Script (So Far)

Blurb:

 Dauhnet Manor – the home of many memories for young Dale and Brennan, the brothers destined to embrace the horrors that await them within their new home. A new home calls for a house party, but some unexpected guests may appear and bring to life the true nature of Dauhnet Manor.

Opening 1:

(Crack of thunder and a droning low tone note that persists throughout the opening)

Midnight Murders, by Ryan Gault

We begin our story with a young man, Dale and his brother, Brennan. Dale has recently gotten enough money from his job as the managing partner of a law firm to buy the house him and his brother have had their eyes on since they were just children – Dauhnet Manor.

Opening 2:

(Slow sorrowful piano tune playing softly throughout the entire opening)

Midnight Murders, by Ryan Gault

I invite you to a world where there is no such peace to find, and every move you make, is bound to move another mind. Dale and Brennan loved each other since their dawn in time, a brother’s bond so strong it’s bound to move all space with rhyme. There’s Dauhnet Manor so still, old ghouls and ghosts to hurt you, so come and play.

Opening 3:

(Crickets chirping, wind howling, rustling of leaves)

Rosie loved parties; she thought having a wild party with everyone she knew was to die for. 100 years after her monolithic accident, Dale and Brennan are interested in also having a party, in Rosie’s old house – Dauhnet Manor. Rosie doesn’t like intruders, then again, ghosts don’t like much, do they?

Scene 1

(noises of rushing around an office – fax machines, conversations, footsteps, etc.)

(Dale sighs)

(Rosie giggling briefly)

Dale: Why are you so happy?

Rosie: I didn’t realise it was wear your shirt inside-out day

Dale: Oh, dammit I was in a rush this morning and didn’t realise

Rosie: Something on your mind?

Dale: Just Brennan, it’s hard enough having to help him find a job let alone help him deal with his depression

Rosie: I didn’t realise, sorry; everything alright?

Dale: Yeah I’m fine, Brennan’s fine, in fact we’re doing great lately. There’s this house we’ve been looking at for years, since we were kids and I nearly have enough to get it

Rosie: That’s really nice

Dale: Yeah, Brennan’s always dreamt of living there. It’s just been abandoned for years and up for sale, but nobody’s bought it

Rosie: So are you really going to go through with it?

Dale: Honestly, I’ve nearly got enough, Brennan’s going to be so happy

Rosie: You’re quite the caring brother, aren’t you?

Dale: He’s my little brother, we’ve always stuck together. We deserve something like this to cheer us up

Rosie: Well I think it’s great. Hey here’s an idea, why don’t you throw a housewarming party when you finally get the place?

Dale: That’s not a bad idea, it would be nice to relax with everyone for once.

Rosie: Then it’s sorted! Now how about a coffee, cutie?

Dale: (Laughs briefly) Sure why not

(Clanking of mugs)

Scene 2:

 

(Sounds of a video game being played, followed by a door opening and shutting)

Dale: I’m back!

(Pause)

Dale: Brennan, you there? … Brennan?

Brennan: Oh yeah, sorry about that, I was busy

(Footsteps coming closer as Dale enters the room)

Dale: Jesus Christ, Brennan. Why haven’t you cleaned up the apartment?

Brennan: Sorry man, I just-

Dale: Look at the state of it! Come on, this is ridiculous

(Clashing of plates being moved, cans being picked up and cushions being put into place)

Brennan: Dale stop it, I can do it all. Look, let me just do this and you can go do your paperwork, I’ll come help in a bit if you want

Dale: No, sit down

Brennan: But the mess, I really-

Dale: Brennan sit down, I’ve got some news

(Sound of Brennan sitting down on the couch)

Brennan: Alright so what is it that’s got you so hasty?

Dale: Do you remember that old house we used to daydream about living in when we were kids, just over by the fields next to our old care home?

Brennan: Of course I remember, we leant over the fence and looked at it every Sunday night

Dale: Yeah, exactly. Well I’ve been down to the estate agents today, trying to see if anything was available; because we’ve been in this apartment for so long in this city, I feel like we could do with a change up, or more to make us feel more at home.

Brennan: Dale where are you going with this?

(Pause briefly)

Dale: I’m buying the house, Brennan. We’re going to live in Dauhnet Manor just like we used to dream of

Brennan: Seriously?! That’s amazing!

Dale: It is, now get this place cleaned up while I finish off some work.

Scene 3:

(Typing on a keyboard)

Dale: (Sighs) And that’s that, and now I am done; thank god, stupidly long report.

(Dale gets up and moves to his door where he suddenly collapses)

(Harp sound plays as if entering a dream, noises of many voices at once trying to talk to Dale occurs, a distinctive screaming woman then slowing down the voices and silence for a pause)

Brennan: Dale, Dale wake up. Dale! Get your fat butt off of the floor man

(Dale grunts and gets up)

Brennan: Are you alright? You seem a bit odd

Dale: Yeah I’m fine, must’ve fallen over last night

Brennan: You’re late for work, I’ve already phoned up the office for you and told them you’re stuck in heavy traffic

(Dale sighs)

Dale: Alright, thanks for helping me. Can you run down to the post office and send off this parcel for Rosie? I need to go by the estate agents first before work, call the movers while I’m out, get everything packed. We’re moving to Dauhnet tomorrow

Brennan: Wow, all this change already? Shouldn’t we take things a bit slo-

Dale: (Sounding agitated) Brennan I want things to move on, we’ve been stuck here for far too long.

(Pause)

Dale: I’m sorry

Brennan: It’s fine, I’ll get everything done, you go to work. Have a good day bro

Scene 4:

(Loud noises of traffic and crowds, slowly followed by the rushing of the previous voices coming back gaining tempo faster and faster then stops as soon as Rosie speaks a third time)

Rosie: Dale… Dale? Dale!

Dale: What? Oh, Rosie! Hey there

Rosie: (Giggles briefly) Are you okay? You’re as pale as death

Dale: (Pauses) Yeah, I’m perfectly fine

Rosie: Why aren’t you at the office?

Dale: I um, I was held up in traffic and I have to be somewhere first and I...

(Pause)

Rosie: Dale?

Dale: Yeah?

Rosie: You’re not feeling right today, are you?

Dale: I don’t know, I think I fainted last night and now I just feel really different, I remember hearing a woman scream but, I don’t know.

Rosie: Odd… How about I spend the day with you, you know, make sure you’re okay.

Dale: (Sounding slightly more cheerful) I’d like that, I need to go to the estate agents now then we can head to work

Casting and Recording Location

**Casting**

Dale will be played by Zac, Zac is well spoken and pronounces words with a mature attitude,
this plays well with the character of Dale.
Rosie will be played by Sophie, her voice is similar to that of Rosie's, in the sense that
she can sound serious at times, giving the impression that you don't want to question
her motives, however she can also sound playful when she wants to. This fits in with
the character of Rosie.
Brennan will be played by myself, as I can impersonate the voice of a more fragile
being to bring to life the insecure character that is Brennan.
For any extra characters such as other party guests, we can differentiate it between
different people by using techniques such as standing further from the mic with a
sheet of paper slightly covering the mouth.

**Recording Location**

For recording all dialogue I will be using a cardioid microphone with a pop filter in a
reasonably sized recording practise room in college. This will also be the session used
for recording any foley-work that is easy to bring to the room, for example, footsteps,
drinking a coffee; obviously things like a car engine starting cannot be done within this
session, and will be done at a different time.

Treatment for Midnight Murders

Basis:

A young man, Dale, in his newly bought house moving in with his brother, Brennan.
The brothers go through the first few nights hearing strange noises and having nightmares, waking up in the middle of the nights in a cold sweat panting for breath.
They invite friends over for a house warming party, a woman arrives whom Dale has been getting friendly with, Brennan is jealous because it’s always just been the two brothers. With strange things going on throughout the night like guests disappearing and furniture being moved, things get suspicious.
At the end of the night all but one guest is missing, leaving Dale and Brennan to question that person, the person in the end is found to be a poltergeist.

Introduction of main characters:

Dale:

 Dale is 42 years old and single, keeping things with his brother as they always have done – just the two of them. He is the Managing Partner of a successful law firm in the city, a very tall and ‘clean’ man, keeping up his appearance well and always remaining positive about situations. Very close with his brother, Brendan. Parents had died during their childhood; the two brothers had spent their childhood in care homes, but sticking together.

Brennan:

  Brendan is 39 years old, the younger brother of the pair and always looks up to Dale. A more ‘rough’ looking man than his brother though tends to keep his appearance well. Brendan is unemployed, supporting of his brother, Dale. He Helps Dale with any extra work that he can such as minor help with documents for Dale’s law work. Brendan is the more ‘emotionally supportive’ brother, whereas Dale is the ‘practically supportive’ brother.

 

 

Rosie:

Rosie is the sweet and friendly woman who works with Dale at the law firm, getting flirty and close to Dale with every working day that passes, she suggests to Dale to have a house party and invite everyone to give it a welcome feeling. Little does anyone know, Rosie has in fact been deceased for 100 years, she died in Dauhnet Manor at just 32 years old. Rosie feels the need to protect the manor from anyone as she feels it’s still her rightful home.

Intent:

At first I began to develop the script of the entire radio drama, Midnight Murders. I decided to go with the idea of a murder mystery but with a slight modern twist and an intimate relationship within the drama, the brothers that look out for each other. I liked the idea of a ghost being heavily involved in the story, being the turning point of the whole drama, similar to the book ‘An Inspector Calls’ where Inspector Goole (sounds like ghoul) is in fact a ghost.

After I’d decided all the ideas that I liked, I began to ‘fine tune’ the ideas and work them out to create a more dramatic to the story, for example the ghost within the story being a woman that one of the main characters becomes involved with, giving more intimacy to the drama.

Once everything was scripted in terms of the storyline, I began to write a rough list of sound effects I could use, music choices and whom to use for voice acting and how to differentiate the characters in different circumstances. For example a crack of lightning I’d use a mix of a car engine starting, the wobbling of a sheet of metal and scraping card against stone.

After I’d gotten a rough idea of the things I’d want to use for audio props, I finalised these choices and put up my final listings for everything to be used to bring this radio drama to life.

Then came recording, and finally the whole broadcasting.

Midnight Murders Presentation

Notes:

1st slide:

Hey guys, I'm Ryan and this is my presentation on my Unit 42 radio drama Midnight Murders.

2nd slide:

Dauhnet Manor is Dale and Brennan's fantasy home. They've dreamt of living in the enormous house since they were kids.

3rd slide:

At first I began to develop the script of the entire radio drama, Midnight Murders. I decided to go with the idea of a murder mystery but with a slightly modern twist and intimate relationships within the drama, the brothers that look out for each other, and the love interest with Dale and Rosie. I liked the idea of a ghost being heavily involved in the story without the protagonists knowing, being the turning point of the whole drama, similar to the book ‘An Inspector Calls’ where Inspector Goole is in fact a ghost.

After I’d decided all the ideas that I liked, I began to ‘fine tune’ the ideas and work them out to create a more dramatic sense to the story, for example the ghost within the story being a woman that one of the main characters becomes involved with, giving more intimacy to the drama.

Once everything was scripted in terms of the storyline, I began to write a rough list of sound effects I could use, music choices and whom to use for voice acting and how to differentiate the characters in different circumstances. For example with a crack of lightning I’d use a mix of a recorded car engine starting, the wobbling of a sheet of metal and scraping card against stone. Then to differentiate characters with one voice actor they could be stood close to the microphone for one character, then for the next stood back with something slightly covering their mouth.

After I’d gotten a rough idea of the things I’d want to use for audio props, I finalised these choices and put up my final listings for everything to be used to bring this radio drama to life.

4th slide:

The fund will be distributed equally between all people involved, though with the actors and writers getting a slightly higher percentage of payment; on average actors and writers gain about £4000 per play. The studio hiring for broadcasting will cost roughly £60 per hour, though set amounts of time can be booked at studios for £350-500 for 10 hour sessions, obviously not needed for a radio drama though. Costs for props will depend on what prop is actually being used, many foley artists can use homemade things to implicate the sound of anything they desire.

5th slide:

Dale:

Dale is 42 years old and single, keeping things with his brother as they always have done – just the two of them. He’s the Managing Partner of a successful law firm in the city, a very tall and ‘clean’ man, keeping up his appearance well and always remaining positive about situations. Very close with his brother, Brennan. Their parents had died during their childhood; the two brothers had spent their childhood in care homes, but sticking together no matter what. Dale is confident and caring, his loving nature keeps him back slightly from being strict on his brother.

Brennan:

Brennan is 39 years old, the younger brother of the pair and always looks up to Dale. A more ‘rough’ looking man than his brother though tends to keep his appearance well nevertheless. Brennan is unemployed, but very supporting of his brother, Dale. He Helps Dale with any extra work that he can such as minor help with documents for Dale’s law work. Brennan is the more ‘emotionally supportive’ brother, whereas Dale is the ‘practically supportive’ brother. Brennan isn’t a very confident person and lacks much self-esteem; these traits in his personality make him feel as though he needs his brother all to himself.

Rosie:

Rosie is the sweet and friendly woman who works with Dale at the law firm, getting flirty and closer to Dale with every working day that passes, when Dale and Brennan buy their childhood dream-home she suggests to Dale to have a house party and invite everyone to give it a warm welcome feeling. Little does anyone know, Rosie has in fact been dead for 100 years, she died in Dauhnet Manor at just 32 years old. Rosie feels the need to protect the manor from anyone as she feels it’s still her rightful home. Her charming character allows her to manipulate Dale easily into having the first and possibly last house party he’ll ever have.

Others:

Other characters that are heard throughout the drama will be easily distinguished by their tone of voice and accent. For example Dale’s boss in a certain part will sound well spoken and posh, this ensues the idea of a dominant figure in the audience’s mind if he’s saying something such as “Dale I need this paperwork done by tomorrow morning, get it done.” These characters are not major influences within the drama so cannot be considered as main characters above.

6th slide:

 

My target audience for this is mainly going to be people of the wide age range from 25 – 50, mostly expected to be in the older regions of that age audience though. The typical class intended for this drama is expected to be the middle and upper people of society, the drama should also appeal to both a male and female audience with it’s genres of horror, romance and mystery. From the graph, the stereotypical expected audience will be from A to C1.

END

The Interrogation

The Interrogation – By Roy Williams

First broadcast: 14 Feb 2012

Notes -

 The Interrogation, running Monday to Wednesday this week, comprises three hard-hitting contemporary crime stories that probe some of today's most complex moral issues. This radio drama includes three plays featuring Kenneth Cranham and Alex Lanipekun as two police officers from different worlds, whose grudging 

friendship develops as they discover that together they make a formidable team.

Story line of episode 2- 

Jermaine, a ruthless and amoral gang member, is disturbingly keen to confess to police.

Characters -

Jermaine played by Anthony Welsh: He is part of the BMC; Bare Money Crew. Confesses to killing a lady.

Linken: Head of BMC

Bo: Teacher at Jermaine’s school looks up to him like a father figure.

DS Max Matthews: Kenneth Cranham

DC Sean Armitage: Alex Lanipekun

Trevor: Jermaine's brother 

Radio Drama Ideas

Murder Mystery - 'Midnight Murders'

A young man, Dale, in his newly bought house moving in with his brother, Brendan.
The brothers go through the first few nights hearing strange noises and having nightmares, waking up in the middle of the nights in a cold sweat panting for breath.
They invite friends over for a house warming party, with strange things going on throughout the night like guests disappearing and furniture being moved.
At the end of the night all but one guest is missing, leaving Dale and Brendan to question that person, the person in the end is found to be a poltergeist.


Man in the bar

A man is in a bar on his lonesome drinking away his sorrows and telling the barman about his problems. The man explains how he has messed up his life by quitting his job and breaking up with his wife. The rest of the story entails flashing back to what has happened in his life. (The end is to be decided on)