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.