Perform best. Some announcers are best at news, some at
country and western music, some at rock ‘n’ roll, and soon. In short, you must
be like a chameleon. You must be able to conform to the many variations of
style that the average broadcast
day will demand
of you. You should set high standards for voice
control, diction and pronunciation; then strive constantly to live up to those
standards. This is
a never-ending, ever-learning
process. However, the satisfaction
you will get
from being ineffective announcer is well worth the
effort. PRODUCING A RADIO FEATURELEARNING
OBJECTIVE: Detail the
elements needed to produce a radio feature. In radio, you are primarily
responsible for all stages of feature production. In commercial radio,
particularly in smaller markets, the DJs of the station are responsible for
producing features. The same thing applies at NBS detachments. Once you are
assigned a production, the entire
process, from researching
the subject to
putting it on tape, belongs to
you. In this section,
“radio feature” and
“audio production” are used interchangeably.
SELECTING MUSIC Music
is used to set the mood for a production. It can create a feeling of
excitement, tranquility, suspensor sadness. The following four types of music
can be used in audio production:ThemeBackgroundBridgeFillThemeIf you
are doing a
series of spots
on a particular subject or using a particular
character,
theme music will end
identification to that
subject or character.
Avoid using familiar songs
as themes; for
example, “GonnaFly Now”
from the Rocky
movie series or
the theme from American
Gladiators. These selections
tend to distract the listener and
ultimately lessen the effect of the message.
Background music helps set the mood of the feature
production and it
increases audience appeal.
Avoice-only production can be very boring, especially if it is
just one voice.
For example, a
few strains of dramatic fanfare might heighten listener
anticipation of a story climax. Conversely, you could use light, melodic
music to support
a comical subject.
There is instrumental music to
fit almost any mood. It is just matter
of listening to
the selection, perceiving
the emotion or mental
image it creates
and matching the appropriate mood to your subject.
When you
are selecting music
for background,
instrumentals are preferred
over music with
vocals. Vocal songs tend
to distract the
listener from the message of the production. Vocal music
may be used, but only if it contributes to the message. When vocals are used,
level balance becomes critical so that the music does not override the message.
Background music should be
unrecognizable and match the
subject. By adding
the right background music, you add to the aesthetic
appeal of the feature.
BridgeBridge
music connects or
“bridges” two ideas
or thoughts. Bridge music, also called transitional music, was used in
radio theater to change the scene. A short instrumental fanfare can signal a
change in topics — or, a new scene
can be introduced
with a short
musical theme that suggests a particular location.
Fill Fill music is often called “pad” music and is usually
an unrecognizable instrumental
song. If your
feature production is required to be a certain length, you can use fill
music to eat up time at the end. This also allows the person airing the
production an opportunity to transition to the next program element gracefully
with less chance of lapsing into dead air.
SELECTING SOUND EFFECTS The use of sound and sound effects
works much the same way as music. The purpose of sound effects is toenhance the
spoken word. Creative use of
sound can help
develop a vivid picture in the mind of the listener.
The success of an audio production often depends on the mental picture conjured
up by different sound effects. Good examples are the
spots produced for
the Radio Ad
Bureaupromoting radio advertising. By using sound effects, theproducer
created a visual picture in the listener’s mindby doing such things as draining
Lake Michigan,
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