Listening Task

You are required to listen to the first 5 minutes of each of the following (You can listen to more if you want)
 Dark Passenger (horror)
 The Troll of Stoney brook

Note down what sounds you hear and how you know where they are and what is happening. The point of Radio drama is to set
the scene through SOUND rather than visual

Drama
Use of sound Use of Narrative Use of Music Use of silence Characters or
narrator
Dark Passenger (Background sounds (How are they The main source of (How many? Male /
for location settings) talking) music in the first 5 The character female?)
minutes is diegetic recounting the
Car sounds are very noise from the car second gruesome There is some
effective, helping It is established radio. This is an murder takes long narration to set the
the audience to early on that example of
What is drama imagine Matt’s pauses as he tone, which sounds
terrible things have contrapuntal music
about? haphazard driving speaks, struggling like one of the people
happened in this as reggae music recounting their
as we hear the place. One plays in the
to tell his friend of
the horrific crime story.
2 friends visit a screech of the character is very background as they
that was The two characters
supposed wheels. The nonchalant as he discuss a death that are two men. One has
constant sound of spent time in the occurred near committed. been to the haunted
haunted house, rain in the There wasn’t
house as a child. where they are house before as a
which one of background uses Whereas the other driving. The music much silence used child and acts quite
them spent time pathetic fallacy to character is creeped contrasts the in the first 5 casually to the stories
in as a child. set the tone, out by the place, subject matter of minutes, but I he is telling his
There are making us imagine which is all clearly what is being said, assume this will friend.
a dark, dingy and conveyed through adding to the be used more later The other character is
several creepy wet day. These are far more timid,
dialogue. unease of the on when the
goings on that often associated situation. However, clearly being scared
tension builds
have happened with horror and when the second by his friend’s stories
negative moods. more as the but determined not to
over the years gruesome murder is
majority of the show it.
such as a being recounted the
beginning is just
gruesome music is non-
diegetic and more setting up the
murder sombre. story.
The Troll of There is narration
Stoney Brook The sound clearly The narrative is The music is In the first five to set up the story
indicates that clear, told outright works well in this minutes there is and create mystery
Jamie is at a party. through the production, telling not much silence at the beginning.
The loud music dialogue. Through the audience used. Jamie is talking
What is drama indicates that it is using one person where the There is no directly to the
about? being played out it means that they character is. It is dialogue when he audience in a
around a house. have to use clear when the first gets out of conversational
It is about an The sound of unnatural music is loud and the car to go and manner,
the car engine, sounding dialogue echoing that he is see what he hit, introducing his
awkward
in order to at a party, and but there is still story.
teenager called tyres on the road
establish the story. when he gets in the sound of the His character is
Jamie who hits and screech all He is effectively his car the music car door opening clearly established
something when clearly illustrate talking to himself, is recognizably as well as a bird in as he tries and
driving home that he in in a describing what is coming from a car the background. fails to talk to a
from a party. car crash of happening and radio. This makes This moment with girl, presenting
When he goes to some kind. what he is feeling it easy for the no dialogue him as an
investigate he at which takes me audience to follow emphasizes his awkward teenager.
out of the story a where Jamie is in shock. Even this This is confirmed
first thinks it is
bit the story doesn’t last long slightly later on as
a man before he begins some other people
talking again. chant “loser” as he
is leaving the
party.