Pre-production Tips | Sponsoring Adult's Role | Sound Bites
Content Guidelines
The following material points out items to consider as you are planning your production.
All members of your production, including the sponsoring adult, should be familiar with this information.Productions entered in SoundWaves~Wisconsin Youth Radio Festival can be, but are not limited to:
original drama
dramatic adaptation
documentary
interview
public service announcement
Before you Begin, some tips from the Judges:
- Adhere to the time limit. (PSA-1 minute, all others-10 minutes).
- Be creative with the title of your production. Make it catchy and appropriate.
- Use background music in moderation; too much can distract the listener.
- Select your entry category carefully and reevaluate it after production to make sure it adheres to that category. (Some entries, despite being excellent, entered in the wrong category and hence were not considered.)
- FYI: Audacity is an open-source tool for recording and editing audio files. It can be used for podcast creation, digital storytelling, interviews, etc.
It supports multiple sound tracks, and is easy to use.
Go to: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ to download. - Have fun!
Original dramas include any dramatic production written by you or your friends.
Both the story line and the script must be your own ideas.
A good story involves conflict between people, between people and natural or supernatural forces, or between a person and his or her own thoughts. Stories also can center around
animals or objects, real or invented. The dialog must be clear. Listeners should be able to
"see" each character by the way the character speaks.
A good radio drama has a beginning that captures the listener's attention. The middle part tell about the problem(s) created by the conflict(s) you have chosen for your story. The end of the drama should resolve the problem(s) in such a way that no loose ends are left and the listener has a sense of conclusion.
Dramatic adaptations include an exciting part of a book, a scene from a play, as well as a
poem or short story. You may want to use a narrator to introduce your story and to create
word pictures of the action not directly expressed in the dialog. Try to have as much of your drama in dialog form as possible. Make an effort to capture the essence of the story that
appeals to you. Be sure to credit your original source!
Documentaries let you share your knowledge an a favorite topic, inform others about issues
that could affect their health or well-being, and cover issues that are timely or controversial.
In addition, documentaries can be created in a variety of ways, including using several voices
to narrate factual material or re-creating an actual event.
Interviews question people directly involved in an event or who are authorities in a subject area. Before conducting the interview, carefully document research on the subject and the people you interview.
The opening of your program should stimulate the curiosity of your listeners and include some background on the subject of your interview. Keep the focus of the program constant, whether you are presenting a single point of view or many side to the same question or topic. Interviews are spontaneous so you must be flexible; be prepared to depart from your prepared questions and ask questions that follow the flow of the interview without getting side-tracked from your topic.
Make the ending a well-thought-out conclusion that ties together all parts of your program,
and remember to thank those whom you interviewed.
Public service announcement (PSA) promotes programs, activities, events, or services of government agencies (federal, state, or local) or of nonprofit organizations, such as the United Way, the Red Cross, or a local humane society, as well as other announcements regarded as serving community interests. PSAs may be no longer than 1 minute.
For more information, e-mail Aparna Subramanian or call her at 608/264-9694.
