This document discusses how a media product uses, develops, or challenges conventions of real soap operas. It analyzes the conventions of soap operas, such as continuous storylines, working class characters, and short scenes. It then explains how the media product uses conventions like close-ups to convey emotion, but also develops conventions by having younger villains. However, it concludes that the product mostly uses conventions rather than developing or challenging them, such as with similar shot types and common storylines.

1. OCR G324
Joe Garnett
3304
Aquinas College:
33435

2. Evaluation Question 1:
In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Using conventions = Taking the conventions of
soap operas and applying them to my own
product

3. Conventions of soap operas
-Soaps usually run week-in, week-out all year round
-Continuous storylines(narratives) based around domestic,
personal and relationships
-Plots are open ended and interlinked
-Theme tunes that change rarely
-Mainly based on working class characters
-Set around a small central area (such as a square,
Eastenders, or a cul-de-sac, Brookside)
-They are very mundane, and will usually have an
overarching theme each programme
-Usually there is not much non-diegetic sound
-Short scenes which start off with an establishing shot

4. Using conventions
close ups and big close ups are used often
in soaps to convey emotion, they give the
audience a sense of being close to the
character. A lot of the time they are shown
at the end of a scene to show the
characters feeling after an interaction.

5. Using conventions
Over the shoulder shots are very common in soaps, the
audience feel as if they are peeking over the characters
shoulder and they are in the scene. They show where the
audience need to focus, cropping out any distractions.

6. Using conventions
In some soaps, before we enter a
particular place we are shown an
exterior shot of the mise-en-
scene, this is to establish where
we are. This means that the
interior and exterior shots are
within close proximity to each,
which reinforces the small area of
which the show is set.

7. Using conventions
Almost all soap trailers have a non-diegetic soundtrack which runs throughout
the trailer.
The song we chose was
James Vincent McMorrow – Higher love
It was sung using a very high pitch voice along with high notes of a piano, these
create a slight sadness around the soap, which most soaps are as they try to
realistic.

8. Using conventions
Piano key
Many soap trailers are edited so
that the beats of the non-diegetic Music beat
sound match the cuts.
Piano key

9. Using conventions Influences
Hollyoaks – Murder storyline
Costumes - black
Shot types (CU/BCU – emotion)
Coronation Street – Kevin
cheated on his wife Sally
Costume/make-up – glamour
Shot types – mid shot

10. Using conventions
We chose E4 as the
institution for our soap
trailer. This was because
of the influence that E4
shows had given us.

11. Using conventions
E4 use a white American Typewriter
font, placed on a purple background
with an E4 logo, they have a web
address shown on their title cards. It
is usually placed at the end of a soap
trailer.

12. Developing conventions
Developing conventions = taking the
conventions of soap operas and applying a
different spin on them

13. Developing conventions
Although, villains/murderers/kidnappers are
conventions of soaps and are used regularly, our
villain(murderer) was much younger than what
has been the norm in other soaps.
Costume can
reinforce what that
character is like

14. Developing conventions
Because we have seen
murders in other soaps
(Hollyoaks), the audience
may assume that the
character in Hilltop Farm is
also a murderer because of
the costume, even though
the character is much
younger.

15. Developing conventions
Corrie
Unlike most soaps such as Coronation Street,
most of the cast are teens, and are more
glamorous in costume and make-up. The
trailer has more of a Hollyoaks or even a
Towie feel to it.
Towie

16. Challenging conventions
Challenging conventions = ignoring
the conventions of soaps

17. Challenging conventions
Hilltop Farm is based in
Alderley edge, a higher class
area than the many of the
places where other soaps
are set.(such as Albert
square in Eastenders,
There is no evidence in my
media product that any of
the characters have jobs,
whereas is Corrie and
Eastenders the jobs that
people have include
mechanics and bar staff.

18. In many soap trailers there are
transitions between the cuts of different
scenes and shots to show jumps in
time, which is evident in my media
product.
Most of the shot types are very similar
(CU/BCU) and the storylines have been
used in many soaps for years. (murder
in Hollyoaks - Silas, cheating in
Coronation Street- Molly and Kevin )
Overall I would say that my media
product uses the conventions of real
media rather than develop or challenge
them.