Research: Memorable Soap Opera Storylines

Mark Fowler - HIV: Eastenders:
In 1991 when the storyline of Mark Fowler contracting the virus first began, HIV was a taboo issue that had a stigma attatched to it through people having a false impression of what exactly HIV was. Because of Eastenders tackling this issue, it was a contributing factor of the stigma and taboo attatched to it being reduced.

Dirty Den - His Death...and then his return: Eastenders:
Dirty Den's character was killed off in 1989, after being shot by a local gangster. However, the producers of Eastenders brought shock to the sqaure after they brought his character back fourteen years after his alledged death, despite everybody assuming he was dead.

Zoe and Kat Slater - 'You ain't my mother!' 'Yes I am!': Eastenders:
In 2000 when the Slater Family arrived on the square, it was always assumed that Kat and Zoe were sisters. However, after a heated argument with Zoe screaming 'You can't tell me what to do, you ain't my mother!' with Kat responded 'Yes I am!' it was revealed that Kat was indeed Zoe's mother, and not her sister.

Ronnie swaps and kidnaps Kat Moon's baby!: Eastenders:
The producers of Eastenders caused outrage in late 2010 after broadcasting the storyline of Ronnie swapping the body of her child who sadly died at birth, and swapping the baby for Kat Moon's healthy baby to look as though it was Kat's baby that had died. This ongoing storyline lasted months before the truth was revealed and Kat was reuinited with her baby, and Ronnie was sent to prison.

First Transexual Character in Soap History: Coronation Street:This storyline featuring Hayley arriving on the Street caused outrage amongst transexuals as they believed that employing and casting a woman to play the role of Hayley would flaw the reality of being a transexual - they believed that a true transexual should have been casted to play the charactrer. But people eventually warmed to her as she gave more awareness about the transexual community.

Tony Gordan's Gun Siege in Underworld: Coronation Street:
After Tony successfully manages to escape from prison, he returned back to the street to finish off the mayhem that he started and didn't manage to finish, as he held Carla, Maria and Hayley hostage in the Street's factory, Underworld. He eventually set the hostages free, before setting the factory alight which he got caught up in and died.

Sarah Platt's Teenage Pregnancy: Coronation Street:
Sarah brought shame to the Platt family when at thirteen years old, she announced that she was pregnant, before giving birth to her baby daughter, Bethany.

Tyrone's Abusive Relationship: Coronation Street:
Despite this storyline only recently coming to the screens, it will no doubt be remembered by viewers in years to come. Tyrone's girlfriend/fiancee Kirsty had violent outbursts which resulted in him being injured on more than one occasion. His friends Tommy and Tina tried to help him after he admitted what was going on, but he lied to the rest of the street in order to protect Kirsty. But when the truth is about to be told, Kirsty turns it on Tyrone, claiming that he was the one abusing her!

Research: Representations.

Representations are a great way that reflect a character's personality. In almost every Soap, there's certain characters that can be compared to characters in other soaps. Below is a list of the different representations that I feel are within soap operas. 


1) Strong, Independent Female.
Each Soap Opera has, or has had experience of a female character that is seen as both 'Strong' and also 'Independant'.
Whilst at first, Stella of Coronation Street was probably seen as 'foolish' for taking back her cheating husband Karl, she has over come this as her role of the pub Rover Returns landlord.
Peggy Mitchell of Eastenders was also a pub landlord, and despite all the trouble and trauma that her character suffered throughout her life, she too overcome this.

Real Life Representation: Caitlin Moran.
I am a HUGE fan of Caitlin Moran, and as her feminist values go, I believe that she is the perfect portrayal for any strong, independent female. In her book named 'How to be a Woman', you learn that at in her late teens/early twenties, she was involved with  a guy who didn't treat her right. He constantly ridiculed her etc, but she overcome this, ended things with him, and now she doesn't care what people think or say about her which is why I believe she represents a 'strong, independent female'.

2) Male, Always Involved In Crime...
The Soap Opera that I most feel reflects this representation is Eastenders. Over the years, the Southern community of 'Walford' in London has attracted a lot of males that seem to be a victim of, and also the perpetrator of vicious crime.

Phil Mitchell for example, has been involved in drug addiction, car crashes, a LOT of fighting etc.

Same for Derek Branning, who had a 'mob like' character about him. He too was involved in murder, fighting etc, before he was killed off in the 2012 Christmas Special after he suffered a heart attack.

3) Young, Pretty Female Who Is Loved By Males... 
Similar to my first example of a representation, each Soap Opera currently has at least one character that portrays this representation, or has had a number of previous examples that can relate to it. It is an example of 'girls want to look like her, whilst guys want to be with her'.

The current example in Hollyoaks at the moment is probably Theresa McQueen. She is blonde, she is pretty, she has a nice figure, and gains a lot of male attention within the Soap. Jorgie Porter - the girl who plays Theresa - is often a regular hit in lists such as 'FHMs Sexiest Women' etc.

4) Young, Good Looking Male Who Is Loved By Females...
This is the same as Representation Number Three, but from a Male Perspective. It is also the same example of 'Guys want to look like him, whilst Girls want to be with him'.

Joey Branning from Eastenders is one example that I feel is appropriate for this representation. Despite being in the Soap for only a few months, he has already had plenty of female attention.
David Witts - the name of the guy who plays the character - also won 'Sexy Male' at the Soap Awards.

5) The Old 'Nosey' Character...
The character Norris in Coronation Street is the best example of portraying this representation, though each Soap Opera has an example.

Norris is always interfering with other people's gossip, and sharing his opinions, though this tends to add a humourous aspect to the Soap, making it funnier to watch.

Norris's 'friend' (It has never really being revealed whether or not they are in a relationship or what not), Mary, is also the same.

6) Ethnic Families...
As we now live in multi cultural societies, it is always vital that Soap Operas keep up to date to form a  sense of realism on how our society is.
In Coronation Street, the example of an Ethnic Family would be Dev and Sunita.
In Eastenders, the example of an Ethnic Family would be the Masoods.

7) The Rebellious Teenager...
In each Soap, there is at least one character that is seen as the stroppy, rebellious teenager.
In Coronation Street, Rosie Webster was an example.

Planning: Potential Risk Hazards.

The potential hazards that both myself, and cast members are at risk of when filming my enchanted style soap opera advert. 

Planning: Costumes

Name: Blue.
Character: Hansel.
Costume: White, stripey long sleeved t-shirt. Brown, knee length, shorts. White socks.
Prop(s): Bread - To throw on the floor.

Name:
Character: Gretel.
Costume: Hair in plaits. White stripey long sleeved t-shirt. Skirt. White socks.
Prop(s): Bread - To throw on the floor.

Name: Emily.
Character: Snow White.
Costume: Yellow vest top. Long flowing blue skirt. Hair put up with a red ribbon.
Prop(s): Wine glass (Filled with Ribena).

Name: Natalie.
Character: Wicked Witch.
Costume: Witches Hat, Black Dress, Ripped Tights, Heels.
Prop(s): Something to 'spike' Snow White's drink. 

Name: Alx.
Character: Cinderella.
Costume: Blue Dress. Hair left flowing with a ribbon. High Heels.
Prop(s):

Name: Danny.
Character: Prince Charming.
Costume: Suit.
Prop(s): A ring to 'propose' with.

Name:
Character: Little Red Riding Hood.
Costume: A red cloak. Black leggings.
Prop(s):

Name:
Character: The Big Bad Wolf.
Costume: A wolf onesie.
Prop(s):

Research: Locations in A Soap Opera.

1) Houses.
Each family within the Soap Opera has their own house with distinctive features which allows the audience to differentiate in scenes whether or not a certain character is in their own home. For example, in Coronation Street, characters such as Ken and Deidre have 'old furnished' type of interiors inside their house compared to a younger character's house such as Maria who has modern type furnishing.

2) A Pub.
The Pub in any Soap Opera is a place where people are able to chat to one another, and usually this is where the audience find any gossip out that is going on. This creates a sense of realism as in reality, people often meet in their local pub, or a cafe to catch up with friends, which usually leads to gossip being distributed.

However, as Hollyoaks has more of a younger fan base, their viewers are less likely to spend time in pubs (underage etc) which is why the gossip is often distributed in the cafe.

Hollyoaks - The Dog.

3) A Local Shop.
This is also a ground base for gossip, as it is similar to the pub in a sense that it is a 'community' place.

4) A Place where they can all work. 
Eastenders - The Market.
Corrie - Underworld.

5) A Cafe. 
Another social 'gathering' environment.
Eastenders - Ian Beale's Cafe.

Research: Reader Profile

This is my own Reader Profile which I have used as a way of portraying my specified target audience of my Soap Opera advertisement.

As I want to attract an audience similar to that of Hollyoaks (Teenagers, Young Adults, Predominantly Female), I have looked at what the audience of Hollyoaks do as part of their leisure time, and tried to evaluate this in the above image.

The 'E4' channel predominantly serves the needs of young adults by broadcasting television programmes that they are likely to enjoy. Hollyoaks is often broadcasted daily on E4, as is the Hollyoaks omnibus on a weekend.

As stereotypes go, the average teenager/young adult is portrayed as 'technology obsessed' so mobile phones, iPods, laptops and any similar technology based product is likely to be an interest to the target audience.

Youtube, an internet service which allows users to post videos, or simply just be able to watch videos, doesn't necessarily have a specific target audience as it is widely used worldwide by people of all ages. YouTube is likely to be of an interest to the target audience of my Soap Opera Advertisement as they are going to be students, and likely earning a low wage and watching videos of Youtube is a free way of doing so, meaning saving of money.

By portraying real life situations that people from the target audience can likely relate too, it creates a sense of realism and something that the target audience can think about, and relate too if they have ever experienced that. For example, binge drinking can be an issue for young people in society, which is why I plan on using Snow White as the 'binge drinker' and getting the Wicked Witch to 'spike' her drink as a way of portraying the dangerous outcomes that can happen whilst participating in drinking.

Research: Codes and Conventions (Adverts)

Adverts are the most conventional way of promoting a brand, product or anything really. Most major brands have an advertisement of some sort, and can be in the form of a televison advert, a billboard, a magazine advertisement and a whole variety of other different examples.

As a whole, advertisements have their own codes and conventions which they don't necessarily need to be followed.

'Go Compareeeeeeeeeeee!' - Catchy Songpharse

 

 

He may be one of the most irritating characters that has ever been on the television, but his repeated 'Go Compare, Go Compare' songs get stuck in your mind - precisely what it is meant to do. If you think of car insurance, one of the first companies that you think of is 'Go Compare' which means that the catchy but annoying song has done it's job.

 

 



 

Humour and Comical Situations

 

 

Admittedly, we might not have all crazily sung at a passing car whose driver then later turns out to be your new girlfriend's Dad, but I'm certain we can all relate to a sitaution where it has been just as awkward, but humorous at the same time.

 

The thing I like about this advert is that the more you watch the advert, the humour in it doesn't decerase and it is still as comical to watch as it was the first time.

 

 



Content That Relates To The Audience

 

Cheesestrings are predominantly targetted at children, and the cheesestring mascot as seen above features in most of their adverts. It acts as a 'pushing power' making children want to buy the product, so pestering their parents in to doing so.

 

 





Post Modern Ideas

 

One aspect of Post Modernism is that no relevance is needed - it's how the audience interpret it. This advert of the drumming gorilla has no relevance to the Cadbury's chocolate being promoted, but it was still loved by households across the nation.

 

Knowledge of the advert was soon passed through word of mouth and soon became a popular talking point, discussing the advert bus also at the same time increasing Cadbury's popularity. 

Soap Opera: Storyboard.

 

The storyboard that I have initiated as a way of planning my Soap Opera advert. It's planned around the fairy tale themed idea that I have originally explained, and I plan on using the T-Rex song 'Children of the Revolution'.

Planning: Cast (including their roles)

Below is a list of the names of people I have cast to feature in my Soap Opera advert. It lists the character that each person will be playing, what the 'link' to fairytales is, what the role of the character is, and what awareness I am trying to raise through the certain characters. 

Name: Blue.
Character: Hansel.
Role: Walk up the garden path of the house towards the front door, whilst throwing pieces of bread on the floor.
Purpose: As a way of representing family structures, Hansel and Gretel are going to portray a brother/sister relationship.

Name: Jordyn
Character: Gretel.
Role: Same as Hansel. (See Above).
Purpose: Same as Hansel. (See Above).

Name: Emily
Character: Snow White
Role: To open the front door to Hansel and Gretel and invite them into the house party.
Purpose: Show the problem that a huge amount of teenagers have with drinking. This shall be portrayed by Snow White opening the front door, looking and acting drunk by swaying and staggering around.

Name: Maria
Character: Little Red Riding Hood.
Role: Stand in the corner with her hood up, looking intimidated by the Big Bad Wolf, before pulling her hood back to show the camera her bruised and bleeding face.
Purpose: Show domestic violence issues.

Name: Charlie
Character: The Big Bad Wolf.
Role: Stand near Little Red Riding Hood whilst looking intimidatingly angry (shouting, pointing fingers, pushing etc).
Purpose: Show domestic violence issues.

Name: Natalie.
Character: Wicked Witch.
Role: 'Spike' Snow White's drink so she slumps on the settee.
Purpose: Shows what can happen when people are not aware of their drinking limits etc.

Name: Alx.
Character: Cinderella.
Role: Dance around with Prince Charming, before he stops and gets down on one knee to propose.
Purpose: To show that positive things can happen in soap operas!

Name: Danny.
Character: Prince Charming.
Role: Same as Cinderella. (See Above).
Purpose: Same as Cinderella. (See Above).

Planning: Ideas for Soap Opera advert

The location of my Soap Opera advert is going to be at a house party were they are all celebrating a Halloween party. Each character is going to reflect different stereotypes in some way.

The first shot of my Soap Opera advert is going to be an establishing shot of a house. If I can get the framing right, I am going to get the moon in the background over the top of the house which I hope will reflect the 'spooky' mood which I am wanting as part of the 'Halloween Fancy Dress Party' that I am using as a location of my video.

The shot will then cut to the front door of the house, which will have a banner across the front of it, saying 'Happy Halloween' or something similar. At this point, the must of my backing song will then play out, and that is when the video will begin.

'Hansel and Gretel' will be in the next shot; two characters which I am going to show as being brother and sister. They will relate to the fairy tale characters as they are going to be throwing chunks of bread on the floor as they walk up the garden path towards the front door so the audience will then be aware of which characters they are supposed to be.

As they reach the front door, it is going to be quickly opened by Alice in Wonderland. She will be in the centre of the shot and the camera will zoom slowly towards her face to show that she is on drugs. (This will hopefully reflect to the suggested theory that the author of Alice in Wonderland was high on drugs when writing the story.) Though, this would also reference an 'upcoming storyline' of the character suffering from drug abuse etc which is an issue that can be related to by teenagers, young people, and just the general public.

An over the shoulder shot will be used to sweep over Alice's shoulder to show the rest of the guests who are at the party, before focusing on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf will be a reference to a storyline which will be based on an ongoing domestic violence situation between a boyfriend and girlfriend.

Little Red Riding Hood will be shot with a high angled camera shot, to make her seem vulnerable and intimidated by her boyfriend (The Big Bad Wolf); Whilst he will be shot using a low angled shot which will then make him seem more angry and vicious.

In the beginning shot of the two of them, he will be seen shouting at her angrily, and pushing her quite violently. Then all of a sudden, it will stop, and Little Red Riding Hood will pull her hood down and a close up shot will then reveal the bruises and scars across her face.

The transitition to the next shot will be of a witches' cape sweeping past the camera, and then will focus on a long shot of Snow White dancing. The witch will be an enemy of Snow White as they do not get along, and the camera will then shoot the witch slyly spiking Snow White's drink before seeing Snow White take a drink from the glass, only to then dramatically fall to the floor. (This will be referential to the fairy tale when the Witch poisons Snow White's apple).

Cinderella and Prince Charming will then be the next transition to the next shot as they dance past the camera, before they suddenly stop and Prince Charming gets down on one knee, to propose to Cinderella whilst she says yes.

Planning: Song (Background Song)

T Rex - Children of the Revolution
This is my song choice for the non-diegetic sound in my Soap Opera advert. The beat is consistent which I feel could add to the drama within the advert, and I find the song very uplifting which could add a sense of vibrancy. 




Songs that I have thought of using :)



Suede - Beautiful Ones.






Lifehouse - You and Me.



Paramore - Pressure



The Undertones - Teenage Kicks



The Macabees - Toothpaste Kisses

Research: Other Student's Work.

As part of my research, I have used video search engine YouTube to be able to view a wider range of Soap Opera adverts that other students have created from different colleges. Below are a few examples of the ones that I have viewed:

Each one of these videos are fantastic examples of Soap Opera adverts, and have helped me expand from my initial ideas to create more of a variety. 

An example would be that I have realized that Soap Operas are based around drama - the more dramatic an advert, the more attention and audience ratings that the Soap is likely to attract. 

Due to the 'common' stigma that seems to be attached to Hull's accent, I have decided that I do not want any spoken audio to be used within my Soap Opera advertisement. Instead, I am going to use a song continuously throughout the duration. 

I've also concluded that storylines such as teenage pregnancy, and murder get used far too often, which so not to bore the audience, I am going to choose storylines that I feel my target audience will be able to relate too.

Planning: Eastenders' Sharon's Return

This TV trailer was broadcast across BBC channels promoting the soap opera Eastenders and the upcoming storyline of the return of one of Eastender's more fanous characters - Sharon.

In the opening scene, a close up shot of the famous Queen Victoria pub can be seen via an establishing camera shot. A zoom then focuses on the Queen Victoria sign of the pub as the camera catches it in a close up shot. In the background, the dark grey clouds reflect that something negative is going to happen and is an example of pathetic fallacy being used. This also relates to the Rolling Stones song 'Gimme Shelter' being used as an example of non diegetic sound in the background, immediately gripping the audience with suspense as it is evident that something drastic is going to happen.

By using the Queen Victoria

In the second shot a medium close up is used to capture Billy Mitchell struggling to get underneath an underpass as a way of shelter. The posters on the wall are barely there due to either being vandalised and ripped off the wall, or simply just worn away. This part of mise en scene adds to the dramatic mood of the advert which it is trying to promote.

The second shot quickly moves onto the third shot with a Range Rover 4x4 speeds around the corner before abruptly stopping. These type of cars are popular with people who are wealthy due to their expensive price tag. Because the audience of the trailer are unable to see who is driving the Range Rover, it adds to the mystery of the person driving (though Phil Mitchell is later found out to be the driver).

The transitition to the next shot is an establishing shot of the famous 'Walford Market' which is famous from the soap opera. The establishing shot shows that disaster has already struck and caused chaos as people frantically run about, looking as though they are trying to find shelter.

Another famous landmark of the programme; Ian Beale's chip shop - is also featured in the promotional trailer as Ian's daughter Lucy (an employee at the chip shop) struggles to close the door, once again showing chaos which is likely to add to the audience's curiousity as to what is happening/going to happen.

An establishing shot then shows then shows a hurricaine above Walford Square (Another famous landmark of the programme). The hurricaine is the most dominant part of the shot, therefore the focus is placed on the hurricane making it even more obvious to the audience that something is going to happen.

The ending of the advert shows Sharon floating down from the sky in a wedding dress which causes the audience to think about what is going on etc.

The use of costumes as part of mise-en-scene also portray the different personalities and styles of the characters within the programme. For example, Kat Slater is dressed in quite revealing clothes, which shows her flamboyant sense of personality etc.

Planning: Hollyoaks Wedding Trailer

The backing track, Billy Joel - White Wedding, has a sense of irony in the case that the fictional wedding of the storyline that they are promoting is far from a 'White Wedding'.

In weeks prior to the wedding, the character who is getting married, Mercedes, has being having an affair with Carl; the father of Riley, the man who Mercedes is planned to marry.

Despite this advert being shown in weeks before the wedding, the advert makes it clearly obvious to the audience that something bad is going to happen at the wedding.

The Gothic style of the video with black clothing and dark lighting instantly suggests that negativity is about to pursue.

A medium close up shot shows two of the characters dressed in black dresses walk across the screen, dramatically picking black petals/confetti from the bowls that they are holding, before throwing them to the ground.

The next transition is a close up of Carl and Riley as Carl places a flower into the button hole of his suit, and this point, everything looks as planned.
At twenty seconds into the promotional video, a medium close up of Jackie, Doug, Warren, and Mitzee shows Mitzee smiling at the camera, but the smile is quite clearly false. The camera then cuts to an extreme close up to show the porcelain doll that she is holding smash to the floor and shatter. As Mitzee is aware of the affair that is happening between Carl and Mercedes behind Riley's back, this could be interpretated as Mitzee telling Riley about the affair, and therefore 'shattering' the wedding.

Research: Hollyoaks Enchanted Forest Advert.

This is a trailer promoting an upcoming episode and storyline of Hollyoaks. The storyline running upto the episode featured Will and Dodger Savage, both characters who are brothers, and who's characters are very different to each other.

Dodger is seen as being a massive flirt, and a bit of a 'ladies man' towards the majority of the female characters within the soap opera.

Whereas Will is the complete opposite and is quite shy and quite timid, but is also quite intelligent too.

After finding out the family were having financial difficulties, Will decides that he is going to host a themed party that will hopefully raise some money. Dodger however, doesn't believe that Will is capable of this, and sets him a challenge.

The opening scene of the advert is of Ash and Sinead running with their backs towards the camera. They are dressed in quite a formal way, though the white colours of their clothing suggests something 'pure' and 'simple', which would reflect the enchanted forest themed party, which you would expect a child to enjoy, not people who are teenagers or older.

Ash's hair is white and quite fluffy too, which could be a signification towards the song 'Stealing Sheep' as her hair is similar to the wool that you would find on a sheep, and also something that you might be expecting to find at an echanted forest themed party too.

The next shot then focuses on three other characters Barney, Scott and Rob running down a slope. The high angle shot of the camera makes them look smaller than they actually are. In the soap, the three characters are all quite immature, and by making them look smaller, this could be a way of representing this.

One of the next shots is a long shot of Dodger passing a hammer to Will, to hit one of those attractions you'd find at a fair were the aim is to get it to hit the top so a bell rings. A medium close up of Dodger is the next camera shot, were he looks quite smug as if it suggest that Will is not capable of doing it. This too could reflect the reaction of Dodger when Will told him his plans to host the Enchanted Forest party.

After the camera shows Will hitting it, and successfully making the bell ring, the camera then focuses onto Dodger again were he looks quite suprised, and then returns to a long shot of both Dodger and Will, were Will too looks quite suprised that he has managed to do it.

The next part of the advert focuses on the storyline of Brendan, Ste and Doug, were both Doug and Brendan fancy Ste, and Ste seems to be stuck inbetween both of them - another storyline which was present at the time of the enchanted forest themed party.

A medium close up is focused on Brendan who is stood in the centre of the merri-go-round, leaning back against the centre of it with his arms closed. Brendan's character is quite an evil character, and doesn't really open up about his past, or anything in general really, which could be represented by having his arms closed.

A close up is then of Ste who seems to be enjoying himself whilst riding on the merri-g-ride, which then swaps to high angled medium close up on Doug who is putting his finger across his mouth as a way of possibly silencing Brendan, though the high angled shot makes him seem smaller, and in some way inferior to Brenddan.

The next shot is of Bart who is wearing a a hare's mask, jumps from a settee and then proceeds to flip a table up so the contents of the table go everywhere. This could have a reference towards the March Hare in the fictional story of Alice in Wonderland. Bart's storyline at the time of the advertisement was that he was growing cannibis in the loft of his house, and as it was rumoured that the writer of Alice in Wonderland was on drugs at the time of writing the story, then this could be referred too as part of the 'Mad Hatter's tea party'.

Whilst this advert will be mainly aimed at the fans of the soap opera, the fun theme of the advert may also be appealing to people who watch Channel Four were the advertisement would be advertised.

The lighting is quite humid - not too light, nor too dark. This prompts a reflection of the mellow style of music that is being used in the background. Nothing seriously dramatic is happening in the advert, and there is no suggestion of any 'gritty' storyline upcoming in the near future which promotes a positive optimistic perspective from the audience watching it.

Planning: What is a Soap Opera?

Soap Operas haven't always been on the TV - they used to be broadcast on the radio when they first came around in the 1930's. Some years later, after the TV had been released, manufacturers of household cleaning products saw a gap in the market and decided to create their very own soap operas which is how the term 'soap opera' came about. In 2012, we're still watching Soap Operas as their popularity is still high, and I'm certain that this will continue for many years to come. 

The main Soap Operas that we have that are broadcast in the UK are shown on all the main TV channels.
> Eastenders - BBC.
> Coronation Street - ITV.
> Emmerdale - ITV. 
> Hollyoaks - Channel 4. 
> Home and Away - Channel 5. 
> Neighbours - Channel 5. 

They're meant to portray a sense of 'Working Class Life', though the realism of this can be questionned. The community spirit that each soap opera has is meant to reflect the neighbourhoods that we live in - but this too can be criticused. 

There are different storylines that the Soaps focus on; some good, some bad. But storylines can also raise awareness. The storyline in Eastenders of Witney getting abused gave courage to people in reality who are also suffering, and let them know that help can be given. Statistics suggest that the number of people reporting such crimes surged dramatically at the time of the storyline, and is still a continuing trend.

Audiences of Soap Operas like suspense - and by leaving an episode on a cliffhanger, viewers are then more likely to return to watch the following episode to find the result of the 'cliff hanger'. 

Coursework Brief

3. A promotion package for a new soap opera, to include a TV trailer, together with two of the following three options:

- a listings magazine front cover featuring the new soap

- two hyper linked webpages (with video extract) for the soap's website

- a poster for the soap