How to write an audio drama. Part 3 — Technical Stuff

1- This is obvious. Start each scene telling us whether it’s INT or EXT of course, preferably time of day, and where. If it’s a general acoustic, you can suggest sounds if you like — for instance, if it’s important to the script and/or you think you know more than the sound designer.

On the other hand, if it’s all straightforward you can give the sound designer the info he needs and let him get on with it.

2- This is even more obvious. Don’t say: SOUND OF or ACOUSTIC OF or you will drive the sound crew mad. They already know that. For you it’s sound, for them it’s life itself.

3- There are two kinds of sound effects. Spot effects and recorded effects. Spot effects are disappearing. That was the thing where in days of yore coconut shells were banged together to become galloping horses’ hooves. Now we’d just play in real horses’ hooves. But shuffling of papers, slamming down of coffee cup, footsteps (see below) can all be created in the studio, usually during recording by a sound assistant or sometimes later and played in. Unless they’re significant, leave it to the sound designer/director to decide how to do it and what’s needed and just refer to effects briefly. And don’t get them muddled up with directions to the actor, like sitting or standing or eating or drinking or feeling sad or being angry.