Examine the conventions of the soap opera genre with reference to at least two programmes
English GCSE media coursework
Examine the conventions of the soap opera genre with reference to at least two programmes
The soap opera genre originated in America in the 1930s as a radio programme. It was targeted at housewives who tuned in while doing their household chores. Soaps included many domestic issues to keep the audience interested. The name "soaps" came from advertising slots between programmes. As the soaps were aimed at housewives, the adverts mainly consisted of products of a domestic nature.
"Coronation Street" was Britain's second soap, following "The Groves". It began in 1960 and is set in Weatherfield, Manchester. It is a successful soap that has been running for over 40 years. "Eastenders" is a more recent addition to the genre that first started in Britain in 1982 and is set in Albert Square, London.
Both "Coronation Street" and "Eastenders" soaps are about day-to-day life in the city for working class citizens. They refer to real life issues but are very overdramatic and plots are exaggerated. These qualities keep the audience interested and make the programme more exciting, addictive and enjoyable to watch.
The soap opera genre has been a successful genre. This can be measured by the very high audience figures that the leading soap operas regularly achieve. The fact that for instance "Coronation Street" has been running for 43 years also demonstrates the success of the genre. In this essay I will address the conventions of the soap opera in the context of this high level of success having determined a set of common characteristics that have resulted in a winning formula for success: it is exactly because of the demand for success that the makers of soap operas have tended towards the common adoption of the conventions of the soap opera.
Continuity is an important factor whilst examining the conventions of the soap opera genre. One aspect of continuity is the theme tunes played at the start and the end of the programme. At the beginning of all soaps there is a main theme tune. In "Eastenders" the programme begins with the drum roll. It is loud and easily recognisable. As this is playing, a large birds eye view of London is shown. It gradually zooms in onto Albert Square as the soap begins. This sets the scene effectively as the audience instantly know where the soap is set. It also makes it seem more realistic as it is set in a real location as opposed to the setting being in a studio.
In "Coronation Street" the theme tune is a violin melody. This also has easily distinguishable shots of Weatherfield shown as it is played. The theme tune is distinctive and one that the audience will recognise when they switch on to watch the soap. Theme tunes help to create habits for viewers who hear them and sit down to watch the soap. They set the scene allowing the viewer to become more quickly absorbed into the action.
Another aspect of continuity is the reliance upon the cliff-hanger scene at the end of an episode. A cliffhanger is when the audience are left in suspense after an event that is not concluded within the episode, ensuring they will watch next time. Often soaps finish with a cliffhanger and the theme tune will begin playing. An example of this was in a recent episode of "Coronation Street" that concentrated on a court scene. Emma swore upon the Bible that as a witness she would tell the truth about what she had seen. The audience are left questioning "Will she tell the truth or will she risk loosing her job, husband and being locked up in jail?" The theme tune indicates the end of the programme and entices the audience to watch the next episode to find out what will happen next.
Cliffhangers are present at the end of most episodes as the soaps are ongoing. A famous one was in "Eastenders" when Phil got shot at the end of an episode. The audience are left with a close up shot of Phil laying in a pool of blood at the bottom of some steps in the dark. This is tense and dramatic as the audience are left in shock at what has happened and wondering "Is he dead?" "Who shot Phil?" and "What was the motive?" The audience keep watching the soap to find out the answers to these questions, meanwhile getting absorbed into other sub-plots and storylines.
A close up shot of a character's facial expression or a freeze on some dramatic action is often shown at the end of an episode in all soaps. At the end of an episode of "Coronation Street", a close up shot of Emma's face was shown after she swore upon the Bible that she would tell the truth in court. Her face expressed mixed emotions, clearly of guilt and anxiety. This camera action is dramatic as the audience can tell what a character is feeling inside without them having to speak their emotions. Often the audience know more ...
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A close up shot of a character's facial expression or a freeze on some dramatic action is often shown at the end of an episode in all soaps. At the end of an episode of "Coronation Street", a close up shot of Emma's face was shown after she swore upon the Bible that she would tell the truth in court. Her face expressed mixed emotions, clearly of guilt and anxiety. This camera action is dramatic as the audience can tell what a character is feeling inside without them having to speak their emotions. Often the audience know more than the other characters through their facial expressions making it more dramatic for the viewers.
Another convention of the soap opera is the way in which they approach the issues of demographics and scheduling. A regular characteristic of the soap opera genre is the 'ratings war'. Both "Eastenders" and "Coronation Street" are scheduled for prime time TV, in order to attract a wide range of viewers. The target audience for both of these soaps is everyone. We know this because of the broadcast time, as most people are at home, and also through the events and characters in the soaps. Other soaps, such as "Hollyoaks" and "Neighbours", are broadcasted at an earlier time than "Coronation Street" and "Eastenders". They are shown between half five and seven O'clock. "Hollyoaks" and "Neighbours" attract a different audience then that of both "Coronation Street" and "Eastenders". The majority of viewers are either young people who tune in as they return home from school or older people who are in during the day. The time of the programmes and the audience fit in with the nature of the soap and issues that come out.
Each week "Eastenders" is broadcasted four times and "Coronation "Street" five times. Both programmes have a regular slot in the weeks showing times, as do all soaps, creating a regular pattern. Viewers will always know when their soap is on because of this, creating a regular habit of watching the soap for many people. Other 'viewer services' that enhance the soap opera genre are weekly repeats, magazines dedicated to soaps, and a number of websites. There is a whole media industry based around the soap genre. This increases the viewing figures and causes the audience to have interest in watching the soaps. Cadburys has become directly associated with "Coronation Street" and they show their adverts at the beginning of each soap. The adverts often show a woman relaxing whilst eating a bar of Cadburys chocolate. This associates the programme with a treat and a rest from every day duties. This causes the soaps to inherit a part of our own culture. The weekly repeat of both "Coronation Street" and "Eastenders" on a Sunday help to ensure that the audience do not miss an episode and therefore lose interest in the soap. These 'viewer services' have become a convention of the soap opera genre with even radio-based soap operas targeted at very different audiences (for example "The Archers") having similar 'viewer services'.
All major television soaps are on for half an hour, including both "Eastenders" and "Coronation Street", although "Coronation Street" contains adverts half way through the programme making it a fraction shorter. This length of time is ideal for the soap as it is long enough to keep the audience occupied and interested in the action without them becoming bored.
Location is another example of the conventions of the soap opera genre: almost all major soaps are located in cities. "Eastenders" is located in Albert Square, London, while "Coronation Street" is set in suburban Manchester. All soaps are set on a street, square, or some form of small community where everyone knows each other's business. All soaps have a central meeting place, e.g. a pub like the Queen Victoria in "Eastenders", were much of the action takes place. Therefore whilst "Emmerdale" is set in a small village in the countryside it does non the less adhere to the convention of being community based.
Conventionally, soaps have a range of different characters that viewers can relate to. The types of characters are similar in most soaps. They all have stereotypical characters such as the moody, difficult teenagers, the old religious women, and a villain. Characters in soaps are predominantly of the working classes, perhaps reflecting the demographics of the target audience. Soaps have a wide range of characters so that the audience can engage with different ones. The audience often begin to feel that they know the characters and can relate to them. This creates interests in how characters will develop and how they will cope in difficult situations.
We may identify a convention amongst soap operas of a multi-tiered plot. The underlying long-term storyline ensures that an individual soap opera may effectively become part of a nation's popular culture. A medium term plot will ensure that a viewer who misses an episode will be able to easily regain an understanding of the storyline. Sub-plots are fundamentally there to hook viewers in according to a specific situation that they may relate to or that is exciting to watch.
One convention of the soap opera genre is that we can anticipate future events. This form of dramatic irony keeps the viewers interested, as they want to find out if they correctly guessed an ending to a particular storyline. In "Eastenders" recently, the main plot was Alfie, Cat and Dennis in a love triangle. This kept the viewers interested as we anticipated Cat finding out that Dennis is a womaniser, and that in fact Alfie has strong feelings for her. In situations like this one the audience keep watching to find out what will happen.
While this main plot was going on, a number of sub-plots included Barry's car lot getting a new contract, Martin and Vicki shoplifting and Phil meeting Martin as he is released from jail. These plots are all inter-linked into the main plot. Before one storyline comes to an end, another one begins, keeping the audience watching. The audience watch to see how one storyline is resolved, and get addicted, as they want to see what the outcomes of the sub-plots are. In "Coronation Street" there is also a main storyline. Les gets wrongly accused of attacking a police officer. There are not any major sub plots and all conversation revolves around the court case. Characters share their varied views on the matter.
Plots are extreme and overdramatic, making them more exciting for the audience. An example is of Sarah Plait in "Coronation Street". She was pregnant at 15, she was abducted by an Internet paedophile she and recently discovered that Richard, her mother's husband, was a serial murderer. In real life this is very unlikely to happen. The storylines are exaggerated from real life events. They interest the audience and keep them watching. Waiting to find out how plots are resolved and how villains are punished also keeps the viewers interested in the soap.
Soaps are supposed to represent the society we live in and the groups within it. These include ethnic minorities, for example Dev in "Coronation Street" and the doctor's family in "Eastenders". There are not many ethnic minorities in soaps and they are under represented. Ethnic minorities are very stereotyped for example in "Coronation Street" Dev and Senita, both ethnic minorities, work in the local corner shop.
Characters in soaps are predominantly of working of class, although there are a minority of successful businessmen such as Mike Baldwin in "Coronation Street". In soaps men generally own the businesses for example in "Eastenders" Barry owns the car garage. This is perhaps because men are still seen as being more important and successful then the women. Characters in soaps are of working class so that the target audience can relate easily to the soap, as the majority of viewers are working class citizens.
Often characters in soaps are of a similar age to the audience watching so they can relate to the characters. The characters in soaps are supposed to represent a society to attract the widest range of viewers who will be able to relate with the characters in the soap. In "Hollyoaks" the target audience is teenagers. The soap attracts this age group by basing the soap around teenagers and people in the early twenties that the target audience can relate to. In "Hollyoaks" the teenage characters tend to be slim, blonde and attractive which is unrealistic in society. The younger audience often compare themselves to the characters in soaps like "Hollyoaks" and this creates a pressure on them to look a certain way. They way teenagers are represented in soaps is very overdramatic. An example is Sarah Plait in "Coronation Street. She was pregnant at 15 and she was abducted by an internet paedophile. This makes the soaps exciting and encourages viewers to watch them. Sometimes teenagers who watch the soaps can relate to situations like Sarah Plait being pregnant and it encourages them to watch the soap.
Women have an important role in the soap opera genre. They are mainly working class citizens and work locally. They tend not to have important responsibilities. An exception in "Coronation Street" is Emma, a police officer. She tries hard in her job and is successful in what she does. However Emma's role in "Coronation Street" is portrayed negatively because she goes to work instead of staying at home to look after her young son. This is because her role goes against stereotypical women who would stay at home and become a housewife rather than go to work and earn money. She was shown to be putting her work before her husband and child.
Soaps represent a slightly idealised view of society. Characters work small hours and have more time to socialise then the majority of people do in real life. The characters in soaps live in closely-knit communities where everyone knows each other. The audience are attracted to these qualities of the soap opera genre as life is not often really like this. The audience may see the soaps as a virtual society that they can be in as they are watching the programme. Life is not like it is in soaps in real life as most people work long hours and do not have the amount of spare time as soap characters. This is why soaps appeal to many viewers because the characters lives are in some ways idealised and desirable.
Camera angles are mainly close ups on 1-3 people having conversations. Any more people in a shot could confuse the audience, as it would not be clear who was speaking. Close ups on facial expressions help reveal what a character is thinking. There are no long distance shots in soaps because the set does not allow for long distance shots and they are not particularly relevant to soaps. In "Coronation Street" an effective camera shot recently was of Emma and Mick in court. Les was being accused of attacking Mick, the police officer. Emma witnessed the attack and Mick had in fact attacked Les. A dramatic camera shot focussed on Emma and Mick with les in the background standing in between them. This shot demonstrates the tension between the three of them and the fact that Emma and Mick will both be in trouble if the truth gets out.
In contrast to the serious storyline, "Coronation Street" also contains comedy scenes. In this episode Kirk, Fizz and Les were all protesting about the court case against les. They proceeded into the street wearing comical t-shirts showing pictures of Les, and singing. This adds an element of comedy to the soap and makes it less serious, engaging the audience through humour instead of tension.
Speed of scenes is generally faster in "Eastenders" with many scenes lasting just 10-30 seconds. A quick pace keeps the audience interested in the action. A fast pace in "Eastenders" also represents the fact that Albert Square is situated in the capital city where there is lots going on and the general pace of life is fast. In "Coronation Street" the scenes are longer, lasting minutes rather than seconds. There are more scenes in "Eastenders".
In both "Eastenders" and "Coronation Street" conversations are kept short so as not to lose the interest of the audience and so we can keep up with the pace and follow what is being said. In most cases the conversation lasts throughout a scene, which ranges from 1-3 minutes. There are rarely more than three characters involved in a conversation at once because any more people involved could confuse the audience and make it hard for them to distinguish who is speaking.
In this essay I have examined the main conventions of the soap opera genre. The two soaps I have concentrated on in this essay are "Eastenders" and "Coronation Street", both soaps that can currently be viewed on TV. Soap operas have had a powerful grip on the nation for over 50 years. They have the key ingredients to get people interested and keep them hooked into the action. I have identified these key conventions of the soap opera genre as:
Engineering continuity-
This element of the soap opera genre ensures that viewers keep watching the soaps and that new viewers can easily get into the action and storyline of the soap.
Demographics and scheduling-
This creates regularity for the viewer and helps to ensure that they always know when they can view soaps. It also involves the broadcast time of the soaps e.g. what time are they on and what audience will be available to watch the soap at that particular time-who is the target audience?
Plot, sub-plot and long term storyline-
A plot is the current major event that is taking place in a soap. Plots are usually exciting and they aim to keep viewers interested in the soap. They also help to attract new viewers who hear about the storylines from press coverage, through friends and colleagues and through advertising. The sub-plots are smaller plots that happen alongside the main plot. They add interest to the soap and interlink main plots. The long-term storylines are there to keep older viewers involved in the action of the soap and to help keep them aware of what is currently happening in the soap, especially if they have missed a number of episodes.
Photographic style-
The photography in soaps helps the audience to see the setting at the same time as the characters, making it all seem more realistic. Few people in a shot at a time ensures that the audience do not become confused with what is happening at any one time throughout the episode. Close-up shots on a characters face show us what that character is thinking through their facial expression, causing the audience to feel as if they know the character.
All of these aspects have ensured viewers keep watching soaps and with these successful conventions the soap opera genre will last for many years to come.