Some Guidelines Revisited

SOME GUIDELINES REVISITED

I was reading Ian Briggs great blog http://www.ianbriggs.com when I came across some interesting stuff on writing for radio. He’d dug up a list of guidelines for writing radio drama, issued by the BBC back in 1982. Some of the material is out of date but he wisely highlighted a few paragraphs which are as good as, if not better than, any of the BBC’s currently published guidance. I have to say that I agree and I don’t think he’ll mind if I also share them with you.

THE NATURE OF THE MEDIUM
Radio is a descriptive medium. On the surface it has obvious attractions for the writer in its very simplicity and freedom from technical restrictions. It is the medium of the word — where anything that can be described can be imagined. It can span centuries and continents and can present extremes of action and movement without the limitations imposed by the cost of sets and costumes. It can explore the recesses of a man’s mind without the problem of how to fill the rest of the stage or screen. In short, it is a medium of almost unlimited possibilities — even in times of economic stringency.

It would be wrong to assume, however, that this freedom makes it easier to write for than other media. On the contrary, it calls for a greater discipline of structure and a more precise awareness of the nuances of language than most other forms of dramatic writing. Given that the listener must be attracted and held by means of sound alone, then that sound must be constantly stimulating. The visual media can rely on a variety of stimuli — on light and colour and movement — to compel the attention. Deprived of these, the radio writer must construct mental images in the listener’s head by a careful orchestration of the only four sources at his disposal — speech, music, sound and silence. Each of these may have a proper place in the author’s original concept but of course speech is the most important. In radio, the writer must provide everything in his dialogue.

The producer can underline, heighten or embroider by skilful casting, timing and use of effects and music, but he can seldom, if ever, create from scratch an idea which is not originally planted in the dialogue. So the dialogue in a radio play will actually contain more information than is normal in everyday speech, but it should still be able to sound completely natural. It follows that radio dialogue and construction make the highest possible demands on the writer’s skill. A radio play that was simply ‘all talk’ in a conventional conversational sense would be very boring.

SOME PRACTICAL POINTS ON CONSTRUCTION
1. In radio, one abandons the convention of theatre or film in deciding the length or number of ‘scenes’. A sequence in a radio play may be several pages long or it may be simply one line. It depends on the complexity of the idea or the mental image you wish to create ‘ and should never go beyond its natural length. Of all the media, radio can most easily create boredom — and is fatally easy to switch off.

2. When nearing the end of a sequence, it is important to prepare the listeners, as subtly as possible, for the next one. It is easy enough to make a rapid change of scene from a technical point of view but the listeners need help. They have no programme and they can’t see. When the scene or viewpoint has changed, an equally subtle signpost should confirm it.

3. ‘Stage directions’ for the producer’s benefit are a temptation that should be avoided. If it’s important, it should be in the dialogue. If it’s not, then nobody need ever know.

4. It should be remembered that the listeners will always (quite involuntarily) supply their own mental images in response to what they hear. They should be given enough ideas to work on but never so many that they become restricted or confused. Radio is not a definitive medium. At all levels, it should stimulate only, so that the listener can adjust the basic idea to his or her individual experience.

5. When deciding the number of characters in a scene it should be borne in mind that the only ways of establishing someone’s presence unequivocally are either to have them speak or for them to be spoken to by name. If there are too many characters in a scene, the listeners will lose track or become confused.

6. Sound effects, either singly or in sequence should certainly be part of the writer’s concept but it is worth remembering that they need to be integrated in, and usually identified by, the dialogue. Sound effects that are ‘left to the producer’ will be hard to introduce at production stage without altering the balance of the sequence.

7. Since radio involves only one of the senses, it is important to construct each individual sequence and the play as a whole, to provide a variety of sound which will hold the listener’s attention. This variety can be achieved in lengths of sequences, number of people speaking, pace of dialogue, volume of sound, background acoustics and location of action. On radio, one room sounds very like another, if they’re roughly the same size, but the difference between in interior and an exterior acoustic is considerable. The difference between a noisy sequence with a number of voices and effects, and a quiet passage of interior monologue, is dramatic and effective.

8. There is no formula for writing a successful radio play. It requires all the basic techniques of good dramatic writing plus an imaginative awareness of the restrictions and advantages of a medium where nothing is seen. It is only by listening as often as possible to radio plays that a writer can begin to judge what works and what doesn’t.

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The BBC Writers Room and Radio Drama

The BBC Script Room and Radio
Submissions open September and October.

As you probably know The BBC Writersroom (until May 2012) has been replaced by the Script Room. This is a means by which the BBC seeks out the best new writing talent, offering writers without a track record, representation, or contacts the opportunity to have their work considered by the BBC.

Rather than accept scripts year-round in a rolling system, the BBC now has distinct submission windows for scripts which will be announced on the BBC writersroom Opportunities page throughout the year. Each call will have a deadline, and the scripts received will be assessed intensively by script readers and the Writersroom team, and a shortlist drawn up. Development opportunities will then be offered to the shortlisted group of writers.
Be warned, The BBC receives thousands of scripts every year and the competition is extremely tough.
How to submit
When Script Room is open for submissions – the dates and details on how to submit a script will be made available on the BBC writersroom Opportunities page.

The submissions are on an online basis and various talent searches are run throughout the year.

Submission windows 2014
For 2014 the BBC is accepting submissions by genre.

For Scriptroom 7 which closed in July they were accepting scripts for Cbbc dramas, suitable for kids up to 12 years of age.

Scriptroom 8 however which will be open in September and October will accept Radio and Stage Drama.

This is a great opportunity for radio drama writers to have their work read and assessed by the BBC. So now is the time to get your work ready and polished.

I would suggest that before you send anything to the BBC be sure to have your work read by a good script editor who has experience with working for radio. No-one can really accurately edit their own work and an experienced eye is always needed for an objective overview of your work.
Of course I am offering my services for this work but any experienced radio writer would be able to help you improve your work to get it ready for the BBC readers. Check my My Services page https://justwrite4radio.wordpress.com/my-services/ for more details.

What you should check
– Make sure your script is as good as you can make it and only send it in when you believe it represents the best of your writing abilities.

– Do not simultaneously send your script elsewhere at the BBC – most departments do not accept unsolicited work and will simply redirect it to us.

– Format your script as closely to industry standard as you can. They do not accept handwritten scripts and if you are sending by post – print on only one side of A4 paper. They do not penalise writers for imprecise formatting, but presenting your work appropriately suggests a professional approach and an understanding of the medium and format for which you are writing. There are script formatting programs available.

– You will be asked to provide a brief biography when submitting your script online. If there is information about your background you feel is relevant, or you have any other relevant experience, then you can include this.

For full details go the BBC Writers Room http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/send-a-script/

Good luck with your submissions and I look forward to reading your scripts.

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BBC International Playwriting Competition 2013

BBC INTERNATIONAL RADIO PLAYWRITING COMPETITION 2013
Update.

The closing date for this competition is getting close.

Entries must be in by 31st January 2014

A number of writers have sent me their plays for script editing, with a view to entering this competition. I have to say that a couple of them are very good indeed. I will be watching the results as nervously as anybody. If you are still considering sending me your play I would advise that you do so as soon as possible. The sooner I get a chance to look a them and report on them the more time you’ll have to rewrite that important draft that’s going to change your life.

Remember, there are two first prizes – the best radio play by a writer with English as their first language and the best by a writer with English as their second language. The overall winners will each receive £2000 sterling and a trip to London to see their play being recorded for broadcast on BBC World Service.

This year’s competition is run in partnership with Commonwealth Writers again with co-producers – The Open University. This has allowed them to introduce another prize – the Georgi Markov prize for the most promising script.

The playwriting competition welcomes scripts from anyone living outside the UK, whether established or new, and encourages writers to use the immense power and accessibility of the medium of radio drama – to their your story, use their imagination and have their “voice” heard.
This is a fabulous opportunity for radio playwrights from around the world to have their work produced professionally by the very best radio drama department in the world.

For Further Information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0043kb2/profiles/international-p0043kb2

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BBC International Radio Playwriting Competition 2013

International Radio Playwriting Competition 2013

By John Morrison

The BBC has announced the World Service International Radio Playwriting Competition in partnership with the British Council. The competition is now in its 24th year.

There are two first prizes – the best radio play by a writer with English as their first language and the best by a writer with English as their second language. The overall winners will each receive £2000 sterling and a trip to London to see their play being recorded for broadcast on BBC World Service.

This year’s competition is run in partnership with Commonwealth Writers again with co-producers – The Open University. This has allowed them to introduce another prize – the Georgi Markov prize for the most promising script.

The playwriting competition welcomes scripts from anyone living outside the UK, whether established or new, and encourages writers to use the immense power and accessibility of the medium of radio drama – to their your story, use their imagination and have their “voice” heard.

This is a fabulous opportunity for radio playwrights from around the world to have their work produced professionally by the very best radio drama department in the world.

I would encourage writers to make the most of this chance and to enter the competition.

Before entering the competition, make sure your play is in the best possible shape. Polish it and hone it until it you can do no more with it. Don’t simply hope that the readers will be able to see all the great stuff you intended, but which somehow isn’t on the page. The reader’s job is not to take a leap of faith and to predict the great work that might have been. His/her job is to read and be touched or moved by what’s on the page, not by what’s in your head.

To this end, have a competent working writer or script editor look over your work. None of us and I mean none of us, can read our own work in any objective way. Neither can our buddies or our families. So get the best help you can. You will see the benefits and you only get one chance.
The competition is now open for entries and the closing date is midnight GMT on the 31st January 2014.

For more information check the website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0043kb2/profiles/international-p0043kb2

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Writing for Radio. It’s Like Writing for the Movies.

Writing for Radio. It’s like Writing for the Movies.
By John Morrison

Theatre v Radio
I’ve read a couple of scripts lately where the writer has seemed a little confused as to what you can really do with a radio script. Some writers seem to think that because radio is inevitably word or dialogue driven it is therefore closer to theatre than it is to television or movies. At first the reasons for this appear obvious. Radio seems to resemble theatre, after all a stage play, properly produced for radio, loses very little in the translation to the new medium. Radio also loves the spoken word, as does theatre. The monologue or one man show, much loved by theatre, is even better on radio where the single narrating voice is right in the ear of the listener, like someone telling you a story in a bar or at a kitchen table.
Therefore some people might assume that the best way to structure a radio drama is to imitate the structure of a theatre play. For example, in theatre the locations are few with the characters coming and going, passing through a limited number of scenes. The location is fixed but the characters change. We open on a sitting room in act one, move to a bedroom for the second act and return to the sitting room for the third. However, this is most definitely not the case with radio drama.
Movies v Radio
Writers should realise that radio is much closer to movies than it is to theatre in its structure. In radio you can cut, cut, cut to different locations and different times in a manner impossible in the theatre. Although there are no visual clues in radio to tell the listener that the scene has changed we can, with dialogue, sound effects and music suggest the movement to a new scene in a way that the listener will believe. Provided we don’t overload the listener with too many voices or confusing sounds the possibilities are virtually endless in moving the action from scene to scene.
Of course some great radio plays have been set in one location and in continuous time just like a theatre play, (the movies do that also on occasion as in The Twelve Angry Men). However we should never, as radio writers, feel at all limited by the medium. The capacity for radio to conjure up new and surprising worlds is virtually endless as is radio’s ability to move us rapidly from place to place or from time to time.
Think Visually
So when you’re writing your play, try to visualise it as a movie and not a theatre play as you write. See the action unfold on a screen first and only afterwards look at how you can work the play within the radio framework and its lack of visuals. Rely on the listener to conjure up in his mind’s eye the world you are creating. I think this will generally add more drama and interest to your work. Never forget the old maxim; the only difference between radio and the movies is that radio is far more visual.

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An Introduction to Scriptwriting

009 – An Introduction to Scriptwriting

Verbal Arts – with John Morrison
Tuesdays | 7:30-9:00pm (18+ yrs) | 12 weeks: 17 Sept to 10 Dec | £90 / £82

at Crescent Arts Centre, University Road, Belfast.

“Grab ‘em by the throat and never let them go” – Billy Wilder.

This class is aimed at those beginning to write drama for radio, television, cinema or for those working in the other areas of fiction who would like to expand into scriptwriting. These interactive classes will look at the basics of story structure, character development, scene design and dialogue.

By the end of the course each participant will have written a 12 minute radio play or 10 minute short film.

For the attention of my friends and followers in Northern Ireland

I will be running this scriptwriting course in Belfast from Tuesday 17th September.

The course will be looking at all aspects of scriptwriting, including writing for television and movies but I will also also cover, in detail, writing radio drama. This is one of the few courses that includes all these media.

Check the Crescent Arts Centre website for more details.

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Tell the Story. Writing Radio Dialogue

Tell the Story
Writing Radio Dialogue.

If movie writers follow any rule, and they seldom do, it’s ‘show, don’t tell’. In other words a thing shown always has more impact than something said. This is generally the case. In radio however we can’t show anything, there are no pictures, so just about everything has to be said. The rule becomes ‘tell, tell, tell’.

In radio, dialogue has to do much more than in any other dramatic medium. It has to carry the plot forward, portray the characters, place them in time and space, provide the props and paint the scenery. All of this without the advantage of a safety net. Of course dialogue can be aided by sound effects and music but these cannot, on their own, tell the story. They can back up the words and create mood and atmosphere but can’t give us the amount of detail needed to deliver a plot for example.

The job of the writer becomes one of artful manipulation of language to set the scene in a naturalistic way and introduce the required narrative detail while still creating something that sounds like real conversation. This can be very difficult. If Uncle Jack enters and we need to introduce him, the writer must find ways of saying something other than ‘Here comes Uncle Jack’. The best way to do this, as in all revelation of story or back-story, is to find a conflict somewhere in the scene. If for example someone says ‘Here comes that two-faced swindler Uncle Jack’ the listener will be interested without realising he’s being fed necessary information.

When we design our cast we must also be careful not to have characters who are too much alike. In movies and television we can easily see who a character is and rely on sight alone to differentiate between each player. In radio we don’t have that luxury. We have to use voice to set them apart. If, for example, you have written a play or a scene involving three teenage girls from the same background it will be very difficult for the listener to work out who is who.

Without sounding too simplistic it is best to have scenes in which a man talks to woman, or Russian talks to Englishman, or street kid talks to toff etc, etc. This is not always possible and I’m not suggesting you give your characters speech impediments or make them Spanish for no good reason, but clever use of cast design can greatly help your play. My first play for Radio 4, Macmorris, involved four minor characters from Shakespeare’s HenryV. They are all soldiers of about the same age. This could have been a nightmare for radio. However the four are, an Englishman, a Scotsman, a Welshman and an Irishman. They are immediately recognisable by their accents and the audience needs no introduction to understand who they are. In fact I hadn’t planned it that way but discovered the simplicity of this while working on the script. It’s a lesson I haven’t forgotten.

Do not overlook the potential of monologue on radio either. A voice-over narration or a soliloquy takes on new power when delivered by a radio actor directly into our ear. The one-to-one feel of a radio drama can be therefore exploited for dramatic force. There have indeed been successful radio plays for one voice only but I think monologues are best reserved for moments when no other way of driving the story can be found. In that situation, the full power of the monologue and English words can be turned to full dramatic advantage.

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A Book List for Radio Writers

A BOOKLIST FOR RADIO DRAMA WRITERS

There are those who believe that somehow writing can’t be taught, it’s instinctive. They hold that writers are born not made. Well maybe James Joyce or Graham Greene were born writers but for the rest of us writing is hard work, a job of honing the craft and learning from everything that went before. Playwrights aren’t called playwrites. They are play makers and like craftsmen must learn their trade and practice it every day to stay in order to compete in the market place.

For the radio dramatist the best way to learn is to listen to as many plays as possible. Familiarise yourself with the methods, the techniques used, the themes, the rhythms, the dialogue, and everything that goes in to the making of a play. After this read as many scripts as possible. Radio scripts aren’t as commonly available as movie scripts but they are there if you look hard enough. The BBC Writers Room website has a section devoted to television and radio scripts, so click on that site and absorb as many plays in the original formatting as possible.

Then there are the how-to manuals. Again some people dismiss these as unnecessary. I couldn’t disagree more. There is plenty to be learned from these books for both the beginning writer and the experienced professional. A writer is constantly learning and if you only find a few useful ideas in an instructional book then that’s maybe enough. The writer’s mind must constantly be open.

The shelves of bookshops today groan under the weight of scriptwriting manuals for movies and television. Guides for radio are harder to find.

These are a few that I have found useful over the years. They are in no particular order.

Writing for Radio by Rosemary Hortsman
This is a basic text covering all aspects of writing for radio. It includes, as an appendix, the text of ‘This Gun in my Right Hand is Loaded’ the spoof play written by Timothy West to show how radio writing should not be done.
This book is, I think, out of print but here’s a tip, it’s currently available on Amazon at 1p. Get it.

Radio Drama by Tim Crook
This is possibly the most intellectual work on Radio Drama. It’s a highly opinionated but very enjoyable read. He brings in Roland Barthes and structuralism so that’s the territory we’re in. The work includes an excellent critical examination of ‘Spoonface Steinberg’, Lee Hall’s brilliant radio play.

Writing for Radio by Vincent McInerney
McInerney goes into the philosophy of radio writing and examines the theoretical aspects. He covers not only drama, but short stories, documentaries, drama documentaries and poetry. There is also a section on radio advertising.

Writing for Radio by Shaun McLoughlin
McLoughlin’s is an authoritative work, as he spent over twenty years as a drama producer in BBC Bristol. There’s a lot of anecdotal material among the practical advice. As well as dealing with writing, there are sections on directing radio plays and acting on radio.

Radio Drama Handbook by Richard J. Hand

Radio Scriptwriting by Sam Boardman-Jacobs

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Coming Up on BBC Radio4

New Drama on Radio 4

Watch out for two cracker shows to be broadcast soon on BBC Radio 4.
These are two must-hear programmes for radio scriptwriters.

The first, Neverwhere is radio drama at it’s best and the second, Rhymes of Passion is the fascinating story of the fierce love affair between poets Eizabeth Smart and George Barker. Don’t miss them.

NEVERWHERE

Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.

An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.

So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of ‘Mind the Gap’ takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl’s Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.

Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.

A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman’s novel adapted by Dirk Maggs for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbens, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.

Beginning on March 16, 2013,[1] BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4 Extra will broadcast a new six-episode production of Neverwhere.[2] It will be available for worldwide replay on BBC iPlayer.
The one-hour pilot will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on March 16, 2013 with five half-hour episodes following on BBC Radio 4 Extra between March 18, 2013 and March 22, 2013.

The Show was produced in Belfast by Heather Larmour who had the brilliant idea of adapting the book for radio and was the brains behind getting the project produced.

RHYMES OF PASSION

About the Show
Laura Barton tells the story of the passionate, obsessive love affair that inspired the extraordinary poetic novel By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept.

Elizabeth Smart chanced across a book of poems by George Barker in a Charing Cross Road bookshop in 1939. It intoxicated her so much that she decided to marry him there and then, whoever he was. She tracked him down in Japan and embarked on an affair that would last for two decades and which led to Smart bearing four of Barker’s 15 children.

She would also produce the passionate prose poem By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept detailing the affair. It was an underground success when it was published in the 1940s but became both celebrated and reviled by the generation of feminists in the late 1960s.

Some might say Smart is an appalling role model for women, as she seemed utterly submissive to Barker. She was a single working mother of four in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. She moved to Europe in wartime and went on to become the highest paid copywriter in London. In many ways she was ahead of her time.

In this programme, Laura Barton discovers the real story behind By Grand Central Station… — a story of deceit and disappointment, but also, overridingly, of intense and passionate love.

Featuring Christopher Barker, Elspeth Barker, Sebastian Barker, Robert Fraser, Rosemary Sullivan and Fay Weldon.

Producer: Martin Williams.

The play will be broadcast on Monday 11th March 2013 at 11.00pm on BBC Radio 4.

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More Great Links-Radio Reviews

Some more great links.

Radio Drama Reviews

Radio drama takes up a fair chunk of BBC Radio 4 and some of Radio 3 yet good reviews, indeed reviews of any kind, are hard to find. Most of the national daily papers have radio reviewers, but radio drama fights for attention among the vast output of all radio. Most daily papers will select a strong play for a preview mention if that individual radio correspondent is impressed. Reviews of the broadcast plays however are harder to find.

To some extent the internet has filled this gap and a couple of interesting, if somewhat eccentric sites are well worth logging on to.

http://www.radiodramareviews.com/

This is a wonderfully entertaining site maintained by Laurence Raw, a man with a genuine passion for radio drama. He has reviewed virtually every radio play on air since January 2008. His reviews also include book readings and short stories. This site is unputdownable. It is also an invaluable resource with an A-Z listing of all radio plays and dramatists broadcast in this period.

http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/RADIO1.HTML

You won’t have seen a site quite like this. The Diversity Website is devoted to the plays and drama broadcast on BBC Radio. You will find information about the plays, authors and directors, as well as some information about plots and actors. It has been online since 2002. The site is maintained by Nigel Deacon and, in case you have broader interests, you will also find good advice on a range of topics including, potatoes, wine-making and Go Kart racing! Where would we be without sites like this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews

The Daily Telegraph, of all the national newspapers, probably takes most interest in radio and Gillian Reynolds is a top class reviewer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2013/feb/09/real-george-orwell-down-out-review

I don’t know why it is but women tend to make the best radio critics (any suggestions why this should be, on a postcard please) and my favourite by far is Miranda Sawyer in the Observer. She has a natural feel for the medium and is always incisive and controversial. This is important as many people regard radio as somehow safe and homely when it can be anything but. This is a link to one of her best recent reviews. (If she wasn’t such an unrelenting feminist I’d be in love). Joke, Miranda. Honest. You are the best.

http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/tv-radio/

The best place for reviews of broadcast plays is at The Stage website. They review almost all dramas broadcast and are read eagerly by listeners and radio scriptwriters alike.

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