Audio and Radio Drama

Sound Effects

Sound effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds that are used within content such as films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, radio and other media. Each sound effect can be classified into categories (realistic, evocative, symbolic, conventional, impressionistic and musical). These sounds are extremely helpful within these media as they can be used to create emphasis and depending on the media, can even tell the story without the use of words. Sound effects can be recorded using a variety of different tools – within this session we explore one way to create them.  

​

For the first activity involving sound effects we were tasked with listening to and trying to guess what the sound was; This was a fun and enriching activity as it allowed us to see with our ears and create scenarios using the sounds we were given. It was also interesting to see how my other classmates interpreted the sounds, and the stories that they created using only sound.

​

​

After hearing these examples of sound effects, we were tasked to go out and create our own, using professional recording equipment. I worked alongside Ella and Becks. Below I have attached some links to some sounds that we created.

​

• Toilet Flush

• Becks Giggle

• Leaves rustling

• Polly Ghost

• Stomping

• Bathroom tap

• Wrapper

• Polly scream

• Outside heater noise

​

Experimenting with sound

Take an existing piece of your work and add the sounds. You can either imagine the audio book version of your writing or you can try scripting.

For this task I decided to take a short story that I have previously written and  note down the sound effects that I would add. Below is an image of my story with annotations of the possible sounds I could incorporate.

This could also be seen as my first draft/initial ideas for my final completed audio story.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Podcasts and Radio Features

Task

• Find out as much as you can about podcasts - write about it and add your thoughts

• What are they and why have they grown in popularity?

• Research the historical contexts of podcasts

• How do they work and what formats are there?

• What are the possibilities of a podcast?

• If you could create a podcast about any subject matter, what would it be?

​

What is a podcast?

A podcast is an edited piece of content which can be a complete radio programme, an edited extract or highlights from a programme, or completely unique content with a particular theme made to be subscribed and listened to as a series.

In my own experience and as a fan of podcasts myself, a podcast is a form of audio entertainment that can cover a vast variety of subjects, including comedy, politics, science, drama, game shows, etc. Before these sessions, I had predominantly listened to comedy podcasts, though after learning about the different genres and cultural importance/popularity of audio entertainment, I have broadened my knowledge and began to research and listen to a larger variety of podcasts. 

​

Why are they so popular?

• Podcasts can be accessed anywhere at any time, for example on a phone, iPod or tablet. This element of portability is appealing to many as they can be listened to easily and don't require a television or in most cases, a subscription. The rise of mobile devices in the modern day pairs well with this idea.

• They have the ability to cover more niche topics, which peaks the interest of listeners as they are able to enjoy a focused conversation about their specific interests.

​

Historical Context

Podcasts, previously known as "audio blogs", have roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband Internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as the iPod, podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004.Today there are more than 115,000 English-language podcasts available on the Internet, and dozens of websites available for distribution at little or no cost to the producer or listener.

​

How do they work?

A podcast is a series of audio files that are created by a host and published online for listeners to download or stream. They are usually focused on a theme or topic

There are several types of podcast formats, including:

• Interview podcasts

• Conversational (co-hosted format)

• Educational podcasts

• Solo podcasts

• Non-fiction storytelling + news

• Podcast theater

• Bite-sized content or limited run podcast series

• Reformatted or repurposed podcast

​

​

Radio Drama and Audio Books

Children of the Stones

Children of the Stones is a new adaptation of the cult 1977 television series - described by comedian Stewart Lee as 'the scariest programme ever made for children.'

Task - Listen and identify the channels of communication; Sound effects, dialogue and voice, music and silence.

How does it help you imagine and see the drama?

​

Initial Thoughts

Below is a list of my notes when listening to Children of the stones.

​

• The use of creepy/ominous sound effects enhance the main themes of the story and pair well with the atmosphere

• The dialogue and voice is spoken well, as is easy to understand - helpful to follow along with the story. Use of different voices helps the listener to immerse themselves into the plot.

• The use of silence adds a feeling of suspense and fear - gives the listener time to think.

​

​

I also used the premise of this task (analysing radio dramas/audio entertainment) to listen and record my thoughts on other radio dramas that I have heard. This allowed me to identify what made these published recordings effective, and how I could incorporate these elements into my own work.

​

Top Tip
In Radio drama, the Golden Rule is that every word, every line, every scene must serve a dramatic purpose in terms of characterisation and plot development. Drop anything that does not have a dramatic purpose.

​

Your story ideas for audio

Use the four building blocks
- speech, sound effects, music and silence

Take a piece of work from your own portfolio or something you are working on now or even experiment and build something new. Find a format it would fit from the seven above. Think about the story and the sounds in your work - make a list of sounds that stick out to you.

• How would you introduce the piece?

• Which music would play as the story opens?

Read your story out aloud and record and listen back and then have fun thinking of the foley you could add: if you are opening a door in the story, lets hear it; if it is a creepy piece, find some creepy music and have it on in the background

​

Initial ideas

• Silence during tense or shocking moments could effectively build suspense and fear. 

• A constant soundtrack throughout the recording makes sure that the creepy tone remains throughout, and immerses the reader into the story.

• Sound effects that relate to the action described in the script. For example, the sound of a match being lit at the mention of cigarettes, and sounds of a busy office during the police station scenes.

• Use of different voices from different people during the dialogue.

 

Below I have attached a link to the first draft of my short story recording. It is the original recording with no music or sound effects. I listened to this multiple times without any editing and imagined the sound effects that I thought would be playing in each scene of my story. This allowed me to understand what sounds would enhance my piece and how I could make it more interesting.

 

A Boston Bandit first recording - link

​

After recording and listening to the unedited version of my story, I became more confident when choosing the sound effects that I wanted to include. I put myself in the perspective of a listener and imagined the kind of sounds that would keep me engaged and interested in the story, without pulling too much focus away from the writing itself. 

I used this same method when creating my second recording (Ghost Podcast/radio drama with my classmates Becks and Ella.)

​

The final products of both of my recordings can be seen in my 'Project 2 final piece' section, along with the process and skills that helped me to edit and craft.

​

Evaluation

During this week, we looked at a range of radio and audio recordings, analysed them, and used these skills to incorporate within our own work. I found researching and listening to a range of podcasts helpful as it allowed me to understand what makes a good podcast, and the different genres of a podcast. This was also beneficial when recording my final audio pieces, as I could pick out the elements I liked in published work and incorporate them into my own creations.

Recording our own sound effects was a task that I found interesting and entertaining as it allowed me to understand how to use a recording device and record noises that would be relevant in my audio work.

​