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RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places

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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
VU
LESSON 09
RADIO DOCUMENTARY
A very prominent feature of radio programs is the production of Radio Documentaries. As
radio features may be prepared again and again on a given subjects, the documentaries are
generally produced only once. Usually these documentaries consume 10 to 15 minutes; the
producers who are generally handling the current affairs program are assigned the task of
making radio documentaries. But it is not a hard and fast rule, any producer who shows
interest in accomplishing such programs may be asked to do it.
Types of Documentaries
Narrative
Here a talent will describe the subject matter with facts, figures and articulate the narration as
to create interest about the topic. If the documentary is about the Texila ruins, it needs so
many facts to be told to the listeners to keep their interest intact. Listeners would be keen in
listening as when the Texila civilization came into existence, how the people lived there, and
what type of artifacts have been recovered from that place. It would be very interesting to find
in the documentary what language those people used to speak and if still there is any one in
any part of the world who could understand that language.
Musical
A type of documentaries which explains the topic in a script frequently, punctuated with
musical insertions. This is done when a documentary is required on a personality closely
linked with music; secondly it is on birds, rivers, nature and tourism. Your voice superimposed
on musical notes enhances the value of script and enthralls the listeners better than a dry
description for long spells of time.
Documentaries which are made about tourist resorts or fascinating places otherwise are
frequently marked with musical notes to highlight the points not through words but by creating
an atmosphere which makes the listeners understand about those places in a rather lighter
way.
Dramatized
At times an impression of drama is essential to elaborate the theme of a documentary, though
this is done sparingly. Some documentaries on historical wars may carry some impressions in
words or sound effects to create a sense of excitement and to make the audience understand
the historical facts close as they might have happened. Over doing dramatic effects may
remove some of the gloss of a radio documentary.
Imagination
In documentary production, the producer has to show his/her imagination in giving treatment to
the subject matter. It is not as ordinary an approach as writing down a script and reading it to
impart information on the subject. But putting in imagination does not mean that a producer
takes the documentary to an extent where the elements of objectivity are over shadowed by
the subjectivity. In such a case a documentary may not be able to keep its essence as the
piece of broadcasting.
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
VU
Insertions
A good radio documentary is punctuated with insertions from the relevant material. If there is a
mention of some paintings, you may have quotations from the books, or talk to experts who
know what it is all about. This trend is getting very popular lately. In fact interviews of a number
of people concerning with the subject matter of the documentary are conducted. At first all the
irrelevant matter is discarded from the interviews and then the answers are inserted in the
documentary in a manner of inter-cutting. This means that instead of taking long talk with a
person at one go, only a brief piece of answer from the interview is inserted at an appropriate
point in the documentary. Obviously making a documentary in this style requires more
application of mind and an elaborate post production. A very dedicated production team is
required to complete the task of making a documentary of this type.
Close to places
Like features, a producer is supposed to be visiting the place to get a real feel of the
surroundings to involve the listeners in this type of radio production. It is always different if you
are making a documentary on mighty River Chinab by walking along the river and stopping
where it is necessary to mention some very particular thing about its surrounding. The
producers who believe in sitting in a studio and making the documentary by having certain
sound effects can't reach even a shade of a documentary which is made by actually visiting
the river.
Same is true if you are assigned to make a documentary on Minar-e-Pakistan. The feel of the
beautiful sight of the Minar in its very picturesque surrounding of Lahore Fort, the Badshahi
mosque and the River Ravi on the other side, would be available in the documentary only
when one would go to that place. And it will be possible to talk to the people coming from all
over the country to visit the Minar-e-Pakistan only when you are there. This is a task not
possible to be accomplished by sitting inside a studio of a radio station.
The documentaries are about people, places and events of historic value.
Post Production
They need more care in post production for they are usually placed in archives and kept there
as a future reference as well. When a documentary is made, its various elements are recorded
in a very lose form. Some one, while giving impression about a place, might have said things
which you do not desire to include in the final cut of the program. Similarly there have been
sounds in the background which are not making it possible to listen to the narrator's voiceover.
or some time when you are recording voices of certain elements, the voice level goes
extremely down and does not remain worth broadcasting. All these flaws are removed during
the process of post-production and it is also possible to include some voices and observations
at this stage of production. There is hardly any program which does not go through the stage
of post production for it is the last stage where a mistake is corrected, otherwise listeners
would correct you, may be, the harder way.
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget