The Eleme

nts
of a Radio
te mbe r 26, 20 16
Drama
Sep
 THE ELEMENTS OF
RADIO
The main set of elements
involved in the creation of
a radio script are:
1. Human voice
2. Music
3. Sound effects
4. Silence
 Human voice

Voice is a crucial element in radio. It can

provoke different reactions on the listener
depending on its characteristics.
 Human voice
If we do not take care of our voice
and the way we speak, we will not
make it.

Tips:
0 Speak slowly. We are not in a
hurry.
0 Move your mouth as much as
you can while pronouncing
words.
0 Do not laugh. (if not on script)
There are people listening to
you.
 Music

Music is very important. Its main aim is

to generate the appropriate atmosphere
so as to make language work on the
listener and with the desired objective.
 Music
Music does not transmit
ideas or concrete realities,
instead it works on
emotions. The listener
would understand and feel
different emotions
depending on the images
and feeling generated by
the music.
 Music

Functions:

0 Grammatical It joins different spaces and

identifies content and sections of the
programme.
0 Descriptive when music is part of the
narration
0 As content in musical programmes
Silence
Silence is a very useful
resource to put emphasis
and atmosphere to the
radio message. However,
there is usually not much
place for silence in radio
scripts. Silence can provide
a message with tension,
emotion, and very deep
feelings.
 Silence
Functions:

0 Expressive: to represent
emotional states
0 Interactive: when doing
interviews, the interviewer does
not speak to stimulate the
thinking time
0 Narrative: to represent a gap
in time
 Sound Effects

Sound effects are sounds produced by a human

voice or by other things (e.g. animals, objects)
which are neither words nor music. Noises and
effects provoke the listener to imagine, thus they
are very important in a radio message.

0 Descriptive effects are crucial in the process

of building a sound landscape.
THE ELEMENTS OF
RADIO
Human voice, music,
sound effects, and
silence combined
altogether create
SOUND LANDSCAPES
or SOUND IMAGES.
Sound Landscapes
Radio listeners create
images in their minds
with the help of these
sound elements. A
radio piece makes your
listeners imagine.
Sources:
https://
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8gLZxyNzQnlce2IC71qFiDH4xUfaotKdc8E
d8F94aSkENbZ-J
http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/voice-clip-art-free
https://lacpoissonblanc.ca/have-a-question/
http://www.clipartsgram.com/music-clipart-kids-651
http://cliparting.com/free-music-clip-art-6785/
http://www.clipartster.com/quiet-voice-cliparts/
https://openclipart.org/detail/211207/silence
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/29/1493712/-
If-your-title-needs-a-sound-effect-to-draw-eyes
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