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)
 Everyday Time Machines (nominated for best single drama)
 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 (Back ground sounds (How are they The drama opens There isn’t much (How many? Male /
for location settings) talking) with a strumming silence used in the female?)
guitar sound track first 5 minutes of
It starts with The narrator, who as the credits are this radio drama. There is some
sound of the car is presumably the read out. Inside narration from the
driving along a main character of the car, diegetic main character.
What is drama road, with sounds
about? the story, music is being
of rain on the discusses chilling played from the Two male friends,
It’s about these windows, and with one already
information about radio. As the
two teenagers splashes when it an old ‘haunted’ knowing about the
character
that go to a hits puddles. house. haunted house,
discusses his
supposed Other sound from More narration is stories, non- and the other with
haunted house, inside the car such used between the diegetic music is him to explore the
both try to scare as the break is driving scenes, played over the place.
each other with pulled up, as well and the characters top, which is eerie From the accents
as the car doors reaching the of the characters,
stories and sounding. It
opening indicating house. becomes louder, it tells the
noises, until to the listeners audience that it is
both of them get building tension
that they have as he describes set somewhere in
scared for real. stopped and are America.
more of the
out of the car. horrors that took
The sound of rain place at the house.
becomes louder,
with wind
blowing about.
Footsteps on
wood is used for
the audience to
know where both
characters are
now.

The Troll of The main story It opens with the The drama opens There isn’t The narration is
Stoney Brook starts at a party, main character with a guitar really any spoken by the
which is clearly asking a rhetorical sound track as the silence used in main character
depicted, through question to the credits are read directly to the
the first 5
the use of people listeners, as well out. The rock audience, to set up
What is drama shouting and as explaining. Its music track is minutes of this the story, which
about? partying in the spoken clearly so played to indicate creates a sense of
radio drama, but
A young background with the listeners can that the character mystery for the
the sound has
awkward very loud rock understand this is is at a party. The listeners. The
different
teenager called music playing. his (Jamie’s) music sounds characters that
Background group story. somewhat distant volume levels, speak are clearer
Jamie, is driving
or people shouting and slightly and sometimes to hear, as the
home from a
at Jamie, sounds echoey. only one sound audience is
party one night
distant. The sound Diegetic music is can be heard supposed to know
when he hits of a car door played inside the such as the what they are
something. His opening and cars radio that saying.
switching off of
friend urges him starting of the Jamie is driving, The accents from
cars keys.
to go back and engine, give the as he also hums the character tell
investigate, but listeners and idea along to it. the listeners that
what they find of where the the story is set
changes them character is. We somewhere in
also hear the America.
for good.
screeching of the
tyres on the road
and the bump
sound of the car
hitting something.
W also hear the
loud roaring
sound coming
from the animal
that got hit.