Research

RESEARCH

Genre

The genre I have chosen for my radio drama will be a thriller.
The sub genre will be suspense thriller - these are my favourite style tv shows and movies to watch and book to read, therefore I know a lot about them and they are something that interest me a lot. I feel by doing something similar to what interests me is the best thing as I will be fully involved in it and dedicated to it.
It will be set in modern times however, unlike many suspense thrillers. It will also be set in The north, thus making it a 'northern drama'.

Target Audience

My target audience will be from both sexes ages 16 - 25. This is because i feel this age group are most interested in these types of dramas - they're not so gory that only older adults can bare them but have a bit of something sinister about them making them exciting to listen to. I also asked all of my peers in my class - all of whom are ages 16-19 and they all said they would happily listen to a radio drama like this, which helped with deciding my target audience.

Secondary Research

For my secondary research I have chosen to use the British TV show Luther. In this drama / thriller Idris Elba is a Detective who solves numerous amounts of awful crimes - every one comes with a plot twist that no one expects. This is one of my favourite ever shows made due to the intensity of it, all of the incredible story line and the constant suspense. The exact same that I would like for my radio drama - to be interesting, and be full of suspense and possibly a plot twist. 

Codes and conventions

Voices

By using a number of different voices it makes it clear to the listener who is speaking. Also the tone in which the narrator is speaking in should make it clear to the audience of how they are feeling

Speech

Critical in radio drama. So that the audience can recognise classes; such as upper class, middle class and lower class. A great example that teenagers use slang which shows their age and class. If you have an upper class character they will most likely pronounce their words better.

Music

This is used a lot in Radio Dramas due to changing scenes. These are called jingles and by using them it makes it a lot clearer for the audience to show their location. An example of this is at a train station as you can use announcements - by using music and sound effects it creates a good atmosphere.

Ambience

By using ambience you are able to use music to describe how the characters are feeling. you can also use the tone of the characters voice. For example using classical music it can make the atmosphere uplifting or depressing.

Sounds

The way in which you use sounds is also another way of setting the scene. For example, if you hear a door closing you know that someone has left the room. Or if you hear an aeroplane announcements for 'departures' then you can tell they are at the airport.

Silence

silence can be used to create tension. For example if they are running then you hear a sudden silence - this will make the listeners feel tense.

Cliff hanger

This is used at the ending of a Radio Drama. The reason for the word ' hanger ' is because the audience has to hang on until the next 'series' or 'episode'. However there is also a danger in this where audiences leave the movie feeling frustrated that all of the loose ends are not complete.

Characterisation

To show your characters throughout the radio drama using speech and sound effects.

3 Radio Drama examples

Primary Research

For my primary research I interviewed a fellow student who I feel has a very similar taste in things as me. We both enjoy watching crime and thriller TV dramas so i felt as if she was the perfect person to interview. I did this so i could see if my idea was projecting to other people but also if there was anything I could have improved. This will help me for next time when I do a project as I feel constructive feedback is a really positive thing and helps you to grow.

➤Did you understand what you were reading?
yeah i did

➤Did it remind you of anything?
kind of like disappearances and conspiracies and stuff, similar to some really scary things you hear on the news but it is stuff that happens in real life, scary.

➤Was it entertaining to read?
yes it was, i enjoyed it a lot

➤How did it make you feel?
like i wanted to know what happened next, it was a cliff hanger and felt like i needed to know the next part

➤Could you visualise what was going on?
yeah really well.

➤Is there anything in the script that you would change
make the boiler man / killer more obvious, give him more of a part and take him out of the background as he is one of the main characters who the story revolves around