Scripted Reality Storyboard

Soap Poster Conventions

On a soap opera poster there should be a narrative to draw the reader in as well as this there should information about the plot and characters playing on what the audience already know about the character. The posters will usually be on a billboard on the side of the road so will only be read for a few seconds therefore the text needs to be catchy and play on words that people already associate with the soap. As the audience only see the image for a few seconds the image and the text need to having a lasting impact so the audience will remember it. In a soap opera poster you need to show character stereotypes as well as miss en scene and lighting that are assosiated with the show

Soap Opera Presentations

Soap Opera Presentations:

Names:	Sub- genre: Scripted Reality
Is the definition clear and easy to understand?	Yes they are made by everyday people instead of actors and made on everyday life
What soaps could fit into this sub- genre?	The Only Way Is Essex/ Made In Chelsea
Have they given clear examples of codes and conventions, using existing examples?	Yes the example was of Gemma at a pool party
Have they covered the use of:   Lighting Editing Mise en Scene Sound	Costume- Covers the Social Class, they are dressed glamorous showing they are upper class and from London. Props- Add to a characters identities Lighting- Lighting fits the mood, f the mood was miserable the lighting will be dark if the mood was happy there would be bright lights
Any extra information?	Roles- Bimbo, Player, Best Friends, Bitch, On and Off Couple Setting- Fix the stereotypes of people who live in Essex, Wealth Sound- Opening theme tune- Helps set the mood of the audience makes the audience familiar with the audience Camera Shots- Close ups show the glamour of the characters/Long shots show of the settings
Questions?

 

Names:	Sub- genre: Melodramas
Is the definition clear and easy to understand?	No
What soaps could fit into this sub- genre?	Corrination Street, Eastenders
Have they given clear examples of codes and conventions, using existing examples?	Yes
Have they covered the use of:   Lighting Editing Mise en Scene Sound	Camera Work- Free hand cameras to make it look more realistic. Hollyoaks used quick camera shots and short shots creating a fast feel. Miss En Scene- In corrination street is in an urban setting Eastenders- East London Sound- Dramatic Music, diagetic and non diagetic sound is used. Corrination street does not use any diagetic sound. This creates realism Editing, Hollyoaks reflects a fast lively feel with lots of effects Corrination Street has slow and smooth transactions The lighting in corrination street is all from the studio and no natural light where as on hollyoaks its all natural
Any extra information?	Stereotyped characters. Hero/Villains/Side Kicks/Damsel In Distress Facial Expressions are based pan the human crisis of emotions There are breaks and there are usually 4 stories going on at the same time
Questions	No
Names:	Sub- genre: American
Is the definition clear and easy to understand?	Based on unrealistic storylines highlighting the dreams of American society
What soaps could fit into this sub- genre?	90210, Dallas, Desperate Housewives
Have they given clear examples of codes and conventions, using existing examples?	Unlike British soaps they don’t contain normal people thee characters are usually good looking so the audience is jealous Female character usually take on the main role
Have they covered the use of:   Lighting Editing Mise en Scene Sound	Miss En Scene- Clothes are usually glamorous, bright colours Location- Major Cities Props- Usually expensive cars and big houses Lighting- Lighting is very bright compared to British Soaps, this aims to flatter the soaps and make them look better this yet again showing its lack of realism Sound- Tend to be non diagetic e.g background sound also diagetic sound is used to set the scene and give subliminal messages Editing used to emphasise a story line, flashbacks are used to show previous storylines
Any extra information?	Character Steroetypes:Mother Figure, Femme Fatale, Heartthrob, Bad Guy Exaggerated storylines which prevents realism allowing the audiences to watch their dream life Storylines- Affairs- Deaths- Drugs- Pregnancy-Sex-Abductions-Car Crashes
Questions?	No

 

 

Names:	Sub- genre: Australian Soaps
Is the definition clear and easy to understand?	A soap set in Australia with characters and storyline that are exaggerated
What soaps could fit into this sub- genre?	Neighbours, Home and Away, Out of the blue
Have they given clear examples of codes and conventions, using existing examples?	The difference between Australian soaps and British soaps is its more summery, the clothes are different. The generations in Neighbours is different to Corination Street as usually all the characters are the same age The set is very different Neighbours set is seen as ‘upper class’ compared to British soaps which contain ‘working class’
Have they covered the use of:   Lighting Editing Mise en Scene Sound	Miss En Scene- Fictional Suburbs Lighting- Bright lights very different to British Soaps Camera- Few extreme close ups but a lot of long shots used to show off the background
Any extra information?	Stereotypes- No Ethnic Minorities everyone is Australian, People play cricket, have BBQ’s, Swimming Pools. None include Kangaroos or crocodiles
Questions?	No

 

 

Names:	Sub- genre: Realism
Is the definition clear and easy to understand?	Believable plots with realistic characters intended to make the audience believe in the soaps
What soaps could fit into this sub- genre?	Emmerdale, Coronation Street
Have they given clear examples of codes and conventions, using existing examples?	3-4 storylines run at the same time, there are many plots running at the same time. Every episode leave the audience on a cliff hanger Main Characters are usually women
Have they covered the use of:   Lighting Editing Mise en Scene Sound	Lighting- Very Basic, special effects are not used Sound- Non Diagetic Music  is rarely used other than in the theme tune
Any extra information?	Stereotypes- Working class this is expressed through the clothes and accents
Questions?	No

 

 

Rejected Images

I rejected this images for my front cover as the background doesn't look natural due to the fact there is a black bar at the top of it, I needed my image to look neat and clean which could only be done if I had a white background

Similarly with this image I have not got a good enough background for this to be my front cover image. This image is better than the first one due to it being slightly closer therefore hitting the shot type I wanted

Telenovelas Slideshow

Telenovelas from harriettboom

Why Are Soap Operas So Popular

• Soap Operas are easy to get back in to due to there changing story line and characters meaning that fans don't have to watch every episode as you can catch up on everything in a later show
• Soap Operas story lines of everyday life and everyday problems means the audience is drawn to watch it as they can relate to it. Whereas the American soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty are often thought of as a form of 'fantasy' by some viewers, British soaps, and indeed Australian soaps, are generally referred to as being, 'realistic' in that they focus on the domestic and personal, and on everyday concerns and problematic issues such as death, friendship, marriage, romance and divorce.
• Soap Opera writers have found a way to bring in realism as well as provide the audience with comedy. Coronation Street use strong northern accents and have characters that are 'stupid' or 'slow' an example of this would be Les Battersby who was seen as a 'prankster' and therefore was funny to watch
• As Soap Operas are shown on TV repetitively the audience gain a relationship with these characters and feel like they know them "When I sit down to watch, I belong to the family in a way...I can enter into all the characters because they're so familiar" (Ang 1985) this results in the audience caring for these characters and seeing the show as being real life 
• As Soap Operas have realistic story lines it is clear that viewers use the behavior of the character in order to justify there actions in a similar situation, meaning that through the problems we see on Soaps the audience are able to learn and sometimes take the same approach.
• The audience gain pleasure from identifying them self as a certain character, they see the character has a similar personality or traits to them so can relate to them. This point applies more to British and Australian soaps more than American soaps due to the realism
• Soap opera is also popular due to its continuity, regularity and familiarity. Soap opera has been labelled as a 'ritual pleasure' which offers reassurance in its familiarity and longevity, its predictable familiarity of life being the main force which pulls us in
•  Interestingly, the genre's popularity also stems partly from the viewer's need, after the events of the day, to find out what happened in Coronation Street, Albert Square or Summer Bay that same day. Due to this, the viewer can often gain pleasure from the notion that everyday life in the soaps is 'real' and on-going just as our lives are
•  The theme tune of a soap draws in the audience and shows new watchers the destination of the soap, The familiar theme tune played on the piano reminds us of London where EastEnders is set, and likewise the nostalgic sound of the cornet playing the Coronation Street theme reminds us of the famous brass bands we associate with the North of England.
•  Also, due to the soap being solely based in one place geographically, and portraying the lives of the same characters in each episode, we can be assured of familiarity and continuity. Additionally, in certain soaps, the viewer is aware of where a character is, or what he or she is doing if absent from a particular episode.

Practice Ancillary TV front cover