Soap Operas

Soap operas are usually based around the working class life and consists of different theories of realism to construct reality. Mise en scene is used to help construct reality and help the audience identify what class the soap is based around. An effective mise-en-scene used is costume as it directly shows the audience what kind of lifestyle the character follows which can help us relate to the soap. For instance, in soap operas most British women are styled in typical high street clothing. This creates an understanding relationship between the characters and the audience and can help the audience empathise with the characters and this makes the soap seem more real; this is also the type of engagement the producers are looking for in order to get more ratings.

Another important mise en scene used to help construct reality would be setting, although most soap operas are based in the same place and area which may seem unrealistic to some viewers, it can also help make the audience feel more comfortable and familiar with the soap and its surroundings, because if a soap frequently changed settings always changed settings it would be harder for viewers to recognise what is happening and where it’s taking place. Also if soap operas have a small number of locations it’s more likely that the audience would quickly remember all the places in the soap which would make it easy for viewers to talk about a recent episode. However I think it can also seem unrealistic when characters all share one laundrette like in Eastenders, because it almost seems like too much of a coincidence that everything and everyone stays in ‘Albert Square’ and nothing goes beyond. Although it’s used to make the soap seem realistic it also shows a negative representation of East Londoners as it makes us seem like we  just go to the pub or the ‘bookies’ and none of us own a washing machine.

Themes such as love, relationships and family life are used to emphasise the realism in soaps for example, a lot of soaps are based on family relationships and how it can affect a whole community. I think different types of relationships and loves in soaps cause a lot of controversy; however it can also open the soap to a wider range of viewers, such as homosexuality which is a mild form of taboo. These types of themes can also relate to the audiences lives and maybe help them with their own real-life situations. In addition to that real life themes construct reality in soap operas, because if viewers have already witnessed these types of problems or situations it makes them feel like the soap is more real.

 

Shot reverse shots are frequently used to make the soap seem more legit the effect is that it can make the audience feel as if they’re involved in the conversation. Producers use recurring themes to construct realistic conflicts and secrets in families which shows us that soap operas aren’t just for entertainment, but also to emphasise that the soap is a reflection of real life situations, for example a buried family secret will once again rise to cause a shocking story which is exactly what producers do to keep the viewers engaged. Iconography such as the ‘Queen Vic’ in Eastenders is used to create a familiar surrounding and is a frequent establishing shot in the soap, also theme tunes are used to make the audience identify that a particular programme is on.

An important technical code used in soap operas is sound. Most soap operas use diegetic sound to enhance realism. It makes the audience feel like they're a part of the programme, as you hear the sound effects you would usually hear if you we're present in the soap. For instance, Eastenders has a basic title sequence displaying the whole of the East end and a theme tune, however hollyoak's title sequence involves everybody in the soap opera which pinpoints and gives new viewers an idea of who's in the soap opera. Hollyoaks also has a re-cap at the beginning of the sequence to inform viewers on what's going to happen in this episode.

When comparing Hollyoaks & Eastenders, we can arguably say Eastenders is more realistic as Hollyoaks tends to use abstract setting for example flashbacks and non-diegetic sound bridges and so on. Hollyoaks doesn't initially follow all the technical codes, they drift off into more of a drama based programme. This is probably because they're targeting a younger audience and stereotypically dramatic TV programmes appeal to younger viewers. In comparison to Hollyoaks; Eastenders is more realistic as all the Technical Codes are used, especially continuity editing is frequently used; it gives a flowing feeling to the soap, which helps the audience feel like the soap is real.