TFM1630 - WRITING BROADCAST RADIO PLAY SCRIPTS

Module Identifier

TFM1630

Module Title

WRITING BROADCAST RADIO PLAY SCRIPTS

Academic Year

2006/2007

Co-ordinator

Terence F Bailey

Semester

Semester 2

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Essay 2,500 words:	30%
Semester Assessment	10/15 minute collaborative playscrips to be performed and recorded in class	30%
Semester Assessment	First 10 minutes of a long-form radio play with full synopsis	40%
Supplementary Assessment	Resits of assignments, when necessary, will follow the same structure but will not include assessment two and will follow a different topic/creative structure.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

To conduct a close critical analysis of the extent and depth of a radio play script.
To understand the way in which the interaction between the audience and play is achieved through such elements as pace and rhythm.
To organise and realise a practical demonstration of the styalistic, methodological and representational requirements of writing radio drama.
To be able to use personal experience to create and embellish dramatic form while simultaneously making good use of rigorous methods of investigation and analysis of other works.
To create a radio playscript with more than one layer of meaning and awareness and to be aware of the different requirements of long and short form productions.

Content

The course will involve listening to a number of radio plays and analysing their effectiveness for the medium.

Seminar Topics

Finding a strong idea and identifying where it will take you at the end of a radio play
Creating landscapes
Finding a holding form: Structure
Characterisation
Language. Making Choices
Having something to say. Telling a story
Leaving room for the listener
Adaptation
Readings of student work
Two tutorials

Aims

This module provides the student with the means to explore the creative process of writing for Broadcast Radio Drama. The course will explore and critique the different techniques involved specifically for writing a piece of drama for the ear

Brief description

The student will be given the specific skills to develop short form radio drama scripts. It is expected that a selection of these students will choose to develop their ideas into a long-form script in semester three of the degree scheme.

Module Skills

Research skills	The essay and script writing assignments will reflect the student¿s ability to read widely and to listen critically to radio broadcasts. They will have to apply this knowledge to make informed decisions about their own work.
Communication	Person to person communication and presentation skills will be actively developed in the seminars. The collaborative production of a radio play will be the most obvious example of this
Improving own Learning and Performance	Students are expected to drive their own learning and to develop their own unique creative approaches
Team work	This is indirectly assessed through the production of the radio play in class.
Information Technology	Students will be required to make full use of the library facilities and master the computer-based script formats.
Personal Development and Career planning	For those students wishing to develop the craft of radio script writing, they will be encouraged to develop their ideas onto a broader canvas of a 45 minute play in semester three of the degree scheme.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Ash, W. The Way to Write Radio Drama Elm Tree Books
Crissell, A., (1986) Understanding Radio Methuen
Crook, T., Radio Drama Theory and Practice Routledge
Drakakis, J., (1981) British Radio Drama Cambridge University Press
Gough, L., Three Plays ( Crossing the Bar, Head, Our Lady of Shadows) Seren
Guielgud, V., (1981) British Radio Drama Cambridge University Press
Guralnick, E.S., Sight Unseen Ohio University
Horstman, R., Writing for Radio Black
McWhinnie, D., (1959) The Art of Radio Drama Faber and Faber
Rattigan, D., Theatre of Sound. Raio and th Dramatc Imagination Garysfort Press

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7