Radio is important, so don't ignnore it!

BBC Ears to the Ground was an eye-opening experience not only for me as a student, but for all those who were present on the evening.

The talk was led by Kate Chapman, Drama lecturer here at DMU, and she started by introducing Justine Potter who is a Development Producer for BBC Writers Room North and Midlands.

Potter was a fascinating and attention-grabbing woman. She started by telling us what the Writers Room was all about and how we should submit scripts into it.

“We get a good sense if a script is good by page 10. So, start with the moment where everything changes for your character instead of starting with introductions,” said Justine.

She also took us through events and festivals for writers and some important members of the Writers Room. Plus, we learnt about the great series they produce - some of them we watch on our telly every week!

It was fascinating to find out that shows like Boy Meets Girl started with a simple submission to their website. 
 

On the second part of the session we were introduced to Amanda Whittington, award-winning playwright who is currently writing drama for BBC Radio 4. She took us through her work and gave us some insight on what is like adapting plays to radio. She explained why radio is important and how we can make the most of our scripts.
 

“On radio, you can get inside your character’s head. It has a sort of intimacy about it.” explained Amanda.
 

As Justine said:

“Radio is the most exciting to write for. It’s just a joy.”

So was this evening.

 

Sara Torres Vinagre

from Sherlock to Bollywood Jane

The BBC is one of the most influential companies today so a detailed talk on how to weave your way into the firm was definitely one to attend.

Hosted by Kate Chapman, Justine Potter and Amanda Whittington talked through the ins and outs of how a writer can become known to the BBC, and how to brush up on your skills once commissioned.

Justine made it abundantly clear that she was there for the audience and didn’t want to include any useless information. Her concern for the range of interests of different members of the audience was much appreciated.

She then went on to guide us through a power point on the Writers Room, a place for aspiring writers to have their scripts read by the BBC. I hadn't heard of this platform and, as  Justine spoke, I felt many doors opening for the future. She even showed us scripts of such well-known shows as Sherlock a and who doesn’t love a bit of Sherlock?

Source: https://vimeo.com/158649069

Amanda then took over, highlighting some of her works and how she and other writers honed the skills they needed for success. Judging from such plays as Be My Baby and Bollywood Jane, it was clear that the writer knew what she was talking about. She extended the same kindness shown by Justine, carefully answering the many questions asked.

A thoroughly enjoyable talk. 

 

Natalie Worledge

Bonjour, Good Morning, Guten Morgen

They sound from every corner of the studio: announcements, news reports, weather forecasts, entertainment programmes, advertising slogans. Snippets from radio shows are repeated, cut apart, newly composed.

The presenter and composer is Leigh Landy, who holds a Research Chair at De Montfort University.

Although he points out that the listening experience is the most important, he has provided subtitles to follow the content. The BBC's characteristic voice is only present in one out of three series. The other two sources are “la radio” in France and “Deutschlandfunk” in Germany. It is the first time all three of them can be heard in one performance.

The effect is astonishing. Weird noises, absurd contexts, different layers of the word “Good morning”: More than once, ringing laughter mingles with the electronic sounds. Familiar logos and styles make this artwork especially enjoyable (although I was the only one laughing during the German slot).

Between the radio collages, Dutch flautist Jos Zwaanenburg proves his finger dexterity on five different types of flutes. He also experiments with sounds. Using corks and other tools, he produces surprising notes, which fit with the recording in the background.

A cultural mix of electronic and acoustic music - I've never heard anything comparable to it before. While I'm not a huge fan, I definitely enjoyed this tonal collage.

Katharina Maria Kalinowski

Don't spare yourself the drama

As a Creative Writing student, one of the worst things about my course is being exposed to new mediums. Not that I dislike discovering new mediums - I just don’t like discovering new mediums, getting excited about them, then hitting the inevitable stumbling block of having no good ideas and no time to do anything anyway.

I knew nothing about radio drama apart from that it existed, until a lecture by BBC radio producer Peter Leslie Wild in November. Little did I know that radio drama is, as Roger Wood described yesterday, “the open door to new writing”, in a presentation that inspired me, as a student with aspirations of writing for a living, that I could enter a field with real opportunities.

Wood’s presentation focused mainly on pitching radio dramas to producers. I’m not planning on pitching any soon, but like anything in life, knowing the details makes it more approachable and real. Especially details like the lowest fee first-time writers can expect from a radio play (around £34 per minute).

Whilst I may never write a radio play of any description, knowing that a high-profile employer such as the BBC is supporting first-time writers through operations like Writers Room is greatly encouraging, not only to me, but to anybody who hopes to make a life out of writing.

Illustration by Red Imlah (2011)

Elliot Speight

How to earn more than £1,500 in 45 minutes

To all those lured to into reading this opening sentence by the above title, I have two words for you - Radio Drama. And trust me, £1500 is an absolute minimum.

The BBC are always looking for new writers to produce radio drama for them. It's BBC policy to commission work on Radio 3 and 4 by at least 40 new writers a year, and this target is always exceeded.

So what you do is you write a 45 minute script to be performed on radio, send it off to The Writer's Room on the BBC website and, if you're lucky enough to get an interview (BBC are very open to new, exciting work by inexperienced writers), you could be paid for writing radio scripts before you know it.

Now you might need to agree to do the first one for free but, once your foot is in the door, paid work will come rolling in. For a beginner writer, the minimum pay for a one-performance script is £34.40 a minute and for multiple performances it is at least £57, plus extra for attending the recordings. And the more you write, the more you earn. You should have seen the way neon pound signs lit up in all the eyes in the room.

So thank you, Roger Wood, for making me aware of the writing (and financial) advantages of becoming a radio script writer.


Alex Thompson