Mass Media – “Old-Timey Radio Production”



Mass Media – “Old-Timey Radio Production” Name: ___________________________

In a cooperative group, you will produce and perform a dramatic radio program, similar to the old time radio shows that featured in-studio actors reading from scripts and sound-effects men creating atmosphere. Dramatic radio programs were called “serials.” Titles you may recognize include “Little Orphan Annie,” “The Lone Ranger,” and “Zorro.” Each week people tuned in to hear the latest adventure, which usually was a continuation from the week before.

❑ Setting: The setting of your program is Steilacoom High School and the life of a teenager, so yes, you can “go off campus” say, on the night of a dance, if you wish.

❑ Main character: You get to determine if your main character (the hero, of course) is a girl or boy. You must also determine the unique characteristics of your hero – their physical appearance, clothing style choices, behaviors, and style of speech. Your hero should be outstanding at something, and that should make its way into your drama.

❑ “Sidekick:” Who is your main character’s best friend? Fred had Barney, The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Sherlock Holmes had Watson. You get the idea. They must have a distinctive “look” and personality all their own. Usually the sidekick contrasted with the hero in some way.

❑ Villain: A villain can be a person, an organization, society in general, or a rule/law. Since your hero is a student, there are plenty of ideas for who or what could be the “villain.”

❑ Plot: All radio dramas presented the main character with a conflict. The conflict could be one or any combination of these:

o Person vs. person – the hero battles another person either physically or with wits (a chess match would be a battle of the mind, for example)

o Person vs. self – the hero battles his or her own conscience when attempting to make the right decision. Imagine the cartoon devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.

o Person vs. society – the hero finds him/herself standing alone against what most people think is right. Of course, the hero turns out to be right in the end.

o Person vs. nature – the hero literally battles an element of nature, like a storm.

Good serials made listeners want to tune in to find out what would happen to the hero when he/she faced challenges. The heroes were bigger than life, yet always suffered some kind of setback that made you know they were only human. Therefore, heroes were captured and beat up by villains, yet escaped in the end. You get the picture.

❑ Voices: Each character needs a distinctive voice.

❑ Sound effects: You need at least one person to make appropriate sound effects to accompany the events. If someone’s walking down a deserted street, you need the sound of the shoes on the pavement. If someone’s writing a letter, you need the sound of pencil on paper.

❑ Duration: Between eight and twelve minutes.

Remember: people cannot see your character, so all relevant information must be communicated in a way that allows what the audience hears to be translated into a picture in their head.

Your group will submit to me the following in writing:

❑ Name of the program

❑ Hero’s name, physical description, and distinctive personality traits

❑ Sidekick’s name, physical description, and distinctive personality traits

❑ Villain, whether person, persons, or other – a full description of how the villain works against the hero/heroine

❑ Major conflicts faced by the hero, and what type of conflict each is

❑ A two-column table. Left column holds the names of the students in your radio production team. Right column identifies the tasks performed by the person, such as which character they voiced in the final production, and what part of the script or idea they are responsible for.

DUE DATE: ________________________

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