Weekly Journal

Regular evaluation updates are required, as with every unit. Please

remember to take photos and get behind the scenes footage as you film.
You might find it easier if you note down a record of what you did each day
in a diary form.

Please use the following guidance to help you with each week.

Week 1 This week you worked on your research

What have you been asked to We have been asked to produce a 5 minute radio
do? drama for BBC Radio 4. This will be aimed at young
people aged between 16 and 25. This week I have
been asked to complete various stages of research.
This included a survey, vox pops and secondary
research about radio stations and their target
audiences. I then had to put this information and put
it into an infographic. This research will then be used
to help me produce a radio drama that interests the
target audience.

How has analysing other
productions helped you to
understand the genre better?
How will your understanding of
codes and conventions now help
By listening to other productions I learned a lot about
how to make the story interesting and engaging for
the audience. I also learned to understand the
different genres of radio drama and how these
interest different people. I did this by researching the
codes and conventions of radio drama and applying
this when I was watching and analysing productions.
This gave me a more in depth understanding of the
genres.
By understanding the codes and conventions I know
what it takes to create a good radio drama that is
interesting for the audience. So because of this I can
you to produce a better
production?
What did you learn from
practising recording Foley
sounds? (Radio Drama Only)
What did you learn from Voice for
broadcast task? What do you
need to improve on to become a
presenter? (Broadcast only)
What did you learn when using
Adobe Audition? What skills do
you need to develop with this
software?
How did researching your target
audience help you develop your
idea?
Are you on track for this week? If
not, how far behind are you?
What work do you need to
complete outside of lessons to
stay on track?
Week 2
What did you learn from your
planning? How has it helped you
to progress your idea?
apply the knowledge when creating my radio drama
to create a piece that will interest my audience.
When I was practicing recording Foley sounds I
learned what materials make what sounds and how
this can sound like something realistic. I also learned
how important having these sound effects is. Without
them the productions would be boring and
unrealistic. It would also be difficult for the audience
to understand what is going on.
During my editing of my Foley sounds I learned the
basic skills that are needed on Adobe Audition. These
include trimming and cutting the sounds, increasing
the volume, positioning the sounds in time with the
video and overlapping the sounds to create a
layered sound. I still have a lot of skills that I need to
develop with this software. One of the skills I couldn’t
work out was increasing or decreasing the speed of
the sounds.
Researching my target audience helped me to
develop my ideas as I got a greater understanding of
what interests the people in that age range and what
doesn’t interest them. This will help me when creating
my radio drama as I can make it relatable and
interesting for them. I won’t include things that bore
them such as romance and I will include things that
they like such as comedy.
I am almost on track this week. I have completed
most tasks however I still have some tasks which I have
not finished.
Outside of lessons I need to finish my analysis of the
other productions by including more detail and more
ideas. I also need to finish editing together my Foley
sounds to the Jurassic park video. Then I also need to
finish my report on my research as I am only half way
through that.
This week you worked on your planning
I have learned a lot from my planning that will help
me when recording and editing my radio drama. I
have written my script so that I know what needs to
be recorded and how it needs to be done. I have
also written a character development which has
helped me to understand my characters better and it
will help my actors to understand and play them in
the best way. This has also helped when writing my

How has your idea
developed/changed during the
planning stage?
How did you ensure that your
script was to a high standard?
What issues did you have when
planning your production? How
did you overcome them?
What did you learn from the
recording of your Foley sounds?
How much work did you
complete outside of the lessons?
Are you on track for this week? If
not, how far behind are you?
What work do you need to
complete outside of lessons to
stay on track?
script as I can relate the things they might say to their
personalities.
Originally I wanted to do a story about an old lady
who had dementia but I decided to change my idea
completely because I couldn’t picture it in my head
very well and I wasn’t excited about it which would
have meant that I would find it more difficult to come
up with a good enough story. I would have also
struggled to find voice actors that suited the
characters. Now that I have a better storyline I have
been able to develop it into an entertaining and
engaging radio drama which will interest my target
audience. I did this by writing an exciting and thrilling
script.
I made sure that my script was of a high standard by
writing it roughly and then reading it back through
and making it more exciting, entertaining and
believable. I then got someone to read through it to
check that it was at a high standard.
I found that my original idea was difficult to do as I
couldn’t find any actors that would fit the age of the
main character so it wouldn’t have been believable. I
also found that I was not excited about the storyline
so I would have found it difficult to create an
entertaining finished product. To overcome this issue I
decided to come up with a better story to develop.
This meant that I was able to create a good script
and believable characters.
I learnt that it is difficult to make a sound that is
believable and realistic to the image it is trying to
create. I also learnt that without using Foley sounds
the drama would be unrealistic and boring. I also
learned that it is difficult to get a sound without
having other sounds in the background.
I ran out of time to do my character development in
lessons so I had to complete this task at home. I was
also doing work experience throughout this week so I
had to complete and perfect my script at home
because I missed some lesson time.
I am mostly on track this week. However I still have
some of last week’s tasks to complete as I have not
had time to do that yet.
Outside of lessons I need to complete last week’s
tasks and upload them to my weebly site. I also need
to finish recording all of my Foley sounds which will
include driving on a busy road and recording the
natural sounds that the vehicle and other vehicles will
make. I then need to finish perfecting my script by
having other people read and check it to see if they
have any improvements to make it more entertaining.

Week 3 / 4 Production
What practical work have you
done and how helpful was your
earlier planning?
How will this be useful as your
production process continues?
What issues did you encounter
when recording and how did you
overcome them?
How well have you worked to
your production schedule?
I will then add these corrections to my script and send
it to my cast so that they have an idea of what kind of
a character they are playing.
This week you worked on your production
I have completed most of my recording. I have done
parts with my two main characters and two security
guards. My planning was very helpful as I was able to
record in a time that was suitable for all the actors. I
was also able to record quickly and efficiently
because I had planned out what needed to done
and how it needed to be done. However when I put it
all together I realised that it was too short so I need to
add an extra scene to make it longer. So I wrote this
into the script and I will record it as soon as my actors
are free again. I also need to record another line with
another actor to complete the recording process.
Also, I recorded my Foley sounds by driving around in
a car for a bit. My planning helped me to do this
because I knew exactly what sounds I needed to
record and how they needed to be done. I have also
managed to complete a rough edit of my finished
radio drama. My script helped me with this because I
knew which sound needed to go where.
This will be useful as my production process continues
as I sent the rough edit out to people to receive
feedback which I can use to improve my work to
create a better finished piece. I can also see of the
background music that I have chosen fits well with the
sounds I have recorded and if they don’t I can
change it. This is what I had to do with my opening
background music. In my feedback I was told that it
didn’t fit the sounds very well so I decided to change
it to something that was better suited.
I found that my recording were not long enough for
the brief of 5 minutes. This meant that I had to add a
scene into the script which I will record when I next
have a time where both my actors are available. I
also found that it was hard to find a place in my
house that was quiet enough to record in so I had to
test each room and see which one was most quiet
and then I recorded in there.
I have stuck to the schedule for most things. The
recording of dialogue and Foley sounds was done on
time and the first edit is completed. However I then
had to add another scene so I need more time to

Are you on track for this week? If
not, how far behind are you?
What work do you need to
complete outside of lessons to
stay on track?
High Grade Tips
record the new parts. This means that I cannot finish
the edit until that is done so I will be behind with that
as well.
I am mostly on track for this week. I have completed
almost all of my recording and I’ve done the rough
edit. I have also completed most of my feedback
work which I needed to do such as improving some of
the LO1 tasks and doing some more research and
evaluations.
I need to record the new scene and add this to the
edit. I also need to do more secondary research as I
have not done enough yet.

Use screenshots to support your analysis – especially when comparing your work to other
pieces.

Considered and capable demonstration of processes – detailed documentation of your

production process – such as still images, and annotated screenshots of your specific
production and editing process – including ‘what’ and ‘why’ and not just ‘how’.

Specific – be specific! Don’t just say e.g. ‘the lighting was good’ – show us where the
lighting looked good and why you think that.

Final This week you worked on your production

evaluation
on whole
unit

Comparis In my opinion I think that my production was almost at a professional standard. It was
on to entertaining and engaging for the audience which was my main goal.
researche
d While listening to professional pieces I learned what makes a good radio drama and
productio what doesn’t. I then used this knowledge when creating my own. I learned that it is
ns important to have an intro so that the audience knows what they are listening to and
who it is by. I also learned that Foley sounds are very important because they help the
listener to understand where the action is taking place and it makes it sound more
realistic and therefore more believable.

Another major difference between my work and professional work is the voice actors.
In a professional piece they would use trained actors who would be able to play the
part better. I didn’t have access to this so I needed to adapt my characters to the
people that I had to act in it. I needed to make the ages match and adapt the script
so that they were saying things that a typical person at that age would say.
 I also needed to use slightly different music. Professional pieces have access to most
songs as they can pay for them however I don’t so I needed to choose songs that
wouldn’t get copyrighted.

To make it sound even more professional I could have added more effects and
improved my editing skills. This would have made it sound more professional to the
audience. In order to achieve this I need to practice my editing skills outside of lessons
so that I can show these skills next time.
Production I thought that overall my final production was creative and entertaining.
Strengths
The storyline was based on a true story so I attempted to make it seem as realistic and
believable as possible. I did this by creating a script with dialogue that was normal for
a married couple to say. They argued about every day stuff such as traffic and food
which is normal for a couple to do so it makes them seem normal. This is also good
because it makes the audience connect with the characters better as they can
relate to the them better and compare it to their lives. I also used everyday people as
characters to help with this. They are a middle aged man and women who aren’t rich
but aren’t poor. Therefore most people can relate to them.

I also think that the choice of background music worked well. Originally I decided to
use a chilled out background music that built the suspense to show the audience that
something bad was about to happen. However I then received some feedback from
a teacher that said that the music didn’t fit very well. So to make this better I used a
piece that is related to holidays and is something that the characters would most likely
listen to at their age. This made it a lot more realistic.

My Foley sounds also worked well. I drove in a car for a while recording all of the
natural sounds along the journey. This worked well in the background of my radio
drama as it sounded realistic and it was easy to do. I also recorded the sound of the
window going up and down for when they are talking to the security people at the
border. This also worked well as it made it clear to the audience what was happening.

To gather some feedback I created a survey and sent it to a few people. The
feedback I received was positive at some points but also gave me some weaknesses
to improve on next time.

100% of the people that took my survey said that they enjoyed my radio drama. This is
positive feedback and it meant that I had reached my target of making an

entertaining radio drama. I also had 100% of people saying that they understood
what it was about.
 The feedback about my sounds was also mostly positive. They said that the
background music was a good choice and that the car sounds worked well. Here is
an example:

I made sure that the feedback for my sounds would be good by making them as
realistic as possible so that the audience could clearly understand what they were
listening to.
Production Even though I was happy with my final piece I still had weaknesses which I could have
weakness improved to make it better. In my opinion I think that my Foley sounds could have
been clearer and I could have recorded more of them. This would’ve made it better
es by making it even more realistic. I also think that I should have included more scenes
as it was a few seconds too short for the brief. I also think that I could have added
more comedy to make it funnier for the audience.

The biggest issue that I came across throughout my process was not having a long
enough final edit. When I first completed an edit it was only at 4 minutes which was 1
minute too short. This meant that I had to write and record a whole extra scene to fill
some more time. To prevent this from happening I could have researched how much
dialogue is needed to fill a certain amount of time in a radio drama. This would’ve
helped as I could’ve written a longer script. I also would have been more prepared as
it wouldn’t have been last minute so when recording my Foley sounds I could have
recorded extra ones for the extra scene.

The feedback from my survey was also helpful in showing me my weaknesses. I asked
what could have been improved and the main thing was my Foley sounds.

A possible sound effect that I could’ve added was the sounds from on the ferry when
the couple were having the conversation about the mother. This would’ve made it
clearer to the audience that they were on a boat.

My teacher feedback throughout the process was also helpful when correcting my
weaknesses to improve my production. The first major correction that I needed to
make was the format of my script. I did not do it correctly so I needed to change it all
which meant that I had less time for the other stages of the planning. While talking to
a teacher I also learned that the music I had selected for the beginning of my radio
drama didn’t fit very well. He said that it didn’t match the age of the characters and
the storyline very well. This meant that I needed to spend time finding another song
and adding this to the edit.
Did you The brief said that we needed to create a 5 minute radio drama for BBC Radio 4. It
meet your should be aimed at males and females aged between 16 and 25 years old and it
goals? would be aired before the watershed. I think that I mostly achieved this brief as I
Why/why
not?
 created a radio drama that would interest people in the target audience however it
was a few seconds too short to match the 5 minute brief.

The goals that I set myself were to create an entertaining and engaging radio drama
that interested young adults. In my opinion I think that I met my goals as my feedback
showed that the audience enjoyed listening to it. I made sure that I achieved this by
creating a storyline that was comical and engaging which makes the audience want
to continue to listen. To improve it further I would’ve added more comedy to engage
the audience even more and I also would’ve added extra Foley sounds to
complement the dialogue. I also think that I could’ve added more characters to
make it more exciting for the audience.
Self- Overall I think that I have learned a lot from this process and I will be able to use these
evaluation skills when creating other productions in the future. One of my strengths throughout
this process were keeping on time with the deadline. I made sure that I stuck to my
production schedule so that I didn’t fall behind and run out of time. However I also
made sure that I had enough time so that I wasn’t rushing anything so that I was able
to complete it to the best standard. Another strength that I had throughout the
process was preplanning for example finding the right cast to match my storyline and
planning when and where I needed to record my actors and Foley sounds. I had a
clear understanding of what I needed to get done so that I could do it all easily and
quickly.

I also had a lot of weaknesses throughout the process. My biggest weakness was my
editing skills. I had never used Adobe Audition before so I struggled to understand
how it worked and it took me a while to understand it. This also meant that I was
unable to use many extra effects as I didn’t understand how to. For the next radio
piece that I have to make I will be able to use the skills I have already learnt and I will
also be able to learn more complex skills. I will do some more practice before then as I
now have the basic knowledge to do it by myself at home. Another weakness I had
was script writing. I originally did it in the wrong format so I had to learn the correct
way and redo it all. I will now be able to do this skill for future productions.

In the future I think that I should spend more time outside of lessons working on
increasing my skill level on editing apps. This will help me to make better edits. I also
think that I need to spend more time on research so that I know everything I need to
know before I begin creating my productions. This will really help me to create things
in a much more professional way which will help me in the future when doing
professional paid work.
High Grade Tips

Use screenshots to support your analysis – especially when comparing your work to other
pieces.

Considered and capable demonstration of processes – detailed documentation of your

production process – such as still images, and annotated screenshots of your specific
production and editing process – including ‘what’ and ‘why’ and not just ‘how’.

Specific – be specific! Don’t just say e.g. ‘the lighting was good’ – show us where the
lighting looked good and why you think that.