Audio Drama Blog Post 

WEEK 1

This week for audio drama my group (Group 4, Baby Blue) came together to finalize the changes in the script that we wanted to make. As we are all script editors we have done this as a group adding in and changing the lines as well as the staging directions. We then got the opportunity to go into the studio and act out one of the scenes from our play, as the director I got to direct another group with our play. This was very helpful as it seems quite easy when you think you’ll be the director just telling people what to do. But when it comes down to it there are many more things which needs to be thought about for the play to sound and feel authentic. For example where they stand in the room and while the scene is going on that they are actually doing something rather than just standing there and reading the lines. We also got a feel of what else to change after performing the scene. Such as splitting up and adding in new scenes as it wouldn’t work in the recording process, from the actors leaving one room and entering another. So we added a scene 6 so that we can stop and rearrange the set to make sure it sounds that all the actors and child are in the same room. I feel like we are ready to record and are ready for the challenge of trying to complete it in two and a half hours.

WEEK 2 

This week for audio drama my group (Group 4, Baby Blue), we came together and fully finished the scripts as last week we mainly focused on the final scene as it was the longest. We met early and sat all day and figured out everything to do with the script, we edited together and made all the stage directions and changes to the actual words and made them a different color so that we can easily discuss this with the actors when we have to record on Friday. We also slowly ran through each scene blocking out where we would want the actors to stand and say their lines or even if they’re walking and saying their lines. We also decided to talk through the scripts and read the lines out like the actors would, so that we could give ourselves of a time frame for how long each scene would take to record and direct so that on the day we don’t run over and hopefully will stick to the plan.

Week 3 

This week was the recording week, for preparation for this week I re-read over the script to make myself familiar with what is going to happen in each scene and to know what props that we need to have. So once we went over the prop list we all went into the google doc and highlighted what item we would be bringing. So I brought in a speaker which was used as a baby monitor and a baby rattle as well as my waterproof coat. Before our session started we received the printed scripts and highlighted each one for the different character that was playing each part. We had a bit of a delay when briefing the actors on the scripts due to one of the actors arriving late. Once they were all in the studio I sat down with the actors and talked through what the play was about and I broke down how each character is feeling in each scene and why they are feeling this emotion. It went well I believed and I left with the confidence that the actors knew there characters and the play and how each scene should play out. When it came down the actually recording the audio drama itself I believe it went very well with the team chipping in and helping out. We ran into some hurdles with the props and how we were going to use them as. As a team, we blocked out each scene and how the props would have been used but when we came down to the actual recording it didn’t go as we planned due to equipment being left in the booth and the table being too low but we quickly dealt with the situation and move on with the scenes. We finished all the scenes bang on the two and a half hour mark and we were all happy with the recordings that we got. Now onto the editing.

Week 4

This week we came together quickly and listened through all the scenes and all the cuts that we had so that we could put together the ones that we wanted to use. We started off with the decision that all three of us would sit there and edit the audio drama together as a three, but after talking to Jeremy and within ourselves we came to the conclusion that it would take a lot longer and if we had different views on how it should be edited we wouldn’t get it done to the best that it could be. So we decided that Kaylee would go away and edit the sound effects into the audio drama and then the following Friday we would come together as a team listen through it again and then make more edits to what Pulama and I think should be changed.

Week 5 

Friday 29th-We decided to meet so that could listen over what Kaylee had edited. We did this not all the scenes were edited so I took on the task to edit together scene four which is the scene where Stanley and Eva are in the coffee shop. I layered up the audition session adding in different sound effects while making sure that I got the emotion and feel of the scene across. After editing scene four I left but while being away over the weekend I said I will edit together scene 5 & 6.

Monday 1st- I edited together scene 5 on Sunday 31st March which was the longest scene out of the whole audio drama. This took some time as I had to layer up the whole scene as well as adding the effect of the baby monitor on some of the audio files while tightening it together so the whole scene flowed very well. I also edited together the final scene which was scene 6. So all together I edited together scene 4,5 and 6 (3 out of the 6 scenes). As well as directing the play as well as being a script editor along with Kaylee and Pulama I was happy to take on editing half of the play as I enjoy audio editing.

By William Hambidge

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