war of the worlds

Question 1

the slot of the radio broadcast

Answer 1

being a part of mercury on air live theatre helped to target audiences that liked drama and theatre

Question 2

the use of orson Welles

Answer 2

who narrated and directed the radio play helped to entice audiences who were familiar with his work swell as the fact that the play was based on the novel by hg wells helped to minimise risk

Question 3

it Is unclear whether the producers intention was to scare the audience however there was a few ways in which the producers tried to make the radio play feel realistic

Answer 3

1) the deliberate use of no ad breaks during the first half added to the realism 2) the panicked voice of the reporter who was “live on the scene” made it seem like a scary event
3) the use of silence at times gave a feeling of isolation and despair 4) they mentioned real locations like New York City which made it feel relatable

Question 4

there was a series of phone calls

Answer 4

around 2000 in 2 hours made to the police from concerned civilians, the unfortunate coincidence of a power cut further added to the fear

Question 5

historical context

Answer 5

the radio play took part just before the start of ww2 where there was a lot of tension surrounding the topic of invasions, some people even misinterpreted the broadcast and thought that it was a German invasion instead of an alien invasion.