Executive Summary

Throughout the process of working on the drama, blog posts were made detailing extensive research into many aspects of radio production. A great deal of problems were encountered during the execution of the tasks which has led to the slow production times of the finalised product.

Sound effects and background ambiance was recorded by some of the team for use in the final production. These sounds would help to give a more in depth effect to the overall contents of the play. These were edit before inclusion into the final session to help maximise the workflow.

Research into mastering standards for the BBC was conducted in order to ensure the finalised drama met the requirements for broadcasting. The research also provided a better overall understanding on the process of mastering engineering and the tools in which are used in this art form.

The script for the play was adapted by the team to make it suitable for a slot in the BBC broadcast scheduled with a timescale to reach of 15 minutes in total. Therefore contents of the original works by Mary McIntosh had to be edited and expanded upon to reach this goal and to make it more suitable for a wider audience.    

The recording and mixing of the drama was undertaken during the final weeks before submission which placed a great deal of pressure on the remaining members. This was undertaken over several days to complete before mixing could begin. The recorded audio was split into sections with each take, this was to ensure that each piece of recorded dialogue was of the highest standard possible for further editing in the mixing process.

Despite the mixing process being slow, due to complications with members of the group, the remainder of the team took on the extra duties in order to complete the process despite the remaining time available.

Research for Loudness Normalisation and permitted maximum level of audio signals.

Useful Link to a Pdf which details recommendations and guidelines for EBU standards.

http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf

Studio session 03/05/2013

Objective of today's session are:

• Finalise selection of all audio to be used within production
• Record and edit any required sound effects
• Placement of all audio within the session  

We began today's session going through the last of Alan and Carries dialogue, unfortunately the Mac crashed on us causing us to lose an hours worth of work. Once we were happy with the takes Campbell began placement of audio. While he was doing this James was in the live room getting the last of the sound effects and I was filling out paperwork necessary for delivery.

During the placement we realised we had forgot to record the shop worker in scene 3, so I recorded the vocals for that. It is not ideal that I have 3 roles within the play, however they are very small (one is one line and my voice is heavily filtered, another is two very short lines) so hopefully this wouldn't be picked up on by anyone that didn't know.  

The group worked well today, we now have all the dialogue, sound effects and ambiance required within the play, the only audio left to record is a brief piece of music for the intro and the credits at the end, which will get done over the weekend.

Hopefully the entire production will be fully mastered by Monday.

Artwork

I sourced a photo online to use as the artwork. Obviously in a real life situation this artwork would need to be paid for or a photographer commissioned to take a photo for us. I was looking for a photo of a train crossing the Tay bridge with Dundee in the background on a sunny day. The closest to that I found was quite blurry and the weather was grim, so I chose a different one and used Photoshop to add a title.

Scotrail 170429 passing Invergowrie Bay on 1L77 to Dundee (Tug60044 2012). (Slow Train Title added by me).

 
References
Tug60044. 2012. Scotrail 170429 passing Invergowrie Bay on 1L77 to Dundee. [online image]. Available from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tug60044/8015994774/ [Accessed 3 May 2013].

Sound Effect Recording 03/05/2013

Recording

Microphones Used:-

1. Neumann U87 x 2
2. Zoom H4n Built in Stereo Microphones

The objectives of this session were to record any left over sound effects which were not recorded on location. These effects would have been difficult to obtain in public areas or rooms which were not very well sound proofed as they were very subtle and required a high gain setting for them to be clearly audible. 

Several Recordings were made for each sound effect in order to give more variations for editing and mixing. 

Sounds Recorded. 

1. Cup being placed on table (Scene in Burger King).
2. Water Being poured into plastic cup (Scene where train worker pours coffee).
3. Trolley being pushed up carriage. 
4. Trolley contents rattling.

The trolley contents rattling effect was recorded separately from the trolley movement effect as it would allow for greater control of the overall effect when being played in the radio drama. 

The sounds were recorded onto the Zoom H4n and transferred over to the main session for editing and mixing. 

Music Licensing

In order to use licensed music within our productions royalties must be paid to the relevant owners, within our production we are using Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me' (1958).
 In order to use this music your must obtain an Independent Radio Production Company Licence from the PRS (Application can be obtained here: http://www.prsformusic.com/users/broadcastandonline/Radio/Documents/PRSforMusic_Independent%20Production%20Company%20Licence_Application%20Pack%202011.pdf)

The snapshot below taken from the PRS website (PRS for Music 2013) and gives detail of the licence, including fees required. Payment is calculated by dividing the amount of time the music is heard in the programme by the total length of the programme, this figure is then multiplied by 10% of the gross revenue of the production:

                         (Total duration of member music in programme X 10% of gross revenue).
                                         Total duration of programme

References

Frank Sinatra. 1958. Come Fly With Me. [sound recording]. Los Angeles: Capitol

 

PRS For Music. 2013. Independent Radio Production Company License. [online] Available from: http://www.prsformusic.com/users/broadcastandonline/Radio/ipcradio/Pages/ipcradio.aspx [Accessed 2 May 2013].

 

Studio Session 02/05/13

Objectives for this session:

• Place ambiance tracks
• Place character dialogue
• Record Alan, Carrie and the Train conductor
• Record, edit and place sound effects
• Begin Mixdown
• Create/source music for the end credits/trailer

The group began today's session going through the final takes of Archie's dialogue. There was issues with the final monologue; we had 3 full takes, the first two had paper turn's during them (which we should have picked up during recording) and the third sounded rushed and not as well acted. Thank fully the paper turns in the first two takes were in slightly different places and we were able to take a cut from the first take and add it to the second one. The cut itself was not noticeable, however there is a very slight difference in delivery. I think it would go unnoticed to someone who was not aware of it and will test it on someone tomorrow. Unfortunately we will need to use it as it is too late to get Ian back in to record.

Today we also recorded the parts of the conductor, Alan (the son) and Carrie (the daughter). We got Irvine to come in and record the conductor, it was a fairly short role and Irvine is good at voice acting so we were happy with the recordings after 3 or 4 takes.

Alan and Carrie's parts were performed by Campbell's friends Gary and Maggie. They were not professional actors (Gary has some acting experience) but they took direction well and after a few rehearsals seemed to pick up the parts quite well. Maggie is from Bristol and has a southern accent which is not ideal for the role, however due to time restraints we must go ahead. The script had to be amended slightly to suit her voice; replacing the Dundee dialect with more standardized English. One of Chrissie's lines in the play is that she lives "halfway across the country" so that could explain the difference in accent.

In the interest of keeping the play sounding consistent, I decided to record Alan and Carries parts with the actors stood up (the same as Archie and Chrissie) instead of sat down as planned. All performers were recorded using a Neumann U87 stood at arms length from the microphone.

I was also recorded as part of the introduction to the show (to meet delivery specs), the lines were:
"And now on Radio 4, an adaptation of Slow Train by Mary Macintosh. A dark comedy telling the tale of one mans struggle with his bitter wife."

The group spent the rest of the session listening through takes and selecting the best tracks to use in the production.
I was happy with the groups performance today however we are now well behind schedule, I think it may have been a bit naive to assume we could get everything done in a matter of 4 days. I now hope that tomorrow we can record the last of the SFX and finalise the placement of all audio within the production ready for the mixdown. We are now aiming to get the production mixed over the weekend ready for mastering early next week.  

 

Recording Alan,Carrie and The Train Conductor 02/05/2013

Recording

Microphones Used:-

1. Neumann U87 x 2
2. AKG C414 x 1 (Used For Guide Track)

The Recording took place at 13.00 Pm and was finished by 15.00 Pm. 

Voice Actors

Gary Duncan portrays Alan (13.00 Pm - 15.00 Pm)

Maggie Pentcheva portrays Carrie (13.00 Pm- 15.00 Pm)

Irvine Cruickshank portrays the Train Conductor (15.30 Pm - 16.00 Pm)

Gary and Maggie were the first to be recorded, using the record and rehearse method. They were given the opportunity to read through the script several times between takes in order to help build their characters and make the lines of dialogue flow more naturally when spoken. Unlike the professional actors they required more read throughs to become familiar with the script. 

Irvine was recorded last, lending his voice to the Train conductor. Due to his natural ability to act well, he took less time to record than the other two actors, providing several takes within roughly half an hour. 

All Actors were recorded using the same method as used with Archie and Chrissie to make the recordings as consistent as possible.  

Organising the Radio Drama.

The multiple takes were lined up in a separate session to be arranged. The best lines were separated from each recording and combined into one session for further editing and mixing.

Train Passing Recording

Recording Time: The recording took place at 11.40 pm on 01/05/2013. 

Location: The recording engineer lived near a railway banking between Kirkclady and Ladybank.

Train Times were looked into from between 11 pm and 12 pm and the session was left in record until a train sound was captured.  The recordings took place late at night to minimise outside noise from distant traffic, this also prevented other sounds from being captured such as animals etc. 

Several Attempts to capture trains previously had failed due to gain levels on the recording equipment and the microphone positioning. However after a small amount of trial and error the recording was successfully captured. 

The technique used to capture the sound was a stereo spaced pair of SE Electronic SE1A microphones.

The Microphones were placed at an open window as opposed to being placed directly outside of the house as it stopped any wind creating noise during the recording.  

During the recording there was a slight creaking sound captured which was created from the wooden window ledge where the microphones were situated. The vibrations created when the train passed by cause the window frame to vibrate slightly causing a quick but noticeable sound, therefore the audio was cut slightly to remove the unwanted effect. 

Train Passing (Recording, Stereo)

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-passing-recording

Train Passing (Edit, Stereo)

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-passing-stereo

Train Passing (Edit, Mono)

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-passing-mono

Studio Session 01/05/13

Objectives of the session were-

• Rough placement and editing (where required) of ambiance tracks
• Choose and begin placement of Archie and Chrissie's dialogue
• Record the security guard, train worker and tannoy announcement
• Record and edit any other sound effects required
• Create music for the end credits/trailer

We began the session today recording some of the minor roles:

Security Guard

I was performing the part of the security guard, using the Neumann U87 I stood arms length from the microphone and delivered the lines. The part will be heavily processed at the beginning during post production as it will be this vocal that brings Archie out of his thought during scene 8.

Train Worker

Campbell's friend Scott came in to play the role of the train worker. We began by getting Scott to approach the Neumann U87 from the other side of the room, ad-libbing (asking people if they want drinks etc). We done this to make ensure his approach within the drama sounded natural, as it could be tricky to automate it accurately using panning, filters and level automation. We then had him position himself arms length from the microphone and perform his lines. It was not a huge part so after a few takes we were happy.

Train Tannoy

Originally we were intending on recreating or recording an automated tannoy announcement, however it was decided, to speed up production we would change the part to that of a driver speaking through an intercom. I recorded the line and then we put an EQ on the audio, added a high pass and a low pass filtre and added some distortion to make the audio sound like it was coming out of a small speaker.

The rest of the session was spent listening through the cuts of Archie and Chrissie's dialogue that we recorded on Monday and choosing the best takes to use when we mix it.

I felt the group worked well today, we didn't get as much done as we had hoped, however we seriously underestimated how long it would take to listen through all the recordings from Monday's session. In order to meet our target of finishing the mixdown by the weekend we will have to work very effectivly.

Recording Security Guard, Train Worker and Tannoy Announcement. 01/05/2013

Recording

Microphone used:- Neumann U87.

Train Worker:-  The Train Worker was portrayed by Scott Yorke. The lines were read over several times before recording commenced allowing Scott to get into character. A Neumann U87 was set up across the room from Scott so that we could record him walking towards the microphone for an effect which would simulate the Train worker walking down the isle. This was effective as it gave depth to the recording. 

Security Guard: - The Security guard was portrayed by Liam Hutchinson. Since Liam had written the adaptation it took very little effort for him to read out the lines.  This helped speed up the recording process and allowed for a better representation of the character as he had a mental visualisation of how the security guard should talk. 

Train Tannoy:- The Train Tannoy dialogue was also played by Liam. Due to this being such a small part we felt that Liam could put on a voice which could be unidentifiable from his previous recording. The Tannoy effect would be heavily edited to make it sound like it came from a very small speaker, this also helped to make his voice less recognisable. 

Organising the Radio Drama.

The multiple takes were lined up in a separate session to be arranged. The best lines were separated from each recording and combined into one session for further editing and mixing.

Radio 4 Delivery Specs

The BBC has delivery requirements for audio to Radio 4, they can be seen in the photo below.

Snapshot taken from Recording & Delivery Requirements for BBC Radio Networks – 2008 (BBC(1) 2008) 

Music reporting form is available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/production/delivery/paperwork.shtml

PasB (Programme as Broadcast) is a script which completely matches the audio.

Compliance form (and guidelines) are available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/compliance-and-policy/

Details of presentation details and written trails can be found here: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/radio3_delivery_guidelines.pdf (BBC 2013). NOTE: these are delivery guidelines for Radio 3, due to access restrictions I was unable to get the Radio 4 version of this document, though I'd imagine the guidelines for publication and paperwork documents are similar.

"Presentation details, Compliance forms and Written trails are an essential part of programme
delivery and must be delivered at the same time as the transmission copy" (BBC 2008, p.2) - it is essential we deliver at least these items from the publicity and paperwork list.

The Programme Information Guide (PIG) (BBC(2) 2013) can provide us with information necessary for completion of paperwork.

Also it appears that the BBC radio resources page (http://www.bbcradioresources.com/programme/) that I used to obtain tech specs in a previous post has been taken down or is under maintenance so below is a snapshot of sound guidelines taken from 'Technical standards for delivery of television programmes to BBC Worldwide' (BBC(3) 2011, p.12-13) The audio standards seem to be the same here as they were for radio and until I can get back onto the radio resources (or similar) page they can act as a guide.

Snapshot taken from Technical standards for delivery of television programmes to BBC Worldwide (BBC(3) 2011, p.12-13) 

References
British Broadcasting Corporation. 2008. Delivering programmes to Radio 3. [online]. Available from: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/radio3_delivery_guidelines.pdf [Accessed 30 April 2010].

British Broadcasting Corporation(1). 2008. Recording & Delivery Requirements for BBC Radio Networks – 2008. [online]. Available from: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/bbc_recording_delivery_requirements_radionetworks.pdf [Accessed 30 April 2013]

British Broadcasting Corporation(2). 2013 Programme Information Guide. [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/production-and-delivery/programme-information-guide/ [Accessed 30 April 2013]

British Broadcasting Corporation(3). 2011. Technical standards for delivery of television programmes to BBC Worldwide. [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/dq/pdf/tv/tv_delivery_of_programmes_to_worldwide_v1.0-2011.pdf [Accessed 30 April 2013].

Studio Session 29/04/13

Today we had our first recording session with Angela and Ian. We were intending on recording a full cast, however our extras were unable to attend. We set out with the initial plan of using the rehearse record method; breaking the script into scenes and rehearsing them a number of times until we were happy with the performance. We expected to get around half of the play recorded today.

Unfortunately from arrival we had some issues which set us back; the studio i/o had been changed and we could not get any sound coming from the system. Eventually we figured out the problem, however at this point I felt quite under pressure and I felt this had an impact on my directing performance.

Thankfully our performers were very good; they already had a good grasp of their roles and after a couple of rehearsal read through's we decided to record.

During recording I read the additional parts in an attempt to aid the natural flow of the performance. The performances were great; Angela and Ian made very few mistakes and I was extremely pleased with their rendition of the characters.
During recording we had some more technical issues; the Mac froze on us during recording on two occasions causing us to lose some takes.
In all we ran through the script about 5 times and by the end of it we had 3 full complete recordings of Archie and Chrissie's parts which we were confident we would be able to build the play with.

The whole recording phase was over in under 4 hours, Ian and Angela have offered to join us during the remaining sessions if there is anything we feel needs to be rerecorded.

The remainder of the session was spent cutting up the various tracks into segments (scenes, character lines, etc.)

I was very happy with the outcome of today's recording session, I felt the dialogue we captured was of extremely good quality; the parts were well acted, plosives and other issues such as sibilance were minimal. The actors worked well together in portraying their roles and I was very surprised how quickly we managed to get the parts recorded; another similar project I was involved in previously took a lot longer to get through and there was not even half the amount of dialogue to record.

In regards to my directorial performance, I was not so pleased; I had let the pressure of technical difficulties get to me, causing me to forget to use my previous recording plans-

• I was intending on recording performers in the positions characters would be in (eg. seated), instead they were recorded standing throughout. 
• The performers were positioned arms length from their microphones throughout (Neumann U87), while this is ideal for the majority of the production, I wanted to record Archie's thoughts at the beginning and the end of the play from a closer position. 

I accept it is my fault these procedures were not followed but I think it would be wrong to ask Ian to come in again due to this alone; he traveled a long way for no payment and the quality of the performance/recordings were great.

Recording Archie and Chrissie 29/04/2013

Recording

Microphones Used:-

1. Neumann U87 x 2
2. AKG C414 x 1 (Used For Guide Track)

The Recording Started at approximately 11.30 Am and was finished by 1.30 Pm. 

The Radio Drama was read through by both actors several times before the recording took place allowing them to get into character. The Drama was Recorded multiple times however several takes were deleted due to the Mac desktop crashing halfway through the recording process. This was a major problem as it deleted several good lines of dialogue which could have been used in the final mix. Out of 5 takes 3 were successfully recorded . 

The actors stood approximately an arms length away from the microphone in order to capture a more natural  vocal tone and to give a more spacious feel to the recording. We had planned to record Archie's Monologue using a more up close microphone to gain more presence which would help provide an effect which would indicate him thinking to himself, however due to several issues regarding the studio equipment this was overlooked.

 In order to provide such an effect EQ can be utilised in order to give the Vocals more presence.  

Voice Actors.

Ian Watt portrays Archie

Angela Branney Portrays Chrissie

Organising the Radio Drama.

The multiple takes were lined up in a separate session to be arranged. The best lines were separated from each recording and combined into one session for further editing and mixing.  

Studio Booking

Studio has been booked between 9am and 9pm on the following dates:
Monday 29th April
Wednesday 1st May
Thursday 2nd May

Cast has been informed.

The following equipment has been booked:
2x Neumann U87
2x AKG 414

Sound Effects Production

We recorded some sound effects today. Within the university we recorded some footsteps, the sound of Archies newpaper turning, plastic bags being packed (for use in the shop scene) and chair screetches (for use in the restaurant scene). These SFX were just cut and minimally edited to give us greater control during post production.
We also went to Dundee Airport and made a recording from within the terminal. There was a plane taking off just outside. Due to the positioning of the terminal and the runway we never got a recording of a plane flying overhead, though we plan to go down again at some point in the week to do this.
The airport ambience will be layered on top of an ambient recording of a shopping centre, to make it seem larger and busier than it is, while keeping the sounds of the planes.

We also experimented with some synthesis: using Native Instruments Massive to try and create a plane sound, train sound and a checkout beep (for use in the shop). The beep did not turn out too badly but we opted to record a selfscanner in Tesco.

Equipment used for recording today was the Zoom H4N handheld recorder and the Marantz PMD 660 with an AKG C1000S.

The group now has a soundcloud page where all our FX can be heard: https://soundcloud.com/group-2a

Outside Dundee airport waiting on the plane taking off (was too windy to record outside). 

Recording footsteps with the Zoom H4N

.

SFX Asset List

Rough asset list for SFX

SFX	PLAN
SCENE 1
CROWD NOISES, AIRPLANES FLYING OVERHEAD	RECORD SHOPPING CENTRE AMBIENCE AND LAYER WITH AIRPLANE RECORDING OR SYNTHESIZED SOUND
LOUD TRAIN PANS ACROSS THE STEREO IMAGE, BLOWING ITS HORN	RECORD PASSING TRAIN
SCENE 2
TRAIN STATION AMBIENCE, PEOPLE TALKING & WALKING,	RECORD TRAIN STATION AMBIENCE
TRAYS AND CUPS HITTING THE TABLES
CARRIE GETS UP
CARRIE SITS DOWN
CARRIE GETS UP AND LEAVES, CHAIR SCRATCHING THE FLOOR
FOOTSTEPS
SCENE 3
TRAIN STATION SHOP AMBIENCE ETC	SMALL SHOP LAYERED WITH TRAIN STATION AMBIENCE
BAGS GETTING PACKED
CHECKOUT BEEPING	SYNTHESISED OR RECORDED BEEPS
SCENE 4
TRAIN STATION AMBIENCE	RECORD TRAIN STATION AMBIENCE
ARCHIE PACING UP AND DOWN THE PLATFORM
TRAIN HEARD PULLING INTO STATION
SCENE 5
TRAIN (NOT MOVING) AMBIENCE
PEOPLE WALKING ALONG THE CARRIAGE
ARCHIE PULLS OUT HIS WALLET AND TAKES MONEY FROM IT
CONDUCTER CONTINUES DOWN THE CARRIAGE
TRAIN LEAVES STATION (PANNED ACROSS THE STEREO IMAGE)
SCENE 6
TRAIN COMES IN FROM THE LEFT OF THE STEREO IMAGE
ONBOARD TRAIN AMBIENCE
TRAIN STOPS
ARCHIE FLICKING THROUGH HIS PAPER
TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT
TRAIN LEAVES THE STATION AND MOVES TO THE RIGHT OF THE STEREO FIELD
SCENE 7
TRAIN AMBIENCE
REFRESHMENTS TROLLY COMING DOWN THE CARRIAGE
TRAIN WORKER POURS THE TEA
TRAIN WORKER WALKS OFF
SCENE 8
AIRPORT AMBIENCE	RECORD WHITESPACE AMBIENCE AND LAYER WITH AIRPLANE RECORDING OR SYNTHESIZED SOUND
ARCHIE WALKS TO THE BOARDING DESK

Train Journey and Train Ambiance Recording (10/04/2013)

Recording Location: Edinburgh

(Train from Markinch to Edinburgh)

All Recordings were taken using a Zoom H2n Handy Recorder. The internal Stereo XY Microphone configuration was used for all recordings as it offered the best stereo depth and clarity. All sounds were recorded in .Wav utilising a 16 bit (Bit depth)  44.1kHz (Sample rate) format.

Train Carriage Ambiance.

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-carridge-ambience?in=group-2a/sets/train-journey-and-station

Train Station Ambiance 1

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-station-ambience-1?in=group-2a/sets/train-journey-and-station

Train Station Ambiance 2

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-station-ambience-2?in=group-2a/sets/train-journey-and-station

Train Station Ambiance 3

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-station-ambience-3?in=group-2a/sets/train-journey-and-station

Train Station Ambiance 4

https://soundcloud.com/group-2a/train-station-ambience-4?in=group-2a/sets/train-journey-and-station

Casting Update

After good communication with George Carson, he stopped responding to my emails and Ian Watt has now agreed to take the part of Archie.

I also found someone to take the lead female role of Chrissie. Angela Branney a student in her 20's with some previous acting experience (I believe this is her: http://www.guideandgazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/angela-leading-the-life-of-royalty-at-stirling-castle-1-1635147). It is not ideal that she is a lot younger than the character, but she seems very enthusiastic and hopefully she will be able to protray the character well.

With the extras Campbell found us we now have a complete cast and will be looking to begin production sometime after the 11th April as Angela is on holiday until then.

Recording/Imaging Plan

Scene 1
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid pick up pattern.

Scene 1 (Note Archie is in the center of image not slightly to the right)

Archie is in an airport looking at flights, the dialogue is his thoughts so the backing ambient track will be filtered. Also the performer should be positioned as close as possible to the microphone to give us the desired intimacy of thought.

Scene 2
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Alan - AKG 414 set to cardioid
Carrie - AKG 414 set to cardioid

Props:
Table
Chairs
Cups

Scene 2 Burger King 

The whole family are having a meal in a burger bar in the train station. This scene will be recorded with the actors sitting behind one or two tables in a line with the microphones positioned at the opposite end of the table. The microphones will be roughly arms length from the performers. The desired stereo image will be created within Pro Tools during the mix-down.

Scene 3
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Shop worker - AKG 414 set to cardioid

Scene 3 WH Smith

For the scene in the shop we will record the performers positioned roughly arms length from the microphone. All imaging will be dealt with in post production when the addition of shop ambiance, beeps and bag packing noises will also be added.

Scene 4
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid

Scene 4 Platform

Chrissie will be in the center of the image during this scene, Archie will be pacing along the platform (not too far off the center of the image). Archie's footsteps will be added in during post production.

Scene 5
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid

Conductor - AKG 414

Props:
Chairs
Wallet

Scene 5 On Train

Archie and Chrissie will be recorded sitting down, actors could perform the actions required (reading of the newspaper/taking out the wallet) as it could have an impact on their dialogue and help keep the play as natural as possible. In order to keep the naturalness of the sound of the conductor moving up the carriage we will place a mic in the center of the studio and have the performer approach it addlibbing. It would also be wise to record the performer adlibbing from a normal mic position as well just in case we need it for post production.

Scene 6
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid

Props:
Chairs
Newspaper

The actors will be recorded seated as the two characters are, the actor playing Archie could be flicking through a newspaper as he is performing. The tannoy announcement can be the train driver as opposed to the automated voice I originally planned to use; this way one of the group can take this role as opposed to finding someone with a similar voice to the recording. Once recorded the voice should be filtered through a high pass and a low pass filter to make it sound like its coming from a speaker.
*See scene 7 for a visual reference of this scene.

Scene 7
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Chrissie - Neumann U87 set to cardioid
Train Worker - AKG 414

Props:
Chairs
Table
Trolley

Scene 7 On board (Note: Scene 6 is identical apart from Archie and Chrissie are the center of the image and the train worker is not in this scene)

As with the previous scenes the actors will be filmed sat down.To keep the play sounding natural, we will record the train worker pushing a trolley up towards the microphone as if he was walking up the carriage. The sound of the tea getting poured will be added during post production.

Scene 8
Equipment:
Archie - Neumann U87
Security guard - Neumann U87
Airport worker - Neumann

Scene 8 Airport Archie is in center of image at all times. (Image follows him as he walks to the desk after talking to the security guard.)

As with scene 1, Archie should be recorded close to the microphone to help portray his dialogue as thought. At this point the ambiance will also be filtered  As the security guard begins to talk the filters should gradually be removed to give the impression we are now dealing with the real world again. When the actor performs Archies response to the security guard he should take position at arms length from the microphone. All footsteps in this scene will be added during post production.

Research- Mic Positions and Point of Listening/Audition

Mic Positions

The distance the performer is from the microphone during recording can have an effect on the intimacy of the sound. Here are some positioning tips from the Savoy Hill website (which seems quite a useful tool for radio drama):

1. Closest to the microphone (as close as possible - beware of blasting and popping) - used for: monologue & voice in the mind.

2. Intimate conversation (a step away from position no 1). 

3. Conversation (stand far away enough from the microphone so that your outstretched fist is level with it) - MOST RADIO DRAMA DIALOGUE HAPPENS IN POSITION THREE

NOTE: SHIFT from POSITION THREE to POSITION TWO, and back again. This demands technical acting skill. It must fit with the dialogue situation - the intimate climax of a scene?, telling a secret?, wanting to move to an objective.

4. Across the 'room' (to 10 feet away) - opens out the dialogue to a larger space & making an approach 'through the door' to characters in POSITION 3.

Savoy Hill. No Date. Microphone positions - five in total - from closest to moves off. [online]. Available from: http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/technique/micropositions.html [Accessed 24 March 2013].

Point of listening

Here is a link to information on point of listening/audition. Due to the nature of our drama we don't really need to worry about clever use of point of audition to tell the story; our story will be heard from a fly on the wall point of audition throughout, apart from the scenes at the airport when archie is thinkng.

I have drawn up a rough sketch of the points of audition which will be updated and put in with the recording plan.

http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/pointoflistening/pointoflistening.htm

Savoy Hill. No Date. Point-of-listening in radio plays.[online]. Available from: http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/pointoflistening/pointoflistening.htm [Accessed 23 March].

Pro Tools Metering

Here are some pages I found on metering within Pro Tools:
http://www.protoolsisawesome.com/?p=47
http://www.protoolsisawesome.com/?p=65
http://www.protoolsproduction.com/readingsignals/

Pro Tools uses the dBfs scale on its meters, which are no use to us when it comes to mastering. We need to obtain a PPM meter plugin (one that complies with BBC standards).

I have come accross some PPM software: http://www.darkwooddesigns.co.uk/pc2/meters.html, the main problem with this is it is not a plugin and seems to measure input signals and also 'what you hear' computer output signals. With some clever routing we could possibly use this software, though I think we should try and locate something more suitable.

Update 30/04/13
I have come across a page from the BBC that offers PPM meter download: http://www.bbc.co.uk/opensource/projects/baptools/

There are also other plugins recommended some of which come with a free trial, which would be perfect for us:
Zplane PPMulator: http://www.zplane.de/products/plugins/ppmulator

'Mastering' Research

Mastering for Radio is very important, But then, We know what mastering is but is that its correct term when referring to Radio programs?

According to the BBC, IPS and other sources, No.

The BBC refer to this as "Balancing for Radio" whereas other simply call it "Mixing for Radio"

Since it is the BBC Technical Specifications we are aiming towards for-filling, we shall go by the term "Balancing".

Whilst there is not much information on how programs should be balanced there are a few things to take into consideration before putting forward your pilot program to the BBC.

The BBC has different requirements for each of its Radio stations. We are making sure we meet the criteria for BBC Radio 4. Here are the Basics of what we need to meet Technical Standard wise:

1. File Format must be 44.1 KHz, 16 bit Linear .Wav File
2. Can be delivered as a .wav OR .flac file to the BBC Radio FTP (Since we are working using independent facilities)(Also theoretically speaking, Not Applicable to us)
3. We are not required to have a Back Up Medium
4. We are not required to provide a Broadcast or Reference tone.

Additionally the following should also be noted and included:

• Any Unusual or Technical quality issues must be noted down on a Recording Report and included in the presentation details (If Applicable)
• Pictures, Photo's and images must be included for online, interactive and publicity (If Agreed)
• Any paperwork that is applicable (Stated on the Delivery Requirements Document 2008)

The document can be found at this Link.

In terms of Audio Levels, the program must not peak over 6PPM. This is equivalent to -10dBFS.

For audio quality this has been left as the producers responsibility. Consistence in levels and quality is essential and as stated in the BBC technical guidelines the importance of this "cannot be over-stressed". Any distortion, noise or other unwanted sound must not be audible on the production. The reference to this information can be found Here.

During my research, I also came across some old Balancing documents from the BBC.
Although now outdated, I feel they are relevant to show how the BBC wanted audio then, and now.
These documents are not lengthy, they provide a clear guideline as to what they wanted in a clear and sensible fashion without any Jargon or Over-Professionalism in writing and make things like listening environments and levels clear.

BBC Balance General Guidelines

BBC R4 Balance Guidelines

So how about the way we Balance the program? Should we compress this like we would for a CD?

Simple answer? No, There is no need and can give an undesired effect on the Audio.
Some subtle Multi-band compression could help with the sound.

The problem is many people try to master it to sound "Radio Ready". Surely if that's what we wanted we'd just throw an EQ on it and remove the low and top end? No, Of course not!

The best way of getting your desired sound is mixing it and compressing it to how you like it, Don't over limit it or attempt to enter the loudness war.

Here's a quote from Bob Katz book 'Mastering Audio' which i believe sums things up perfectly.

"What these radio mixes should not have is fast digital Limiting and clipping. Leave the short-term envelopes unsquashed. Let the broadcast processor do its work. The result will be just as loud on-air as hypercompressed material, but will have far much punch, clarity, and life"

This research has certainly opened my mind on how to 'Balance' our radio program.

Now to put the theory to practice.

Campbell Logan.

History of Radio Drama Research 

Useful web page detailing how sound effects were produced in 1920's.

http://www.irdp.co.uk/britrad.htm

Useful website showing a timeline involving the key points throughout the evolution of radio production.

http://www.longwharf.org/sister-george-history-radio

More detailed timeline of the history of radio.

http://www3.northern.edu/wild/th100/radio.htm

Production Research

Directing

Responsibilities of the director include;

Ensuring the script is ready for performance, including -

·         Every aspect of the script must “serve effective dramatic purpose”

·         Characters serve their dramatic purpose

·         Dialogue is “representative of spoken English in dramatic communication”

(Crook 1999, p.236-237)

“Inspire your actors to establish and express life, understanding and belief in every word” of the script. (Crook 1999, p.240)

Keep a professional standard at all time

Crook, T. 1999. Radio Drama Theory and Practice. Routledge. New York.

Recording Technique

The microphones I have been considering are:

• AKG 414b 
• Neumann U87 
• Sure SM58

Whilst the dynamic 58 will not pick up pops, clicks and sibilance as clearly and plosives may not be as pronounced, the Neumann and AKG mics are high quality, all purpose condensers and in the interest of getting the best, clearest possible recordings I believe they are the correct mics for us to use. Poor mic techniques from the actors will be corrected by the director and recording engineer to minimize the aforementioned problems.

In the interest of keeping the tonality of the characters voices constant throughout the finished drama, we must make sure characters use the same microphone throughout recording. This should not be a problem as the maximum number of characters we have in a scene at one time is 4 and there will be two pairs of mics.

If possible, scenes will be recorded with all cast present. While we can record cast individually and edit stems together during post production, cast will not be able to 'bounce' off each other during recording and we may lose some of the naturalness of the performances.

In order to gain maximum control during post production, we will be recording our cast on individual tracks as opposed to having them all perform into a centered microphone (fixed source). This will give us greater control when it comes to stereo positioning  of our drama, as well as using EQ and compression, which would be problematic if all the actors were recorded on one track. Baffle boards may also be used, though spill can be cleaned up during editing.

Rehearsal

The issues we are having with casting are leaving us with little time for rehearsals. Fortunately, we can still use the rehearse record method. This method involves breaking the production into scenes (possibly segmenting longer scenes) and rehearsing a number of times before recording.This method may have advantages; it is useful for a cast who have not had much time to rehearse together and the scene will be fresh in the actors head (particularly useful if the actors are inexperienced and not used to remembering lines).

Ambiance tracks will be recorded at suitable locations, SFX to be recorded on location and within the studio.

Useful Links

• http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?printertopic=1&t=74799&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&finish_rel=-10000
• http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/technique/rehearserecord.html
• http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/technique/techniques-total.html#anchor200059

Casting

Following a discussion with a member of the class I was put into contact with an acting group on Facebook. I had received a couple of replies from people interested in playing the part of Archie. A George Carson and an Ian Watt. They both have quite a lot of experience playing small roles and extras. As George Carson was first to respond he was offered the part before Mr Watt got in touch. As travel expences will probably need to be paid, it is an advantege he is closer. He also offered to try and fill the role of Chrissie for us.

George Carson: https://www.facebook.com/george.carson.79?fref=ts

Ian Watt: http://ianblairwatt.webplus.net/