Jobs within the Broadasting Industry

The BC1001 course we are all taking is really a training course for entry level jobs within the Broadcasting industry. So being able to perform a variety of roles during the term of the course is essential in gaining complete understanding of the business as well as the more creative side of media and broadcasting today.
Although we are being introduced to role of the regulatory framework of the industry, touching on copyright, health and safety and broadcasting standards. The roles I am more interested in personally are the creative, production roles such as writer, director, sound technician and producer.
Since I am more interested in these roles and I will be researching them and detailing them through this blog.

I am very interested in developing my skills and techniques as a writer, so I will begin there.

Robert Macleish says "Writing for radio is the storage of talk. Presentation of a script at the microphone is the retrieval of that talk out of storage. The overall process should give the listener the impression that the broadcaster's talking to him rather that reading at him."

Buddhist Monks, Rangoon October 2007

We were given a picture from the Times newspaper of the Buddhist monks in Rangoon marching in protest to the corruption in the government. We paired up with other students, in my case Simon, and wrote a short descriptive piece for a radio news programme. Mine is below:

"Sunday morning, the main street of Rangoon, usually teaming with day to day life, is today a river of red. The Buddhist monks, pouring through the streets, for centuries the conscience of the country, surrounded by frightened and starving people, standing hand in hand silently protecting them, well aware they could be arrested or shot at any moment by the military police. Hunger and desperation drive this quiet revolution, no food, rocketing fuel prices and mass unemployment, all controlled by a government willing to sacrifice is people for its outdated policy."

I really enjoyed this assignment and Simon and I worked very well together. I wrote the piece and he took on the role of editor. When we read the assignment out loud in the class, the reaction was very good, exactly what I was hoping for. We wanted to put the listener right in the action so to speak, to convey the drama of the moment, but also the solemness and the grace of the Monks and the importance of what they were doing that day.

As a first attempt at writing script for radio I think it was quite successful. In retrospect I would make sure that the script was written for someone other than myself to read. I would underline the words I felt needed emphasis because the meaning of words and phrases is conveyed in the subtleties of their inflection.

I certainly have learnt more and more about the importance of the script:

To make sure that nothing of the story is left out.

To make sure that the programme runs to time.

To make sure all the information or arguments are presented in the right order.

To make sure that the broadcaster has as little stress as possible, since this would be easy to hear as well as being unpleasant to experience.

Finally, scripts enable other people to communicate our own thoughts for us and to give a permanent form to speech.