My radio Drama Poster

This is the end product of my radio poster/ advert as part of my ancillary task. Using the Google search engine via Internet Explorer, i was bale to find three separate images to help me create the vision i wanted for my final poster advert. I used an image of a female walking, a man hiding behind a tree, and a general woodland landscape image.

After dragging the images straight onto the work are of Adobe Photoshop, the first step was cropping the picture of the woodland area to get rid of the unwanted perimeter – now i had the base for my overall poster.

Next i used the magnetic lasso tool to help me cut around the individuals in each image. I prefer to use the magnetic lasso tool, rather than the other two tools (which are more freehand co-ordinated), as the points which construct the lines around the desired object automatically follow the outer shape of what ever is being cut, making it much more efficient – not so efficient for straighter edges though. I also used this tool to cut out any background imagery afterwards, which was left in between the legs the female for example. I then pasted and saved the newly cut images on new separate layers so i was able to easily alter each one separately.

Due to the shape of the tree (in the base image) which i had chosen for my stalker character (male individual) to hide behind, the two images didn’t fit very snug at first. The concave shape or curve of the tree trunk made it difficult to hide the man’s body behind convincingly, even though i had tried different positions. Instead i decided to use the ‘polygon lasso tool’ tis time, to precisely cut out a curved section of the area of the tree trunk which i then copied and pasted onto a new layer. I took this segment of the base image and positioned it in the gap which exposed the space between man and tree trunk. I then used the ‘smudge tool’ to blend the share edge of the new segment with that of the original tree colouring.

After placing the female image and the fitting the male image to the altered tree image, i only merged these layers together at this early stage as flattening seemed too permanent while I may still want to alter any of those specific layers before completing the overall poster. Now I was able to manipulate my newly created picture as one merged image.

I began by clicking ‘Image’, then choosing ‘Mode’ to change the image mode to CYMK colour, enabling me to alter the individual levels of cyan, blue, magenta, and black within the overall image. With this I increased the levels of cyan (yellow) and black, as well as decreasing levels of everything else. I also liked the shadowy appearance of the background image and wanted to intensify it for the overall feeling of the radio drama’s story, so I increased levels of contrast, by going into ‘Image’ and clicking ‘Adjustments’. With a more dramatic contrast of light and dark, as well as the tan base – matched to the colour of the woman’s jacket, I decided to accent this tone with the same shade of blue in the man’s jeans. I increased levels of blue via the ‘Channel’ tab on the right hand side of the program. The magnetic lasso tool was again used to go around the female’s form, I then inverted my selection to the background around her shape, and selected the ‘Cross-hatch’ filter in the ‘Brush Strokes’ group within ‘Filters’ found at the top. I altered the length and sharpness of strokes to get the desired outcome. My previous step eliminated the female’s shape from taking on this new filter appearance, but I also did the space between her legs with the previously mentioned process.

Adding the text was done by selecting the ‘T ’ tool from the tool selection at the left hand side of this software. The use of this tool is especially for typing text – holding down the mouse and dragging outwards creates the text box that will hold the text. InDesign probably would have been a better software for this as it allows more spacing selections and general alterations for text, but a just used more text boxes for each line of text when I wanted vertical spacing between lines, very close together. As seen in the cluster of text saying…

“The Unseen” when the past refuses to move on… FRI 10 MARCH 9PM.

When I had decided on what text I wanted displaying, I played around with colours and text as art. The scheduling for the drama was displayed thus – ‘FRI 10 MARCH 9PM’. I copy and pasted this text layer so I had two versions “FRI 10 MARCH 9PM” and “FRI 10 MARCH 9PMcopy” one in blue font and the other in grey font colouring. I then positioned one layer on top of the other by positioning the order of the layers on top of each other in the list of layers displayed at the right hand side of the software. Blue, white, grey and orange were taken from the background and co-ordinated with each other within al the text, including the logo representing BBC Radio 4 that I dragged onto a new layer from the internet. By choosing ‘darken’, the translucency of the negative areas of the logo layer, so it blended nicely with the background image. This choice did affect the clarity in appearance of the numbers as part of the bottom section on the logo, but they were still legible.

Radio Drama as a Form

Radio Drama is a type of auditory storytelling broadcast via radio waves. Genre, narrative, dialogue/voice, sound effects and music are necessary elements utilized in this medium to properly translate the story as the visual aspect of depiction is not present in this media form.

Due to the assurance of viewing a continuous story, it is not as easy to illustrate what is happening within a radio drama, whereas film for example, does not have to include as much information about things like setting and costume in the script. These things that would normally be viewed via a television screen convey so much more information than you would imagine, that’s why sound effects and music (normally added in an over exaggerated sense) can be included to demonstrate a rise in tension as well as fully explore the feelings of each character. The separate instalment of sound effects to fill the gaps of what we as viewers would normally just see on television has to be the main aspect of listening to a radio drama. It takes more concentration and lets one really use the imagination as you picture the continuing action in the mind. However, extra detail can also be included in the scripts. Where a film may incorporate a narrator to tell the whole story as it shows on the screen, they wouldn’t usually be a tool to deliver acceleration in time, or thoughts in an actor’s mind perhaps, both which can still be clearly shown s a visual, and could be the same things radio conveys with a narrator. Still, if a narrator isn’t used in the radio drama, the actual dialogue of the characters may bring light to certain minute but relevant facts we would have otherwise missed.

RADIO PRODUCTION

Sound Effects(SFX)

For this radio drama we didn't have to use a wide range of sound effects. As the story is depicted in an ordinary representation of ‘real life’, the use of extra ordinary sound effects wasn’t included. Amongst our utilization of Foley sounds included footsteps, a mobile phone ringing and (typical blood curdling) screams, whereas atmospheric or ambiance sounds were only utilized twice. Scene four is my favourite example of this – set in a typical busy coffee shop, sounds of distant conversations, the odd cellphone ringing, and light music can be heard under the dialogue of the two characters in the scene. Apart from the mentioned pre-recorded SFX already available to my group as part of the software we used, we did manually create a mobile conversation recording. This type of spot effect hasn't got a particular term for ti's creation but it basically involved using the recording application on a mobile phone to record the desired dialogue and then this was played back in the recording studio as we recorded it using the proper recording apparatus. this was to get a more authentic telephone conversation sound and it worked very well. Other new sound effects were created after we received our audience feedback. The same process we used for the recording of the script was used to individually create each new sound. Then we saved and added them to our desktop and kept them there until we were read to add them at a later date.

file:///Volumes/KERI/ringing%20sound.mp3

We also altered the sound of the prologue which was read by the main character still in role but speaking as if looking back on the occurrences which are later revealed in the rest of the story.

file:///Volumes/KERI/altered%20voice.mp3

KAITLAIN#: (CLOSE) (Sombre) That’s when it happened (.) Where my whole life changed before my very eyes (.) It’s hard to believe that it only started less than forty eight hours ago (.) I had just started my morning radio show without a care in the world.

We felt that installing an echoey tone to the sombre speech of this character added to conveying the past happenings.

Voice

As we only used a small handful of characters, we didn’t need to resort to too much differentiation between voices. With a bigger group of characters interacting in one scene, accents from example would be a good tool to help isolate a new line being said in a conversation. With our radio drama though, emotion was the chosen tool to translate the character personalities or essence of the mood in which a particular scene was planned to capture. Of course the details of each character’s background also influenced the emotions in which were illustrated by the actors as demnonstrated in the segment of scnene four below.

file:///Volumes/KERI/KATEDARIUS.mp3

KAITLAIN#: (V.O) (Breathless) Oh (.) it’s you (.) I didn’t think I would ever see you again.

(ANOTHER CRASH OF THUNDER EXCEPT THIS TIME IT’S LOUDER)

DARIUS#: (V.O) (APPROACHING) (Menacing) You should have known better Kaitlain.

KAITLAIN#: (V.O) (Trying to sound confident but her voice wavers) It’s Kate now.

DARIUS#: (V.O) (Mocking) Oh Really (.) That’s not what your show is called (.) Is it (.) Kaitlain Ross.

KAITLAIN#: (V.O) (Scared) Stay away from me (.) Please just leave me alone.

(SOUND OF HER HIGH HEELS RUNNING AWAY)

DARIUS#: (V.O) (Mutters to himself in a threatening tone) That’s right Kaitlain (.) Run home to see your boyfriend (Almost a whisper) while you still can.

This above extract was taken from the ends of scene three – here we catch a conversation between stalker and innocent victim. Based on the background of Darius’ characterization, all through the drama his speech generally conveys both unstable aggression, but also uncomforting low husky tones associated with mysteriousness and menacing unnaturalness.

Kaitlain on the other hand is generally illustrated very ordinarily, so when it comes to hearing the emotion in her voice, the script allows her part to speak freely on the thoughts and questions in her mind. There are unsure or confused and threatened tones in her words, and when her part acts a s a general narration (or reflecting thoughts on the past events), the actor who played Kaitlain adapted a slightly melancholy, regretful tone –basically this part’s nature didn’t experience any happy of joyous moments, so didn’t express any while applying the voice.

Lucy Is Darius’ wife and understandable her characteristics involve timid withdrawn behavior. In the same way, the voice that accompanies her character’s speech is also timid, gentle and nervous sounding.

DARIUS#: (Quickly) This is my wife Lucy.

CARLOS#: (TO LUCY) (Bored) Hello Lucy.

LUCY#: (LOW) (Nervous) Hello

CARLOS#: (Concerned) (TO DARIUS) Is she okay?

(LUCY BURSTS INTO TEARS ON THE WORD YESTURDAY)

DARIUS#: She’s okay (.) she got some bad news yesterday (Threateningly to Lucy) didn’t you (Sweetly) Lucy?

LUCY#: (SWALLOWS) Yes I did.

(SHE SNIFFLES AS SHE WIPES HER TEARS AWAY)

Where Darius’ voice appears eerily low at times and then wildly loud in volume compared to Kaitlain's mid-volume, Lucy’s voice is always heard at a quiet, soft level.

Apart from Lucy, the other two sub-characters which are included to give more detail to the life of the central female are both coincidentally the more up-beat voices. A deliberate point however, with both Kaitlain’s best friend and boyfriend is that their parts are less informed to the full stresses of Kaitlain’s stalker so of course they will be displayed much less affected by the situation. Thus their tones are more cheery or inviting. Both characters’ first lines are said with pleasant exclamation even though the content of the script determines the following speech to include negative occurrences or topics. For example the final scene of the drama includes the violent unexpected death of the boyfriend and yet begins with an inviting social introduction between himself, Darius and Lucy.

Music
My radio drama doesn't actually use much music as we didn't want to distract from the storyline and acting of the characters within it. We injected music in the first 20 seconds after our prologue and used eerie music that encouraged a tense atmosphere to the scary actions of that part. But we also used this same tune to complete the cycle of the drama by placing it at the very end of the story after all the horrifics had happened. I feel that opening and closing with the same tune creates a sense of theme and communicates to the listeners that the story is now finished, but overall makes for a more professional finish. Although my group's intention was not to take away from what is happening in the story, only when it was relevant did we include music.

file:///Volumes/KERI/theme%20music.mp3

file:///Volumes/KERI/tense%20music.mp3

Silence
'The Unseen' uses silence as a tool to engage the listener onto a moment of differentiation between scenes and to create or build tension in certain scenes. In the first part of the drama, the opening line reads...

file:///Volumes/KERI/telephone%20cut%20off.mp3

LUCY#:(D) (Petrified) Please help me (.) Please I need some help (.) He’s just killed h-

As we only used a small handful of characters, we didn’t need to resort to too much differentiation between voices. With a bigger group of characters interacting in one scene, accents from example would be a good tool to help isolate a new line being said in a conversation. With our radio drama though, emotion was the chosen tool to translate the character personalities or essence of the mood in which a particular scene was planned to capture. Of course the details of each character’s background also influenced the emotions in which were illustrated by the actors.

Style, Cues & Links

When talking about the style in which this radio drama was created, we underline that the way that the piece is written will vary depending on the genre that the story is based. The terms Cues and Links refer to the spaces or gaps that appear to separate the different sections of a scripted piece. This includes introductions, scenes, credits etc.

As my radio drama begins with a prologue, if you will - this is basically the introduction to the play which portrays a portion of the ending that is later revisited as the finale to the drama. This idea to format the script in a slightly non chronological way was simply to grab the listener's attention and retain their concentration to figure out how the events of the story lead up to that same beginning point. It ended on a harsh blood curdling scream which is one of the highest parts of drama within the play which contrasts dramatically with the calm mundane first scene. To further establish this as the introductory part of the main story, we used the voice of the main character Kaitlain, to narrate her thoughts on the terrifying events she was to encounter later in the story. Throughout the play, we indicated scene changes by fading down the ends of scenes and then fading up the next scene, as well as leaving slight gaps between. These are clear segmenting of the sections that needed to be included as most scenes don’t involve music, but instead more background noise so we didn’t want the listener to get confused by too many similar sounds effects. Other indications of new beginnings can be interpreted through the social introductions being made at the start of certain scenes. In scene four, the first line of dialogue is a cheerful good morning – a new day and thus a new opening – also captured in the final scene as the doorbell rings and a door is opened to let people in at the beginning.

After immense editing, I would say there’s difficulty in establishing the tragic psychotic thriller genre in which my group based our initial storyline on, however the characteristics of this still appear within the remaining drama. A sense of heroes and villains is included in the form of ‘the Unseen’s psychotic obsessive murder, Darius and Kaitlain, the female victim he pursues. Suspense is created at fitting points in the story to keep the viewer on edge, for example at the end of scene three.

DARIUS: “That’s right Kaitlain, run home to see your boyfriend... while you still can.”
SE: (DRAMATIC MUSIC)

...And the scene ends. However instead of including on-going action, our script contrasts dramatic events with calmer following events, again keeping our audience’s concentration intact. Scene one opens with normality, and showcases a mystery caller who gives a dramatic insight to her abusive marriage –then suddenly gets cut off! And the sense of normality returns again as the radio shows goes on. Similarly, scene three ends with a threatening tone and we see Kaitlain running off followed by sounds of a coffee shop and typical conversation between two friends in the fourth scene. Of course, tragedy is shown by the simple point of sad events which lead up to a startling scene of death in the end. Although we had planned for our drama piece to be part of a continuing series of radio shows, Kaitlain is the only one to survive at the end of this story – again reiterating the element of tragedy. Otherwise, there are no specifically happy events, only normal everyday goings-ons. This is then followed by the ultimate dramatic ending.