Radio Today

Many people argue that radio is slowly dying out, however it is more widely accessible in these modern days, with media progression such as internet radio and DAB.

People seem to listen to the radio much more with their internet access as many more radio stations are available to them, rather than just a few. Radio has improved and increased massively over the last few years which is proof in itself that radio is not a dying breed.

The main aim is to attract many more younger listeners. BBC Radio One seems to be the most popular radio channel within teenagers when conducting research on what teenagers most like the best on the radio.

One thing that is very apparent when looking at radio in the present day is the fact that radio dramas are perhaps losing interest within a younger generation. This is something my group and I took into consideration during the creative processes of our radio drama. We wanted to create something that would challenge this and bring in new audiences that the radio is certainly lacking in.

Overall it is very clear to see that radio is still very popular and will continue to be, it is just individual aspects that radio institutions need to keep in mind when trying to maintain their audiences, such as promoting to the right people.

Under the Mushroom Cloud: Final Version

Evaluation 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I have used many different media technologies all throughout this media coursework. The main one is this blog. The use of a blog helped me keep organise and keep a track of what had been done and what needed to be improved. Using a blog was also an easy way to upload different types of media format such as videos, images and text. This helped massively with my coursework and was a much easier way to view anything. A blog also meant that I could present my work online and it would be easily accessible 24/7 on a mac, laptop, desktop computer and even my phone! It was also much easier to update over time.

Another form of internet technologies in social networking, I used Facebook to gain lots of audience feedback on not only my radio drama but on my ancillary texts also. This was easier for people to evaluate my work as they could just comment and I would have the feedback to view at any time. Using social networking also helped promote to my target audience and gain feedback from the appropriate people.

I also used alot of sophisticated software throughout the process of production. I used Soundtrack Pro, Photoshop and InDesign to create all three of my products. My skills using these programmes developed massively over time and I feel like I would be much more confident using these programs if I was to ever do this again as I am now much more familiar with them. All these programs helped in such a massive way and I feel like I would not be able to create products to an appropriate standard without these pieces of software.

I also learnt to use a piece of software called CELTX in the planning stages of the script. This is a script-writing software that can help create a script layout at a professional level. This helped massively when learning about script-writing and how to produce a script layout.

I also used youtube in all stages of the coursework, creating various videos on Windows Movie Maker and uploading them onto youtube then converting them to be used on this blog. I had never used youtube to upload videos and now this has broadened my mind and skills around it and I think that I will use it much much more as from now on!

Finally I also used digital technology when it came to photography, I used a DSLR camera which helped massively in my photography skills and quality. I had a kind of 'tutorial' on how to use such a camera by my sister who does photography in her spare time. She taught me all the correct settings and buttons and again my mind was broadened when using digital technology.

In the research stages I used many forms of media, such as magazines and the internet. I found so much information on radio conventions, the history of radio and on individual radio dramas online. I also managed to listen to various dramas using Iplayer which helped in the initial research and planning skills.

Overall, I feel that I utilised and developed many different skills by using various forms of media technology and this was really reflected in my final products.

Evaluation: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The audience feedback that we recieved on our radio drama was fairly positive and quite high. We gained an average of 7/8 out of 10 on 'Under the Mushroom Cloud'. The majority of the comments were very successful and overall we are very pleased with the outcome. People very much liked the narrative, with the massive twist at the end, this seemed to entice listeners and they wanted to know more. We were also complimented on our choice of genre as sci-fi and post apocolyptic themes are very popular when it comes to television and movies but are somewhat missed when considered for radio dramas.

There were a few minor faults with our drama, but these were justified and in the final processes we decided not to change anything. We were criticised on Nick's Scottish accent, saying that it was an unintentional comedy element, however we felt that we wanted to portray his accent in a very loud, brash and over-the-top way as this was to reflect his character. Another criticism was the acting quality, however we felt in a real situation we would be able to have real actors and actresses to bring our script to life and up the quality massively.

The feedback for my poster was generally positive. The feedback felt that the poster campaign reflected the drama very well and audiences would be enticed to learn more just from the poster. I was also complimented on my photography skills and that the colour scheme and theme were very sophisticated and that of a high quality. However, audiences felt that perhaps the use of photoshop skills were maybe a little bit amateur. I agree with this as my Photoshop skills are not perfect and I tried as hard as I can and learnt alot more about photoshop for this task than I have ever learnt before.

My double page spread was also recieved very well. The comments I recieved were very positive and a couple of people even suggested that it wouldn't look out of place in a real magazine! I feel that my writing itself was that of a high quality. From my audience feedback, I also learnt that the photographs complimented the double page spread very well and the links were very clear from that of the ancillary task 1.

Overall I have learnt that perhaps I could improve on my skills, technology wise, such as InDesign and Photoshop, and this would make my work look much more professional. However my creative process and ideas were very well recieved.

Evaluation: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

My aim was for my ancillary texts to have a theme that ran with both of them that complimented the main product as this would really sell it to our target audience. I think the outcome is that it could work well and could rake in a large number of listeners. I feel that both the ancillary texts are eye-catching and both are relatable to the main product itself, they were well thought through and not just 'thrown-together' with no thought or creative process being taken into account, this shows in both the advert and the newspaper article as they both are very similar. This was done as a marketing strategy so that for viewers it would be easily recognisible and could create a buzz around 'Under the Mushroom Cloud', and could therefore even lead to a viral marketing campaign.

I feel that the poster could work as a persuader to entice people and hopefully gain a bigger audience, this would then bring people to the article and readers would want to read on if they have previously seen a newspaper poster to promote this very product. The end result of this would be that the main product would be listened to by a vast audience.

I feel that all three products work very well together and compliment each other and all can bring in a slightly different audience and create much bigger target audiences if we got it out there enough. The double page feature gives much more information and could hopefully be the decider to readers.

After much audience feedback on all three products, I feel that these campaigns can work successfully. The majority of feedback I recieved was very positive with many people saying that even just after seeing the poster they would be enticed to listen to the drama. The majority of people are suggested that both ancillary texts worked very well and they could see the connection and links between both the poster and the double page spread.

Evaluation: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our radio drama 'Under the Mushroom Cloud' uses many conventions and theories. It uses conventions such as emotional music, extravagent sound effects and specific things such as 'fake radio broadcasts' with inspiration taken from radio dramas such as War of the Worlds. We also used accents in our dialogue which conformed with general radio codes and conventions, for example Nick's scottish accent reflects his personality and can be more memorable for the audience. Using accents can also show diversity between characters on the radio when visuals are not produced. We also had a very strong narrative and created lots of tension with our action filled plot which again is another narrative convention. We also conformed to many theorists in our radio drama such as Propp, we used many of the various characters Vladimir Propp stated that should be in a drama, such as the hero and the villain.

However we also challenged codes and conventions by including a twist, this completely took apart the theory of the equilibrium by Todorov as we have an 'agent of disruption', however he won and owned the rest of the narrative, therefore we didn't use the classic 'hollywood' narrative and have a happy ending and a new equilibrium. We also didn't include scene changes which is another convention, we felt this distracted from the actual radio drama itself.

As I did extensive research into real media products which were similar to ours, I managed to conform and challenge and learn the codes and conventions for all the tasks such as the radio drama, poster and newspaper article. Because of this, I feel that I was able to create the tasks of that to a higher level and to a near proffessional level as I had a basis to work on.

My poster and double page spread take many conventions of real media products such as titles, photography and colour schemes. I took many influences and inspirations from real media products such as NME and radio covers for CDs. I also looked in newspapers and magazines at feature film adverts to get some knowledge on layout and how to make a magazine advert or article look professional and sophisticated.

Overall, I feel that my products used and developed conventions of real media products rather than challenge them. Although the conventions we did challenge, I feel they worked in an effective way and could make my products seem much more original and memorable for an audience.

Running date and details

As Under the Mushroom Cloud is a six part drama, it will run for a course of six consecutive weeks. Each episode will air on a saturday night as this is when the majority of our target audience will be available, e.g not at work etc. Doing this means our listening figures can be much higher and we can appeal to our ideal audience. It would air on Radio 4 Extra as we believe this is the channel that the majority of our target audience would listen to.

Final Version

This is my final version of my double page spread:

Screenshots of Development

I used Photoshop and InDesign to create my double-page spread and over the week that I produced this, I took various different screen shots to show my progress and how my article developed over time.

I first took my image and changed the contrasts of the photograph to make it black and white as I wanted my double-page spread to have a level of sophistication and high quality. I then added the title text and carefully chose the fonts and colour schemes to compliment each other. On the opposite page, I decided to create my article by using columns and keep my text looking very proffessional as this was my aim from the double-page spread. I felt the article was looking a bit plain so I decided to add quotes (which is a key magazine conventions) and a strip on the very right hand side to add a suitable image. For the image I picked one of my friend Josh looking in despair, I changed the contrast and saturations on photoshop and then placed the photograph into InDesign and placed appropriately. Finally, I also added a memorable quote from the radio drama on top of the photograph. "Stay alert, stay vigilant and most importantly, stay safe", I think this gives a real indication to readers of what the drama could be about and would make them want to listen even more.

Photography for double page spread

For our double page spread we have to use original images. I decided to get some of my friends and let them play the characters and we went on a hunt to find suitable locations that would compliment the layout on the double page spread! Here are some unedited photographs I took:

Rough Layout

This is my rough layout of my double page spread:



I tried to keep the theme close to the poster and the radio drama itself, and I also wanted the colour scheme to be sophisticated and that of a high quality. Just like the articles from NME that I analysed I wanted an eye-catching photograph that could cover one whole page which would compliment the text.

Analysis of double page spreads

I looked at NME Magazine to anaylise different types of double page spreads and articles to help me in the creative process and learn the codes and conventions of a double page spread.




This article would be aimed at young adults and teenagers. There are many eye-catching conventions used in this particular article. There is a bright and bold image of Lily Allen which covers one entire page, this is very eye-catching and immediately lets us know who the article is about. The text is very bland and small, but the image and title alone make you want to read. The title is just a quote from the interview but it is in such a creative way, in a exciting and bold font, this immediately makes me want to carry on and read the rest of the double page spread.




This article would be aimed at the same target audience as the previous double page spread, however the layout is very different. The colour scheme is a main convention in this article, the black, white and red give it a very sophisticated feel. However there are a lot more images in this one, than the Lily Allen one. The pictures seem to be the main focus rather that the title or the text. Just like the Lily Allen article, there is a photograph that covers the whole of one page and the title is a quote from the interview. All these features are very eye-catching and memorable.






This article takes a different approach to the previous one. Instead of there being lots of images, they stick with one main, eye-catching photograph and it is immediately clear who and what this article is about. The title is also the main focus. 'Carl Takes Aim' is written in absolutely huge font and takes up well over half the page and leaves very little room for any text for the actual article, which I think is a very unsuccessful approach to take, as the text itself is the most important when you're trying to promote something.

Details of advert placement

I think that the advert placement should be in The Times newspaper as our target audience would be that of a more higher demographic and economic social class. However our target age would be that of a younger adult audience, which we hope we could represent through our posters, which could attract the right audience of listeners in The Times newspaper compared to other broadsheets. The Times covers all areas of the media industry and if the advert was placed in perhaps a weekend edition, I think we would be able to promote to the best possible audience.

Rest of the groups posters

This is Joe Frost's poster for Under the Mushroom Cloud:







This is Alex Martin's poster for Under the Mushroom Cloud:

Final Version

Here is my final poster:

Screenshots of Development

Over the period of making my poster, I took various different screenshots to show my progression over the task and how I made this poster:

I wanted to create a black and white scene of destruction to show the sheer scale of a nuclear fallout, I used Photoshop to make my poster. The original photograph I took myself and changed the levels and contrast to change it into black and white. I then added some saturation and distortion on the picture to make it looks a bit 'grainy'. I then cut a photo of a nuclear explosion out and cut very carefully all round the edges to then transfer onto my original photo using various different layers. I then put the two photos together and merged them. I then used the blur tool to make the explosion look more realistic and make it look like it has actually occured. After opening a different layer, I added the Radio 4 extra logo and then added the text. The text lets the audience know about the radio drama and when they can listen to it. However, I didn't want to give too much away about the drama, just enough to entice the audience in and make them want to listen.

Photography for Poster

For the poster we had to use original images, so I got my camera and walked around my village to see if I could find any locations that looked 'derelict' enough and I could use in my poster to add a nuclear explosion! Here are a few unedited photographs I took:

Rough Design

This is my rough design for the poster. I decided I wanted the key focus of the poster to be a nuclear explosion, and for the text to be included into the explosion. I also knew at this stage that I wanted the poster to be a black and white theme, using conventions from the poster research I had conducted previously.

Analysis of 3 posters

After finishing the radio drama, we had to make a poster advertising our drama 'Under the Mushroom Cloud'. I found some adverts for various radio dramas and analysed them to give me an idea of what must be included within an advert.

This is an advert for 'Star Wars - the original radio drama'. The background is very plain and black but reflects the nature of the drama, for example it is set in space. The title text is very bold, extravegant and eye-catching. This was probably done on purpose so that the audience could be captured immediately. The image of the space ship also reflects the context of the radio drama. This can let the audience know the genre straight away. The audience will already know it is a sci-fi radio drama before tuning in.

This is an advert for the popular radio drama 'The Archers'. The background is very plain and is just a landscape, this might reflect to the nature of the plot, but at a quick glance it looks totally unrelated until you read the text. The text suggests it is at a farm which justifies the background. The image is of two main characters and this indicates that the drama is set around them. The title text is also very large which is immediately eye-catching. However, Overall I don't think this advert is successful as it just looks 'thrown-together'.

This is an advert for the hit radio drama 'War of the Worlds'. The genre is horror/sci-fi and I think this advert reflects that and would make the audience very aware of what the drama was about. The image shows alien life, technology and destruction. The title is also very eye-catching and the background is very dark, implying that the plot and content itself is also very dark.

Screenshots

From the editing process on Soundtrack Pro, I took some screenshots to see how my progress developed over a few weeks.

Youtube Video

Listening Party

During the production process we got an amazing oppurtunity for some feedback. We held a listening party with a large group of students and they were asked to give an honest evaluation of our radio drama. The general feedback from the students that we recieved was that they thoroughly enjoyed our work. We asked them to rate it out of 10 with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, the majority gave us a 7/8 out of 10. The response we got as a group was that they loved our ideas and really connected with the piece, and felt that it was realistic. However, we also gained some constructive criticism from the listening party. The main negative response we got was that perhaps the acting could have been that of a more higher standard! We also had comments over Nick's scottish accent, and some individuals found it slightly comedic. This was not our aim at all, as this didn't compliment our genre one bit. However, we felt we justified this critique, We used this accent to show the diversity within the different characters. We felt his strong accent also came him some dominance which is what we were aiming for in the start of the narrative. Overall, we recieved mainly positive feedback and the majority liked our radio drama and would listen to more of it.

Edited Sound Clips

This is a sound clip that has been altered in Soundtrack Pro, the voice levels have been changed, parts have been cut and suitable SFX have been added.

Un-edited sound clips

This is a sound clip that is un-edited and before any sound effects were added.