CAPICITY BUILDING TRAINING MODULE ON RADIO DRAMA.

Developed By: SARDAR ALI KHAN, (Retired) Station Director, Radio Pakistan

1. Genesis of Drama

There are records of sacred drama in Egypt (2000 B.C). The Psi (600B.C) in the ancient Greece is the first known playwright.

Then followed Aeschylus (525-456 B.C), Sophocles (496-406 B.C ).

In the East, Indian culture was influenced by Buddhism and under this influence plays were being written and performed for religious purposes.

In fact classical drama is conventional and

The plays of Kalidas (4th century A.D ) and Bhavati are lyrical in tone and refined in feelings. Kalidas’s delicate romantic tales leap time and space but there is no conflict and characters are transformed from human beings in to gods.

Understanding DramaA story represented by means of words and action. In words of Bonamy Dobree “ moving literature”.

Action is pivotal to any drama which is basically meant for performance.

Words were introduced in plays at much lateral stage than other elements e.g. Mime, dance , Music, costume and stage décor.

2. Oral half of theatre-Radio Drama

According to Aristotle:

“Tragedy is then an imitation of an action that is serious , complete , and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament , the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play ,not of narrative, through pity & fear affecting the purgation (Catharsis) of these emotions” ( Poetics p.10 )

Stage Play vs. Radio Play

Stage Play Radio Play

• Stage décor and lights. Studio acoustics.• Actors presence visible Voice variations (Sign posting,

with costume ,make up Stress, Pause, Swing) and voice throw .• Dance and mime. Stress, Pause , swing and

silence • Sound Effects & Music . Sound effects & Music .

The Radio Play

• The term “ Play “ applied to Drama indicates that certain action is displayed or reacted for recreation

• Basically radio play emerged out of Theatre or stage play• The recreative quality of drama gets more imaginative place in

Radio• It has ,sometimes, been called “Blind Theatre ” or “ Aural Half

“ of stage play. • Recreation implies creation of an illusion of a reality, this

phenomenon is called “make believe” or suspension of disbelief

• Action represents a character at a given time and space• Action promotes the plot or keeps the story moving • Drama needs proper characterization and gripping Plot.• Plot has four elements ( Freytag’s pyramid )

ExpositionConflict (Rising action )ClimaxResolution , Denouement or anticlimax (Falling action )

Plot

• It’s the series of actions and sequences of the story

• The plot grows from the conflict that arises when two forces in a play come into opposition

PLOT STRUCTURE

3. Structural Aspect of drama Freytag's Analysis

3.1 Exposition/Opening

• This usually occurs at the beginning of a story. Characters are introduced. We also learn about the setting of the story. Most importantly, listeners are introduced to the characters and the conflict gets start.

3.2 Conflict/Rising Action

• This part of the story begins to develop the conflict. Suspense is created to arise interest as to what is next.

3.3 Climax

• This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character encounters face to face with a conflict. The major character will change in some way.

3.4 Resolution or denouement

• All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.

Further Explanatory notes

• Exposition The exposition is the portion of a story that introduces

important background information to the audience

Rising Action A series of related incidents builds towards the point of

greatest interest. The rising action of a story is series of events that begin immediately after exposition

• Climax The climax is the turning point, which changes the protagonist’s

fate. If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point.

Falling action During the falling action, the conflict between the protagonist

and antagonist unfolds, with the protagonist wining or loosing against the antagonist. The falling action may contain a moment of final suspense, in which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt.

• Resolution or denouement The dénouement comprises events from the end of

the falling action to the actual ending scene of the

drama or narrative. Conflicts are resolved, creating

normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis or

release of tension and anxiety.

• Conflict A Struggle between two or more forces that creates

tension which must be resolved. There are two conflicts namely External and internal.

The traditional breakdown of the conflict is : Man vs. man (external) Man vs. nature (external ) Man vs. society (external ) Man vs. Self ( Internal )

4. Dramaturgy• Theme• Story• Script• Theme• Suspense• Characterization antagonist

Protagonist Direct ( round or explicit, it uses another character, narrator or the

protagonist himself to tell the audience about the subject) Indirect (Flat or implicit, the audience has to deduce for himself the

characteristics of the character by observing his/her own thought process, behavior , speech, way of talking, appearance and way of communication with other characters )

• Plot• Dialogue(s)

5. Getting the work done

Idea formulation (Research, personal observations, inspirations, adaptation

of popular novels and short stories, discussions with playwrights,

translations )

Script (Vetting, amendments in consultation with seniors and the

playwright – you have either a solicited or unsolicited script, Reader’s

Report and final approval

Casting ,booking proposal

Preliminary production script

Copies of final script and selection of dramatists

REMEMBER:

• Do not perform the script by your self in front of the artists.

why?????

what to do?

6. Directional mode First Rehearsal ( reading the script by the

dramatists ,cues, stresses, pauses, swings, silence, sign

posting, tones, tempo, pace )

second Rehearsal,

Final Rehearsal,

Dress or Mike rehearsal (Microphone distances for sign

posting, in out cues, interactive responses among drama

voices and interaction with the producer through

observation window )

Music blending music can capture emotions and images It can swing the listeners instantaneously from

entirely one mood to an other mood It can, as subtly as a raised eyebrow-give to a phrase

an extra, and as possibly contradictory, level of meaning

There happen different kinds of music while producing a radio play e.g.

Opening/closing music depending on theme of the drama, Bridging music, change over or transitional music for separating different scenes, Bangs, BGM as continuity etc.

Music has many shades :

suggestive

descriptive

indicative etc.

Sound Effects

Sound Effects help tell the story in audio. They tell you

where or when the story takes place. They tell you

about the action, how events are unfolding.

Radio drama is usually recorded in a carefully sound

proofed studio. But voices and script alone can sound

dry and unreal. It’s the studio manager’s job to add

recorded sound effects, and to create live sound

effects.

The addition of sound effects transforms the clean audio

of voices reading script into a world that is believable for

the listener. Some of these sound effects happen at a very

subconscious level. They can be as simple as a teaspoon

clipping the edge of a cup, or a door opening – all ordinary

noises that happen in the background of real life, but that

have to be artificially created in the world of radio drama.

Books recommended: The Sound Effects Bible - Ric Viers, Michael Weise

Productions, 2008. And excellent book that covers modern hardware and software, field recording, sound design, and how to make specific sounds.

Radio Sound Effects - Robert L. Mott. McFarland, 1993.

Radio and Television Sound Effects - by Robert B. Turnbull. 1951. Rinehart & Company Inc.; New York www.suondeffectsbible.com

www.sounddogs.com

7. How to produce a Radio Play in eight easy steps ?

• Create visual picture. Production of a radio drama requires you to paint a picture in the audience’s minds. This means the use of descriptive words to build up images that enable the listening audience to identify with the characters, the world the character lives in and the atmosphere for each scene. Use of color is very important to create the image in the listener’s mind

• A narrator is very useful in the context of radio: the narrator play out the scene, explain action sequences and wrap up the scene.

If you are working on a serial, the narrator can summarize the previous episode’s action as recap The narrator can switch between scenes

• Create the action through dialogues, since all you have to work with , is dialogues rather than props, setting or visual cues, dialogues will need to work hard on it. It can be used to describe action as it is taking place

• Make the most of sound effects where necessary. Too many sound effects can spoil the broth and can get your listeners confused. Use astounding sounds- things to wake up your listeners such as an explosion, a music bang, a cry, a skidding car, an angry mob shouting etc.

• You can use effects which are built in to the mixer desk to help create actualization. When it comes to producing your play, and if you are producing it, be sure that you do a sound check with the effects, to ensure the sound levels and effects are how you want them.

• Use reverberation- use it to set the acoustics of a location. For example empty room, an office full of coworkers, a cave, halls, a court room etc.

• Music in the background can help to set the mood of your play. Obviously, you can match music o feelings such as sad music for sad occasions featuring death or loss; happy music for good news; suspenseful music for a scary or worrying moment and fast music for increased action or a chase. Music also sets opening/closing tone of a play, serving as aural curtain….Sky is the limit for a creative drama producer

• Be precise and clear with spoken words, always use economy of words without altering the meaning of a dialogue. Every thing must be clear because your listener cannot view a character using facial expressions, waving arms about or throwing objects etc; Silence must be used craft fully so as not to convey an empty space- meaningful or pregnant pause is always appreciated

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE