IndexAnalysis of Soap Operas. A brief historyTechnical difference between modern soapsStereotypesMoral and current affairs issues within soapsConclusionAnalysis of soap operas. A Brief History The soap opera genre originated from American radio in the 1930s and owes its name to the sponsorship of programs by large soap powder companies. They were intended for women, particularly housewives, and designed to entertain, without distracting them from daily chores while their husband was out working. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. They were formulated to be easy listening and numerous plots woven into a single episode. Basically unlike radio plays or melodramas, there were no ending points, only ending plots. Part of this task is to review modern soap operas, which have now evolved into television, and to examine the ideology and some traditions behind them. I've included a recording of Eastenders, taken from UK Gold. It was interesting to break down the scene and analyze the technical details as well as the subtext of the program. The title sequence, it's very simple, starts in the River Thames, for about half a second the screen is completely green, then very quickly, accompanied by the familiar theme, the camera zoomed in, rotating clockwise to reveal a color map of London (interestingly not just from the East End of London). The River Thames remains central and the main focal point within the golden triangle of the frame. The main meaning of the map is nothing more than a map of London, a beautiful pictorial aerial view. The semiotic meaning however is noticeably different, suggesting entertainment, scandal, perhaps time to stop what you are doing and relax. Even before the title, which is indecently one word, Eastenders appears, the visual image has captured people's attention, the distinctive melody has become an audible code in itself, to provoke the same response from the viewer, even if it is at that point not in the same room as the television. It becomes a wake-up call to alert them that the program has started. The word Eastenders has even more meaning than it is, a word. It has developed into a logo and is always used in any form of advertising, with its own font. The title sequence lasts just over 20 seconds but sends a lot of messages in that time. Technical Difference Between Modern Soaps Television soap operas, especially British ones, are all quite similar in the way they are constructed, the social issues they address, the types of characters they play and the way scenes are shot, although each retains its individual look and feel, to maintain its artistic originality compared to the rest. The first Eastenders scene I recorded was just 10 shots and 3 very simple camera angles. They all remained uniform and rhythmic, consisting of 1 long shot and the rest in the middle of the shot of the two characters speaking. The shots were simply two different over-the-shoulder shots, depending on which character was speaking. This was done mainly for two reasons, firstly a logical and technical reason, that due to the busy schedule of the episodes, the director and cameramen did not have the resource time to come up with interesting and new camera angles. Secondly, this type of camera work and editing interruption is practically a convention in all soaps, it avoids spacing theviewer. The point is to draw people in and make them part of the narrative. is in the naturalist tradition, providing a window into the world D. Chandler. The lighting is made to look completely natural and is filmed in a documentary and realistic manner. The first scene is relatively boring, two people discuss their personal financial difficulties in a private setting. This sets the mood for what is to follow. The audience will know that gossip and other intimate secrets about the characters will be shown. In fact this is a definitive convention across the board, with the soap opera genre. They're all based on gossip and that's how shows captivate the audience, because they form an indirect relationship with the characters and want to know what happens next. The viewer, unlike any other genre, has the advantage of knowing more than the characters, allowing the audience to engage in informed speculation about the events to come, before they actually happen. Other soaps such as Coronation Street, follow a similar pattern with the camera. shots and angles but convey the characters, in a slightly more lighthearted way. The atmosphere can be lighthearted at times and features a large amount of characters who portray the stereotypical image of the goofy (such as Curly Watts). However, social and moral obligations to the public regarding issues of rape, affairs, drug abuse, unemployment, etc. are still addressed responsibly. Coronation Street is Britain's longest-running soap opera, and has sometimes been criticised, for having aged with its audience. Characters such as Ken Barlow, who have been involved since the show's inception (1960), symbolize more of a tradition, in maintaining the roots of the programme, most likely the role that Pauline Fowler plays in Eastenders. Involved in a very small audience that draws plots, but is there to bounce off other characters. He is a well-established member of the community. Which is really a form of ideology of how each soap chooses to represent that community, most of the time it's based on the area it's set in, and the characters are just as stereotypical as the location depicted. For example, Coronation Street, offers a nostalgic perspective on a rapidly declining industrial city of Manchester, with most of the characters being working class and women, strong-willed and opinionated from the north. The advantage of creating stereotypical characters in this way is that they can be developed depending on the plots they are involved in, then once this is over they return to their usual state until another situation arises. When a character can sometimes act out of context, the audience is more willing to suspend their disbelief because they know very little about the characters in the first place. It has been suggested that the characters are purposely kept very one-dimensional so that when a topical or controversial topic comes up, the audience has the benefit of feeling that they would be able to deal with it more easily or more responsibly, therefore giving the viewer that feeling feel good factor. Stereotypes Before what I suggested, each Soap Opera chooses their own individual way of portraying characters, there is one common element that must apply to everyone. To create the tension and drama that the soap has to offer, certain types of conflicting characters must be present. The bastard, the slut, the good moral person, the businessman, the bad guy and the bitch. All these types of characters are present in the intricate plots. When one of these characters is written out (there may be a short morning trial for the benefit of the audience) another similar character is written. This brings me to another point I realizedI only count by watching the replay of the scene on the tape. Because it was recorded by UK Gold, the episodes are old, I showed very little interest in the story because I knew everything and how it would end. The plots were old news. This therefore suggests that the current episodes are meant to be seen only once, like disposable TV. The same goes for the characters too: all the time they are present they serve to entertain us and, in extreme cases, perhaps they are part of our lives. When that character leaves the series, all of our attention quickly shifts elsewhere, to the next big scandal. It gets to the point where you simply forget that that character even contributed to the show, a case I discovered when you watch my recorded episode. Many times I thought oh, I forgot he was in the movie, etc. Also providing a certain amount of evidence that a main cast member or host exists, who isn't disposable. Moral and topical issues, within British soaps, whilst we are under no legal obligation to deal with topical and controversial issues in a responsible manner, we appreciate that doing so is an essential part of the convention, particularly to keep ratings high. The BBC, responsible for making Eastenders, maintain their motto of INFORM, EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN. They are aware that they are a public service station and aim to produce Eastenders in a way that is a benefit to the public and is taken seriously. Producer Julia Smith said we don't create life, we reflect it! He also suggested that there is no social issue that cannot be addressed, in one form or another, and in the most realistic way possible, by incorporating storylines, using characters who were homosexual, unemployed, single mothers and so on. We didn't want to sidestep any topics except politics and swearing. In my opinion though, as stated by the BBC, it could be applied to any other British soap, to any other commercial TV station. Although I have noticed that Eastenders has always had a large number of ethnic minorities incorporated into the cast and portrayed many of them in a very realistic light, not always dwelling on generalizations of arranged marriages and people of color always being involved in crime. Not what other British soaps do! But it's a far cry from having a black man or family present like most other soaps. It has also been suggested that soaps can help educate young people and adults to deal with life's problems, families can sometimes refer to a soap to broach a topic with curious children. Another theory that I personally find quite far-fetched is that through the use of close-ups on actors' faces, people learn to read people and distinguish the difference between what is said and what is meant by subtext. I think it would be a bit innate to take this statement seriously, although I agree that it could have some influence. Conclusion This essay can only be applied to the British soap opera genre, as it seems that each country has its own form of conventions when it comes to soaps. Dallas and Dynasty, American soaps of the 1980s, took a completely different approach to how to capture audiences. It offered exotic locations and dealt with issues of high-power business dealings, giving audiences a fantasy world, in contrast to the constructs of realism that British soaps try to focus on. All in all in terms of whether soaps have retained anything of their tradition. since the dawn of radio, I think the answer is yes, it's true that they have updated themselves, with technology and modernity.