I feel that I have come a long way from my preliminary task, particularly regarding my understanding and skills regarding technology and what can be achieved through the use of sound effects and music.
There are certainly similarities between my preliminary task and my final extract, not least the fact that they belong to the same genre and target the same audience. The differences between the two, however, are huge.
When I came to record and edit my preliminary task I was pretty clueless about what could be achieved through the software and I had spent very little time planning the script or thinking about representations. This meant that I wasn't completely happy with my final preliminary task. I saw the whole process as a means of learning about how to use the recording and editing software and equipment, and getting a feel for what can be achieved through the technology. Once I had finished my preliminary task I made a list of everything I felt I had learnt, and the things that I realised I would have to do before creating my real radio extract. These included planning and research into all of the conventions of existing radio and better organisation in terms of choosing the right actors so that I could get the representations right.
Evaluation - Just After Completing my Preliminary Task
The most important thing that I realised having gone through the process of recording and editing my preliminary task was that the technology would enable me to create almost any audio effects that I wanted, which in turn affected the way I constructed my script. Realising that I could create authentic sounding locations (and that I could convince listeners that the scenes had in fact been recorded outside) through the careful manipulation of sound effects and other effects I could add during mixing, meant that I could be very creative with my adverts and the outside broadcasts that accompanied some of my news stories. As a result I decided to script certain adverts (such as the Ocado advert) and news stories (such as the missing child story and the radiation leak story) that would enable me to be really creative and use lots of layers of sound.
I hope that when you have one last listen to my preliminary task and the finished extract from Metro FM, you will be able to hear how my experiences with my preliminary task informed the decisions I made with my full radio show.
Friday, 25 April 2014
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Evaluation - Using Technology
A range of technologies have been incredibly important in helping me not only record and edit my radio show, but also in creating the blog where I have been able to detail all my research and planning and my evaluation. I have used a range of software and hardware throughout all elements of my AS coursework, and the technology has helped me be incredibly creative and achieve things that I didn't think would be possible when I started.
Blogger has meant that I can record each of my research and planning tasks and include images, sound clips and videos of various parts of the planning process, to help bring to life the infromation I have put down. It has also helped with my organisation, giving me a structure to follow. I have been able to link certain pages (very useful for my evaluation) and essentially keep a diary of my progress.
Soundcloud was also incredibly useful software as I was able to upload all of my audio files, the raw ones and the edited versions, before embeding the code into blogger so that the audio clips would appear on my blog.
During my research into listening to other existing radio stations, the TuneinRadio app was helpful, as it enabled me to record extracts from shows so that I could carefully re-listen to any stations that weren't available through listen again.
This was helpful when I chose to listen to a number of news bulletins from different radio stations all aired at the same time (to see if the news stories were the same). Recording extracts gave me the opportunity to carefully analyse each clip in terms of conventions used, representations, news values and the running order of stories. This made it so much easier when it came to writing my own script and getting the content of the news and the tone of delivery right.
To record my actors I used the Shure SM58 microphone, which had a pop guard attached, and I used the mixing desk to alter volume levels during both recording and editing. We only had a single microphone, so I had to record each actor individually (even if they were in a clip where they were talking to somebody else).
In some ways this was frustrating, as it hugely extended the recording time. It did, however, mean that i had greater control over every voice, and it made it much easier to edit out mistakes and mix each individual voice before editing it together with the other elements I needed (such as other voices, music and sound effects). During recording I carefully gave each file a label and placed it in a specific folder so that I could access it instantly when I need to edit. I arranged my folders into the separate elements of my show (such as news or jingles) but also created folders where I could put each mixed or finished section.
The software I used to edit and mix my show was called Adobe Audition 1.5, and it enabled me to add a range of effects to certain voices, as well as making it possible to layer sounds on the multi-track so that I could create very complex clips (such as my adverts, jingles and sections of my news bulletins).
When I recorded my actors they inevitably made mistakes, repeating or leaving out words or delivering the script in a tone that wasn't quite right. A feature of the software meant that rather than asking my actors to start again everytime there was a mistake, I could simply edit out any mistakes, gaps of pauses. This significantly reduced the recording time and meant that I had an even greater level of control. Below are clips of Alex who was the voiceover for my Dogs Trust advert. The first clip is of the initial recording of Alex's voice, with mistakes as he stumbles over words, having to start certain sentences again. The clip is also full of many pauses. The second clip is Alex's voiceover after I have edited out all the gaps and the mistakes. This feature of the technology meant that I did not need to ask Alex to keep re-recording.
Another important convention of existing radio that I was able to create, as a result of the technology, can be heard in the two clips below. When listening to the radio I often heard callers (either the audience or a guest giving an interview or soundbite) on the phone, and I wanted to re-create the effect of the Camelot Managing Director phoning in an interview in relation to one of my news stories. I was able to take the recording of Chris' voice and manipulate the settings on the graphic equalizer to authentically create the impression that the character was on the phone. First I highlighted the edited audio (after removing the mistakes and gaps) and opened the filter and graphic equalizer tabs. I lowered the bass and the treble, keeping the mid-range as it was.
Adobe Audition also enabled me to layer a number of different sound clips on the multi-track so that I could mix them together. An excellent example of this in my finished extract is the intro, at the beginning of the show. This intro is made up of a number of different elements mixed together, that went through various stages of editing. Below are the initial recordings of the two show presenters (Me and Niall recorded separately) before the mistakes and pauses were removed, the individual clips of the presenters once I had edited out mistakes and pauses, a clip of the presenters edited together (as if they were in the same room) and the final intro with the music added.
I was able to add effects to almost every separate section of my extract, including the jingles and adverts, and the outside broadcasts and press conferences featured in the news bulletin. Below is the Borough Market outside broadcast featuring the specialist reporter before I added the sound effects, and once I had added crowd noises to make it seem as if it had been recorded in a busy market.
The final way that I used the technology to make my show sound as authentic as real radio was by adding compression to the mixed and edited extract. As I had recorded all of the voices at different times and added music and sound effects at various points throughout my show, the volume levels of each element were often radically different. Adding compression created a consistent volume level across my whole show, so that no one sound sounded dramatically louder than any other. Below is my show both before and after compression was added.
Blogger has meant that I can record each of my research and planning tasks and include images, sound clips and videos of various parts of the planning process, to help bring to life the infromation I have put down. It has also helped with my organisation, giving me a structure to follow. I have been able to link certain pages (very useful for my evaluation) and essentially keep a diary of my progress.
Soundcloud was also incredibly useful software as I was able to upload all of my audio files, the raw ones and the edited versions, before embeding the code into blogger so that the audio clips would appear on my blog.
During my research into listening to other existing radio stations, the TuneinRadio app was helpful, as it enabled me to record extracts from shows so that I could carefully re-listen to any stations that weren't available through listen again.
This was helpful when I chose to listen to a number of news bulletins from different radio stations all aired at the same time (to see if the news stories were the same). Recording extracts gave me the opportunity to carefully analyse each clip in terms of conventions used, representations, news values and the running order of stories. This made it so much easier when it came to writing my own script and getting the content of the news and the tone of delivery right.
To record my actors I used the Shure SM58 microphone, which had a pop guard attached, and I used the mixing desk to alter volume levels during both recording and editing. We only had a single microphone, so I had to record each actor individually (even if they were in a clip where they were talking to somebody else).
In some ways this was frustrating, as it hugely extended the recording time. It did, however, mean that i had greater control over every voice, and it made it much easier to edit out mistakes and mix each individual voice before editing it together with the other elements I needed (such as other voices, music and sound effects). During recording I carefully gave each file a label and placed it in a specific folder so that I could access it instantly when I need to edit. I arranged my folders into the separate elements of my show (such as news or jingles) but also created folders where I could put each mixed or finished section.
The software I used to edit and mix my show was called Adobe Audition 1.5, and it enabled me to add a range of effects to certain voices, as well as making it possible to layer sounds on the multi-track so that I could create very complex clips (such as my adverts, jingles and sections of my news bulletins).
When I recorded my actors they inevitably made mistakes, repeating or leaving out words or delivering the script in a tone that wasn't quite right. A feature of the software meant that rather than asking my actors to start again everytime there was a mistake, I could simply edit out any mistakes, gaps of pauses. This significantly reduced the recording time and meant that I had an even greater level of control. Below are clips of Alex who was the voiceover for my Dogs Trust advert. The first clip is of the initial recording of Alex's voice, with mistakes as he stumbles over words, having to start certain sentences again. The clip is also full of many pauses. The second clip is Alex's voiceover after I have edited out all the gaps and the mistakes. This feature of the technology meant that I did not need to ask Alex to keep re-recording.
Another important convention of existing radio that I was able to create, as a result of the technology, can be heard in the two clips below. When listening to the radio I often heard callers (either the audience or a guest giving an interview or soundbite) on the phone, and I wanted to re-create the effect of the Camelot Managing Director phoning in an interview in relation to one of my news stories. I was able to take the recording of Chris' voice and manipulate the settings on the graphic equalizer to authentically create the impression that the character was on the phone. First I highlighted the edited audio (after removing the mistakes and gaps) and opened the filter and graphic equalizer tabs. I lowered the bass and the treble, keeping the mid-range as it was.
Adobe Audition also enabled me to layer a number of different sound clips on the multi-track so that I could mix them together. An excellent example of this in my finished extract is the intro, at the beginning of the show. This intro is made up of a number of different elements mixed together, that went through various stages of editing. Below are the initial recordings of the two show presenters (Me and Niall recorded separately) before the mistakes and pauses were removed, the individual clips of the presenters once I had edited out mistakes and pauses, a clip of the presenters edited together (as if they were in the same room) and the final intro with the music added.
I was able to add effects to almost every separate section of my extract, including the jingles and adverts, and the outside broadcasts and press conferences featured in the news bulletin. Below is the Borough Market outside broadcast featuring the specialist reporter before I added the sound effects, and once I had added crowd noises to make it seem as if it had been recorded in a busy market.
The final way that I used the technology to make my show sound as authentic as real radio was by adding compression to the mixed and edited extract. As I had recorded all of the voices at different times and added music and sound effects at various points throughout my show, the volume levels of each element were often radically different. Adding compression created a consistent volume level across my whole show, so that no one sound sounded dramatically louder than any other. Below is my show both before and after compression was added.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Evaluation - Audience
Throughout my research and planning I did a number of tasks that were directly related to audience, including primary research (distributing a questionnaire to gain a greater understanding of the audience's listening habits) and secondary research (looking at Ofcom and existing station websites).
Audience
Primary Research - Questionnaire
Audience and Ofcom
Target Audience and Websites
Target Audience and Websites II
This research really helped me get a better understanding of who my audience was, and the ways that radio stations target and attract their audiences (whether through the adverts they include, the songs they play, the guests that appear, the way that presenters speak or the design of their websites).
My station, Metro FM, is a local radio station targeting audiences in the London area. My character of service sheet that I created explicitly lists my show as a 'locally oriented, contemporary/chart music-led service for under 30s in London' and while i would expect men to listen to my show I would expect the audience to be predominantly female.
Much of the content of my show is suitable for a local audience, targeting them directly. Good examples of elements of my show that would directly appeal to local audience in the London region include the majority of the news stories (most of which have taken place in London or directly involve someone from London), the jingles (that make it clear to the audience that Metro FM is a station that services the London area) and the weather for the region. A great deal of my research into local news involved thinking about how the stories I had looked at were directly targeting a specific audience.
Local News Analysis
Local News Analysis II
Comparing Local and National News
Comparing Local Radio News Bulletins
I have also constructed various elements of the show that would be of direct interest to a predominantly female audience, based on research that I did regarding adverts that would be appropriate and the kinds of news stories that would appeal to women. Adverts that I scripted that I thought would appeal to women included a charity advert, a shopping delivery service and an advert for an album from a TV show that is incredibly popular with a female demographic (Made in Chelsea). I felt very strongly about including adverts in my extract as I though it would be the perfect way to reinforce the nature of the audience that I had designed my radio show to appeal to.
I also included stories in the news that I though may also appeal to my demographic, particularly the story about the break up of the marriage of a celebrity couple - I have included the press conference of my actress speaking from that story, below (my questionnaire indicated that celebrity stories appear most interesting to women).
Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience
Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience II
One further way that I targeted my audience is through the age and genders of the show presenters (who introduce songs and make reference to a competition which will directly engage the audience) and the choice of music I included at the beginning and end of my extract.
Audience
Primary Research - Questionnaire
Audience and Ofcom
Target Audience and Websites
Target Audience and Websites II
This research really helped me get a better understanding of who my audience was, and the ways that radio stations target and attract their audiences (whether through the adverts they include, the songs they play, the guests that appear, the way that presenters speak or the design of their websites).
My station, Metro FM, is a local radio station targeting audiences in the London area. My character of service sheet that I created explicitly lists my show as a 'locally oriented, contemporary/chart music-led service for under 30s in London' and while i would expect men to listen to my show I would expect the audience to be predominantly female.
Much of the content of my show is suitable for a local audience, targeting them directly. Good examples of elements of my show that would directly appeal to local audience in the London region include the majority of the news stories (most of which have taken place in London or directly involve someone from London), the jingles (that make it clear to the audience that Metro FM is a station that services the London area) and the weather for the region. A great deal of my research into local news involved thinking about how the stories I had looked at were directly targeting a specific audience.
Local News Analysis
Local News Analysis II
Comparing Local and National News
Comparing Local Radio News Bulletins
I have also constructed various elements of the show that would be of direct interest to a predominantly female audience, based on research that I did regarding adverts that would be appropriate and the kinds of news stories that would appeal to women. Adverts that I scripted that I thought would appeal to women included a charity advert, a shopping delivery service and an advert for an album from a TV show that is incredibly popular with a female demographic (Made in Chelsea). I felt very strongly about including adverts in my extract as I though it would be the perfect way to reinforce the nature of the audience that I had designed my radio show to appeal to.
I also included stories in the news that I though may also appeal to my demographic, particularly the story about the break up of the marriage of a celebrity couple - I have included the press conference of my actress speaking from that story, below (my questionnaire indicated that celebrity stories appear most interesting to women).
Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience
Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience II
One further way that I targeted my audience is through the age and genders of the show presenters (who introduce songs and make reference to a competition which will directly engage the audience) and the choice of music I included at the beginning and end of my extract.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Evaluation - Institution
Metro FM is a local, commercial radio station targeting listeners in the London area, which is funded through the advertising revenue it generates through the sale of advertising space (this is one of the reasons why I felt it was important to include adverts on my station).
My show, The Weekend Gossip Show with Alicia and Will, is on air from 10am until 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I created my own completely original station rather than simply create a show for an existing radio station. Metro FM is similar to stations such as Capital FM in terms of the kind of contemporary popular music that it plays, the age and gender of its target audience and the types of news stories it includes in its bulletins. Unlike Capital, which has a number of sister stations that broadcast around the country (Capital Manchester and Capital East Midlands, for example), Metro FM just services the Greater London area.
It is a local radio station but as it broadcasts to the London area, the news stories are mixture of ones that would directly appeal to listeners living in and around London, but also national stories that may affect people living in the region. Capital FM London often also features a mix of specifically local stories and national stories.
Capital FM is owned by Global Radio and is available not only on FM and DAB, but also online and on various satellite TV networks, such as Sky, Freeview and Virgin Media. I Imagined that a company such as Global Radio would own Metro FM (though it is a much smaller station) and it may join other radio stations that Global Radio own, such as Chill FM, Gold, Heart, LBC and XFM. Many of these stations also broadcast in the London area whilst having specific sister stations that play in other regions.
The format of my radio station is a contemporary hit radio station, with news, entertainment, speech and showbiz. Most of the content, such as the examples I have included below, target the local London area, such as the outside broadcast at Borough Market (a famous London landmark), the weather for the London area, the jingles that repeatedly reference London and most of the stories in the news bulletin that make reference to London and the South-East (even the Camelot story will affect people in London).
My show, The Weekend Gossip Show with Alicia and Will, is on air from 10am until 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I created my own completely original station rather than simply create a show for an existing radio station. Metro FM is similar to stations such as Capital FM in terms of the kind of contemporary popular music that it plays, the age and gender of its target audience and the types of news stories it includes in its bulletins. Unlike Capital, which has a number of sister stations that broadcast around the country (Capital Manchester and Capital East Midlands, for example), Metro FM just services the Greater London area.
It is a local radio station but as it broadcasts to the London area, the news stories are mixture of ones that would directly appeal to listeners living in and around London, but also national stories that may affect people living in the region. Capital FM London often also features a mix of specifically local stories and national stories.
Capital FM is owned by Global Radio and is available not only on FM and DAB, but also online and on various satellite TV networks, such as Sky, Freeview and Virgin Media. I Imagined that a company such as Global Radio would own Metro FM (though it is a much smaller station) and it may join other radio stations that Global Radio own, such as Chill FM, Gold, Heart, LBC and XFM. Many of these stations also broadcast in the London area whilst having specific sister stations that play in other regions.
The format of my radio station is a contemporary hit radio station, with news, entertainment, speech and showbiz. Most of the content, such as the examples I have included below, target the local London area, such as the outside broadcast at Borough Market (a famous London landmark), the weather for the London area, the jingles that repeatedly reference London and most of the stories in the news bulletin that make reference to London and the South-East (even the Camelot story will affect people in London).
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Evaluation - Representation
As part of my research and planning I thought carefully about representation when listening to existing radio shows. Having listened to presenters on contrasting radio stations (Kiss and Radio 4) I made notes about the way the presenter spoke, the language they used, and their tone of voice and thought about how this might relate to the radio stations target audience.
Analysis of Representation on Kiss and Radio 4
When I scripted my preliminary task I didn't give much thought to the ways that the characters in my script might sound and I certainly didn't think about representation when choosing my actors. After completing a number of listening tasks where I listened to news presenters, show presenters, voxpops and adverts, I realised that I had to carefully choose my actors for each role, and that I may have to coach them, telling them exactly what tone to use so that the representation was accurate.
Once I had completed my script, I set about choosing the actors for each role. I had over twenty different characters in my script ranging from the news presenter to voxpops accompanying my news stories and I made sure that I gave careful consideration to who I chose for each character. Below are the links to my posts on choosing actors.
Choosing Voices for my Show 1
For my news presenter I wanted a female (as I had heard on Kiss) but I wanted her to sound slightly more serious than my show presenters, my correspondents and the members of the public in the voxpops. I chose Jade, the English teacher at school, as I felt that she had an authoritative yet calming voice.
When researching, I noticed that the show presenters on stations such as Kiss and Capital (rather than Radio 4) sounded young, and often spoke in an excited manner when discussing what they had coming up on the show or when they introduced songs. I decided on two show presenters, one male and one female, as this is what was most common on the stations that I felt mine was most similar to. I also thought that a male and female presenter would help my show appeal to a wider audience. I played the female presenter Alicia and I asked a student (Niall) to play the male presenter, Will.
I chose Jon, one of the Media teachers, as the voice for my jingles. I wanted to use the same voice for all of my jingles so that my station had a consistent identity. I felt that Jon had the right tone of voice for a jingle - bright and cheerful, but informative and with a degree of authority. The clip below contains all of the jingles using Jon's voice, after I had edited out any pauses and mistakes but before I had mixed the jingles with sound effects and music.
For my voxpops I wanted people to sound less formal and more natural, as they were supposed to represent members of the public rather than professional broadcasters. I still chose my actors carefully but I let them ad-lib my script if they wanted and didn't edit out pauses and mistakes in the same way that I had with my presenters and other characters.
For one of my voxpops, I wanted the character to sound like an old lady who had lived through the Blitz in the Second World War. I chose Louise, the Drama teacher, and asked her to put on a cockney accent and pretend that she was much older. I think that this is one of the most successful and realistic representations on the show.
The two sound clips below highlight the way that I thought about differing representations in my adverts. The first clip is of Alex as the voiceover in my Dog's Trust advert - I wanted the voiceover to sound serious but also compassionate and caring, as the intention of the advert is to encourage listeners to donate money to help animals in need. The first time Alex recorded it, it was far too serious and I thought that it might be too tragic and ominous for listeners, so I asked Alex to re-record and to soften his tone. The second voiceover is Chris in the Ocado advert. I wanted him to sound cheerful and helpful, acting as a contrast to the stressed mother in the advert. The point of the advert is that Ocado can take the stress out of a busy working mum's day by being flexible enough to deliver whenever suits the consumer. His tone of voice needed to suggest how helpful this service is.
Analysis of Representation on Kiss and Radio 4
When I scripted my preliminary task I didn't give much thought to the ways that the characters in my script might sound and I certainly didn't think about representation when choosing my actors. After completing a number of listening tasks where I listened to news presenters, show presenters, voxpops and adverts, I realised that I had to carefully choose my actors for each role, and that I may have to coach them, telling them exactly what tone to use so that the representation was accurate.
Once I had completed my script, I set about choosing the actors for each role. I had over twenty different characters in my script ranging from the news presenter to voxpops accompanying my news stories and I made sure that I gave careful consideration to who I chose for each character. Below are the links to my posts on choosing actors.
Choosing Voices for my Show 1
For my news presenter I wanted a female (as I had heard on Kiss) but I wanted her to sound slightly more serious than my show presenters, my correspondents and the members of the public in the voxpops. I chose Jade, the English teacher at school, as I felt that she had an authoritative yet calming voice.
When researching, I noticed that the show presenters on stations such as Kiss and Capital (rather than Radio 4) sounded young, and often spoke in an excited manner when discussing what they had coming up on the show or when they introduced songs. I decided on two show presenters, one male and one female, as this is what was most common on the stations that I felt mine was most similar to. I also thought that a male and female presenter would help my show appeal to a wider audience. I played the female presenter Alicia and I asked a student (Niall) to play the male presenter, Will.
I chose Jon, one of the Media teachers, as the voice for my jingles. I wanted to use the same voice for all of my jingles so that my station had a consistent identity. I felt that Jon had the right tone of voice for a jingle - bright and cheerful, but informative and with a degree of authority. The clip below contains all of the jingles using Jon's voice, after I had edited out any pauses and mistakes but before I had mixed the jingles with sound effects and music.
For my voxpops I wanted people to sound less formal and more natural, as they were supposed to represent members of the public rather than professional broadcasters. I still chose my actors carefully but I let them ad-lib my script if they wanted and didn't edit out pauses and mistakes in the same way that I had with my presenters and other characters.
For one of my voxpops, I wanted the character to sound like an old lady who had lived through the Blitz in the Second World War. I chose Louise, the Drama teacher, and asked her to put on a cockney accent and pretend that she was much older. I think that this is one of the most successful and realistic representations on the show.
The two sound clips below highlight the way that I thought about differing representations in my adverts. The first clip is of Alex as the voiceover in my Dog's Trust advert - I wanted the voiceover to sound serious but also compassionate and caring, as the intention of the advert is to encourage listeners to donate money to help animals in need. The first time Alex recorded it, it was far too serious and I thought that it might be too tragic and ominous for listeners, so I asked Alex to re-record and to soften his tone. The second voiceover is Chris in the Ocado advert. I wanted him to sound cheerful and helpful, acting as a contrast to the stressed mother in the advert. The point of the advert is that Ocado can take the stress out of a busy working mum's day by being flexible enough to deliver whenever suits the consumer. His tone of voice needed to suggest how helpful this service is.
Monday, 14 April 2014
Evaluation - Using Conventions of Real Media Products - News
The main part of my radio show is a news bulletin, so I did lots of research into the 5Ws, news values and the ways that news is presented online, in newspapers and on the radio, so that when I created my news stories, they were as authentic as possible.
Research into News Values
Research into the 5Ws
I analysed a number of news stories online for both local and national news to see the similarities and differences. This was important because I wanted my news stories to reflect the conventions I found in local news as my station is broadcasting to the London area.
Local News Story - Entertainment
National News Story - Entertainment
Comparing Local and National News
I then listened to a number of news bulletins on different radio stations (both local and national) to see if the news stories changed depending on the genre of station and the target audience - my findings are below. This helped me when scripting my own stories and deciding what order the stories should appear in.
News Bulletin - Absolute Radio
News Bulletin - Radio 2
Comparing News Bulletins on Local Radio
I also researched the other elements that are found in news bulletins, such as voxpops, archive clips, outside broadcasts, specialist reporters (though these seem to appear much less frequently on local news than they do on national news, and therefore seem a strange inclusion in the brief) and soundbites, so that I could include them across my stories.
Below are the voxpops from my story about an explosion at a nuclear power plant. The voxpops are of people being interviewed in Borough Market about how they feel about the situation. I scripted them but encouraged my actors to ad-lib and put in pauses so that they sounded as unrehearsed as possible (just as they would in a real radio show).
Research into Voxpops and other Features found in News Bulletins
Accompanying my news stories I also included soundbites (one of which was mixed to sound as if it was on a phone), a press conference and outside broadcasts (one of a police spokesman outside giving a soundbite and one of the specialist reporter at Borough Market).
Here is my complete news bulletin after mixing - as you can hear it includes all of the elements that I noticed when researching existing news bulletins from real radio stations.
Research into News Values
Research into the 5Ws
I analysed a number of news stories online for both local and national news to see the similarities and differences. This was important because I wanted my news stories to reflect the conventions I found in local news as my station is broadcasting to the London area.
Local News Story - Entertainment
National News Story - Entertainment
Comparing Local and National News
I then listened to a number of news bulletins on different radio stations (both local and national) to see if the news stories changed depending on the genre of station and the target audience - my findings are below. This helped me when scripting my own stories and deciding what order the stories should appear in.
News Bulletin - Absolute Radio
News Bulletin - Radio 2
Comparing News Bulletins on Local Radio
I also researched the other elements that are found in news bulletins, such as voxpops, archive clips, outside broadcasts, specialist reporters (though these seem to appear much less frequently on local news than they do on national news, and therefore seem a strange inclusion in the brief) and soundbites, so that I could include them across my stories.
Below are the voxpops from my story about an explosion at a nuclear power plant. The voxpops are of people being interviewed in Borough Market about how they feel about the situation. I scripted them but encouraged my actors to ad-lib and put in pauses so that they sounded as unrehearsed as possible (just as they would in a real radio show).
Research into Voxpops and other Features found in News Bulletins
Accompanying my news stories I also included soundbites (one of which was mixed to sound as if it was on a phone), a press conference and outside broadcasts (one of a police spokesman outside giving a soundbite and one of the specialist reporter at Borough Market).
Here is my complete news bulletin after mixing - as you can hear it includes all of the elements that I noticed when researching existing news bulletins from real radio stations.
Saturday, 12 April 2014
Evaluation - Using Conventions of Real Media Products - Adverts
To make my show sound as authentic as possible I did some research into the conventions of adverts. I found that there are two types of adverts, ones with a narrative, and ones without a narrative. I also found that the types of products advertised reflect the target audience of radio station. I tried to add all the conventions that I found while researching, into my adverts on my final radio station.
Analysis of TV Adverts
Analysis of Adverts on Radioville
Potential Products to Advertise
Some adverts don't have a narrative and simply outline what the product is - I chose one of my adverts to be for the release of a soundtrack for the TV show Made in Chelsea, which I thought would be totally appropriate for my audience and suitable for my local radio show that broadcasts to the London area. The clip below features conventions I heard for similar kinds of adverts, such as extracts from the songs featured on the album (prominent, intantly recognisable sections from the songs) and a voiceover that mentions some of the most famous songs, names the product and gives details of the format that the album appears in (along with a release date):
Other adverts have a narrative - for my Ocado advert I created different scenarios of a very busy women who doesn't have time to get the shopping, and therefore she needed Ocado to deliver for her (she is supposed to be a representation of busy working mums across the country). Examples of the scenarios include the women stuck in traffic, her busy at work. her trying to get her kids ready for school and so on. This emphasised how Ocado can help people who lead busy lives like the women in the advert. Below is the finished version of my Ocado advert, including conventions that I heard such as voiceover (which is reassuring and friendly), sound effects used to re-create different locations and different characters. The name of the company is mentioned frequently and there is reference to a website and a slogan (conventions I heard on a number of adverts that I listened to:
Whilst the brief doesn't explicitly ask for the inclusion of adverts, all the listening I did to commercial radio stations made me realise that adverts were an essential convention of radio. I also noticed that they often appear just before or just after the news bulletins that I listened to, so I felt that I had to include them if I wanted my radio extract to sound authentic. Creating adverts also gave me the opportunity to work with a wide range of sound effects, music and other effects that make the adverts sound more authentic, and enabled me to truly show of my knowledge of existing radio (it wouldn't have had the conventions I had noticed of existing radio stations without them).
Analysis of TV Adverts
Analysis of Adverts on Radioville
Potential Products to Advertise
Some adverts don't have a narrative and simply outline what the product is - I chose one of my adverts to be for the release of a soundtrack for the TV show Made in Chelsea, which I thought would be totally appropriate for my audience and suitable for my local radio show that broadcasts to the London area. The clip below features conventions I heard for similar kinds of adverts, such as extracts from the songs featured on the album (prominent, intantly recognisable sections from the songs) and a voiceover that mentions some of the most famous songs, names the product and gives details of the format that the album appears in (along with a release date):
Other adverts have a narrative - for my Ocado advert I created different scenarios of a very busy women who doesn't have time to get the shopping, and therefore she needed Ocado to deliver for her (she is supposed to be a representation of busy working mums across the country). Examples of the scenarios include the women stuck in traffic, her busy at work. her trying to get her kids ready for school and so on. This emphasised how Ocado can help people who lead busy lives like the women in the advert. Below is the finished version of my Ocado advert, including conventions that I heard such as voiceover (which is reassuring and friendly), sound effects used to re-create different locations and different characters. The name of the company is mentioned frequently and there is reference to a website and a slogan (conventions I heard on a number of adverts that I listened to:
Whilst the brief doesn't explicitly ask for the inclusion of adverts, all the listening I did to commercial radio stations made me realise that adverts were an essential convention of radio. I also noticed that they often appear just before or just after the news bulletins that I listened to, so I felt that I had to include them if I wanted my radio extract to sound authentic. Creating adverts also gave me the opportunity to work with a wide range of sound effects, music and other effects that make the adverts sound more authentic, and enabled me to truly show of my knowledge of existing radio (it wouldn't have had the conventions I had noticed of existing radio stations without them).
Friday, 11 April 2014
Evaluation - Using Conventions of Real Media Products - Jingles
When researching into jingles I found that there are many different types of jingles that help give the radio shows and the station a clear identity. After listening to a range of stations I noticed that not only are jingles heard regularly but also the way that they're constructed also reflects the genre of the radio station and helps give an indication of the type of audience who will be listening through the use of generic music and sound effects and also the use of slogans that are used.
Research and Planning into Jingles
Radio Jingles
If you listen to my station jingle you will find that what I found when researching, I incorporated into my own jingles.
As you can hear, I've included a heartbeat sound effect to reflect the station's slogan 'London's heartbeat' (which also suggests that the station is a local radio station, targeting a local audience). There is also an impact sound. Both of these effects highlight that the radio station is aimed at a younger audience of around 18-35.
Each of the rest of my jingles (for the show, for the weather and for the news) were played over the top of whatever music was playing at that time in the show. Below is the clip of the edited audio for each jingle, with the effects added (but before the music).
Each of the rest of my jingles (for the show, for the weather and for the news) were played over the top of whatever music was playing at that time in the show. Below is the clip of the edited audio for each jingle, with the effects added (but before the music).
Thursday, 10 April 2014
Evaluation - Using Conventions of Real Media Products - Introduction
As you can hear if you listen to my finished show, I have tried to use as many conventions of existing radio shows as possible to make the extract from Metro FM sound as realistic as I can.
I am going to split this part of the evaluation into three further posts - one on jingles, one on adverts and one on news - to highlight the ways that my research and planning informed my final radio show extract.
I am going to split this part of the evaluation into three further posts - one on jingles, one on adverts and one on news - to highlight the ways that my research and planning informed my final radio show extract.
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Metro FM 98.6 - Finished Radio Show
I've finished recording and editing my radio show! Here it is - I hope you enjoy it.
Now, just the evaluation to do.
Now, just the evaluation to do.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
My Final Script
Below is my final script (apologies about the spellings!) - I am now ready to record as I have chosen my actors.
The words highlighted in red are bits that I might cut out as I feel that some of the stories are a little too long.
End of Song- Happy, Pharrell
Alicia (presenter 1) ‘Perfect summertime track there from
Pharrell. Coming up on the weekend gossip, show after the news at midday, we’ve
got tracks from Foxes, Avicci and Little Mix.’
Will (presenter 2)- ‘Also we’ll bring you all the celebrity gossip from the
last week and give you the chance to win tickets to the star studded premier of
50 Shades of Grey.’
Alicia- ‘All that and much more after the news.’
Station Jingle- Metro FM 98.6 London’s heartbeat
Advert 1- Opening
song- Midnight City by M83
Voice over- Made in Chelsea, the
soundtrack, volumes 1 and 2. Featuring music from Haim, Tom Odell, The 1975,
Imagine Dragons and Kodaline. Available to buy on a 4 disk CD and to download on
iTunes. Get the soundtrack of the summer. Out Monday.
Second track- track by Haim
Third track- track by Tom Odell
Fourth track- The 1975
Fifth track- Imagine Dragons
Sixth track- Track by Kodaline
Advert
2- Scene 1
Sounds of children running around and
mum shouting frantically
Mum: 'Emma put your books in your bag,
do your coat up'
Shouting up the stairs
Mum: 'Alfie brush your teeth, you’re
going to be late for school'
Voice over: Here at Ocado we understand
that our customers lead busy lives
Scene 2
Background office sound effects,
phones ringing-the women picks up the phone
Mum: 'Crown international you’re through
to the general manager how can I help...sorry to hear that, I’ll get onto it
straight away..' (fading out)
Voice over: And often don't have the
time for a weekly shop at the supermarket
Scene 3
Sound effects of engines running,
beeping, a siren. Sound effects of dialing of a phone and someone picking up
the phone
School Teacher: 'St Georges middle
school'
Mum: 'Hi, its Judy, Emma and Alfie's
mum, I'm just stuck in terrible traffic. Would you mind looking after the
children until I get there..' (fading out)
Voice over: At Ocado we stock big named
brands alongside great value Ocado own label groceries. What's more we deliver
directly to your home, at a time that suits you.
Scene 4
Sound of car door shutting
Mum: 'Emma I’ll be back to get you at 7
after I’ve picked Alfie up from football'
Voice over: Choose from our handy 1 hour
delivery slots everyday from 6am-11:30pm
Scene 5
Sound of key in the front door,
door opening, home phone ringing and the mum picking up the phone
Mum: 'Hi mum, yeh I’ve just walked in
the door, how are you..' (fading out)
Voice over: Visit ocado.com today for an
exclusive £20 off your first Ocado shop. Ocado the online supermarket, helping
take the stress out of your day.
News
Jingle- Metro FM 98.6. News from the heart of
London
Hannah
Myers (News presenter)- ‘Hi I’m Hannah Myers
with the news at 12’
News Story 1- News reader: Police in South London have refused to rule out
abduction, as the search continues for a mute and deaf child who disappeared
from his home yesterday evening. Officers in Brixton are using
specially trained dogs in the search for
five-year-old James Jackson, who was reported missing by his parents on Friday evening after attending a
neighbour’s party. Police have said that the search for James has been complicated by the boy’s inability to
hear rescuers and to cry out for help. Brixton's chief of police, Steven Russell
spoke earlier this morning, outlining his concerns
that James's disabilities may hamper the search for him.
Steven Russell (chief of police): 'our
real worry is that James's condition makes it almost impossible to communicate
with him. If he is hurt or in potential danger he is unable to call out, and
this is obviously making the search more difficult. James has been missing for
12 hours, and it is crucial that we establish his whereabouts as quickly as
possible.'
News Story 2- News reader: The evacuation of residents of Lydd-on-Sea and New Romney
has begun this morning, after concerns regarding radiation levels following
last Monday's explosion at the Dungeness power plant in Kent.
The secretary of state for health,
Jeremy Hunt has assured the public that this is purely a precautionary measure.
Despite assurances that any radiation leaks have been contained and that there
is no threat of radiation spreading across the South East, Londoners continue
to express fears for their safety. Our health correspondent, Sam Phillips spoke
to shoppers in London’s bustling Borough Market earlier this morning.
Sam Phillips: Borough Market is as busy
today as any other Saturday, but shoppers I’ve spoken to have expressed real
concern about the lack of concrete information coming from the government about
the dangers posed by last weeks explosion. There
is real fear on the streets of London because of the capitals close proximity
to the power station. Many shoppers are concerned that they are not being told
the full facts, particularly since villages near to Dungeness have been
evacuated.
Vox Pop 1(young women): You hear stories
about how quickly radiation can spread. I've got young kids and I'm worried
about the potential harm to them if the leak isn't under control.
Vox Pop 2 (middle aged man): We
need quick, detailed information, regularly updating us about exactly what is
happening. It's the uncertainty about the dangers that spreads fear.
Vox Pop 3 (old women): It’s the most
scared i'v been since the air raids in the Second World War. I’m not sure I
believe the government but I suppose we just have to trust them.
News Story 3- Presenter- 'Hollywood super couple Harrison Keener and Kim Fraiser
have announced that they are splitting after 8 years of marriage. Rumours that
Oscar winning actress Fraiser had begun an affair with the director of her new
movie Black Romance, have been circulating on the Internet for a number of
months. The couple, however, have refused to comment
on the reasons for the split, describing it as 'amicable'. Fraiser, in London to promote the release of her latest thriller,
asked journalists at a press conference yesterday to respect her family's
privacy at what she described as 'a difficult and unsettling time'.
Press conference (Sound effects of
cameras flashing)
Kim Fraiser- 'We are parents first and
foremost, to three beautiful children and we ask for their and our space to be
respected at this time. We have tried to conduct our relationship privately and
we hope that we will be allowed to continue to do so.'
Presenter- 'Within
minutes of the announcement being released on Fraiser's official blog, the website
crashed as fans attempted to visit it. We'll
have more on this story with Alicia and Will after the news.
News
Story 4- Presenter: 'And finally, lottery
operator Camelot has confirmed radical changes to the national lottery format,
in an attempt to produce more weekly winners. This evening’s national lottery
sees the introduction of the first of four new draws that Camelot claim will
lead to a 10% rise in winners over the course of the next 12 months. Tonight’s
new game called Golden Ball will see one lucky winner guaranteed a minimum
jackpot of 10 Million Pounds and for the first time customers who match just
two numbers will receive a £10 payout. Camelot UK managing director Andy Duncan
told Metro FM that it is important that the lottery was reenergized.'
Andy Duncan (on the phone): 'The lottery
has needed fixing for a while and the prizes haven't changed significantly for
19 years. The new formats are a way of increasing the incentive to play and
actually giving players more opportunities to win more money.'
News Reader: For all the latest
information on this, and all our stories visit metrofm.co.uk/news.
Weather
Jingle and sponsor- Metro FM weather brought to you
in association with innocent smoothies, giving you two or your five a day.
News presenter- ‘Another scorching day
in London with temperatures reaching the low 30’s this afternoon. Muggy
overnight with lows of 15 degrees. For hourly weather updates in your area
visit metrofm/weather’
Station Jingle- Metro FM 98.6 London’s heartbeat
Advert
3- (Sad music, sound effects of whimpering dogs and
scratching at a door.)
Voice over- (SERIOUSE TONE)'In the UK
last year over 2000 owners were convicted of cruelty to dogs.
(SERIOUSE TONE) In the UK last year over
30,000 dogs suffered torture, starvation and neglect.
(SERIOUSE TONE) In the UK last year over
4000 dogs were rescued, having been abandoned by their owners.
(SERIOUSE TONE) This year you can make a
difference.
A donation of just £5 a month to Dogs
Trust will help rescue a dog from a life of pain and cruelty. Your help can
save a dogs life.'
(Music changes to more uptempo.)
(MORE UPBEAT TONE)
Voice over- 'Please call 08458432432 or
visit dogs trust.co.uk to help dogs like Billie, Rover and Sadie regain their
confidence and live the healthy and happy lives they deserve. (happy dogs
barking)
Donate now and help us give a happy home
to thousands of stray, abused and abandoned dogs.'
Show
Jingle- The weekend gossip show with Alicia
and Will on Metro FM 98.6. Bringing you gossip, glamour and glitz.
Alicia- ‘You’re back with Alicia and Will on the weekend gossip show. Right,
lets play some music. First up we’ve got the excellent Foxes with Youth
Beginning
of Song- Foxes, Youth
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