2. Audience.
The audience for soaps vary on what soap it actually is. Soaps
attract all ages and all types of people which is good because it
gives the program popularity. The people that watch soaps are
usually middle aged women because they can watch it with their
kids just before they put their kids to bed after the soaps have
finished or if they are really young they can put them to bed before
the soaps start. Soap opera’s where originally produced for female
viewers with the intention of selling soap powder for house-bound
women.
3. Representation
Soaps are based in real life but with more tragedies. There are a lot of
stereotypes in soaps. They use stereotypes in characters so the audience can
identify certain characters. The name of the soap will give off a strong
connotation to its themes, lifestyles and conflicts.
EastEnders focuses on the tough and grim life in London's east end
Coronation Street invokes Manchester and its characters exhibit the
stereotypical characteristic of Northern straight talking.
Soaps use stereotypes but make characters do something you would not
expect. This creates a countertype.
Women in soaps are mainly presented as the gossips and are vulnerable.
Other characters can be presented as villains.
There are stereotypical characters in Eastenders such as Phil Mitchell who is a
typical east London hard man.
4. Narrative.
Stereotypical narratives of soaps consist of; Cliffhangers which is a dramatic event at the end of
an episode that will go on to be developed in the next episode. Cliff hangers are used to draw
the audience into watching the next episode by making them question what happens next.
Other narratives such as; Mini Cliffhangers also are designed to have the same effect but before
an ad-break. Soaps also use teasers which shows key scenes of either conflict/ or dramatic
excitement. Another technique soaps use are Hooks, which where a dramatic scene is shown at
the beginning of the program to really capture the audiences attention. The Hook will also
normally link back to a Cliffhanger shown previously. Dramatic Irony is when an event takes
place and the audience knows about it but the characters do not.
5. Genre
Genre is a term for a category for literature and other forms of art or entertainment.
We have many types of the film genre, those are:
• Documentary
• Comedy
• Romantic
• Romantic Comedy
• Fiction
• Drama
• Horror
• Action and Adventure
• Thriller
• Family
• Crime
6. Mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene is, a French word used to describe the design aspects of
theatre and film productions. Visual information in front of the camera
its made up of five elements;
• Settings and Props
• Costume and Hair and Make Up
• Facial Expressions and Body Language
• Lighting & Colour
• Positioning of characters and objects within the frame
7. Our Idea.
Priory Park Hill.
• College
• Rebecca – 17, Bullied
• Sally, Louise, Lizzie – Bullies
• Tracy and Phil- Rebecca’s parents- Problems at home… Divorce?
• Phil- Violent, Abusive. Punches Tracy- Rebecca see’s.
• Tom- 11, Rebecca’s brother- in trouble at school
• Sally, Louise and Lizzie- Spit on Rebecca/ pull her hair/ call her names/ beat her
up. Send her abusive text messages.
• Alfie- 21, Teacher at college Rebecca talks about her problems to… Dating her
teacher.
• The bullies find out Rebecca’s dating Alfie and blackmail her into planting drugs
on Alfie and if she chooses not to they’ll tell everyone about their secret
relationship. Rebecca choses not to.
• It drives her to kill herself.
• Jumps off college roof to kill herself.
• Based in college and at Rebecca’s house.
8. Characters
Phil played by Steve
Rebecca played by Lacey Turner McFadden
Tracy played by Sophie
Sally played by Chelsee Healey Thompson
Tom played by
Louise Played by Rebecca Craven Joshua Pascoe
Lizzie played by Aleesha Dillion Alfie played by Jack
Whitehall
