The document discusses codes and conventions of the soap opera genre. It provides examples from EastEnders focusing on family relationships, working class communities, and multiple storylines. Soap operas tend to focus on domestic tribulations and strong female characters, appealing mainly to female audiences. Trailers are used to promote soap operas, consisting of excerpts to attract audiences without spoiling the narrative. Multi-platform promotion can increase a media text's visibility, credibility, and allow for cross-marketing across different audiences.

1. Evidence of planning and
Research

2. Codes and conventions of the soap opera genre
• The soap opera genre can be categorized by the ‘repeated’ (Steave Neale) elements of:
1. Theme tune
2. Ident
3. Characters
4. Target audience (females)
5. Themes (love & conflict)
Eastenders (1985- present)
Eastenders is a British soap opera, it was
broadcasted in the United Kingdom on BBC.
Eastenders storylines examine the domestic
and professional lives of people who live and
work in the fictional London borough of
walford. This allows them to ‘inform,
educate and entertain’.
Age Middle
aged
Gender Females
Nationality British

3. https://youtu.be/QUqmm7RuYn8
Codes and conventions Evidence
(verbal, non- verbal,
technical)
Impact on the audience
(Kat, Maslow, Hartley)
Family relationships and/
or conflict
The Beale family are together Personal identification- families
that have lost a child, sibling
because of a murder
Caregivers- you sympathies for the
family
Focus on working class
communities
• Graffiti on the walls in the park
• Park
• Food shops
Social climbers- wanting more from
the community, for example want
it to look appealing
Multi stranded narrative Trying to pick a suspect for the
murder
Explorers- want to gain knowledge
and know what the characters do,
this will help you figure out who a
potential suspect is
Disequilibrium (Todorov) • Lucy’s death
• The sound of the gate banging
Personal relationship- hoping that
your favourite character isn't one
of the suspects or the killer

4. https://youtu.be/2RRFQoEmP48
Codes and conventions Evidence
(verbal, non- verbal,
technical)
Impat on the audience
(Kat, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance • “I'm going to ask him to marry
me”
• “will you marry me”
Personal identification- a female
proposing. This is portraying an
anti stereotype as normally it’s the
males that propose. Therefore
connoting females and males are
equal
Family relationships and/
or conflict
“he loves us and we’re going to
start a new life together”
Caregivers – people showing their
love and affection towards one
another, excitement for upcoming
events
Focus on working class
communities
“court in session” Diversion – escaping reality, and
having an insight into another life.
As not many people experience
being in a court
Multi stranded narrative • Hospital
• Trains
Explorers- the audience get to
explore the lives of the different
characters
Disequilibrium (Todorov) “help me, he’s got a gun” Survivors- audience are hoping for
the character to survive and for the
villain (Props) to be caught.

5. • According to Rebecca Feasey in ‘masculinity and popular
television’ (2007), the soap opera genre tends to focus on:
• “The home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong
women, and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the
female viewers”.

6. Soap Opera Codes & Conventions
Textual Analysis
 What is the purpose of a trailer?
‘ Trailers consist of a series selected shots from the film/soap opera being advertised.
Since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film/ soap opera, these
excerpts are usually drawn from the most exciting, funny or otherwise noteworthy
parts of the film/ soap opera but in abbreviated form and usually without producing
spoilers’.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion)
 What are the benefits of Multi- Platform promotion of a media text?
1. Increased visibility- a converged media operation can increase the visibility
2. Credibility- the combination of all the resources of each medium can only increase
audiences perception of credibility.
3. Cross- marketing- TV, radio and newspapers reach different audiences,
convergence allows you to extend the brand

7. What are the connotations of the indent for the popular channel four teen soap
opera Hollyoaks (1995- present)?
The indent appeals more to a more too young teenage audience this is because
of the colour scheme and the modernisation of ‘HOLLYOAKS’.

8. Production Work
 What is the role of a producer?
Oversees all aspects of the production, across the three stages:
1. Pre- production
2. Production
3. Post production
They also manage everyone and ensure that everything is going to plan.
 What is the role of a director?
Oversees the creative aspects of the production, they direct people in front
and behind the cameras.