HUMA 1780 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Diegesis
27 Jun 2018
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Lecture 7: Radio theatre
Radio is sometimes called āThe blind mediumā. This means that we cannot see the
messages because they exist only as sound and silence. It is this blindness that gives
radio its speciļ¬c characteristics. Thus, the codes or Radio are purely auditory and are
made up of speech, musics, sounds, and silence.
Given the nature of sound with respect to our ability to process it mentally, the radio
must restrict itself to relatively simple form of representation.
Among the challenges are matter of context, when it comes to relaying a message.
In a video, if Iām standing in a parking lot, I immediately establish the context from
which I am speaking. However in Radio, I would need to describe where I am situated
and what it is that I am doing there. Radio unlike all visual media also does not have
the beneļ¬t of the messages that surround the main item that we are seeing.
Suppose we show a character eating in a fancy restaurant as opposed to a diner
conveys representation of class, money, prestige, good taste, et cetera. To do so in
Radio would require a variety of audio descriptors which is narration, dialogue, or
some exterior diegetic sounds for example that establish the scene.
Document Summary
This means that we cannot see the messages because they exist only as sound and silence. It is this blindness that gives radio its speci c characteristics. Thus, the codes or radio are purely auditory and are made up of speech, musics, sounds, and silence. Given the nature of sound with respect to our ability to process it mentally, the radio must restrict itself to relatively simple form of representation. Among the challenges are matter of context, when it comes to relaying a message. In a video, if i"m standing in a parking lot, i immediately establish the context from which i am speaking. However in radio, i would need to describe where i am situated and what it is that i am doing there. Radio unlike all visual media also does not have the bene t of the messages that surround the main item that we are seeing.
