Codes and Conventions of radio dramas:
- an episode can have no more than 6 characters otherwise this would be confusing for the listenener
-Structure; is set up...struggle...resolution. You can reverse this if the set-up is more dramatic and explosive than the resolution.the play is regarded as a series of phases
-Dialogue; this is what engages the listener dramatically with the world. Characters inform, argue, amuse, outrage, argue through the ebb and flow of dialogue. Great radio plays are made.....by talking in dramatic dialogue.
-A radio play has scenes like a stage play, It is useful to think of a scene as a sequence. One sequence, or scene, might consist of one line of dialogue, or it might just consist of a crucial sound effect (know as FX)
-every bit of speech must help the plot move in some direction, increasingly involving the listener as it does.
-need to think about sound effects, music, and, something rarely appreciated by the inexperienced writer, silence. Silence can convey a variety of things: suspense, anxiety, tranquillity. Pauses also help listeners take in what they have heard and help prepare for what happens next.
-A variety of sounds is essential for holding the listeners' attention and engaging their interest. This variety can be achieved by altering the length of sequences, the number of people speaking, the pace of the dialogue and location of action.
-Sound Effects These should be used sparingly and effectively. They can be used functionally, e.g. door opening, or to create a mood, e.g. dogs barking in the distance on waste-land. If used to excess they become tedious and pointless.
-Radio plays must run to exact lengths as the programme schedule is always fixed.