Hi folks,
I’m taking another look this week at the advice offered by Erik Barnouw in his Handbook of Radio Writing (1947). This time it’s only a very short entry. The attention is focused on “the first narration” of a radio drama. The techniques aren’t ones I have used, but are probably worth a try.
Routine Technique
The first narration
Immediately following the opening comes the first narration, and introductory passage about what’s coming. It usually contains the where, when, and who of the story to follow.
The most frequently encountered form of this introduction is an announcement or straight narration. Nonetheless a variety of forms can be applied.Multi-voiced introductions
You can split the first narration up among a number of voices, establishing characters quickly along with other required information.
Semi-dramatized introductions
In this case, a piece or two dialogue is inserted to underline and illustrate the narrative.
The lead-in for serials is a special case and Mr Barnauw’s advice regarding this will be examined later.
If you’d like to see some examples of how the first narration is handled in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/. We have some free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham
