FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF RADIO DRAMA ADVERTS

Because radio dramas aren't as mass produced as films are these days, it is rare to see adverts for radio dramas in the outside world. They are however, used on websites and printed in magazines such as The Radio Times. Because radio dramas are audio media products, it is harder to promote them visually. A solid visual image is needed to communicate directly what the drama is all about. Before I start production on the advert for my radio drama, I need to look at some examples to gain a good idea of the conventions of radio drama adverts.

I came across this poster and originally thought it was a film poster for Star Wars because it follows a similar structure. But through studying it further, the fact that it's for a radio drama soon becomes clear. The image is of an important and recognisable character in the drama. It takes up most of the poster, and the character combined with the background gives viewers a clear idea of what the drama is going to be about. Each section of the poster follows on from the other, in a straight line. This makes the poster easy to read for viewers. The name of the drama is bold, eye catching and clear. It's closely followed by "Exclusively On Public Radio" which lets people know that it's going to be broadcast on radio. It also aims to get people excited by this fact. Following on from the three main elements (the image, the title, the tag line) is the important information about when it's being broadcast and on what station. Overall this poster is very well made, it's precise, clear and bold whilst still remaining informative.

This isn't an advert for The Goon Show, it's the cover for the CD format of the radio drama. It still has the job of selling the drama however. It has a very simple layout, but it still communicates what's needed. The photographs of the characters grab the attention, they also give a visual idea of the characters in the drama. So when people listen to the drama, they can picture these characters. The title is clear, bold and colourful and the rest of the required information is easy to read. The layout is also well composed and the whole piece communicates precisely what it should.

This BBC radio drama is a different genre, but the layout is very similar to that of "The Goon Show". This is partly down to BBC's apparent house style. The main image is the signifier that this drama has a science fiction theme. This is due to the futuristic technology theme. This also has a catchphrase as a predominant part of the layout. It's good to establish a phrase to go along with a radio drama because they are word based forms of entertainment.