Our Radio Drama: Development

A lot of things were revised in our final script to make the radio drama work. We needed to get the main plot point across to the audience that our story is happening in a post-apocalyptic nuclear world without being to obvious about it. To do this we included the 'Radio News Broadcaster'. The News Broadcaster comes through on a small broken radio that a character has managed to fix amongst the devastation. We can give the impression of the announcer speaking through a radio by distorting the sound of his voice. He talks about the carnage as if it was insignificant and that the characters knew all along, which they would do. From the outset this establishes the scene and creates expectations of what is to come. Our drama appeals to the 'equilibrium theory' by Tzvetan Todorov, where there is an initial state of 'equilibrium' or 'status quo' which is challenged to create a new state of equilibrium.

Our Radio Drama: Story

Our radio drama is the last installment of a series, the conclusion where everything ends. It is the final chapter of a story where four people meet to survive the terrible devastation of several nuclear explosions. Our script starts after the four have met and gotten to know each other. A radio news broadcast tells them of a bunker close to their position where they can go for ensured survival which triggers them to set out to get to it. They face hardship on the way and it ends with one characters losing his mind amongst the chaos.

Our Radio Drama: Theme

The genre for our radio drama is post-apocalyptic adventure, the inspiration for which will be from other radio dramas of as similar genre like 'War of the Worlds', 'The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy' and a video game called 'Fallout'. We started out with the idea of a zombie horror story, but changed it as we thought it would be difficult to get across the concept of zombies to the audience. The subject of zombies is also somewhat cliché. The conventions of our drama are destruction, survival and facing a challenge. The main theme throughout is the absense of democracy, laws and society which will create a sort of 'de-evolution' to a time that predates our familiar civilization, and give literal meaning the phrase 'survival of the fittest'.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Archers

The Archers is a radio drama that focusses on the life of everyday families from a small village in England. The Archers is the longest running radio drama in the world, first beginning in the 1950s.
This particular radio drama is a lot less dramatic than others we have studied so far. There isn't any music, excluding the title music and there is a lack of sound effects and it mostly consists of dialogue. This is done because it's trying to be more realistic as it isn't science fiction like our previously studied radio dramas.
The voices of the characters do not differ much as they are all supposed to be of a similar class and culture. However, we can still get a feel for different personalities. For example, the more short-tempered characters speak with slightly higher-pitched voices with an increased rhythm.
I did not like this particular radio drama that much as I think it is a little boring and mundane. The story and the genre of the piece doesn't appeal to me as much as it might appeal to slightly older people.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy/science fiction radio drama that was originally broadcast in 1978. It was later adapted for books and into a popular film.
As usual with dramas we have studied so far, the voices of characters are used to great effect as the visual medium is removed. For example, the demolition workers are given regional accents and speak in a particular dialect that gives the impression of the working class to the audience. Similarly, the Vogons being the authoritative almost antagonist role in the drama speak in a more professional and business-like fashion, which gives us the impression of them being authoritative and ruthless.
The sound effects are used in the drama to give the audience a sense of location and a sense of action. For instance, when Arthur Dent is being beamed off of Earth we hear sound effects that suggest to us that they are actually being teleported out in a futuristic, space-age fashion.
I thought this drama was particularly good as the genre appeals to me quite a lot and it is put together quite well.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone is a science fiction television series that was later adapted into a movie and a radio drama. The science fiction genre became popular on radio in the 1950s and 60s. The radio drama came around in 2002. Although the visuals obviously removed from the radio drama version, the episode "The Thirty Fathom Grave" is quite impressive.
We can still get a feel for the different characters in the drama. For example the captain comes across as authoritative and professional because of how he sounds. He speaks at a fairly normal rhythm, his voice is quite deep and smooth also.
The SFX work well also to get a feel for the atmosphere. For example, the banging of the sunken ship.
Overall it is a very well constructed radio drama that is quite interesting to hear.

Radio Drama Analysis: War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds was a radio drama played on halloween in 1938. A lot of people tuned in to only a portion of the radio drama and believed it to be real, missing the parts where the announcer tells us it is only fiction.
The War of the Worlds is presented very formally in the first part, addressing the audience directly with a series of news bulletins. This mode of address changes the audiences preconception of the show being a drama and makes it more real. In the first part of the show we hear the professional opinions of a professor of astrology. His voice is very calm, he speaks in a fairly normal rhythm and a deep voice. This is included to give the audience the impression that the professor knows what he is talking about, again trying to make the peice believable. Other sound is used for dramatic effect, like the startled gasps of a crowd observing the space capsule, or like the sound of it humming.