Table of ContentsAnalysis of Soap Operas. A brief historyTechnical difference between modern serialsStereotypesMoral and current affairs issues, within serialsConclusionAnalysis of serials. A Brief History The soap opera genre originated on American radio in the 1930s and owes its name to the sponsorship of the programs by large soap powder companies. They were aimed at women, especially housewives, and designed to entertain them, without distracting them from their daily tasks while their husbands worked. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay They have been formulated to be easy to listen to and many storylines are woven into a single episode. Basically, unlike radio plays or melodramas, there was no ending, only the end of the plots. Part of this mission is to review modern soap operas, which have now evolved into television, and examine the ideology and some traditions behind them. I've included a recording of Eastenders, 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, is very simple, it started 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 out, while rotating in the clockwise to reveal a color map of London (interestingly, not just the East End of London). The River Thames remains central and the central point of the golden triangle of the frame. The primary meaning of the map is nothing more than a map of London, a beautiful pictorial aerial view. The semiotic meaning is considerably different though, it suggests fun, scandal, perhaps time to stop doing what you're doing and relax. Even before the title appeared, which is indecently made up of just one word, Eastenders, the visual image caught people's attention. The distinctive theme alone has become an audible code, to provoke the same response from the viewer, even if they are at that moment, not in the same room as the television. It became a wake-up call to tell them that the program had started. The word Eastenders once again has more meaning than what it is, a word. It became a logo and is still used in all forms of advertising, in its own font. The title sequence lasts just over 20 seconds but sends many messages in that time. Technical difference between modern soap operas 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 portray and the way the scenes are shot , although each retains its individual look and feel, to maintain its artistic originality from the others. The first Eastenders scene I recorded was just 10 shots and 3 very simple camera angles. They all remained steady and rhythmic, consisting of a long shot and the rest medium shots of the two characters speaking. The shots were simply two different shoulder shots, depending on which character was speaking. This is mainly done for two reasons, firstly a logical technical reason, because due to the tight schedule of the episodes the director and cameramen did not have time. resources to design, interesting and new camera angles. Second, this type of workcamera and stopping the editing is pretty much a convention in all soap operas, this avoids alienating the viewer. The goal is to draw people in and make them part of the story. it is part of the naturalist tradition, offering a window on the world of D. Chandler. The lighting is made completely natural and is filmed in a realistic and documentary manner. The first scene is relatively boring, with two people discussing their personal financial difficulties in a private setting. This sets the mood for what comes next. The audience knows that it will show gossip and other intimate secrets about the characters. In fact, it is a definitive convention across the board, with the soap opera genre. They're all based on Gossip and that's how the shows hook 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 future events, before they actually happen. Other soap operas such as Coronation Street follow a similar pattern with the camera. shots and angles but convey characters, in a slightly lighter way. The mood can be light at times and features a large number of characters who portray the stereotypical image of the crazy person (like Curly Watts). However, social and moral obligations to the public regarding issues of rape, affairs, drug addiction, unemployment, etc. are always treated responsibly. Coronation Street is Britain's longest-running soap opera and has sometimes been criticized for aging with its audience. Characters such as Ken Barlow, involved since the beginning of the series (1960), symbolize more of a tradition, keeping the roots of the program, it is more than likely the role that Pauline Fowler plays in Eastenders. Involved in very few mainstream plots, but is there to bounce off other characters. She is a well-established member of the community. Which is actually a form of ideology of how each soap opera chooses to represent that community. Most often this is based on the area in which it takes place, and the characters are just as stereotypical as the location depicted. For example, Coronation Street, offers a nostalgic perspective on a rapidly declining industrial town in Manchester, most of the characters are working class and the women are strong-willed and self-confident Northerners. The advantage of stereotyping characters in this way is that they can be developed based on the storylines they are involved in, and then, once that is over, they return to their usual status 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 be deliberately one-dimensional, so that when a hot 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, thus giving the viewer that feeling. well-being factor. Stereotypes Before what I have suggested, each of the Soap Opera chooses its individual way of representing the characters. There is a common element that must apply to everyone. In order to create tension and drama, the soap opera must offer certain types of contradictory characters. The characters must be present. The bastard, the pie, the good moral person, the businessman, the bad guy and the female dog. All of these character types are present throughout thetangled intrigues. When one of these characters is written out (there may be a brief morning process for the benefit of the audience), another similar character is written out. This brings me to another point that I only realized when watching the replay of the scene on tape. As it was recorded on UK Gold, the episodes are old, I showed very little interest in the story as I knew everything and how it was going to end. Conspiracies were old news. So this suggests that the episodes present are designed to be viewed once, they are disposable TVs. This also turns out to be the case with the characters, all the time they are present they serve to entertain us and, in extreme cases, can become part of our lives. When this character leaves the show, our attention is quickly diverted elsewhere, to the next big scandal. We get to the point where we simply forget that this character even contributed to the series, a case I discovered while watching my recorded episode. I often thought, oh, I forgot he was in there, etc. Also giving a fair amount of evidence that there is a core or main cast member, who is not disposable. Moral and topical issues, in British soaps, although not having a legal obligation to deal with current and controversial issues responsibly, they understand this to be an essential part of the convention, particularly to maintain high audiences. The BBC, which is responsible for making Eastenders, maintains their motto of INFORM, EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN. They are conscious of the fact that they are a public service station and aim to produce Eastenders as this is a benefit to the public and is taken seriously. Producer Julia Smith said: “We don't make life, we reflect it! ". She also suggested that there is no social problem that is not addressed, in one form or another, and in the most realistic way possible, incorporating plots, using characters. who were homosexual, unemployed, single mothers, etc. We didn't want to shy away from any topic except politics and swearing. In my opinion, this could be applied to any other British soap opera, any other commercial television channel. Although I have noticed that Eastenders has always had a large number of ethnic minorities, incorporated into the cast and portrayed many in a very realistic light, without always dwelling on generalizations of arranged marriages and people of color always involved in crime. This is not the case with other British soap operas! But it is a far cry from the symbolic presence of a black man or a black family, as most other soap operas represent. It has also been suggested that soap operas can help educate young people and adults on how to deal with life's problems, families can sometimes refer to a black man or a black family. soap to approach a subject with curious children. Another theory that I personally find quite far-fetched is that by using close-ups on actors' faces, people learn to read people and differentiate between what is being said and what the subtext means. I think it would be a bit native to take this statement seriously, although I agree that it might have some influence. Conclusion This essay can only really apply to the British soap opera genre, as it seems that each country has its own form of conventions when it comes to soap operas. Dallas and Dynasty, American soap operas from the 1980s, took a completely different approach on how to hook audiences. He.