Getting the scene boundaries right ( and with music)

You have to answer these following questions - creatively! What follows are recommendations - you make these techniques work for yourself.

SCENE BOUNDARIES - beginning and ending scenes - your choices

STRAIGHT CUT	FADE INTO	FADE OUT	CROSSFADE
'ARCHERS' FADE - fade out to silence (2 seconds or less) and fade in the new scene
Music bridge and music FX	FX (sound effect) bridge	ATMOS BRIDGE	MONTAGE
Non-realist and 'art' pieces - other techniques

POSTPRODUCTION - the Product - being creative and an engineer

'SOFT INTO' = FADE UP GRADUALLY

'HARD INTO' = STRAIGHT INTO THE SCENE

1. How does this scene end and how does the new scene begin?

Does the new scene establish itself immediately - a 'hard' into? Or slowly - a 'soft' into?

RULE: If the new scene is a 'soft' into - then you nearly always do NOT have a silence between scenes. You have a crossfade. Try out alternatives - and you decide.

Scene boundaries

2. What is the design of the play and this sequence overall?

Am I building up the energy towards an exciting climax? Do I need to have a silence at a scene boundary?

RULE: You probably need a silence (fade to silence) after a scene.

Especially if you have brought something to a temporary conclusion. Or if something very significant and exciting has happened.

You want your audience to have a little rest before the new scene.

THINK - Would it be too much if you pushed on too swiftly? Your listeners need some little time to catch up.

It's your creative judgement and design - try out alternatives. That is what radio drama is about!

3. Do I use a music bridge? It depends on the genre of the play, and copyright for music.

Music - underscoring, signature tune (for soap or play), emotional, dramatic, music bridge

You should try out witty and ironic music bridges. They are a great way of adding that entertaining extra.

Examples from scripts on this site - (plot situation) after a date has gone wrong - 'It's raining men'.

DJ Smooth, a character in 'The Canterbury Vampires' soap - (music bridge) 'Smooth Operator' - and as a character he was very much not a smooth operator!

You might build your scripting around these music bridges.

If you use underscoring music, this could come to a climax at the end of a scene. The next scene is a 'hard' into.

CONTINUING THROUGH THIS SITE: scene boundaries - more

Setting the scene

		scene boundaries - more
Perspective	sound centre and   Point of listening = POL	To Index 'A' to 'Z' for this site - use to navigate

Structuring the plot

Narrative	protagonist-dominated	Narrator
closure (ending)	use a 'mystery'	Realism
		To index

 

 

 

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