I’m Charlotte and I directed the radio drama ‘Dinner with the Brayfords’. My roles mainly were casting actors, finding people suitable for the roles and performing to the actors how they should sound. I contacted many people off the radio database website which I found challenging at first as most people I spoke to could not help us on the days we wanted to record. Therefore I set up a Star Now call casting to see if any actors in the local area were interested. I found a young girl who I thought was very suitable for one of our main characters but unfortunately I didn’t hear back from. Nevertheless I eventually cast 4 main actors off the radio database website and had everyone come in on the same day to record.

Before hand, I booked out the radio studio for Saturday and Sunday so that we could practice the day before to ensure we looked professional on the day of recording. We wanted to record on the Sunday and so I had to email Sarah Barrow for special permission to work out of hours on campus, which this was granted. I also sorted free parking for our guests round the back of the media building so they didn’t have far to walk. Therefore I spoke to security and gave registration details of each actors car so it was safe to park there. I also had to book out two microphones, headphones and cables on Friday afternoon along with the radio studio keys, which I kept our equipment in the locker over night.

I also created recording schedules to make sure we could get as many recordings as possible, without taking too long and so the day ran smoothly.  I also wrote the entire script out again, to make it into a real radio drama format to make it easier for the actors to read!

We also went into town the day before to buy snacks and drinks for our actors and guests, which everyone ate! Me and Jade met each actor downstairs and gave them both our numbers beforehand so that they could contact us if they had any problems getting to the university. We brought all the actors upstairs and gave them a individually highlighted script for each character.

I found the role of directing challenging at first as it was my first time and I had four people to explain their roles too at once. However, I got the actors to sit around the table, that had props such as cutlery, plates, drinks and a board game to give the effect that they were having a real dinner and caravan holiday. The actors read through the script together first so that they could get used to their lines and each other, which I recorded so that I could compare later recordings.

I then proceeded to brief each actor on how their role should sound and what movements they would be doing at different sections in the script. We paused the recording after every page so it made it easier to direct and so they knew what they were doing clearly as it is a big script.

Towards the end of our recordings the actors began to act really well and didn’t need me to tell them where to go, as they learnt from previous recordings. Therefore I was very impressed as this showed great directing because they understood very clearly what they had to do.

Overall I think we did a fantastic job as a team and I throughly enjoyed directing. I even got a well done off one of our actors at the end of the session who said ‘It is going to be a great radio drama once it is completed’ which made me smile. Therefore I think i handled my role professionally and I would definitely consider the actors for future work.

Hi! I’m Jade & I was the producer of ‘Dinner with the Brayfords’. Initally my role was BA, before George joined our group, and so in rehearsals and on the day of recording I did assist with the setting up of equipment and exporting the audio. My main role however was Producer; I worked alongside the director to set up the table in the studio with props for the dinner scene, and to support the actors- particularly Katie who was played by a young actress. Although the director had been in contact with the actors on the whole and cast them, I did have some correspondence with our final actors in checking that they were coming on the day and arranging times/meeting points. On the day of recording I took the actors up to the studio and briefed them over the narrative, even though they had been sent a copy of the script in advance by the director. Each script was correctly highlighted for that character’s lines and directions. I ensured that each actor signed a consent form/gave parental consent, and as a team we provided them with water and snacks. My main role throughout the process has been to communicate with the script writer in order to make sure that the script was suitable and relatable to the target audience, whilst keeping in mind the writer’s vision and intentions. I also booked out recording equipment and myself and the director went out on location to record snippets of wind, rain and a helicopter. Like the other members of my team, I have also contributed to the editing process and finding of sound effects, as well as providing content for the blog.

Overall I really enjoyed the role of Producer & would definitely consider this again! Whilst I did find it challenging at times, in particularly working with the script that we kept changing, I think we had good working relations as a team & I would be more than happy to work with the actors again. We were professional, attentive to detail & communicated well.

My name is George, and I am the Broadcast Assistant, or “BA”, for “Dinner with the Brayfords”. The BA is in charge of the technological aspects of recording radio dramas. My job consists of setting up the microphones and other pieces of recording equipment ready to record the actors. I must also be in control of the software that we record the drama into and ensure that we have a clean recording, otherwise we will have to edit the piece post recording to fix any issues, or re-record a particular segment of the drama. Problems in recording can range from static interference or “fuzz”, to microphones not picking up the actors well. It is the BA’s job to watch out for and rectify these issues, should they arise.

Alex Brown was the writer of Dinner with the Brayfords. He met up with us at regular intervals so we could fully understand his vision behind the script (see section on Script Development) & to to discuss changes. Alex worked with both the Producer & Director to amend the script. He also voiced the introduction and ending of our drama, for we wanted him to be as involved as possible.