this is that if your silence drags on for too long, the listener might be tempted to change channel or might think that the drama is over. Alternatively, silence could be used to mark the ending of a scene and/or to mark a break in the dialogue.
Music & Ambience falls into similar usage when compared with TV drama; music is used for setting the tone and feel of a scene. If the scene is romantic, then the music might be warm and/or sensual. If the scene is action-packed and/or has a large emotional weight, then the music might be dramatic. A good example of music used dramatically might be Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds [2], based on the novel by HG Wells. The music is mostly orchestral, giving the drama a wide range of sounds and a diverse soundtrack.
Speech is the final Code of Radio Drama, and this is simply how the words are spoken. Variances in pitch, in tone and in volume of voice can have great effects on the quality of the drama. For obvious reasons, you don’t want your speech to be too loud nor too quiet, or else the listener either won’t be able to hear the ambience or won’t be able to hear the dialogue. Either way, you should look to ensure that your audio is balanced appropriately.
Conventions
Aural signposting is a popular convention of radio drama; it is the use of ambient sound to tell the audience where they are. This is the equivalent of (in TV and Film) actually using a signpost, and it works because the audience feels like they are transported to the desired location. If you were to shut your eyes while listening to a radio drama with good aural signposting, you should be able to easily picture yourself at the location.
More often than not, a radio drama will end on a cliffhanger in order to encourage the listener to tune in to the next show. If the drama is successful at making the listener sympathise with the characters, a cliffhanger becomes a powerful tool as the listener is desperate to know what happens next. However, if cliffhangers are used fairly often, then they could lose their impact if they’re used each and every week. Cliffhangers have been used for thousands of years; one of the earliest known cliffhangers was written by Homer in his epic the “Odyssey”. We see the suitors setting a trap for Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, and then the following chapters are about Odysseus and his travels. We do not learn of Telemachus’s fate until much later into the story, despite the tension of the cliffhanger being there.
Flashbacks are a common tool among radio dramas, as they allow for retrospective character development and can be used to explain plot points or give reasons behind certain events. One thing they have in common with cliffhangers is that they shouldn’t be overused, or else their impact might be lessened. In addition, having too many flashbacks could leave the listener confused as to where the story is at and set. As an example, if the main character gets caught in a trap by the villain at the end of an episode, then it leaves the audience wondering what’s going to happen next. However if this happens every episode then the audience would quickly lose interest and regard the drama as predictable.
When looking to transition between scenes, the drama may utilize fades and silences. An example of this could be when coming to the end of a scene with strong emotions or a shock twist, the director decides to fade out to silence there. However, a lot of dramas use music to transition between scenes, which allows for more control over the audience and their emotions. An example of this, going back to Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, would be that in between each scene there is usually a song or some sort of musical accompaniment, to show the passing of time and entertain the audience. This gives the audience time to digest the previous scene and also allows the new scene to be introduced through narration or dialogue afterwards.
Style
The style of a successful Radio Drama is to audibly create this dynamic, believable world that the listener feels a part of due to the soundscape around the action. This is fundamental in spoken-word dramas, as the production has to prompt the listener’s imagination to create the desired world and feel. This could be considered to have unlimited potential, due to the lack of visuals, as the piece is only limited creatively by the audience’s imagination. The director should look to have a detailed audible world that will in turn help immerse the listener. For example, you might want to have distant gunfire in a warzone or the sound of waves coming to shore if the scene is near to the beach.
A lot of dramas will have a narrator who can potentially set the scene and explain unclear areas of the story to the audience in a friendly, comprehensive manner. The narrator could explain how a character feels or how they physically react to the events. However, this might bear negative side-effects as the audience could potentially lose track on who the narrator is referring to. If an ever-present narrator is to be used then they would have to be clear and concise in their speech. One example of a narrator setting the scene would be in the radio drama I helped produced, “Trenchboys”. I personally lent my voice to a narration that described the build-up to the events of the drama and also acted as a conclusion at the end of the drama. As our drama was based on actual events, we made sure that my narration was factually correct.
Making a drama appropriate to the audience is crucial if the piece is to be successful. What I mean by this is that if the tone or the dialogue used doesn’t suit the target audience then the audience will feel alienated and look elsewhere for their entertainment. As an example, if your drama is full of slang and a youthful style of speech, but aimed at an older audience, then it would not be considered appropriate and all it would do would be making the listeners tune out/off. This works the same way in reverse; older speech styles would make younger listeners bored.
Structure
The average radio drama lasts about an hour and a half [3], and is usually broken up into several fifteen minute long parts. This is done so that the drama can form a series with a regular time and station which will in turn generate fans of the drama. The fact that the total runtime is over an hour means that the plot and characters have plenty of time to develop. There is enough time for the audience to sympathise with the characters in order for them (the audience) to become emotionally invested in the plot. This is important because if the audience are invested then they will continue to listen to the drama due to a desire to find out what happens next.
Narrative structure is the barebones outline of a story, the skeleton upon which the meat of the drama rests. More often than not, the narrative structure consists of the following parts.
- Equilibrium (exposition to the characters and the premise of the story)
- Rising Action/Enigma (the issue is introduced and the tension builds)
- Climax (an event where the issue is resolved/confronted)
- Falling Action (other loose story ends are tied up)
- Resolution/New Equilibrium (the characters are in a different equilibrium)
Narrative structure is important because without it the writer might find themselves working their way into an unresolvable plotline and have to resort to a deus ex machina to dig themselves out of it. Deus ex machina simply means a plot device that is somewhat implausible saving the day and/or resolving a tough plotline [4].
Conclusion
Radio Drama is a unique and useful medium for storytelling, as the lack of visuals both helps and hinders the feel of the piece. Like I mentioned earlier, you can create huge set pieces very cheaply as you are only creating sound. You could have a building fall down or be demolished without spending a fortune on CGI or similar techniques. All you’re doing is immersing the audience in the story and letting their mind do the visuals. The fact that BBC Radio 4 is one of the most popular radio stations in the UK despite being spoken-word only is a testament to how well this medium works. It’s not popular with younger generations which is (in my opinion) a shame, as many great stories are told through Radio Drama.
Sources and References
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