Voices
I recommend using between 2 or 3 voices maximum for your short script. This will create variety and this will be interesting to any listeners - your audience. It's also a commentary opportunity to show that you are aware of the genre convention of radio broadcasts.
I recommend using between 2 or 3 voices maximum for your short script. This will create variety and this will be interesting to any listeners - your audience. It's also a commentary opportunity to show that you are aware of the genre convention of radio broadcasts.
Examiners are concerned primarily with the text of your script. They will focus most of their attention on the main body of the text. However a simple wide margin will enable you to write simple notes under a heading like 'Conventions / Speaker' and then the main body of your text in the rest of the page.
Conventions
Consider such things as main presenter, witness / expert witness / member of the public, sound effects, direct address to the audience, title music, historic evidence - like past news bulletins or extracts of interviews,
Consider such things as main presenter, witness / expert witness / member of the public, sound effects, direct address to the audience, title music, historic evidence - like past news bulletins or extracts of interviews,
Use one or a maximum
of two sound effects in your recast text. Perhaps use one at the beginning
and one at the end of your extract. Remember that you are being assessed on
your use of written language; however one very clear way of getting marks is to
identify the genre of a recast text. One straight forward way of achieving this
is to adopt its layout and the conventions - a way in which something is
usually done. By quoting the conventions of a recast text you will be preparing
for a good commentary paragraph. For example
Conventions / Speaker
|
Text
|
Voice of invigilator announcing the start of an exam. Sound of shuffling
students / papers
|
The time is now 9.30 this exam lasts two and a half hours. You can
turn over the question paper now
|
Jeremy Paxman – [Presenter]
|
Well it’s that time of year again where all over the country students
are sitting their exams. I have with me in the studio today……..
|
Commentary extract
I used a recording of
the start of an exam to draw the listener’s attention to the subject matter of
the documentary. I wrote this declarative in note form because it’s part of the
convention of radio script writing, ‘Sound of shuffling students / papers’ to make the programme sound realistic
and to add tension for the listeners. I thought the sound effects would draw
their attention.
Have a look at the way sound effects are used in the example
documentary script I’ve reproduced.
But remember not to spend very much time on the layout and
conventions. It says in the assessment objectives, ‘Convincing use of form with
sustained evidence of audience and purpose being addressed. ‘ The term ‘form’
here relates to layout and conventions. The references to ‘audience and purpose’ will be dealt with using language.
I think if you use the margin in the answer book of the exam
to place conventions and speaker information , that would be enough.
Click here for a link to a radio documentary script. Notice the layout of the script is different from the one above. Perhaps you'd prefer to use this layout.
Click here for a link to a radio documentary script. Notice the layout of the script is different from the one above. Perhaps you'd prefer to use this layout.
