How does The 'Eastenders' Extract Demonstrate Soap Conventions

In lesson we examined an extract from an 'Eastenders' episode. I will note how it demonstrates soap conventions below.The basic episode plot is focusing on 'Nick' and 'Dotty Branning' as they attempt to kill 'Dot Branning'.

In the extract, the camera work is majorly mid-shots or mid close ups, this can be seen throughout the extract accompanied with 'the 180 degree rule which we can see between the characters 'Dawn' and 'Garry' arguing about money issues in the market, and we also see an argument between school girl 'Whitney' and step mother 'Bianca', arguing about school. Both these scenes promote realism by talking of relevant social issues like money (relates to the recession) as well as school arguments between a mother and daughter, which are realistic as well as believable subjects.  These sort of shots in the cast's homes make us feel like a 'fly on the wall' in many ways, giving us insight into their lives.

Sometimes close ups are used to show a particular emotion or object, promoting its relevance to the story, seen with action codes  such as Nick's drugs, we understand that they connote danger for Dot as he mashes them up. We also see another action code where Dotty sees her crinkled up painting in her Dad's pocket, we saw him screw it up last episode, we can assume that Dotty will start to question if her Dad really cares for her, which may make the audience wonder if she'll betray her father later on. This particular story may be seen with a 'negotiated' or 'oppositional' view, as the public may find it hard to believe a little girl would have intent of murder.

A variety of the characters interact with one another also, which shows the familiarity with each other people have on the square, it is conventional  in soaps to be very socially orientated, and it is the same in this extract.The editing is also quite simple as well, cuts are used to show the interweaving story-lines of each episode, such as: Bradly's storyline, Nicks, Gary and Dawn's and Bianca and Whitney's.The lighting in the extract is natural lighting and the sound is digetic also. Overall the extract appears very conventional with the stereotypical camerawork,realistic story lines (for the most part) and simple cuts, digetic sound as well as stereotypical characters. This furthers the realism of the soap once more.

Soaps and Sociology

Clearly a big part of soap is its auidience but also its affect on society, how it represents it for example. I am looking into this as when I start planning my own soap I have to make sure it follows conventions by representing characters realistically.

the soap has to have good representations of its characters that reflect the real world. Characters should contemplate realistic people and story lines, their is much stereotyping in soaps for example a troublesome teenager etc. Characters in story lines are also represented in different ways for example their maybe an affair the audience have to take a side do they feel sorry for the person being cheated or are they on the side of the adulterer. Although it may be obvious the person being cheated on may be an abusive husband for example, in that case public opinions would likely be very different. An appealing aspect of soaps is how the audience like to take sides. Some controversial story lines can be seen with Eastender's infamous 'baby-swap' plot receiving thousands of complaints which some would argue is not very representational. Other controversial storylines include a Muslim man struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality.

There are arguments if soaps  reflect realism and are representational or not whether they tackle controversial social issues and are realistic or if they are 'dumbing-down' and are simple to follow.

Negative viewpoints-
 . Not at all educational 'brain-numbing'
 . un-realistic that bsuch drama happens in just a street or square
 . Very simple view of life
 . Encourage TV addiction as on so much
 . Tabloids focus so much on soap easy to lose focus on reality
 . Writing is poor
 .  Un-realistic  and  make mockeries of social issues.


Positive Viewpoints
- Encourage more reflection on our own lives and society's as soaps epitomise our society
- Can serve as history due to their realism for example an episode in a particular decade will give a good representation of that decade.
- Maintain a balance between realism and fiction
- Very well put together storytelling
- Soaps deal with controversail issues responsibly and effectively
- Good acting

It seems one viewpoint may compliment what the other insults however social issues like alcoholism, homosexuality, bullying, child abuse, affairs, teenage pregnency and various illeness do somewhat reflect the concerns of the public to some degree. So it does seem that soaps do reflect society, this can be seen also with 2005's film 'This is England' which reflected the society at the time to some degree.

An example can  be seen in the soap 'Crossroads' which didn't seem at all realistic a lot of it being live and a low budget set meant it wasn't rare for lines to be forgotten and the set looked unrealistic this is a negative example on soaps, suggesting they are not social documentations. But a lot of soaps do include realism , it is a very debated issue but i know to make my soap trailer incorporate realistic story lines which reflect society and this will hopefully aid in creating a well constructed  and conventional soap trailer.

Soaps Operas and Language and accent

The language used in soaps often reflects the character's behaviors and attitudes, accent plays a big part in this for example  the 'Eastenders' cast all have an 'east-end' or a stereotypical 'cockney' accent. Similar in 'Coronation Street' where the cast shares a Mancunian accent. It is rare to find a new recurring character in a soap who doesn't have an accent reflecting the area. Actors usually have to put an accent for this. This can be seen with Coronation street's new barmaid actress Michelle Collins who had to put on a Mancunian accent which had a range of bad complaints a quote from the daily mirror: "Michelle is blasted for bad accent" who said she was told to put it on, it wasn't an option. A lot of characters do this but it often turns out more successful seen with Ricky Norwood's  East-end accent with his character 'Arthur (Fat-boy) Chubb' .

What Attracts an Auidience to Soap Opera ?

A lot of things attract an audience to a Soap and one of these things is getting behind a storyline rooting for on characters side and being against the others. We as an audience enjoy getting involved with the storyline, making guesses at what will happen next having characters we love and characters we hate and feeling strong emotions for them if they get hurt, die or do well for themselves by getting the partner they love for example. A storyline a few years a go showed how much the audience can care with the death of  character 'Ronnie Branning's daughter Danielle, the public were in outrage with her death as they cared so much for her and the storyline.

We also enjoy soap not just due to the storyline but also as it is somewhat an escape from our own lives with the fascinating realism a soap often provides. We like to be voyeuristic also seeing other peoples lives, which are likely more interesting then our own.

Soaps are also easy to make which gain big viewing figures with is great for producers, soaps being high earners with expensive advertising.

Typical Conventions of soap camerawork,lighting and sound.

Soap's for the majority of episodes use quite a similar range of camera-work, however some episodes it may change, pov shots for example may be used to show a 'drunk' or 'delirous' character for example, episodes where it changes are notably large scale episodes however seen with character's leaving or special events like 'christmas' or 'new year' or a key character having a brake down, the episode I remember this happening is the soap 'Eastenders' with 'Stacy Branning's' 'bi-polar' break down storyline. Below I will discuss the conventional camerawork of soaps, the conventional lighting aswell as the type of sound usually found.

  Sound
The  majority of sound in soaps is diegetic, seen through characters speaking,walking etc usually everyday noises, the only time music is played may be on the radio in the soap, the sound still remains diegetic though but is useful for realism. Non-diegetic sound is usually only present with the theme tune of the soap and at the end to close for a cliffhanger, often seen in Eastenders. Key parts of a dramatic story like infamous christmas and marriage storylines of soaps do sometimes have non-digetic music playing through sad scenes however it is still a rare sight, sometimes the radio will feature a song to reflect the characters mood also which is abit more common. In 'teen-soaps' though like Hollyoaks non-digetic music plays a much bigger role in episodes, probably to appeal to a younger auidience, with 'current' and 'charting' music.

  Lighting
Generally soap lighting is just basic to reflect realism, keeping with naturaul light levels it is very rare to see an special lighting effects as it usually sticks to basic light to keep with realism.

Mise-en-scene
All aspects are crucial, clothing where they live etc should all portray their character, behaviour and personality.

Camerawork
Usually camerawork is straight-forward with mid shots etc usually obtaining the 'fly on the wall' type of effect, as the auidience seem just like an observer seeing the characters and their storylines unfold. Scenes are also kept short aswell to include as many storylines as possible and prevent auidiences from losing interest. Most soaps are driven by dialogue but other examples such as 'Hollyoaks reliey on an 'action-drive' also. Sometimes shots arent conventional their are moments shown in Eastenders for example to show a drunk or delirious character with a unsteady POV shot which reflects the direty of the situation well.

Conventional Soap Characters

 I've already discussed some of the contexts and story lines that soap characters feature in, I have not yet detailed the types of characters you will find in a soap opera however. Although there is usually a diverse range of characters in soap, they will often have several, standard, conventional characters. I will be discussing these stereotypes below, by using two different examples: Eastenders and Coronation Street.

Carla Connor                                                                                                 Phil Mitchell

The Boss: This Soap character is often male and has a lot of power or authority, owning a pub or factory where many of the characters work for example, this character is often a 'leader' of sorts and can be some what intimidating. Coronation Street's example of this is difficult to put down, most likely being Carla Connor who owns the factory and a large flat or Steve McDonald who owns the pub. Eastenders example of this can be seen with Phil Mitchell who owns the pub,the club, the cafe and a large house.

Mo Harris

Norris Cole

Troublesome older character: This character is usually very voyeuristic and very interfering, despite faults they usually become quite a loved character as they normally have good intentions deep down or provide some comic relief. Examples of these characters can be seen with Eastender's Mo Harris and Coronation Street's Norris.  

Peter and Leanne Barlow

Kat and Alfie Moon

The Couple: These characters have serious problems with their relationship but face life's problems together nevertheless. This can be seen with Alfie and Kat Moon's relationship in Eastenders, although on the rocks due to affairs and Kat's child being snatched, they attempt to face life's troubles together. In Coronation Street a similar story can be said with Leanne and Peter Barlow, they are in a relationship despite it being filled with lies and cheating.

Rita Sullivan

Dot Branning

The Grandparent- This character acts like stereotypical Grandparent, but to every or most characters. This character is often female and is often very wise and understanding, offering love and support to a range of characters in their time(s) of need. This character is usually very moral and appreciated and respected by all. Said character can be identified with Eastender's Dot Branning and Coronation Street's Rita Sullivan.

Amber Kilirai

Lauren Branning

Young Girl- There is usually a young teen girl who is very strong willed and wants independence from her parents, usually miserable and argumentative.Examples can be seen with Eastender's Lauren Branning who is often arguing with her family or getting into trouble, and similar things occur with Coronation Street's Amber Kilirai.



 Alfie Moon

                                                       Steve McDonald
Jack-the-lad Is often a male character who is manipulative, perhaps starting out as the 'bad guy' of the soap however it is not uncommon for reform to take place and the characters becoming somewhat comic relief, as seen with Alfie Moon (Eastenders) and Steve McDonald's (Coronation Street) characters.

Janine Butcher

Tracy Barlow

The Strong woman: This character usually causes a lot of conflicts and is quite aggressive,powerful as well independent, the character often as a soft side which is rarely seen, however sometimes revealed to a lover.  This could be seen to be Janine Butcher in Eastenders or Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street.

History of Soap and General, Narrative and Setting Conventions

The term 'Soap Opera' comes from the 1930's in the USA to the 1950's where they spread to televisions around the world. It descried radio series that were sponsored by 'soap'. The stories usually have dramatic or tragic story line's giving them the name 'opera'.

Popularity of soap increased due to American Soap's like 'Dallas' made rise to popular British soaps like 'Eastenders' and also Australian soaps such as 'Neighbors' and 'Home and Away' which targeted a younger audience allowing British soaps to introduce new characters of younger ages into their soaps along with the introduction of teen-soaps such as 'Hollyoaks'. 'Soap' has become very popular, such success has allowed the longest running soap, Coronation Street to thrive for 50 years. Soaps have entertained and became topic of conversation for numerous people over the years and have become some of the most popular television.

Soap Conventions
.Soaps usually are on most days of the week all year round including special episodes for Christmas and New Year. They are serialized dramas and to be on so often emphasizes their realism, on average a soap episode incorporates a day's length, once again showing their realistic attributes.

.Set in a small area, Eastenders - The Square, Emmerdale- A village etc. In terms of occupational soaps they are set in a work place eg: Holby City- cast works in a hospital, Waterloo Road cast set in a school.

.Soaps usually have multi-stranded narratives to show a range of characters lives in an episode, stories usually are quite shocking but somewhat realistic, stories usually center around affair,disease,homosexuality,love,deceit,crime,depression,child abuse,drugs, struggling families and other stories of this caliber.

.A focus on about a third of the casts different story-lines in a week as not to get too confusing for the viewer.

.Focus on common or working class characters for the majority.

. Each episode will end with a cliff hanger to encourage viewers to watch the next episode.

. Episodes usually contain enigma (questions raised) and action (questions answered) This can be seen with the stereotypical soap character who will usually have some dark secrets which will be gradually revealed as the serial progresses.

 .Have a familiar theme tune and opening sequence, the opening sequence may change however it is rare for the theme tune to change and audiences to be happy about it.

. Characters usually all appear to know each other well and many cast members have extended family,who will come and go through the years.

.Strong regional identity (Coronation Street -Manchester attracting viewers of the area and adding to realism)

.Central meeting place where secret are often exposed or storyline comes to a climax. Usually seen with pubs in both Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Eastenders.

.Controversy - drugs,homosexuality, and more recently baby swaps bring about a lot of public and media interest, inevitably causing a rise in ratings as well as more debate as the stories usually escalate in controversial plots, most recently can be seen with the 'baby swap' plot in Eastenders which saw 'Ronnie Branning swap her dead baby for Kat Moon's live baby. This story had to be cut short and re-written due to public outcry.

.Stories usually feature a marriage or birth, two extravagant moments which more often then not, do not end  happily.

How My TV-Listings Magazine 'Today's Telly' Establishes a Target Auidience

My TV-listings front cover targets a broad age range between 25 and 40, along with families. My magazine's main focus is on Soap (like the majority of TV-Listings magazines)  My dominant main image features a picture from a story from my imaginary soap 'The Cull-De-Sac'. It features the main story of the week (a conventional storyline of adultery). I also feature sub pictures and story's of soap, like a controversial homosexual plot in another soap 'The Street', which will likely grab viewers attention, many likely being negotiated and oppositional viewpoints due to controversial issues being raised not everyone will go along with this story. These Story's on soap will appeal mostly to 30-40 year old's as they'll be able to relate to the larger cast as well as the story line's better, perhaps experiencing some themselves. Some younger  people will likely be interested in the genre also, especially with the younger cast and more controversial story-lines like 'homosexuality' or 'drugs' etc.

My TV-Listings magazine doesn't only feature soap however but a range of new programmes. In my case I have used a panel show which I have called 'Nonsense' to attract viewers of around 20-35 featuring comedian David Mitchell. I have also introduced a new 'Family Horror' program called 'Scares' this may seem like an odd concept however  it has been done before one example is BBC's 'Fungus The Bogeyman' This will attract a large range of families to the program.

Along with a range of stories for different age groups , panel shows,soaps, family flicks etc. My magazine should also appeal to it's audience with its eye catching colours, some of which are quite unique (purple and green are two examples which make the magazine appeal further to the audience, showing of some unconventionality to help it stand out. I have also used quite modern unconventional font for my pug strap line. Along with this the price (40 pence) is heavily advertised, this should greatly appeal to lower-middle class who want a bargain.

The titles on the magazine such as the cover line "Jacob cheats again? Sarah's agony" use a lot of emotive language to draw the readers attention to the story, the emotive language also a bigger size font to bring further attention, a lot like many tabloids do as well. Such language,font and image manipulation will hopefully draw my target audience's attention.

My own TV Listings Magazine part 2 (Analysis)

This is my analysis of the 'tv listings magazine front cover' I constructed I used my previous analysis on the other tv listing front covers to see the conventions. I tried to make it conventional while making it somewhat unique also. I feel I have conducted a conventional example of a tv-listings front cover and that this will prepare me to create a better tv listings magazine when I make my own soap.

My own TV Listings Magazine (Today's Telly)

One of our first media tasks for the A2 subject was to create a front cover for our own TV-Listings magazine.We looked at a range of examples and analyzed them to see the stereotypical features and conventions. I have applied many of these conventions to my own as you can see below.

 

TV Listings Magazine ' TV Times 18-24 June 2011' analysis

This is my analysis on the 'TV Times' front cover, I analyzed it to help me understand the conventional aspects of TV listing magazine front covers.

TV Listings Magazine 'TV Choice 18-24th of June 2011' Analysis



This is my analysis of 'TV choice' I used it to furthur my knowledge for conventions once again and to plan for my own TV listings magazine also.



A2 Media

As I have now completed my AS media coursework on my last blog I will use this one for my A2 coursework which focuses around 'soap opera' rather then horror films as previously. I will be posting key factors of what I learn, in and out of class on here. Over the next several months I will be aiming to have a TV magazine cover of my soap, a TV poster, as well as a TV trailer for my soap. I aim to include most, if not all conventions in these pieces and apply as much research as possible to them.