June 29th, 2009 by Russell Davies
This is a programme about a professional tree climber. What else do you need to know? Brilliant. MP3 here. Programme page here. And photos!
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on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 8:39 pm .
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July 4th, 2009 at 7:58 am
“…and this is the tree I’m going to climb today and it’s a wonderful thing”… This quote captures the mood of another delight some Radio 4. It’s really difficult to make programmes like this: Just how do you portray tree climbing on radio? As you can gather – Radio 4 did it this time with a careful mix of rustling leaves, the stereo of walking around trees, the birds chirping and consideration of feeling with regard to location and time. The producer/reporter being almost totally absent is an appropriate mode for this subject. Where there is necessary interruption, it is usually from the studio (ie. post production VO). However there is a quick return to the programme in order to avoid too much discontinuity of feeling. Notice how whenever James is walking around the tree, the mics ALWAYS pick up that rustling… The huge advantages of recording in stereo with two distinct mics… It really brings the ’story in’. Also notice how there is another part in this story, the subject of the genealogy of trees. Such content is not to the interest of everybody, but this is also carefully interspersed with actuality of waking up in the morning, pouring coffee, sounds of the early birds and general comment. In short, this is an excellent example of how to take a subject (that many producers may pass-up) and make it work on radio. Equally, radio brings out the feeling of the story substantially more than if it was done for TV.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Thanks hugely for that Glen, that really helped me (at least) understand some of the technicalities of why this programme worked so well. cheers.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Some years ago, the BBC produced a cassette with a sample of Radio 4’s output, with the idea that you could send away for a copy for a friend who you thought could do with being introduced to the station.
I think I might have been about 11 at the time, and my dad had sent for a copy for me. One segment that sticks in my mind is a presenter or a producer saying “it’s funny what you do for this station, hanging off a tree with just your tape recorder”, and how it was far easier to paint a picture of it than if you had a whole tv crew in tow.
That came to mind when I listened to this on my way to work this morning. I might have been on the tube, but when I closed my eyes, I was up there on top of the tree with James.
I wonder if I still have that tape…
September 14th, 2009 at 3:56 am
Hiya Martin,
You know, I think I had that tape too. I’ll try and look it out next time I’m in my parents’ attic, which will probably by Aug next year, by which time I will have entirely forgotten why I was looking for it.