Representation of men, women and teenagers within the soap opera genre

1. REPRESENTATION
IN SOAP

2. Representation of Men
Within this trailer, men are represented as untruthful
and aggressive as they want to know who shot Robert.
The use of sound shows this as dialogue shows how
each character feels. For example, at 0:03 seconds in, a
male character says “I hate him so much”. This shows
anger and hatred toward other characters.
Mise-en-Scene
The use of costume and prop creates different
representations for young male characters and old male
characters. For example, older characters are
represented as sweet and calm, as Paddy’s costume
consists of brighter colours.
Younger men are represented as dangerous and
confrontational as their costumes consist of dark clothing, coloured black/navy. This connotes their dangerous side, which is
shown within the narrative as they are searching for Robert’s killer. This suggests that all men have a dark side, representing
them as dangerous. The age of the characters, who are around the ages of young adults, roughly 20 to 35, also suggests that
they will be irrational and impulsive. There is evidence of this in the clip as one of the characters is shown ready to punch
another character. The clip also shows men to be very emotional as characters are shown to be angry, upset and vengeful
through their facial expressions and body language. This presents a very real representation of men, as the archetype of a male
tends to be strong, tall and stable, whereas Emmerdale represents men realistically by showing their feelings and emotions. This
will make the characters more relatable to the audience as they connect to realism as this allows them to gratify their need to
relate to a media text (Uses and Gratifications Theory).
Camerawork
The trailers camerawork consists mostly of close-ups and two-shots. This allows the audience to see their facial expressions,
which show the emotion of the characters. Plus, many of the two shots which tend to be over the shoulder shots allow the
audience to see both characters facial expressions, and therefore their reactions. Another camerawork technique used is high
angle shot at the end. The shot shows a character walking around in a small room with low key lighting. The high angle
highlights that the character feels small and perhaps helpless as he’s in prison, while the dark lighting adds drama.

3. Cont.
Editing
The editing is very fast paced within the trailer, with
editing consisting mostly of simple cuts. This makes
the editing less apparent and seamless, almost
encouraging the audience to be invited into the
characters world. From previous research, fast paced
editing has been a very commonly used form of
editing within soap opera trailers, showing that it’s a
convention. This is to dramatize the narrative and
keep the audience engaged by constantly showing
them something new.
Sound
Dialogue within the shot represents male characters
as aggressive as their speech is often harsh and loud.
Conversations between characters are centred
around their hatred for other characters, for example
at 0:03 seconds a male character states “I hate him”.

4. Representation of Women
When thinking of women within soap operas, the archetype
seems to be attractive women who conform to the Male Gaze
Theory (Laura Mulvey). However, soap tends to challenge this as
the personality of women are more apparent. The trailer for
Coronation Street shows this as it revolves around one narrative:
Tracey’s plot for revenge.
Mise-en-Scene
From this trailer, women are presented in different ways. For
example, the woman shown getting married is represented as a
home maker. Costume shows this as her white wedding dress
connotes tradition and purity. Following tradition within her
costume and prop represents her as a
wifely figure. This suggests that she will fulfil the traditional
duties that a wife has. This appears to be a very conventional representation, as she is portrayed as a family orientated character.
Carla, on the other hand, is represented as a strong female figure. She appears to be very assertive, as shown by her body
language and dialogue. Where women are conventionally shown as weak within their body language and facial expressions by
cowering from threats, appearing scared, Carla challenges this as she doesn’t allow Tracey to hit her; she catches her hand which
creates an assertive and bold presentation of her character. This can also be seen within her costume, hair and make-up as
Carla’s black eyeliner and eye shadow paired with her black costume connotes danger. Therefore, we can see that some women
within soap are shown to break convention as Carla’s character is dominant.
Lighting
The lighting within the trailer alternates between natural and low key lighting. The darker lighting is used to show Tracey being
deceptive and evil, as the image of her is difficult to see. The darkness connotes danger, indicating that whatever Tracey is doing
will harm others. This creates the representation that Tracey is unstable as she is shown to be impulsive; this is an
unconventional representation of women as they are stereotypically the calmer and more friendly sex.

5. Cont.
Camerawork
The unity of Steve and Michelle as a couple is represented within the camerawork used as a two shot shows
them at the isle. This indicates that they are a conventionally happy couple as they are shown together in the
shot. The scenes of arguing between Carla and Tracey is shown using shot reverse shots that show a close up
of their faces. This allows the audience to see their facial expressions clearly. This is particularly the case at
around 15 seconds into the trailer as the close up allows us to see Tracey’s lip curl in anger before she tried to
slap Carla. A low angle shot is used to show Tracey in the dark holding a candle. This shot is usually used to
make someone appear powerful, however the shot does this in a different way as Tracey had bad intentions.
This creates a negative representation of Tracey, as the low angle indicates that she has the power to kill.
Editing
The editing of the trailer goes at both a fast and slow pace which creates a beginning, a climax within the
trailer, and an ending. For example, at the start, a two shot of Steve and Michelle (the couple being wed) lasts
for a couple of seconds which encourages the audience to focus on the happy couple. From this point on, the
pace of editing speeds up as the antagonist – who is Tracey – is shown. The pace of editing increases to create
suspense and excitement within the narrative as cuts occur almost every second. This emphasises the arguing
between the women which creates an aggressive representation of them. The editing slows suddenly at the
end as the shot of the burning lamp lasts 4 seconds. This is the longest shot in the trailer, showing that editing
has been used emphasize the danger and damage that this narrative will cause. The use of editing is also used
to end the trailer with a fade to black.
Sound
Dialogue within the trailer represents Tracey as a very jealous and unstable character as she states “There’s no
point in lighting a fuse if you’re not gonna stick around and watch the fireworks”. This kind of threatens the
equilibrium stage of the plot which represents her as the antagonist. It’s unconventional for a female character
to be ‘villain’ of sorts as the archetype of an antagonist is usually a less attractive male. Therefore, Tracey
challenges the convention of females within soap, although she follows it to an extent as she expresses her
individual personality which is a convention feature of soap opera. Dramatic music is also used; it has a very
deep sound and drums slowly, however this gives the feeling of impending doom, as opposed to building
suspense. This indicates that the narrative will not end well, representing Tracey as even more dangerous.

6. Social Groups Teenagers
In this trailer for the Hollyoaks soap opera, the teenage social
group is represented as being very naïve and immature. This
can be seen within the issues presented in the trailer, which
include sexuality, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and mental
health issues.
Mise-en-scene
Narratives of abuse, and props such as drugs and alcohol
present the teenage social group as morally weak, as well as
showing that the younger generation lack self control. This
shows that elements of mise-en-scene are used to represent
teens in a negative way as it shows teens are selfish and
inconsiderate.
Camerawork
The trailer begins with an establishing shot of the town which
is decorated for gay pride.
Camerawork is also used to present the bad relationship
between Nico and her mother.
This is shown when she pushes her in an empty grave as a low angle shot presents her character as
powerful and intimidating. This creates a negative representation of Nico as this shows her to be an
aggressive and out of control teen. The next shot creates a juxtaposition, as camerawork presents her
mother as weak and frightened as a high angle shot is used to make her seem small, showing that she
lacks control over her child. This creates a juxtaposition as this is not the relationship expected from a
parent and child, which again conforms to the rebellious teenage stereotype.
Editing
Editing within the trailer is very fast paced, which is a conventional feature of soap opera trailers. The fast
paced editing shows the range of narratives within the soap as it allows the audience to see snippets of
each in a short amount of time.
Sound
Dialogue is used to present the teenage characters as being immature and unwise, for example, a voice
over shows that a young, teenage character will be expecting a child. However she seems to regret
getting pregnant as she states “I’m not ready to be a mum”. This presents teens in a stereotypical way as
the social group are known for not thinking about the consequences of their action.

7. Theory
The relationship between Nico and her mother conforms to Strauss’
theory of binary opposites as it shows a clear dominant and subordinate
figure. For example, the use of camerawork showed Nico to be the
dominant figure as it presented her as more aggressive and bigger, as a
low angle was used to show she has more power over her mother. Her
mother played the role of her subordinate as she was lower than Nico (use
of levels) and a high angle was used to make her look small and scared.

8. How will I Present Teens within
my Product?
From completing this research, I can see that teens within soap operas are conventionally
represented as quite rebellious. For example, my research shows that from Hollyoaks,
they are shown to be taking drugs, participating in illegal activity, and getting pregnant
at a young age. This presents teens as immature as it shows they aren’t taking
responsibility for the consequences. Similarly, Nico is presented as a rebellious teen as
she refuses to listen to her mother. There is an imbalance of power within their
relationship, as camerawork shows that Nico is more powerful through the use of a low
angle shot.
As a result, I am going to present the teens within my product similarly, showing themes
of teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and poor decisions. This will appeal to my target
audience as Hollyoaks, a main competitor of my product, have also conformed to
convention and been successful in doing so. As a result, I feel that conforming to
convention will result in my product being well received by the audience. As Neale stated
in his theory of repetition and difference, a media text must be similar to others in its
genre to ensure that the audience can recognise it, however it must also contain
differences to make it fresh and exciting.

9. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I think that men within the soap genre are represented in
stereotypical ways. Young to middle aged men are shown to be impulsive
and quite aggressive, which is connoted by their dark costumes which
suggests that they are quite mysterious.
On the other hand, women differ as some follow convention while others
do not – this is based more on the characters personality.
Teens, however, they are also shown in a very stereotypical way as the
Hollyoaks trailer indicated that they were selfish and impulsive. Themes of
drugs and teenage pregnancy showed that they had no concept of the
future, therefore creating the representation that teens are irresponsible,
short-sighted and immature.