Evaluation

As part of my coursework for A2 Media Studies, I was required to compile and produce the first 5 minutes of a radio play, supported by a promotional web page and radio advertisement.  This process involved fabricating, to a certain extent, a profile for the fictitious radio station for which the material is being produced; developing and scripting the plot and promotional materials; recording and sourcing relevant audio and visual content and consolidating the source content, after suitable editing,  for later broadcast and publication.

I adapted the profile for my radio station, 'The Voice', from what little I knew about the plans for Channel 4 Radio.  As such, this was a relatively straightforward process and provided a suitable framework for the project, since 'The Voice' (and Channel 4 Radio) are primarily intended to broadcast speech-based content such as radio plays.  I also drew on my knowledge of BBC Radio 4, a station to which I have listened for a number of years.

In terms of the radio play itself, for the most part I believe that I have conformed to standard radio conventions.  This differs greatly from last year's project, where I deviated grossly, and has thus improved my understanding of how the radio industry operates with respect to radio drama.  For example, I did not limit myself to recording on-scene, I allowed myself to record scenes out of chronological order and I used non-diegetic music at times.  However, I would not begin to suggest that the process was easy and, indeed, there were definite areas in which I could improve in the future:

Perhaps most significantly, I believe that it would have been in my best interest to have made more decisive decisions, particularly with respect to casting, much earlier in the production process - in actuality, I did not decide upon my cast until several months after the script was drafted.  This meant that some of the cast was not entirely satisfactory in terms of vocal performance and, on top of that, the recording and production process was a little rushed.  For example, the part of Aaron was played by Jack Blackmore and, though he certainly has a very distinguishable voice, it has not yet broken, so it does not portray the part particularly well, and his diction was a little muffled at times.  There were also several issues with Lucy Birley, the person who was originally cast to play Mary, not arriving for recording sessions, which eventually resulted in the need to select Lysette Chapronière as an understudy at short-notice.  I wonder whether, had more thorough research about cast members been carried out, Lucy's unreliability might have been predicted or, at least, whether Lysette could have had more time to familiarise herself with the script had I allowed more time for the recording process itself - as it was, there was a great deal of stuttering, which made it difficult to edit.

The processes of scripting and recording both significantly improved my general understanding of radio drama techniques.  A particular line in the scripts directions made reference to 'china mugs', for example, which I now realise is unnecessary.  I also learned the value of post-production work - I originally planned to record the scenes on an Edirol R09 portable recorder, which I believed would capture the stereo imagery and general ambience and minimise the need for post-production work, but I realised that there was far too much hiss from the microphone preamp for this to be a satisfactory recording arrangement and thus decided to undertake recording sessions in a controlled studio environment.

The aforementioned non-diegetic music took some time to select.  It was sourced from a selection of royalty-free music which I acquired from the Internet, but it was difficult to decide which piece from the selection was most suitable.  As a musician, the process caused me to consider music in a different way - instead of simply realising that the piece is in C sharp minor, for example, I needed to consider the impact of the crescendos, suspended chords and even the instrumentation used.  This was invaluable in broadening my understanding of media and music, and I have already applied this understanding to musical performances.

There was a very minimal requirement for sound effects; the effects I did require were available through a resource of free sound effects compiled by the college.  The actual selection and insertion process was, therefore,  very straightforward as there were generally only two or three suitable sounds from which to choose.  Having produced the play, though, I wonder if some other sound effects would have added texture - for example, the sound of traffic outside in the first scene when Aaron is talking to Mary, or the sound of a washing machine in the background when Mary is talking to Mark.

Nevertheless, despite the many issues and shortfalls documented herein, I still believe that the play is, overall, produced to a high standard, though this is perhaps because the script itself is very simplistic in its requirements.

The production of both the radio advert and promotional web page were much simpler processes, since I have had experience of producing these materials in the past.  However, the radio advert in particular relied on audio from the play, so its production was still a little rushed, though not nearly as much since the overall product is shorter.  Having said that, for the most part, the advert used music which was already selected for use in the play - the only selection required was for the extract from the advert for the listener survey 'six months ago', and as this was very short I did not need to take as much care.  The selection of sound effects was also much simpler as I had a greater idea of the desired outcome.

Dialogue specific to the advert was recorded on an Edirol R09 digital recorder so, as specified earlier, there is some undesired background ambient noise.  However, for the most part, this is hidden by the music bed and so I decided not to re-record it.  The only parts where the ambience is particularly noticeable is at the start, where the voiceover says 'Six months ago...' and 'And now...'  It might also be noticeable in the extract from the 'listener survey' advert, where there is some reverberation from the room in which it was recorded.

I am very happy with the quality of the voiceover, which was read primarily by Paul Green, with intervention from myself when required.  However, in the future, I believe it would still be beneficial to allow a little more time since, if it was read by a less experienced reader, things such as expression may need to be corrected.

In terms of the website design, the most complicated aspects for me were those of a visual nature, such as colour contrast and the use of images, since the text of the web page itself was derived from the script for the radio advert.  I required more help at this stage to ensure that colours contrasted and images were displaying correctly; indeed, I did not incorporate any images at all until the idea was suggested to me, and even then I was not entirely sure of where they should be positioned.  As such, this was a particular learning curve for me and I believe that I have made significant progress in this area.

In conclusion, my overriding views about this project is that it was successful in that I was able to produce the required materials to a high standard, but that the standard could have been improved had I used my time more constructively.  In particular, allowing more time for the actual recording process would have been extremely beneficial.  To this end, if I produce a similar project in the future, I will endeavour to produce and follow a weekly plan so that progress can be monitored more efficiently and preparations can be made weeks, rather than days, in advance.

Editing and Production Process

I have now completed all of the editing and production of the three projects, a process which was more time-consuming than I initially thought:

As described in my previous post, the dialogue for the radio play was recorded in one of the Music Technology recording studios onto a digital audio recorder.  Initially, we decided to record the audio from this recorder into a single wav file using SoundForge, which would include all outboard effects such as the filtration used in the telephone conversation.  However, a problem arose with the recorder and this was not possible.  Instead, the hard drive was connected to a computer directly and the relevant source wav files were copied.  This meant that all outboard effects were lost, but the sound from each microphone was stored in a separate file, which made it easier to alter such things as panning.

Once the files were copied, I imported them into SoundForge.  Before I could proceed any further I needed to convert them from 24 bit mono into 16 bit stereo, a process which can be automated and which only took a few minutes.  After this, I adjusted the panning on each file so that one was slightly over to the left and the other was slightly over to the right.  I then used the mix paste feature within SoundForge to combine the two files together.

As I mentioned in my last post, there was a relatively high level of hesitation and stuttering, even in the best takes, probably because Lysette was unfamiliar with the script due to being cast at short notice.  As a result, before I could apply any effects, it was necessary to undertake a significant amount of fine editing, which included the removal of long pauses, deletion of page turns and consolidation of broken or stuttered phrases, as well as combining the two takes where one was better than the other.  This was perhaps the most time-consuming exercise as it involved working with audio as short as a few milliseconds from time to time.  It was also important to remember to edit around breaths (or remove them entirely) and ensure a minimal amount of difference in the ambient noise since dramatic differences would become very obvious once edited.  The go to time and selection features were particularly useful here, as was the loop facility - it was possible to loop a short amount of audio once selected for deletion, for example, so that it is easier to tell whether the start of a word is included.

In previous posts I documented the editing process for Aaron's monologue, which was recorded separately.  Before I could proceed with further production of the play, I needed to select suitable background music.  After much deliberation, I decided to use a piece of royalty-free music which I acquired from the Internet.  I edited this to the appropriate length and pasted Aaron's monologue over the top using the mix paste feature, being careful to ensure that the volume of the music was not too high.

I then added a reverb effect to the second scene, where Mark is drinking in a kitchen and Mary is telling him about Aaron's new invention; added a sound effect of a drink being poured to the start of that scene; faded out the ends of scenes in order to conform to typical radio convention; and applied filtration to Mary's voice in the phone conversation at the end of the play.  I also converted that conversation into mono so that it would sound more realistic, inserted sound effects of a telephone ringing, a telephone being answered and a telephone being replaced, and inserted Aaron's monologue in the appropriate place.  All of the sound effects were taken from a library of free effects on the college network.

After this, I needed to select a suitable piece of music for the start of the play.  Again, I resorted to royalty-free music, but this was located on the college's computer network rather than on the Internet.

Finally, in order to complete the production of the play itself, I imported Paul Green's introduction into SoundForge, edited out extraneous verbiage captured in the recording, mixed it over the top of the music and appended it to the beginning of the play.

Once the editing and production of the play was complete, I needed to produce the accompanying radio advert.  Thankfully, as documented in a separate post, Paul Green had already recorded most of the voiceover, so this process was relatively straightforward.

As far as the voiceover was concerned, I simply imported the file into SoundForge, edited it and normalised it.  I also inserted extracts from the play itself at this point, including that from Aaron's monologue, which was taken from the saved edit before music was added to simplify the production process.

Once this was done, I selected the sound effect of a timer from the college's collection of free effects and mixed it in at the appropriate place, mixing the music in after the effect was complete and ensuring that volumes and lengths were appropriate.

Finally, I needed to insert the extract from the advert aired 'Six months ago'.  To do this, I simply recorded the relevant voiceover section, mixed in suitable music from the royalty-free library referenced earlier and inserted it at the appropriate place.

The final strand to my project was the creation of a promotional web page, which would form part of the station's website.  This was actually more complicated that it at first appears as, in actuality, I needed to produce a design for the entire site into which the one page could fit.  My existing knowledge of HTML and CSS was extremely beneficial as I was able to draw on designs which I have already used.

The text of the web page was derived from the script for the advert and I imported a photograph of myself at the suggestion of Paul Green.

Recording Process

Yesterday, after many false starts, I successfully recorded all of the dialogue for the radio play and advert.  The process was a little long winded and I have done my best to describe it below:

Lucy agreed to voice the part of Mary in the radio play, so we began to arrange recording sessions.  However, due to a number of timetabling issues this took some time.  We eventually agreed to make a preliminary recording during the Media session on Tuesday, 2nd March at 7:00 PM using my Edirol R09 portable recorder.

Whilst the actors were familiarising themselves with the script, I recorded two takes of Paul voicing the radio advert in a vacant music technology classroom.  We then recorded two takes of the first scene of the radio play in the Media teaching room.  However, when listening back, we noticed a great deal of ambient noise which detracted from the quality of the recording and we decided that it would be best to re-record the play itself in a more controlled environment (the takes for the radio advert would not need to be re-recorded as, by the time they are mixed with music, the ambience would probably be hidden).

We discovered that all of the cast were available to record at 10:00 AM on the following Tuesday (9th March), during another Media session, and we agreed to utilise this opportunity, but realised that the RNC Radio studio would be used for a broadcast at this time.  We therefore decided to book Control Room 1 and Studio A via the music technology department at the suggestion of Dave, one of the other Media students, who is also employed by the college on a temporary basis in that department.

Unfortunately, Lucy was taken ill on that morning in addition to a number of other difficulties, so we agreed that we would not be able to record at that time.  We did, however, assemble to record that evening at 7:00 PM.  Studio A was not in use, but Control Room 1 was being used to record the piano in the recital room.  We therefore decided to patch Studio A to Control Room 3, but this was unsuccessful.  We therefore agreed to re-record on 16th March at 10:00 AM, again in Studio A/Control Room 1.

However, Lucy was, once again, unable to attend the recording session.  We therefore decided that, as the studio was already set up and working, we would attempt to find a replacement actor at short notice.  Unfortunately, all of the Performing Arts department were unavailable and it therefore appeared, for a short time, as though we would not be able to continue.  However, Lysette Chapronière from the Music Technology department agreed to step in and we consequently began to record.

This process was actually quite straightforward, but we needed to record at least two takes of each scene as Lysette was not familiar with the script.  Even after these takes, I will no doubt need to undertake some significant fine editing in order to make the final product flow.

In the final scene, a telephone conversation between Aaron and Mary, Dave applied filtering to Lysette's voice to give the effect of talking into a telephone.  We recorded three takes of this scene and, perhaps due to it being rather short, it flowed very well without much editing.

Dave recorded the takes onto a digital multitrack audio recorder and is now in the process of converting this audio into a wav file.  Once this has been done, I will begin the editing process.

Radio Advert Script

A2 Media Studies Script
Advanced Production Portfolio: Radio Advert

Search No More
by
Matthew Horspool
for
The Voice

Air Date: Thursday, 29th April to Tuesday, 4th May, 2010
Air Time: Various

[A timer begins to tick]

Voiceover: Six months ago, you heard this:

[The timer pauses.  A brief burst of static noise is heard.]

[Extract from a previous advert - "Want to help us?  then fill in our listener survey!"]

[Static, then the timer reaches its elapsed time - a bell is heard.]

Voiceover: Now, you can hear this:

[Bell ceases.  Static.]

[Extract - "... I'm sure the government could find a use for that!
Aaron: the government?
Mary: of course.  Crime rate'd go right down if people knew they were being tracked!"  (scene 1, lines 4-6)]

[Static.  Electronic music begins, over which the advert continues.]

Voiceover: (Reverbarated) Midweek Mystery: (Dry) a new programme to The Voice, starring some of the finest radio actors from around the globe.  This week, listen as computing batchellar Aaron Thornton discovers how his newly invented microchip technology could have a staggering affect on society, causing him to enter a maze of moral dilemmas and other unexpected consequences.

[Extract - "Not a particularly well-known job, but it's still something to brag about... Or is it?  When the public find out that I'm the man responsible for the new tracking system... Well, it's not exactly private, is it?"  (Scene 3)]

Voiceover: Search No More - the first Midweek Mystery: starts this Wednesday evening at 7:00.

[Music ends.]

[END]

Recording the Monologue

One of the scenes of my radio play is a monologue by Aaron.  As this does not require interaction with any additional characters, I decided to record this before scheduling the remaining sessions.  This would give the other actors more time to familiarise themselves with their scripts and allow me to re-familiarise myself with the processes of recording and editing in an environment with less pressure.

I recorded Jack using the computer, microphones, mixing desk and other similar equipment in the RNC Radio studio; I was situated in the control room with Jack in the room next door to minimise the amount of background noise.  Having accurately set recording levels to avoid distortion, I recorded two takes of the monologue.  I then edited them together, using the best parts from each take.  Having done this, I now need to select suitable background music before I can continue with the production of the scene.

Cast Selection

In order to progress with the recording of the play I was required to select its cast.  I decided to approach fellow class members in order to minimise the amount of disruption to timetables when recording; Jack Blackmore agreed to play the part of Aaron and Luke Mitchell agreed to play the part of Mark.  However, the media group is only comprised of males, so I needed to approach a suitable female actor who could assume the part of Mary.  I eventually decided to approach Lucy Birley, a student of the performing arts department with whom I share accomodation.  As she is not part of the Media group I sent her the following Email:

Subject: Request for Involvement in A2 Media Coursework

Hi Lucy,

As part of my coursework for A2 Media I am required to produce an extract from a radio play and I am writing to enquire whether you would be willing to play the part of one of the central characters.

The play, entitled "Search No More", revolves around a recent university graduate who has just developed a tracking device using microchip technology.  Should you agree, you will play the part of one of his friends from his former school who has married the current minister of justice, who has become addicted to alcohol and is therefore inept.  She subsequently realises that the tracking device could be mandated and utilised by the british government in order to improve the accuracy of courte testemonies, amongst other things.  (It is her belief that the minister's ineptitude will be overlooked if the technology can be implemented successfully.)

Your roll will involve engaging in conversation with the developer and the minister of justice, with the immediate aim of arranging a meeting between them which will hopefully lead to the technology being proposed to the rellevent areas of parliament.  You will mainly be recorded in student halls, with the potential for occasional recordings in the college's radio studio, at times which are mutually convenient for all involved parties.

Kind Regards,
Matthew Horspool

Radio Play Script

Search No More
by
Matthew Horspool
for
The Voice

Air Date: Wednesday, 5th May, 2010
Air Time: 20:05 to 20:58

Please Note: only the  first three scenes have been presented here - this should cover approximately five minutes of edited content.

Introduction

[Electronic music.]

Voiceover: "Search No More.  Written and directed, in three episodes, by Matthew Horspool.  Starring {p1} as Aaron Thornton, {p2} as Mary Bridges and {p3} as Mark Bridges.  Episode 1.

[Music fades out.]

Scene 1

[Living room.  Aaron and Mary sit opposite each other on identical armchairs drinking tea out of china mugs.]

Aaron: it's the next generation: we've already got sat nav.  This little box which sits on your shoulder, or in a car, or wherever, and tells you where you are and where to go.  This little chip uses the same basic technology, but it's also got data transmission capabilities - so it's constantly sending its location out to our server.

Mary: and then what, the server sends where to go back to the chip or something?  What'd be the point?

Aaron: no no no!  It's a tracking device!  The software side is still being developed, but can't you see the potential?  Parents could keep track of their children in realtime!  Managers can keep track of their staff... obviously, they'd have to get consent first, but imagine how much more efficient it could make taxi companies, emergency services, that sort of thing?  This little chip on the side of a car, the taxi company sends out a query for the nearest car to the location of the customer...

Mary: ooh, yes, I see now!  It's quite impressive!  Something which... hmm... yes... I'm sure the government could find a use for that!

Aaron: the government?

Mary: of course.  Crime rate'd go right down if people knew they were being tracked!

Aaron: true... but hang on, what're you suggesting, we give this to everyone?  What's to say they'd use it?

Mary: will it fit into a neadle?

Aaron: yes... you're saying inject?

Mary: seems logical to me.

Aaron: yes, I suppose it does.  But this is fantacy at best.  I haven't got any government connections!

Mary: what about Mark?

Aaron: Mark?  I thought he was a clerk at the prosicution service!

Mary: no, that was years ago!  Has it really been that long?  No, he's the minister of justice.

Aaron: well, in that case...

Mary: quite.  I can set up a meeting if you like?

Aaron: if you like.  I've got work, of course, but I haven't taken a day's leave in goodness knows how long so they shouldn't have a problem with it.

Mary: OK!  Listen, I'll go home and have a word with him, see when he's free, and get back in touch.

Aaron: yup, that works!  More tea, by the way?  I was just about to go make a cup for myself...

[Faid out.]

Scene 2

[Kitchen.  Mary and Mark sit at the table.  Mark opens a bottle of ginn, pours a large measure into a glass and drinks deeply.  He speaks with a distinct slur.]

Mark: you don't drink ginn, do you?

Mary: no, can't stand it.  How many have you had today?

Mark: oh, only about... oh... five?  Six?  Somewhere round there.

Mary: glasses of that size?

Mark: yeah.  Gotta keep going somehow.

Mary: but why?

Mark: Why?  Why!  Oh, if only you went into work, you'd see why!  Crime rate's going through the roof, and it's all my fault!  Another guy murdered on the streets last night, you might've seen in the paper, that Brett Simmons chap, and it's all my fault!  Or that's what they say, anyway.  Not enough prevention.  I'm the Minister of Justice, it's my job to make sure this doesn't happen, but how can I?  Come on!  That murder was in Warwick, and here I am in London!  What was I meant to do, just suddenly appear, shout "Ahoy there, minister of justice, put that gun down and come quietly?"  As if he would've listened!  And now they're planning to no confidence me... six months I've been in work, six months!  And already they're telling me off for being twenty minutes late in in the morning and threatening to sack?  What the hell's wrong with this government?  It's only twenty minutes!  Sessions don't start on time anyway, what's the point of being there, sitting there, doing nothing?  I could spend that time drinking!  You sure you don't want one?

Mary: positive.  But I might have a sollution to the crime problem.

[Mark grunts.]

Mary: you remember me telling you about Aaron, right?

Mark: how could I forget?  Sat Nav researcher or something, wasn't he?

Mary: yes, and he's come up with a tracking device!  It uses Sat Nav technology and somehow sends out where it is to some sort of server.  You know me, I'm not very technical, but you get the idea.  Inject this little chip into everyone, when a guy appears in court you can present them with evidence to say exactly where they were, all thanks to this chip!

Mark: Well he can just come round and demonstrate this thing then, can't he?  It'll save my career if we can pull it off... get him here!

Mary: No, Mark, you don't even know him!  How about you meet him for lunch tomorrow instead?  You can get acquainted and take it from there.

Mark: Yeah, OK, just... whatever.  Let me see him!

Mary: OK, I'll ring him now.

Scene 3

[Aaron's bedroom.  Aaron sits on the edge of his bed.]

Aaron: sell it to the government?

[Fade in cinister music.]

Aaron: the wealth it could bring would be enormous if they like the idea.  They might even offer me a job!  I cansee it now - Aaron Thornton, Product Developer for the British Government... Not a particularly well-known job, but it's still something to brag about... Or is it?  When the public find out that I'm the man responsible for the new tracking system... Well, it's not exactly private, is it?  There'll be mass uproar as soon as it's announced!  I can't see many people being happy with being tracked, constantly.  I know I certainly wouldn't.  I'd be asking how long it'd be before they get sound and vidio in, and I'm the developer!  Goodness knows how many far fetched ideas they'd come up with... some of them perhaps not so far fetched as they might first seem.  I didn't develop it for this!  I did it because... well, I don't know... but I saw verification being a part of it.  A parent/children thing, or not even on a person - a person/phone, person/car, anything like that.  Not that I'll ever tell the government that, in case they get any other "great" ideas.  I'd pull out of this whole thing if it wasn't for Mary.  I'd hate to let her down, especially now.  I saw her today for the first time since I started university, and gosh has she changed!  She seems so listless!  She only got excited when I introduced her to this idea... if it makes her happy...

[Telephone rings in background.  Aaron grunts, rises, sound of footsteps is heard.  He opens a door, telephone volume rises significantly.  Footsteps continue for a short while until phone is answered.]

Aaron: Hello?

Mary: Hello there, it's Mary.

Aaron: Oh, hello.  Is everything alright?

Mary: yes, I've just spoken to mark.  He's agreed to meet you for lunch tomorrow in the Golden Lion, you know, the restaurant near...

Aaron: yes, I know the place.  Sounds good to me, I suppose.  What time, again?

Mary: Oh, about 1ish?

Aaron: Yup, that's fine.

Mary: OK.  Thanks.  speak to you soon.

Aaron: OK.  Bye for now.

Mary: Bye!

[The telephone is replaced on the hook.]