P3: Develop Ideas for sound elements for identifies media purpose
There were three briefs to choose from under this banner, this was the one that I chose to complete:
I chose this brief as I feel it allows for more creativity and freedom than the other briefs as it allows me to write my own scrip. as well as this it allows me to experiment with lots of different sounds in order to create a vivid scene for the listener. It also has a key purpose: to convey a message, which is a great guideline for creating a drama.
The key elements of this brief are:
The key elements of this brief are:
- 3-5 minutes long
- 18-25 target audience
- Featuring dialogue, music and sound effects
- Public information themed
- Drink driving PSA focus
Pre-Production Documents
Here I will be documenting my pre-production process, and producing the documents necessary to guide my production.
Script
Based on the information in the client brief, I have produced a rough script for my radio PSA:
Unit 16 script by Beau Beaumont on Scribd
Asset Table
Based on the client brief I have produced an asset table outlining many of the materials that I think I will require for production:
P4: Generate planning materials for the intended production
In order to gain opinions on my idea we had a small focus group where we would present our ideas to others and see what they thought or what suggestions they had about it. I also presented them my initial script draft and received feedback on that. Here is some feedback that I received:
Here is a summary of the feedback here:
- Script is too cluttered and would be easier to read if there was more space between the lines
- Reformat to place dialogue next to the character names to make it easier to read
- Remove product placement lines such as "JD" in order to avoid potential legal issues.
Using this feedback, I have produced a new script with the highlighted issues resolved.
Here is my updated final script for this project:
Here is my updated final script for this project:
Script Drink Drive PSA - Final Draft by Beau Beaumont on Scribd
Here I have adjusted various aspects from my initial script draft. For example, I have created a greater amount of space between lines so that the script is easier to read and so that it's easier to distinguish between lines, sound effects.
I have also adjusted the layout so that it is more in line with industry standards. I have moved the lines to be next to the name of the character speaking as opposed to below it. This is amore standard way of scripting a radio production, and makes the layout less confusing for voice actors.
On top of these adjustments i have changed the character Penelope's first line where she says "We still have a bit of JD left!" I changed this to "A bit of Whiskey left!" This is because of laws around product placement mean that explicitly using the name of a product like Jack Daniels would land us in trouble as we have not consulted them about the use of the brand. They may not want their brand associated with our product, which could result in the advert being pulled and us landing in legal trouble. Changing it to the more generic "Whiskey" avoids these troubles.
I have also adjusted the layout so that it is more in line with industry standards. I have moved the lines to be next to the name of the character speaking as opposed to below it. This is amore standard way of scripting a radio production, and makes the layout less confusing for voice actors.
On top of these adjustments i have changed the character Penelope's first line where she says "We still have a bit of JD left!" I changed this to "A bit of Whiskey left!" This is because of laws around product placement mean that explicitly using the name of a product like Jack Daniels would land us in trouble as we have not consulted them about the use of the brand. They may not want their brand associated with our product, which could result in the advert being pulled and us landing in legal trouble. Changing it to the more generic "Whiskey" avoids these troubles.
Having created my final script, I will now create a Gantt chart to give a general idea of the production timeline:
Gantt Chart Unit 16 by Beau Beaumont on Scribd
M1: Identify resolutions to the legal and ethical issues for production
In any production it is vital to assess the potential legal and ethical issues that may arise. This is crucial as being inconsiderate to these factors could cause issues later down the line for production, and could result in our product being pulled from air. This would make the entire production process useless and would not look good for our brand. Here are a few legal and ethical issues that I feel could arise in this production:
- Copyright infringement - This issue involves potential use of materials that are protected under the intellectual property act. This may arise through the use of sound effects or music, and should be avoided as legal trouble like this could result in our project being taken down or re-edited. Essentially, it means that I cannot use any materials not made by myself unless I have permission to do so. To avoid this issue, I will record my own sound effects and any music that I use I will either get permission for, or use royalty free music. Another potential example of this to watch out for is in the use of product placement in things like names of cars, alcohol brands, etc. This was discussed in my feedback in P4, and to avoid it I have changed the script to write out these issues.
- Dangerous content - As this is intended to be a radio production, I need to be mindful of when it will be broadcast and where audiences will be listening. Ideally I would like this programme to be broadcast during the day in the late afternoon/early evening as this means that people who are home or on their way home from college, work or university will hear it. However as this radio production is intended to have shouting, car engine sounds and loud car crashing sounds, I have to be mindful that people at this time my be listening whilst driving, and these noises could frighten them, especially if they are tuning in late. This would cause a lot of complaints and potentially have the production taken off broadcast by OfCom. In worst case scenarios this could even lead to car accidents. To avoid this issue, I will ensure that sounds such as cars crashing are at a suitable level, and are in context within the production.
- Mature content - Another consideration to be made as this is a radio production is the content that is to be shown. As the radio doesn't have a watershed, this means that I cannot show any explicit content or anything that is overly inappropriate for kids and young audiences, Particularly as I want to broadcast the programme late afternoon. This should be avoided as not being mindful of this could have our broadcast receive many complaints and it may be taken off air by OfCom. It would also create bad brand image if our production wasn't mindful to all audiences. This is even more relevant due to the nature of the production and the characters within it representing my target audience of 18-25 college and university students, who are a mature audience and use explicit language and things such as alcohol abuse which may not be seen as appropriate for children to witness. To avoid this issue, I will ensure that there is no explicit language in my production, as well as ensuring that any abuse of drugs and alcohol is shown in an extremely negative way.