From viewing Eastenders, Neighbours and Hollyoaks I can see that soaps have multiple continuous linear narratives. One character's story may end with a cliff hanger
Media Studies Brief
In my media studies group we have chosen to do the opening credits and the opening scene to a soap opera. In our group each person has a specific task. In the group I have chosen to be the main cameraman and the editor. I chose these tasks because they are of particular interest to me as a hobby as well as part of my education. I will also research the codes and conventions of the soap opera genre, paying particular attention to the choice of the music for the introduction and the opening scene.
From viewing Eastenders, Neighbours and Hollyoaks I can see that soaps have multiple continuous linear narratives. One character's story may end with a cliff hanger meaning that at the end of each episodes there is no definite ending, leaving the narrative for the next episode. As seen in Eastenders soaps are mainly concentrated on a certain community or workplace where the characters often are all linked in some way.
The stereotyping of certain characters is the main aspect that attracts the audience to this genre. Generally soap operas try to be as realistic as they can.
In a voyeuristic manner, we like to watch other people's lives, as, in the case of soap operas, they are just like ours, but more interesting.
Camera work, in soap operas, is simple and generally avoids tricks of any kind: 'point of view' or 'high angle' shots are rarely used in soaps. The camera gives the audience a perspective as if they were a casual observer watching from nearby. Therefore we will be using camera shots of medium distance about one to two meters for the camera so that is displays from halfway down the torso to the top of the head. This again gives the feeling of the voyeuristic viewing.
Our scene will be about a minute and a half to two ...
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Camera work, in soap operas, is simple and generally avoids tricks of any kind: 'point of view' or 'high angle' shots are rarely used in soaps. The camera gives the audience a perspective as if they were a casual observer watching from nearby. Therefore we will be using camera shots of medium distance about one to two meters for the camera so that is displays from halfway down the torso to the top of the head. This again gives the feeling of the voyeuristic viewing.
Our scene will be about a minute and a half to two minutes. This fit with the norm of soaps because any longer than two minutes and the audience might get bored.
Lighting varies from soap to soap, but generally it remains pretty basic - special effects are not used. This helps to create realistic light levels and adds to realism. The lighting we are going to use is just light coming through a window. This kind of light gives quite a cold feeling to a room, it being slightly blue, so this provides the scene with a cold serious feeling.
Other than the theme tune, music is rarely used in British soaps; occasional cliffhangers may have a typical piece of background music that will then also be the closing theme, or else the music is in the background being played on a radio. We will choose music for the title scene that probably has a guitar playing, maybe piano with no lyrics, playing a quite gentle tune to reflect the feeling of the shots of the opening credits.
Occasionally, the creators might select a particularly well-chosen song for the purposes of dramatic irony. For example, if one character is left alone after at a party and has no partner with them, you might hear "All By Myself" playing on the radio.
Our soap is aimed at the lunchtime audience. So we have a light soundtrack and the story isn't too meaningful or 'deep'. We chose this slot because of what we were working with, setting wise and cast wise, this would be the best target audience because it deals with the lives of generally young people. Differently, Australian soaps tend to be aimed at teenage viewers with characters and plots suitable for that age. British producers decided to follow suit, for example, the British soap "Hollyoaks" is aimed primarily at young people. This change in the target audience proved to be a very shrewd move and, consequently, soaps are now more popular than ever.
The elderly generation tend to be very interested in what the youth of today is up to and they look to soap operas to find out this information.
British soaps deal with controversial issues such as homosexuality, drugs and underage pregnancies. The issues themselves get more and more controversial as time goes on - what might have shocked viewers in 1960 - such as unmarried mothers - is now not such a big deal. Recently, scriptwriters have begun to bring in characters with built-in storylines, such as serious illnesses or a dark, shady past. This gives interesting storylines from the outset, with plenty of tension. It also gets an emotional response from viewers, along with high ratings.
Our project will contain mention of affairs inside marriage, and will portray the notion of three of the key stereotypes that are included in a soap opera. These stereotypes are called in the media world; Jack-the-lad, A male character that manipulates others to his own ends. This character may become softened over time, and this often leads to him becoming the comic relief of the soap. Examples include Jed Stone on Coronation Street and Alfie Moon on EastEnders, both of whom have served time in prison, and both of whom used comic timing to win audiences' hearts.
Next is the Young couple; A couple that bravely face the difficulties of life, through their own, serious relationship problems. Too many to mention - every single British soap has had at least one set on the go at any one time.
Finally is the independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the centre of conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she keeps hidden. Usually it will be exposed by a new love interest whose sudden and inevitable departure in the future will only serve to make the woman even tougher than before. Kat Slater currently fulfils this role in EastEnders.
I would say that our soap will be a mix between Hollyoaks and Neighbours, in that I would like the music to be similar to the Neighbours tune but no lyrics, and that the main narrative focus of young peoples lives will be similar to Hollyoaks.
