Radio dramas are supported by a deal between Yle and Gramex
Yle Drama’s radio plays aim to reach a diverse audience. Listener numbers vary by production, ranging from a few thousand to several million plays on Yle Arena. Gramex is a familiar partner for Yle Drama. The musician biographies draw on the era captured by the recordings and are sure to evoke nostalgic feelings in listeners.
“Many songs are, of course, closely tied to specific phases of the artists’ careers, and their stories cannot be told without their music. Therefore, flexible licensing of recordings is essential for this type of storytelling, and Yle’s framework agreement with Gramex has been a tremendous help in our work,” says Matti Kajander, Executive Producer at Yle Drama.
Soundtrack music adds layers to the narrative that are different from music composed separately.
“A previously released recording may already be familiar to the listener, creating an emotional connection from the first notes. The listener might expect the scene to evoke the same feelings as the familiar song. In the script, these expectations can either be fulfilled or dynamic contrasts can be created between the song and the scene,” says Kajander.
The challenge of the story
Sound design and music are strongly artistic choices, but sometimes they also solve problems. The story generally cannot be changed after the recording of the radio play’s dialogue, but sound design and music can provide a solution in situations where the dialogue does not seem to create the right atmosphere or direction for a scene.
Radio plays are made to be listened to, so music, sound design, and the actor’s voice create the auditory image of the story. However, music is not essential in radio plays, and in audio works aimed at long listening sessions, the use of recorded music is typically limited due to cost reasons.
“The elements in the toolkit for storytelling with sound support each other, and the goal is for all of these elements to be planned in advance in the script. In the best case, the songs to be used can be planned during the script writing phase, thus creating a connection in the story that extends all the way to the lyrics of the songs,” Kajander says.
A song list known well in advance also enables accurate budgeting and licensing.
The domestic radio play is soon to be a hundred-year-old art form, increasingly appearing in narrative podcasts.
“In an intriguing way, a new digital era of audio storytelling has emerged. Hopefully, music can continue to be part of radio plays in the future, and perhaps we could develop new types of content in collaboration with musicians and music producers,” says Kajander.
