2. Conventions: Soap Opera Setting
One convention of a soap is that they are usually set around a small central area to
give a realistic community feel. Audiences then become familiar with the residents
within, and it almost become as if it is a place they know.
For example
EastEnders is set around a Town Square
Coronation Street is set down a street
They also tend to include a central meeting point where all the characters interact
and major storylines develop i.e. The Rovers Return Coronation Street or The
Queen Vic in EastEnders. These contained sets have benefits for producers because
they can save money by using the same set for many different character
encounters.
3. EastEnders
EastEnders is a British soap opera; first broadcasted in the UK on BBC One in 1985.
EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who
live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London.
The series primarily centres on the residents of Albert Square, a Victorian square of
attached houses, and its neighbouring streets, namely Bridge Street, Turpin Road and
George Street. The area encompasses a pub, street market, night club, community
centre, funeral parlour, café, wine bar, various other small businesses, a park and
allotments.
As EastEnders is set in a small town characters are often interlinked and share central
meeting points for key events together, most noticeably in the queen Vic pub which
has seen a far share of weddings, arguments etc. By doing this it has enabled
EastEnders to continue a wide range of story lined between key characters.
The location and setting used in EastEnders is of a working class atmosphere which
creates realistic setting, which would possibly make the average person want to watch
it so they can relate to the characters.
5. Coronation Street
The fictional setting of this soap is Coronation Street in Weatherfield, a suburb of Greater Manchester.
Within the narrative of the programme, the cobbled Street was built in 1902 and consists of a row of seven
terraced houses, with the Rovers Return Inn pub and Corner Shop at either end.
Across the cobbles, the other side of the Street has housed a number of different buildings over the years,
including a raincoat factory, Mission hall, warehouse, Community Centre and a block of two-storey
maisonettes. Since 1990, three semi-detached houses and several small business properties, including
newsagent The Kabin, Audrey's Salon and the underwear factory Underworld, have stood on the site.
As the programme's various outdoor sets have expanded, the area surrounding Coronation Street,
particularly Rosamund Street and Victoria Street, have been gradually integrated into the show, with more
flats and business properties including Roy's Rolls, cab firm Street Cars, Barlow's Bookies and the Builder's
Yard. The houses and businesses provide accommodation and work for the programme's characters, with
the action mostly centring on the Coronation Street area, although other areas of Weatherfield are seen
occasionally.
The variety of settings in Coronation Street allow for a multitude of storylines to occur at the same time.
There are usually 3-5 storylines, the soap switches between the stories, this helps keep the audiences
interested. The Rovers is seen as the central meeting spot of the characters and is often used as the setting
for arguments, weddings or disasters. The shops and housing in Coronation Street are realistic and represent
realism which allows audiences to relate to them.
7. Hollyoaks
There are many settings used in Hollyoaks but Hollyoaks itself is the main setting for the series a fictional
village in Chester, Cheshire. The majority of the characters live in the centre of the village, however some,
for example the McQueen's live just outside.
Other setting commonly used in Hollyoaks include:
Hollyoaks High School- the local comprehensive high school which includes a sixth form. The school is one
of the main settings of Hollyoaks, with several characters being students and working within the school.
Hollyoaks Community College- is the local college in Hollyoaks village, supplying teenagers with further
education.
Dee Valley Police Station- The local police station where characters are seen regularly when they are
arrested or questioned by police. Characters that have worked here include: PC Calvin Valentine, PCSO
Carmel Valentine, PCSO Dominic Reilly.
Dee Valley University Hospital- The local NHS hospital to Hollyoaks Village. It is seen regularly when
characters are injured or ill.
The Dog in the Pond- is the local public house and is used as a central setting for characters to meet.
The Loft- is a nightclub is located within the main village. It has been owned by a number of residents
including Scott Anderson, Max Cunningham and Warren Fox.
Hollyoaks use of locations allows character storylines to often cross over this is a common occurrence in
soaps. Soap tend to have large casts, to keep them verisimilitude to a real community. This is seen in
Hollyoaks as it has a big location which gives home to a large cast, allowing for storylines to continue as
well as creating a sense of realism.
9. Neighbours
Neighbours is filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Interior scenes are taped
at the Global Television studios in the eastern suburbs. A real-life street
named Pin Oak Court is used to represent the fictional Ramsay Street
during outdoor filming.
Ramsay Street is situated in Erinsborough, a fictional Melbourne
suburb. Erinsborough is often contrasted with the neighbouring, and
equally fictitious, suburbs of Eden Hills, West Waratah, Waratah
Heights, Elliot Park, and Anson's Corner.
Due to Neighbours being with a small community this sets it apart from
soap conventions but allow audiences to know the characters better.
11. My group has decided to follow soap opera conventions when it comes down to
the setting we decided to use for our media piece. In our product we wanted to
include as many realistic locations as possible so that there would be a constant
sense of realism. Like many real soap operas we wanted to include settings that are
in everyday life. The first setting used was actually in the school itself by the stair,
but due to camera positioning and lighting we were able to hide the fact the stair
were in a school- this setting was used to film the death of Daniels character. The
next setting we used was again within the school premises near a bar/pub type
table in DA2, this was used to film a bar fight and we wanted to show that within
our trailer a central meeting point was within a pub to follow soap opera
conventions and gives a sense of realism to the piece. Two other scenes we used
for our media piece to create a realistic setting were based at my house in which
we first filmed in my lounge, we wanted to create a homely vibe, and this again is
common in soap operas. A scandalous affair also took place at my house in my bed,
we decided upon this scene as it is a common story line used in soaps and the
setting we used is also often used in soaps for similar story lines.
Our soap opera settings
