Hi folks,
I’m taking a final look this week at the advice offered by Erik Barnouw in his Handbook of Radio Writing (1947). This time the attention is focused on “simulating movement, manageing the climax, and closing” a radio drama. These techniques are common sense but nonetheless easy to overlook.

Dialogue on the Move (simulating movement on radio)

Characters can move from place to place while engaged in dialog. There are two techniques which can help to sell the idea that movement is occuring during conversation.
Fade out Fade in

One way to achieve this is to fade the conversation out and then back in to suggest the movement (the actors moving away from, and then back towards, the microphone). The audience members identify themselves with a fixed point in one location, listening to the conversation depart, and then with a fixed point in the new location, listening as the conversation approaches.
The Moving Mike

The second way to achieve this effect is to use sound effects to give the impression of movement. Going from inside to outside one might keep the actors voices level in the foreground but include the sound of footsteps, a door opening, and fade in the sound of bird noises etc to indicate the outdoors are being approached.

The Radio Climax

Unlike the stage where it is possible to give the spotlight to one particular party in a conflict at the climax, radio rarely has this luxury. The need to keep both parties to the conflict “alive” in the minds of the audience usually requires the writer to include shorter and shorter speeches, of increasingly dramatic delivery to build the necessary impact and heat.

Of course, there are a variety of ways to maintain the tension; someone sobbing throughout the speech or constantly attempting to interrupt it with more and more desperation would also work.

Closing a Radio Drama (the Radio Close)

A denoument scene can be written whereby the characters bring the drama to a close through dialog, but this is not the only means of closing a drama.

Narration in closing

Narration can be very helpful as a means of presenting the close of a drama.

It can shorten the anti-climax period since it is more economical than dialog.

It allows us to leave the drama at a point of high interest dialog in order to maximise its impact.

It gives us a chance to skip the story forward directly into later days and years.

Music in closing

Music is an essential curtain for the drama. It signals the end of the drama, provides a place for the credits to be read out along with any final sponsorship messages, and can be gradually snuck into the closing moments of the story, swelling when the end is accomplished, to help audiences prepare for the inevitable conclusion of the play.

Because our sample scripts end before we reach the climax and close, we can’t show you any examples of how we manage them, but be sure to visit http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/. We have lots of free samples you can download and our full scripts are always available for purchase.

This was our final review of Mr Barnouw’s advice. Thanks for tuning in with us as we’ve explored radio drama writing this year.

See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 15 (and final) appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

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 the attention is focused on “shifting the scene” of a radio drama by combining the techniques discussed so far (or combination transition). These techniques are common sense but nonetheless easy to overlook.

Combination Transitions

A combination transition is a complex transition in which sound, music, and narration are combined to curtain the scene.

Advantages

By combining transition techniques the shift between one scene and another can be made much more immersive and dramatic.

Disadvantages

Complex transitions of this type, if not directed carefully, can be very confusing for the audience.

A note on consistency in transitions

Never feel constrained to use one and only one transition. Non-naturalistic transitions (like music and narration) should probably be established early, but transitions are tools and should be selected for their contribution to the telling of your story and not for the sake of consistency.

Conventional Symbols

Some sounds have taken on a conventional meaning over time. The slidewhistle and chime both can indicate a magical occurance. The chinese gong or cymbal crash often indicates a dramatic transition. A harp glissando often indicates the shifting of time (into the past and backagain) for flashbacks etc. Be careful of using these conventions, however. Their very popularity has made them into something of a cliche.

The combination transition is not one we have employed in our scripts.
If you’d like to see some examples of how scene setting is handled in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/. We have lots of free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 14 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Scene Shifting (part 4)

Musical Transitions

This is probably the most common form of transition used in audio drama.  It is probably the clearest form of auditory “curtain” used between scenes

Advantages

A musical transition is easily recognised as a curtain by the listener.
The musical transition can be varied to commuinicate a particular mood (anger, joy, triumph, despair, etc.) as well as signal the end of a scene.
Bridging musical transitions can move the audience from the feeling of one scene into the mood of the next (assisting in the narration).
A musical transition can be used without requiring the old scene to be faded out.
Dialog in the new scene does not need to be faded in.
Music can transition into the sound of the next scene where the sound effect carries a similar rythm.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of the musical transition is the cost of commissioning the music itself.   However, there are large libraries of free and public domain music that can be approached for pre-recorded music.

The musical transition is the most commonly used in our scripts.
If you’d like to see some examples of how scene setting is handled in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/. We have lots of free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 13 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Scene Shifting (part 3)

Sound Effect Transitions

Particularly useful in action drama, the sound effect makes a great means of shifting the scene. As with the pause transition, it works best when the setting of the new scene is foreshadowed by the concluding words of the old. It is also more effective where the sound background is repeated/repetitive (as such sounds can be faded out easily without creating confusion).
For example, a protagonist ends a scene by mentioning the need to catch a train (fading out), the sound of the train is introduced (fading in), and the conductor asks for tickets or calls “all aboard” as the sound is faded into the background.

Advantages

Where the fade-in has been handled by the sound effect, dialog can come in at full volume and get right down to business.
The sound effect transition is also a very quick transition. In some cases it can even overlap a scene (particularly useful for flashbacks)

Disadvantages

The sound effect transition tends to work best in action stories and doesn’t lend itself particularly well to stories with a home atmosphere.
The sound effect transition also works best where the effect is created through an ongoing background noise (such as an engine, background babble of a theatre or restaurant etc. that can be faded in and out).

In our scripts we generally don’t use the sound effect transition but it does get used to good effect in our Gaslamp Mystery serial.
If you’d like to see some examples of how scene setting is handled in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/. We have lots of free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 12 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Routine Technique

Scene Shifting – Part 1

There are a variety of devices that can be used to transition from one scene to another. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
The Pause
The last few words of the previous scene are faded out, a pause occurs, and the first words of the new scene fade in. Generally the new scene is suggested in the closing words of the old scene.
A scene fadeout should be spread over four to fifteen seconds and, as a rule, the last few words in the fading of a speech should be confined to words of no importance to prevent important information being lost to people with their audio set low – words like good-bye, or repetitive phrases are good.
Likewise the fade in to the next scene should begin on an unimportant phrase.
The pause-transition works best at a moment of suspense, relying on anticipation for the next scene to maintain dramatic interest over the dead-stop of the pause.
It can also be a helpful device when there is a very close connection between the material faded out and in – as where an individual begins reading a diary in one scene and fades to the voice of the original writer narrating the events in the next.

Disadvantages

A pause doesn’t announce the end of the scene in as obvious a manner as music does.
Many speeches do not make good fades (do not provide suitable unimportant words at the end to make the fade effective).
The dead stop of the pause can come at the cost of the listener’s continuing dramatic interest.

Advantages

No music or sound effects are required to achieve the pause-transition. This makes it cheaper and less effort to accomplish.
It can create a more natural feel in a show (since it doesn’t introduce any non-natural elements such as sound and narration).

In our scripts we rarely use the pause transition but it does get used to good effect in “The Visitor from the Gloria Scott” during a flashback scene.
If you’d like to see some examples of how scene setting 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

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 10 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Routine Technique

The scene setting moment

The scene setting moment is concerned with the transition from the first narration to actual dialog.
The crucial need of this moment is to create an immediate sense of the reality of the scene.
Some scenes set themselves with little effort because of their familiarity ( a train station or police headquarters for example).
Other scenes may require more assistance.

A scene-setting sound

Sounds can provide sudden dynamic evidence of a physical world. Adding the click of a typewriter to the mention of a newspaper office, or a car horn to a street scene helps establish it solidly in the listener’s imagination.

Atmospheric Dialog

The narrator can employ a few well-chosen words for the establishment of a scene as well, describing the warm breeze blowing through the grass that stretches across the park through which our protagonists are taking a walk. Our protagonists then spend a moment or two commenting on the nice weather etc. in order to further cement the scene for the listener.
Obvious versus implied scene-setting
Serials often begin with an obvious scene setting moment; “… Today we find our heroes at …”
No words are wasted and the action gets underway immediately.
Less obviously the scene is established by the dialog of the characters and underlined by the sound design.
Eg.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS AND BITTER WIND IS HEARD BLOWING.  DOOR CLOSES, CUTTING OFF WIND AS JIM ENTERS THE ROOM.

JIM:	It’s  @#!*%  cold outside today Bob.  How’re things in your lab.

BOB:	It’s a biologist’s nightmare Jim.  The three white mice are so cold their chattering teeth sound like a craps game on a tin roof.  And my goldfish, Chester?  Well, he’s so cold he’s turned blue. How’re things over in administration?

Here the essential information (cold, biologist, lab, mice, goldfish, Bob, administration, and Jim) is given to the listener indirectly yet very effectively via the sound and dialog. We’ve learned the scene takes place in a biology lab, that Jim is a biologist and has mice and goldfish on hand, and that Bob is from administration

Overlapping of narration and scene

This can be a little complex to describe so I’ll give an example. It’s a technique that allows you to use a sound effect (or occasionally music) to overlap the narration with the new scene.
For example

NARRATOR: On the mean streets of Star City crime is an ever present reality.

SOUND: POLICE SIRENS IN THE DISTANCE – GROWING NEARER. FADE IN AND REMAIN UNDER.

NARRATOR: On this particular winter’s night Police Detective Jack Wilson and his partner are engaged in a high speed chase with a murder suspect.

SOUND: BRING SIRENS UP AND ENGINE NOISE – MUFFLED AS FROM INTERIOR OF CAR. ESTABLISH AND UNDER.

SOUND: SQUEAL TIRES – LET IT FINISH.

JACK:	 @#!*%  Phil, don’t get us killed!

PHIL:   Sorry, Jack, but he’s getting away!

Keeping the setting alive

Without cues to keep us in the moment, our mental picture of the setting of a scene will fade and recede. In long scenes it is therefore sometimes necessary to revive this image.
The writer can do this through dialog; commenting on the room or location etc.
Generally speaking, this is better accomplished through the use of a sound effect. The effect is unobtrusive and repaints the picture in a single stroke.
Here the use of the sound effect is the equivalent to the way in which a book writer inserts a descriptive moment into the middle of dialog in order to reinforce the picture in the reader’s mind.

If you’d like to see some examples of how scene setting 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

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 9 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

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

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 8 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Routine Technique – part 1

Mr Barnouw takes us through the routine techniques employed in the construction of an effective audio script: (1) The Opening; (2) The First Narration; (3) The Scene Setting Moment; (4) Keeping the Setting Alive; (5) Scene Shifting; (6) Dialogue on the Move; (7) The Radio Climax; (8) The Closing.
We’ll be looking at each in turn, but for this week we’ll restrict ourselves to the opening.

The Opening

Radio shows select their listeners. In the golden age of radio it was the job of the opening to, in as succinct and straight-to-the-point a way as possible, invite listeners to give their attention to the show.
All three of the tools – sound effects, music and speech – are available for the purpose.
Sound effects can instantly suggest a characteristic setting or activity.
Music is essential to suggesting the essential mood of a program.
Speech communicates immediate, attention grabbing information (and is usually essential).
They are also useful in combination or rapid alternation.
A typical pattern might be to
1) Divide the information into at least two separate doses,
2) Divided by a brief appetite sharpener of mood-suggesting music or scene-suggesting sound effects.
The key feature of the early radio show openings was brevity. They would begin abruptly with an extremely compact opening that identified the show as quickly as possible before diving into the action.
Many shows had an ending that echoed the opening in some way providing a framework for the telling of each episode.
Of course you may be writing for a show with an existing framework in place. In this case there is no need to write one for yourself.

If you’d like to see some examples of openings 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

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 7 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Introduction to Speech (in particular Dialog)

Dialog is the chief tool of the dramatist.  It nonetheless has some special problems.

The vanishing character

For characters to stay alive in the mind of the audience they must speak.  Remarks to or about a character may help, but only speech brings the character to life.  This is why long speeches are often broken up with interjections.

The vanishing character utilised for dramatic purpose

In a story with a mute character the absence of voice can create a disconcerting vacuum – something particularly frightening in the case of the silent burglar or kidnapper who never speaks.

The vanishing character utilised for comedy

In comedy, where the world need not be realistic at all, the sudden intrusion of a voice that the audience was previously unaware of can add extra punch to a gag.

Summary on the vanishing character

Except in the case of special effects, comic or frightening, characters in an audio play must usually be kept alive in the listeners imagination through frequent speech.

The number of characters

It is important that the characters in a scene be distinguishable.  As such, it is usual for the voices to be differentiated in casting into one of five (or six and even seven, on occasion) identifiable types;

Bass                       – Heavy/Elderly male

Contralto             – Elderly female

Baritone              – Leading man

Mezzo-soprano – Leading woman

Tenor                    – Juvenile

Soprano               – Ingenue

Trebble                – Child

While such general patterns are helpful (and scenes are generally restricted to four or five contrasting characters at a time) it is not helpful to apply completely hard and fast rules on the subject (for example you can distinguish two otherwise similar voices quite easily with the addition of a foreign accent, or a speech quirk).  Sometimes it is important for two baritone voices to interact.  The intonation and expressive range of the actors can easily carry this… but it is still helpful to avoid putting two of the same type of voices into a group scene.  Sometimes, equally, it is of little importance whether the voices can be quickly distinguished (such as in an anonymous crowd scene).

Because of the importance of distinguishing voices in audio, the cast tends to be smaller than in other dramatic works.

Dialog positions

Dialog is normally assumed to occur at the microphone.  Terms like AT A DISTANCE, APPROACHING, DEPARTING, FADE IN, FADE OUT etc. tend to indicate those occasions when the character moves away from the microphone.  One special instruction relates to SCREAMS, SHOUTS, or CALLS OUT.  In this case the speaker raises their chin to the ceiling and shouts the lines.

Script length

Dialog is delivered on average at 150 words per minute.  A line will average about three seconds or twenty lines per minute.

In a fifteen-minute program, comprising of thirteen minutes of actual dialog, you can expect to write approximately two thousand words.

It is far easier to cut an overlong passage than it is to pad an over-short one.

When faced with cutting dialog from a scene, ask yourself…

(1)    Does the cut version cover the essential facts?

(2)    Which rhythm do you prefer?

(3)    Does the cutting sharpen the focus and clarify the main point of the scene?

(4)    Is the cut too severe?  Does it render the scene empty of character?

Choice of words

Avoid using difficult-to-pronounce, unfamiliar, or esoteric terms.  It is easy for the listener to get lost (and the listener’s pleasure ends the moment they are lost).  It can also be very difficult for the actor to manage complicated words.  An audio script needs to be easy to read and the words must roll off the tongue, particularly where being performed live.

Choice of names

Names which are difficult to picture or easily confused with other words (consider “you” and “Hugh” in a sentence) or the use of multiple names for the same character (nicknames for example being used in the same play as the character’s right name) should be avoided.  The risk of confusion is too great, especially considering that characters in an audio drama address each other by name more than characters in any other entertainment form (book, stage, or screen).

Dialog directions

Keep directions to the actor to a minimum.  Only use a direction where the line is to be read in a manner different than would otherwise normally be expected.  Keep the directions short so they can be instantly absorbed and acted upon by the actor delivering the line.  When a direction is called for identify it with bracketed capitals eg. (ANGRILY).

Dialog punctuation

Audio dramas often punctuate according to the pacing of the delivery rather than grammatical function or construction.  Three dots or the term (BEAT) are often inserted to indicated a pause or momentary hesitation in the dialog.

An experiment in Radio Dialog

During a movie or television program close your eyes for some time.  At the point you become lost consider which of the following causes is to blame: Didn’t know who was talking… Didn’t know whom he or she was talking to… Didn’t know where they were… Didn’t know quite what they were doing… Too many people all mixed up.

This game should develop an alertness for the various pitfalls of radio dialog: unidentified characters, characters who have “died”, too many characters, unidentified sounds, scenes, actions.

After ascertaining the reason for the confusion, open your eyes until oriented again and repeat the process.

If you’d like to see some examples of dialog in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html. We have some free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnau – Part 6 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Introduction to Speech (in particular Narration)

Narration is avoided in visual forms of theatre, but in audio, while not essential, can still be very helpful.
The narrator provides editorial comment, introductions, recaps and occasional scene setting.

Avoiding long narrations

It is important that narration not be overlong if it is to hold the attention of the listener. There are two common devices that are used to break up long narration sections.

Proxy listener

The proxy listener is there with the narrator and represents the listening audience. This extra character interrupts with questions, comments, etc. during the narration and so, breaks it up. The disadvantage of the proxy listener is that the character must receive air-time even when the narration is of such a length that they are, strictly speaking, not required.
The proxy listener can also be used to comic effect (as a kind of nuisance questioner) and also as a point of identification for the audience (where the proxy listener is the same age or sex as the desired audience).

Split narration

Split narration is another means of breaking long stretches of narration. In this device various voices take over the narration in a form of vocal relay race. Multiple narrators can be used to differentiate sections of the narration or present differing viewpoints.
New voices can be added where the desire is to make clear an enumeration or list (one voice for each list entry).
A new voice might be used to identify a quotation or several voices might be used to identify a series of quotations.

First person narration

First person narration can be a particularly effective form. The first person narrator has more of a stake in the story (being a part of it) and gives the narration a greater emotional impact. The first person narrator is also speaking directly to the audience (creating a strong emotional connection), inviting them inside the story in the role of a friend.
When first person narration is used the listener rarely feels that the narration is interrupting the story.

Stream of consciousness

Stream of consciousness is the narration of thoughts as they pass through the mind of the narrating character. This can acquire quite a dramatic intensity.
Other guises for first-person narration
First-person narration assumes many other guises in radio. A letter, or group of letters, diaries, addresses to the jury, deathbed confessions, messages to posterity etc. have also worked well.

Types of third-person narration

Generally speaking audio writers prefer characterised to uncharacterised narrators (that is a narrator who is a character). However, the nameless narrator is still used successfully.

The narrator in the script

Typically the narrator bears that label. If the narrator is a character and has a name, then the name is used.

If you’d like to see some examples of narration in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html. We have some free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 5 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Introduction to Music

Music is an optional inclusion in radio drama but its ability to enhance a radio play should not be underestimated – drenching a scene almost instantly in its proper atmosphere or switching from one atmosphere to another.

It is useful to audio drama in the following specific tasks;
(1) As part of an opening effect, music can give a program the proper tonal send-off.
(2) As a bridge between scenes, music can hold or intensify a mood already built up, or effect a rapid change of mood.
(3) As a final curtain or series of curtains (often called bumpers), music can give a program the exactly right emotional resolution.
(4) As a background to narrations or scenes, music can heighten emotion, add descriptive touches, and sometimes provide a kind of commentary on what is said.
(5) Music can also be used to add punctuation (such as the dramatic chord when the body is discovered etc – often referred to as a sting).
In the first three tasks above, music occupies the spotlight alone.
As a background, music is usually restricted to use behind narration (setting the narration off from the dialog).
Behind dialog, music should be used sparingly (generally confined to love scenes, death scenes, and other passages in which the emotion is very definite, and calls for music of a slow and sustained type). It can also be used behind a series of short scenes to provide unity to the series.

Wording musical directions

Musical directions include their mechanical function, volume, mood, and content. The music itself can be used to describe, punctuate, reinforce the action in, or comment on, a scene.

Directions on the mechanical function of music

The type of music (in terms of its function within the play) should generally be made clear. Eg. OPENING THEME, BRIDGE, TRANSITION, CLOSING THEME, STING, BUMPER, etc.
Directions regarding the placement of the music should also be included. Eg. ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER, BACKGROUND UNTIL, SWELLING INTO THE FOREGROUND etc.

Directions on relative volume of music

If the background music needs to be used over two scenes, swelling briefly between them, this needs to be noted. Eg. AND DOWN, UP BRIEFLY AND DOWN, FADE IN, FADE OUT, OUT.
Background music is always assumed to continue until a further directions (such as OUT) appears.

Directions on mood and content of music

Identification of the music is also important, whether by naming the piece of music required or by describing it in terms of mood and content. Directions vary from one-word descriptions to precise analyses. A conventionalised vocabulary of “mood music” does exist and can be utilised to assist the writer (but its adoption is not mandatory). Eg. OMINOUS, CONTENTED, AGITATED, etc.
A famous and easy to adopt descriptive vocabulary for musical mood is “Hevner’s adjective cycle” (below).

Changes in mood or theme

When a bridge makes a change of theme or mood, the word SEGUE is often used to indicate this.

Music as description

When paired with narration music can contribute value to atmospheric descriptive passages.

Music as punctuation

In a narrative passage, music (in the form of a single pounding chord for example) can punctuate a series of statements or underline a dramatic moment.

Music as action

The picture suggesting power of music can be used to make action vivid. The chimes accompanying the wave of a fairy’s wand are an example of this, giving a normally silent action an auditory signature.

Music as commentary

Music can also become a sort of Greek Chorus, commenting on and interpreting the action. Music can at times say, even more effectively than a narrator could, “something dangerous approaches”, or “wasn’t that brilliant!” or “don’t take it too seriously”.

A Music Experiment

Play over, to yourself or to a group, a favourite piece of classical music. Play it several times, cataloguing it, as you listen, into mood segments of 10-45 seconds. For each segment, jot down in a few words the type of scene you can imagine the passage introducing or curtaining. Example: “Good for leading out of a scene in which something very sad has happened, but the people are very brave, almost with a feeling of serenity.” Then compare notes. This experiment should develop a feeling for the subtle mood-expressiveness of music.

At a personal level, the broader use of music in audio drama is something I haven’t experimented with much. What do you think about its uses? What insights and advice do you have to share? We’d love to hear from you.
If you’d like to see some examples of musical cues in the scripts we publish be sure to visit http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html . We have some free samples you can download.
See you next time.
– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 4 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

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 the attention is focused on sound effects. Here are my notes… Enjoy…

Introduction to Sound Effects

The Peculiarities of Sound Effects

Self-identifying sounds

Self-identifying sounds are those which create a picture in the listener’s mind without requiring explanation or causing confusion. These include horses hoofs, doors opening and closing, a fog horn, an angry crowd, telephone dial, the tinkle of glassware and silver, a locomotive whistle, or a howling wind.

Sounds needing identification

Many sounds are ambiguous. Crackling cellophane can be used both to indicate a fire, and a thundershower. What makes the difference? The listener’s imagination, prodded by the script writer!

Ambiguous sounds require “stage-setting” or guidance from the writer. This stage-setting should generally occur before the sound is introduced to prevent confusion. If the listener is thinking conveyor-belt before the sound is identified as a waterfall, then confusion will result.
Generally the identification of a sound is made through dialogue or narration, but occasionally through other sounds. It doesn’t need to be explicit; an implied identification is often all that is required.
In many cases, sounds become clear through context (through the plot itself), via perfectly natural references in dialogue and narration.
Sounds which always need identification include rain, a waterfall, a river, manufacturing noises, thunder, an automobile, and an aeroplane.

Selectivity in Sound Effects

Just like the mind, radio ignores sounds in which it is not immediately interested. By this selection, radio scripts control and direct the listener’s attention. It is important to only introduce sounds that serve a dramatic purpose. If this does not happen the story is rendered confusing. Listeners are forced to pay attention to the irrelevant and lose track of the important.

Sounds as backgrounds

Sounds can serve a purpose in setting the scene: establishing the presence of a babbling brook, or busy roadway.
In short scenes this is very effective. In longer scenes it is better to establish the background noises and then fade them under the dialogue, possibly fading them back into the foreground at the end of the scene.

Stylisation through Sound Effects

Sounds can be mistimed for comic effect. The opening and closing of a door, too fast to actually get through, or the rush of wind that pressages the arrival of someone who was, a moment ago, on the other side of town, are examples of such unrealistic/stylised use of sounds or their timing.

Expressionistic use of Sound Effects

Sometimes a sound works symbolically, standing in for, or expressing, an idea. For example the ticking metronome became a standard aural shortcut for indicating that time was running out for the protagonists of a story.

Wording of Sound Effect Directions

Word your sound effect directions as simply as possible. In a live broadcast, the success of the effect can depend on how quickly the direction can be interpreted by the Sound Effects Engineer.
For example BEGIN DISTANT THUNDER is much better than AT THIS POINT THE SOUND OF THUNDER BEGINS TO BE HEARD FAR IN THE DISTANCE.

Summary

Mr Barnouw writes in summary…
“All the colour and movement and flavour of an action often seem caught in its very sound, so that the sound is an instant picture.
Even when this isn’t so, the mind is ever anxious to supply what’s missing; it only needs a steer from the writer.
Thus, properly handled sound effects, whether used for plot action or to suggest a locality by its characteristic activity, are of value in steeping the scene in a sense of reality.
Sometimes, conversely, they can create an imagined desirable unreality.
The mind may also be persuaded to accept them as having a symbolic, not realistic meaning.”

Sound-Effect Experiments

Listen to some sound effects.
1. Play to yourself, or to a group, a rain effect. Now, knowing it is rain, try listening to it as something else. For instance, tell yourself it is a sewing machine. See if you cannot make the illusion compelling. Now try to persuade yourself it is a waterfall, a fire, an assembly line, or distant applause.
Find a sound effect that sounds like waves on a beach. Now try to persuade yourself it is a train going into a tunnel, or a car sloshing through mud in the rain.
Try playing a scene with the wrong sound and see if you can’t make the effect believable anyway, just through the right mental suggestions.
This experiment should strengthen your realisation of the collaboration between the script and the properly guided listening imagination.
2. Spend a day jotting down sounds you come across, cataloguing them as self-identifying and non-self-identifying. This should help you develop an alertness for the use of sound in radio.

Of particular interest are Barnouw’s comments on the ambiguity of sound. For my own work, designed to be performed at the dinner table, this ambiguity is not something I have needed to worry about particularly (since the effects are explained in the script and no-one is left guessing), but for public performance it is critical that the audience do not find themselves struggling to make sense of what a sound effect is trying to evoke.

Well, that’s all for this week. I hope you find Mr Barnouw’s insights of as much value as I do.

If you’d like to see an example script that makes use of sound effects directions be sure to visit http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html .

Do you have a comment or insight you would like to add. Post a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 3 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

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 the attention is focused on how audio scripts are formatted. Enjoy…

Here are some more of my notes, thoughts, and “learnin” from reading Erik Barnouw’s Handbook of Radio Writing.

Three tools and volume

The radio script is a trio for three singers: (1) sound effects, (2) music, (3) speech, in which for a few minutes one of the singers does his stuff alone, then suddenly hands the spotlight to one of the others, and once in a while two or three of them burst out together.  When they do, only one must dominate.

Volume is radio’s spotlight and is used to highlight where the listener’s attention should be.

Formatting the three parts of a radio script

This is the basic format I use for my scripts. Mr Barnouw brackets musical cues and indents and brackets sounds without underlining them. I prefer the conventions below because (for me at least) I think it is easier to avoid mistakenly reading out a sound cue during a performance.

1 MUSIC:        [1] OPENING THEME “WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE” – 
                ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
2 SOUND:        [2] (WALLA) BUSY STREET  NOISES, OCCASIONAL CARS – 
                ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
3 JOHN BROWN:   (ASTONISHED) Hey, Mazie.  (BEAT) It’s five o’clock 
                already!
4 SOUND:        [3] SIREN BLOWS (END OF  SHIFT) – LET IT FINISH.
5 MAZIE GRACE:  (EXCITED) Oh John!  The shift’s over. We’ve been paid 
                and we can  go out on the town!
6 JOHN:         (NERVOUS) Now don’t get too  excited.  You heard they 
                still haven’t  caught that killer yet.  The wireless  
                said he’s killed four couples already.
7 MAZIE:        Oh, don’t be such a killjoy.  We’ll be just fine!
8 MUSIC:        [4] (BRIDGE) OMINOUS SCENE  ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
9 WIRELESS  ANNOUNCER: [CUE] (TINNY - AS THROUGH A WIRELESS SPEAKER) 
                Last night another  young couple met a grisly end in 
                the streets of Cartagena (KART-A-HAYN-YA)...

Each of the three parts of the radio script need to be readily distinguishable.

General comments

All lines are numbered.

Put the names of the characters at the side, in capital letters, followed immediately by a colon (no space). The names can flow over into the right hand column if they must.  The first time a character name is used it should appear in full, but it can be abbreviated thereafter eg.

JOHN BROWN:

becomes

JOHN:

Dialog

Dialog is identified by the Character’s name (capitalized).  Place the dialog approximately 12 spaces to the right of the name margin.  The dialog should always be double spaced. Never use quotation marks around the speeches. Any directions for the actor are supplied in round brackets (usually at the beginning) and are capitalised.  Numbers are spelled out and difficult words are followed by a round bracketed phonetic spelling in capitals).  Instructions for the director are supplied in square brackets eg.

[CUE]

Try not to break speeches across more than one page.  If it is necessary, put the following notation at the bottom of the first page;

(CONTINUED OVER)

Then place the following notation at the top of the next page;

(CONTINUED FROM  PREVIOUS)

Sound

Sound is underlined and capitalised and accompanied by a square bracketed identification number eg.

SOUND:          [2]

The sound is described and, if a bed of background sound is required, it is preceded by a round bracketed identifier eg.

(WALLA)

Directions follow the description eg. –

FADE OUT, - LET IT FINISH

 

Music

Music is underlined and capitalised and should be accompanied by a square bracketed number eg.

[1]

to identify which piece of music is required. The type of music is noted in round brackets eg.

(BRIDGE),(STING) or (BUMPER)

Directions follow the identification of the music’s title or description and are separated from this by a dash eg.

- FADE IN,  -  ESTABLISH AND UNDER

The bracketed SFX numbers correspond to a master list provided to the Sound Engineer in order to make the location and creation of sound effects easier.

Directions

For those unfamiliar with the technical terms, directions, and vocabulary used in scripts the following explanations might be helpful…

Term	Definition
(BEAT)	A momentary pause for the count of one or a single beat.
(BRIDGE)	Music played between scenes — the radio equivalent of lowering and raising the curtain on a scene. Often used to indicate music that transitions from the mood of one scene into the background music for then next.
(BUMPER)	Often sysnonymous with BRIDGE but tends to end discretely rather than transitioning into the background music of the next scene.
(CALLS OUT/SCREAMS)	Achieved by raising the head and mouth to shout or scream to the ceiling.
CONTINUE UNTIL	Let the sound or music play until a particular line number is reached.
[CUE]	The actor should wait for the director to indicate it is time to begin delivering the line.
(DISTANT, OFF MIC)	In traditional radio broadcasting this was achieved by having the actor step away from the microphone before delivering the line. At the dinner table this can be achieved by stepping back from the table or by simply lowering the volume of the voice.
(ENTERING/EXITING)	Approaching or moving away from the microphone.
ESTABLISH	Let the sound or music play for a moment before any other sound or dialog is added.
FADE IN	Start the sound or music softly and then gradually increase its volume.
FADE OUT	Gradually lower the volume on the sound or music until it can no longer be heard.
FADE UNDER	Lower the volume of the sound effect or music until the actors’ voices are clearly audible over it.
LET IT FINISH	Play the sound or music until it is complete without fading it.
(STAGE WHISPER)	A loud whisper uttered by the actor, intended to be heard by the audience but supposedly unheard by other characters in the play.
(STING)	Music used to emphasize the emotion of a moment: the “dum-de-dum-dum” that plays when a body is discovered, or the “bada-bing” cymbal crash of a joke being delivered etc.
(TO ROBIN, TO ALL)	Dialog to be directed to one or a number of characters in the scene.
UNDER	Continue a sound effect or music at low volume under the dialog or action taking place.
(WALLA)	Background sound belonging to the environment (for example, the sounds of a busy street).

Organisations that produce and perform scripts often have varying requirements. American scripts (which I personally find easier to read) use formatting similar to what has been discussed here. English scripts (such as those which are used by the BBC) use a different format. Be sure, if you are thinking of submitting your script to an organisation for performance, that you understand the style and formatting requirements of that organisation.

Well, that’s all for this week. This has turned out to be more a discussion of how I format scripts than of Erik Barnouw’s advice this time, but I hope it still proves helpful.

For a better example of the formatting in actual use, grab a copy of one of our scripts or download one of the sample files from http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html .

– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 2 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Hi folks,
Welcome to the Weirdworldstudios.com blog. I hope you enjoy the content you find here. It is presented by “Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama” scripts and, as the blog’s title suggests contains information and ramblings regarding radio drama and other obsessions. So, without further ado…

In my continuing effort to try and learn my craft I have been reading Erik Barnouw’s (1947) Handbook of Radio Writing.
It’s still under copyright folks, so I can’t give you the text, but I have been taking copious notes and thought I’d share what I’ve been learning.

Radio’s audience is not a crowd audience, like the theater’s, but one of individuals. The individuals may be gathered in small groups, but this rarely results in the kind of group response that occurs in a crowd.
Unlike movies or live theatre, Radio’s audience unit is an individual.
When you write for radio you share a book writer’s problem: both address people in armchair isolation, psychologically independent.

Absence of the visual element means that radio drama really exists only in the imagination of the listener. In the theatre, dramas have an actual external existence, on stage or screen.
The drama unfolds in the listener’s mind and has little correspondence with what is actually occuring in the recording studio because radio’s stage is the imagination.
Here’s Barnouw’s list of the Features of audio production

• Audio communication is direct and begins straightaway – no need for attention grabbing announcements – and no replacement for attention grabbing action.
• Audio must be high paced in order to maintain attention.
• Audio requires small casts of characters so that listeners can keep track of them all comfortably.
• Audio does not need or require distracting sounds beyond scene setting and plot related action support. Plot is king!
• Audio needs only hint at a location for it to appear fully formed in the listener’s imagination and does not require extensive description.
• Audio has the freedom to go to impossible places (the far reaches of space, the interior of a dinosaur’s stomach).
• Audio has the freedom to use as many or as few scenes as required.
• Audio allows the use of first person narration.
• Audio involves the collaboration of the listener, and the writer must look for opportunities to involve and stimulate the listener’s imagination.
• Audio engages the imagination’s capacity to create a vase of roses at the moment they are required and then have them disappear from view the moment they are no longer needed.
• Audio can shine a spotlight upon the details it desires and ignore the others, secure in the knowledge that the listener will supply all the required background.

In his first chapter Barnouw spends some time discussing the unique requirements of radio writing;

He points out that the radio writer deals with an imagined mind-world resembling that of the reader reading a book, but adds to this the vibrancy and aliveness of human voice, sound and music. This world is in no sense one-dimensional, nor is it only an aural world. It may be steeped, as any radio listener knows, in excitements to all the senses: cold and heat, softness and harshness, sunlight and dark. It is the writer’s job to call these forth.
For radio, the ear is the route to the imagination of the listener.
This gives the writer an instantaneous passport to wide worlds of fact and fancy.
Radio’s peculiarities commit it forever to the quick start, the simple plot, the unprecedented concentration on plot essentials, but its enlistment of the human imagination is its most important fact, the very core of its flexibility and storytelling power.

I hope I haven’t mangled Barnouw’s ideas too much in this little summary. Tune in soon and I’ll try and provide a summary of chapter two.

Oh, and if you haven’t done so, check out our Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama scripts of adventure, mystery, and suspense over at http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/products.html .

– Philip Craig Robotham

The post Learning from Erik Barnouw – Part 1 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.