In this essay, I will critically evaluate the codes, conventions, style and structure

of different genres of radio with supporting arguments and elucidated examples.

I will compare two different radio dramas, one being traditional drama and one
post-modern drama. A traditional radio drama consists of a strong storyline that
involves a narrator and many characters. There is usually a problem or dilemma,
which the character is working towards solving. A post-modern radio drama is
unlike traditional dramas, where problems and questions are being solved and
there are more questions being raised and it is up to the audience to answer
them themselves. The post-modern drama I have chosen is Day of the dead
this is a horror/thriller, it is inspired by the myth of Orpheus, telling the story of a
young musician from Maine as he journeys through New Orleans looking for his
missing lover, and finds something he never expected. The traditional radio
drama I will be analysing is The Archers. This is set in the fictional village of
Ambridge, Borsetshire. In the drama, the audience becomes involved in the
characters personal and business struggles, their love affairs and all sorts of
village happenings. In my particularly chosen episode, Debbie ropes Brian into
helping her deliver the costumes to the Mother Goose dress rehearsal. She
suggests that the land purchase is not really about the land, the farm or the
finances.
The words and voices used in radio drama are the backbone of the whole
production; they can set the scene by the use of narration and description and
develop characters. This could be written in a specific way and include a
carefully selected accent to create a more visual idea of the ambience of the
scene, articulating realism as a radio drama often lacks this affect. From
listening to Day of the Dead at 00:03 the narrator perfectly sets the scene by
saying this is set at 'the time of year when the leaves burn out in their last blaze
of glory'. From this quote, the fiery colours of the autumnal season are described
to be in their 'last blaze', instantly creating an orange flame-like image in the
audiences' minds.
Voices play a strong role in radio dramas because, due to the nature of a radio, it
can be hard to distinguish who is speaking, so each character tends to have a
strong style or pronounced way of speaking. By using a different voice or
changing the pitch of their tone, the actors allow the audience to be more aware
of when the character and actor has changed. In addition, voices are also
important in radio drama's for expressing the feeling of the character. For
example at 05:00 in the ''Day of the Dead'' the taxi driver raises his tone and
kicks the 'kid' out of the cab indicating an expression of anger on the taxi driver's
behalf. In 'The Archers' at 1:44 Brian's tone changes to a gasping tone to show
an element of shock that his daughter thought that his age was a problem.
Both these examples give us information about the characters. However The
Archers uses accents to tell us the class of the people, for instance higher class
people will sound a lot posher, whereas middle class people will have an accent.
It is a bit stereotypical. While in the postmodern radio drama "Day of the Dead" it
is not used as much. This is because it is based in America and they all sound the
same and the only way the audience can tell who's speaking is to make the
actors have different accents and different ages, making it very clear. With the
Archers doing this makes it very clear what the character is like in terms of class
and we understand what kind of person they will be. With "Day in the Dead" it
leaves more to mystery and eaves it up to the listener to decide. Both work well
and which works better really depends on the type of radio drama you listen too.
Music helps to create the ambiance of the scene, evoking an atmosphere to
determine the mood, tone and setting of a scene and this is essential when it
comes to radio drama as there are no visual cues for the audience. The music
and silence is very important in radio drama especially in my post-modern drama
as it helps to add suspense and mystery. Although music is not played at the
start of ''The Day of the Dead there are some very loud sound effects such as the
guitar playing at 0:20 that creates a spooky aura as well as the extremely loud
train sound effect at 0:37 that also gives a mysterious creepy effect to the story.
At the start of the 'the Archers', upbeat music is played to set the satirical
ambience of the whole story. Silence is an important part of radio drama as it
constructs suspense or a dramatic effect. However if there is silence for too long
the listener will get bored and tune out, so it is important that silence is only
used as to when there will be a profound effect on the audience. Silence is also
used to mark an ending of a scene or as a break in dialogue, just the same as
with too much silence, if there is too much constant dialogue the listener with
just tune off. The use of sounds is also a very key aspect of a radio drama it is
used to signify an end of a scene or a change of scenery. In addition, it can even
be used to note a passage of time or simply for dramatic effect, this is used to
keep the listener captivated in the radio drama so they can hear as much as
possible. For instance this is used in "The Day of the Dead' at 3:24 when there is
a change of scene, the boy is on the train and there is a fade used and the sound
of the train dies down this is used to indicate a change of scenery in the radio
drama as well as a new scene.
Aural signposting is where the setting of the scene is established throughout
audio cues, much similar to how music is used in radio dramas. In 'The Archers'
at 2:15 there is a silence and then we hear loud music playing and loud knocking
followed by a man talking. This is a clear indication that the setting has changed
to a public enclosed area as we hear a piano playing in the background, some
kitchen sound effect in the background and the scene seems to be in a hall of
some sort. In the Archers and most traditional radio dramas, music is used at the
start and end of a scene which can be seen at 2:15 of The Archers. To contrast, in
post-modern dramas music is used to give the ambience, so is played
throughout, such as the radio playing in the cab in the ''Day of the Dead'' which
almost seems to trick the audience into the day being seemingly normal,
however the kid fabricates a contrast to this when he asks to go to a dodgy part
of town.
To entice the audience into continuing the series 'The Archers', a cliff-hanger
ending is used. As in many traditional dramas, the element of it being a series
means that various methods must be used to draw in an actively engaged
audience. At the end of this episode, The Archers uses the cliff-hanger method as
we hear two characters having an unfinished conversation about something that
happened during the episode at 12:30. This makes it effective as it makes the
viewer want to watch the next episode to find out what happens next. It uses
similar features as in any drama soap in television such as EastEnders.
Titles are used in order to identify the production and acknowledge who has
produced it. This is used at the beginning and the end of the production. The
Archers is aimed to an older generation as it is quite old fashioned in its setting
and language, and seems to be more affiliated with the elderly who enjoy
listening to the radio and not having any visual needs.
Dramatic reconstruction is used in the whole drama as it helps the viewer to feel
like they are being told a story and that the narrator is right there with them, it
also makes it more emotional. The dramatic style in Day of the Dead is clear with
all the background noises and sound effects during the drama and is inspired
about the myth of Orpheus, making it evident that it is in the thriller/ horror
genre. The duration of this drama is 66 minutes long, and it is a stand alone
drama. The beneficial nature of a stand alone drama, in contrast to a traditional
radio drama which is in a series, is that the story is bound to come to a
conclusion, so the listener stays tuned in for the whole thing, without having to
continue a series. However, a downside of this may be that if the long nature of a
post-modern may become too long-winded for some, and the listener doesnt
persist throughout.
The Archers are 12 minutes long. This is because they are broadcasted everyday
and having it this short length allows people to listen to it every day. If it were 1
hour long it may be more difficult to listen too on a daily basis. This is because
people usually listen to this on their drive back home after work. "The Day of the
Dead" is much longer coming to an hour and 6 minutes. This is because it is a
standalone story meaning that there is no other episodes after this one.
Therefore it needs to be longer then something like The Archers as it only has
one episode and the story needs to end, In addition, it is more likely for people to
listen to this longer lengthen radio drama as it is a standalone as they dont need
to watch a new episode every day and there is less commitment. I think that the
Archers is more effective because having episodes that last only 12 minutes
turns it into a series and the action never stops, everyday you can expect a new
episode.
A flashback is a moment in the scene that takes the narrative back in time from
the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount
events that have happened before. An example of a flashback is in 'Day of the
Dead' however this isn't a usual flashback you would expect to hear because the
only flashback is the start of the story, in this case it narrates the start of the
story and how it all began then it jumps into the present day of the actual story.
Flashbacks can be very useful in radio drama if there is important information,
for instance The Archers could always use a flashback for this reason. As it helps
the listeners keep up with what is going on and they can avoid getting confused.
Characterisation is used to depict the nature of the characters and how they are
portrayed throughout a drama. Characterisation is used effectively in the
postmodern radio drama 'Day of the Dead', where the main character, the kid, is
perceived to have a nervous disposition. The introduction to this characteristic is
at 2:20 where he seems to stutter and pause whilst speaking to another
character. This is further built upon throughout the radio drama. The pure use of
the word 'kid' creates an image of youth and possibly a cheek in his personality.
Further distortions in his manner of speech tend to keep the perception that he is
somewhat nervous.
The Archers chronologically develops its story line, this is done as each episode
goes by the day by also which adds to the building of the story. During the
episode that I listened too, this is shown because at the beginning of the episode
people have to deliver some costumes for rehearsals, and later on the rehearsals
are taking place which helps to show audience that we are listening to these
people go through the day as each task goes by. It is usually very common for
every soap to be done in a chronological developed way, this is expected in The
Archers and works very well. However, Day of the dead also has a chronological
order as there is a beginning, middle and end. This creates more of a story and
gives it more structure to the audience. Chronological order is when everything
happens in the right order. This means that everything that has happened within
the show has happened in the correct order, and that everything is in
chronological order, for example each episode of The Archers leads to the next. I
think that this is effective as It keeps the format of the drama simple and easier
for the viewer to understand. In addition The Archers everything is set in the
current date, which means the show becomes more realistic to the viewer. For
example if someone was born in 2000 in the show the person would now be
16/17 because it is the current date, and if it was Christmas in the real world it
would be Christmas in The Archers. I think that The Archers is a lot more
effective because it is more realistic because it matches our time frame which is
a bit more interesting.
Direct speech is when a character in the radio drama gives information to the
audience through speech. Nearly every radio drama has direct speech included
in it this is because it is pretty much essential to explain to the audience what is
happening in the radio drama. This breaks down the fourth wall and engages the
audience. The traditional drama doesn't use any direct address as the characters
are talking to each other and the audience is not directly involved but more a fly
on the wall. This can be heard in Day of the Dead, where the narrator brings us
back to the flashbacks to New Orleans. This is done to tell the story as at the
start of the radio drama he is in the present day then the flashbacks bring us to
what he is talking about.
Credits are what appear at the end of a program, when visuals are used to show
who the actors were. However, there are no visuals in radio drama, so the credits
are read out on the recording, by what is known by a continuity announcer so
that the listeners can know what is coming up next and who was featured in the
last program. This is used in the Blinds Man's Confession when the creator
introduces his own work, which also adds more of a personal touch because he is
introducing his own work.
Appropriateness to target audience is how well suited the radio broadcast is to a
group of people. The target audience is the people to whom the radio drama is
aimed at for those who will enjoy it and relate to it the most. 'The Archers' has a
target audience of adults which is demonstrated in the themes that are visited
throughout the radio drama, such asp. Despite this, it is still appropriate for the
target audience, but also brings in a new audience which is something that
farming, daily village life and finances. These are not subjects that would intrigue
younger audiences, therefore making the target audience primarily middle-aged
adults. Therefore the target audience becomes an instrumental way to establish
the storyline and themes within any radio drama. Whereas for "Day of the Dead"
the target audience would be more suited to a mature teen as it narrates a
Halloween theme. However, the use of themes such as this may not be as well
targeted to the audience as it is in 'The Archers', because themes such as
Halloween are quite general, and would appeal to not only the target audience,
but a range of ages, especially children who enjoy the thrill of dressing up.
Despite this, it is still appropriate for the target audience and, unlike 'The
Archers', will draw in a new audience, possibly creating a new revenue for the
future.
Day of the Dead, being a linear narrative with a close ending, consists of telling
the story of a young musician from Maine as he journeys through New Orleans
looking for his missing lover, and finds something he never expected. I think the
type of themes that are visited in this radio drama would appeal a lot more to a
young adult audience, such as young love. The scenes are more intriguing to a
younger audience because of the language used. I think that the effectiveness of
the language and themes used to distinguish what the target audience is very
good.
Creation of mood is a method in which the radio drama provokes an atmosphere,
which can often be a difficult task when there is no visual aid. 'The Archers'
manages to use music to create a positive and uplifting mood such as the piano
music at the beginning and end of the drama, possibly enticing those more
upbeat listeners. 'The Day of the Dead' tends to use a more sombre musical aid,
such as a rather downbeat guitar.
Narrative structure is the structure of a story and there are two main versions of
this. To start off we have a linear structure which consists of a start middle and
end, which flows straight through to create a chronological story, and the Archers
is a prime example of this. Then we have the non linear structure, this is when
the story is told randomly and doesnt create much flow so the story could
potentially start off with a flashback and then end with the same flashback which
indicates to the views how the story happened, this is done in 'Day of the Dead'.
However, the stories are still told chronologically.
A plot is when the events are put together to have an outcome, in which create a
story in the radio drama. If there were no plot the story wouldn't be clear and we
wouldnt be able to understand what is happening in the radio drama, it would
also have no climatic impact. In The Archers the plot is developed so that it can
continue into future episodes but also so that there are still questions in the radio
drama to keep it interesting, left as cliff-hangers. In Day of the Dead the plot is
still developed however, it is done a lot quicker because it only has one episode
dedicated towards the story and cannot be continued into future episodes. The
Archers has a slow developing plot as its carried out daily and could potentially
take months to conclude a story