Mustafa - Target Audience

My soap opera is aimed for audiences between the ages of 18-25; predominantly male however the audience includes a big female following. An example of a typical target audience member is Phillip Adams a 19 year old male of African descent, that lives in upper Edmonton area in a 3 bedroom house, currently attending college sixth form studying philosophy, psychology, sociology and P.E. Phillip hopes to achieve good grades in the subjects that he is currently studying and hopefully get a place in a respectable university Phillip’s hobbies heavily include sports especially football which he has a passion for and has aspirations of becoming a professional footballer and one day play football as a profession at a high level preferably ‘the championship.’ Phillip also enjoys singing and has performed in numerous talent and singing competitions, however singing is purely a hobby and he does not wish to pursue it as a career. Phillip is currently taking driving lessons and hopes to have he’s license by March.

Phillip enjoys watching TV, he’s favourite TV shows include Scrubs, everybody loves Raymond and Eastenders he’s viewing habits consist of him watching TV after college so his viewing times are between 5 and 10 these times vary depending on if he has anything to do after school e.g. football. Phillip enjoys going to parties with his friends and having a laugh with mates. Phillip listens to the hip-hop and R&B genre, the radio stations Phillip mainly listens to choice fm and kiss 100, as these radio stations play the music that he loves

Demetri - Final Treatment 'Empire Avenue'

My Soap Opera idea ‘Empire Avenue’ is based around a community of young working class people from a variety of different walks of life; but predominantly represent a modern day British society by mixing a blend of iconic elements associated with our country with the typical London attitude carried so proudly by our youths.

In more detail; Empire Avenue is a made up name for a real area called Green Lanes which is a location based in Palmers Green, London. The reason that this location was chosen was because it is a long road with a variety of different shops which provide many opportunities when considering characters roles in terms of their careers as well as the perfect scenery for my groups Soap Opera. Overall this location will build on the sense of community, following a typical Soap Opera pattern which will allow the working/social lives of characters to be based inside of the audiences view of the world. The time zone of the show will be the same as the viewers, it will be set in real time and the program will portray current affairs similar to soaps such as Eastenders. This is to add to the sense of realism. My typical viewer will be someone from their late teens to mid twenties, who is probably a student with a part time job and an active social life. My target audience is 17-26 year olds, both male and female. Unlike a lot of soap operas which are aimed at a variety of ages, the younger audience who will watch Empire Avenue will be able to relate to it much better than the older audience who may view it. The channel I’ve chosen my program to be shown on is E4, I chose E4 because it is often associated with programs watched by younger audiences and this is a show that will be seen mainly by teenagers. E4 to me seems like the perfect channel for it, although E4 doesn’t have many Soap Operas this will be something different and I’m hoping the mixture of different elements I have here will be successful in attracting a variety of audiences. I’ve chosen the viewing time for the show to be 10.00 pm, past watershed as the program will contain some sexual references and in some cases minor violence. The frequency is 3 times a week, it will be shown on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’ve chosen it to be 3 times a week because it seems to me like the perfect number, 4 times seems like an overload and 2 seems too little.

The main characters will all be related and will have links to other characters in the Soap, most of the time. One of the main families in the Soap is a White Caucasian family called the Smiths, the head of the family and matriarch is Jane Smith, 47, Jane is a very strong women and has leadership qualities. She is often dragged into trouble because of her familys actions. Mark Smith; Jane's first born son, 19 is the traditional hardnut type of character you would find in Soaps. He is a promoter for a range of exclusive night clubs based in the heart of London, but not so much a hit with the locals. Caron Smith, Jane's second child, 18 is party loving and promiscuouse, often associated with different guys and is looked down upon by her mother. The final character from the Smiths is John, 17. John being the youngest in his family is not fond of all the commotion that comes with being a Smith and is focused purely on his studies, his life is made by hard by his other family members.

The first episode will begin at the heart of a Police investigation involving the Smiths, a member of the family has been linked with a muder case. Police interviews to get to the bottom of this devastating affair play as an introduction to our main characters as well as setting the scene for this drama-ridden place. The first episode will contain intense drama as small detail involving the affair are revealed, at the end of the episode is a shocking revelation. The episode ends on a strong cliff hanger that will want the viewers wanting more.

The episodes in the coming weeks will focus on the issue at hand; whilst more is revealed on who is behind the murder and why, within a few episodes the issue will be a door to other problems until eventually each character has their own parallel storyline. Each storyline will most of the time be linked to that of another characters. Storylines will contrain traditional Soap conventions such as drama, affairs, confrontations, cliff hangers etc.

Mustafa - Eastenders Title Sequence Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLvpYgj4B90

Eastneders is a household name within the soap opera genre. One of the most known and most watched soaps within the U.K. the title sequence is very iconic in the soap genre also along with its soundtrack.

The title sequence begins with very dramatic beats of drums, with the camera focused straight into the river Thames and all the audience can see is blue at this point, as the camera begins to slowly zoom out we see boats on the Thames and the jingle within the music begins. The camera still slowly zooming out, it is now clear to the audience that the river is clearly the river Thames situated in London, this now signifies to the audience where the soap is set. As we are still zooming out we see iconic attractions of London such as the 02 arena. The music sounds very joyful and upbeat, however closer to the end of the sequence it slows down; the music for the soap can portray the mood of the soap in itself. We start with a very dramatic thumping noise, which could show heavy drama, then a very upbeat sound which could show happiness and a sense of joy or even panic to the soap, and finally the music slows right down and sounds peaceful which could then relate to some of the peaceful narratives within the soap. Right at the end of the sequence we see a birds-eye view shot of London, with the River Thames flowing right in between it, and the ‘Eastenders’ title appears on the screen. This final shot of London and the Eastender title above is very iconic.

This is without doubt one of the most recognisable titles within the soap genre, as this soap has gathered a huge following over the years as it continues to satisfy the needs of its followers, as it has done for many years.

Saul - Soap Idea Treatment

'Shadow Street'

Characters Shadow Street is a office based drama which aims to outline different work related issues in which can occur within the work place . It also attempts to show the darker side to work i.e. dodgy dealings and also Bullying within the work place.
There is a wide range of ethnicity and ages amongst the Employees (characters) in order to ensure that a wide range of audiences can relate to the soap.
The characters consist of:-

Main characters

Due to the fact that this specific drama is based in London I have decided to portray specific stereotypes of character that a variety of audience can relate to i.e. The boss being very condescending and looking down his nose on others because he is from a rich background.


Sylvester Family

Mark Sylvester 40, co-owner of business in which the soap is set in his characters is very comedic But sometimes condescending as he believes he is better than his peers and employees, aside from the his comedic side he also has a very dark side which is very closed off to his employees and customers to portray his dark side I aim to show him in one episode carrying out acts of fraud. He is in serious debt with tax companies and this reflects on the storyline as his wife finds letters addressed to him in his office draw.

Claudia Sylvester House wife, 41 years of age wife of Company owner Mark. Occasionally helps out in the office in order to help him to file papers and assign jobs to staff. She is an extremely serious character almost the most dominant character within the series she seems to take advantage of the fact that she doesn’t work by ordering her husband and his employees around. Her weaknesses’ the audience can relate to i.e. always worrying about her children and her husbands business.

Sean Sylvester 15 years of age and the son of Mark and Claudia. He is extremely boisterous but sometimes this can get him into trouble with the wrong crowd. He is very submissive to peer pressure after being bullied for a number of years but this is a secret he attempts to keep from his parents in order to avoid them from worrying.

Michael Sylvester 35 brother of Mark. Employed by his brother but sometimes this can cause arguments amongst the two over power within the business. He is slightly envious of his brother and this shows through the way in which he attempts to sabotage some elements of the business.

Barbara Sylvester 36 wife of Michael. Barbara is employed as cleaner brother in law Mark. Has a strong relationship with Marks wife Claudia and is always convincing Michael to be proud of his brother.

Charlotte Cartier, 17, Charlotte Believes she is higher than all of her colleagues and sometimes this can lead to people making fun out of her. She dropped out of school at a young age but was lucky enough for her parents to know mark who offered her an apprenticeship in business Management Employees

Nana Adedji, 31, is a hard working administrator who Migrated to London from Ghana in order to go to University . He is very optimistic and is always giving Mr Sylvester advice on how he can better his company within brief meetings.He is also very strict towards his son Emmanuel as he thinks that the younger generation of children take education for Granted.

Emmanuel Adedji, 15, is son of Nana. He is carrying out work experience during the summer at the start of the series in the office within the accounting department although he attends the school as Sean. He pretends to be so academic and hardworking but as soon as his fathers back is turns and he is with his friends he gives in to peer pressure and mugs individuals on the streets.

Marcia DaSilva, 62, migrated from Brazil to seek a career as a Singer but Works as the cleaner within Company she is very intrusive and looks through Marks personal possessions. She also listens in on characters conversations which other characters are having. She is extremely smart but can sometimes seem a little ditsy.

Ruth DaSilva, 22, works as Manager of the Accounting department. She is always emotional due to the fact that she has problems at home which she keeps very secret because she got married at a very young age and her marriage isn’t working the way she and her partner had hoped.

Garret Singh, 35, assistant manager of company. He is extremely proud of his Culture and stongly shows this through the way in which he wears his turban to work. He has a strong cockney accent and is extremely Family orientated.

John Barker, 35, loan shark who has been after John for a Long period of time because Mark carried out a fraud scheme which went wrong. He is very demanding and uses blackmail to suppress Mark.
Hussein Ahmed Of Turkish Origin but born in the UK he also has a strong cockney accent which reflects through his dialect. He is very fun and is always mocking other Colleagues as a joke but sometimes this leads to accusations of Bullying within the work Place.

Location


Based in Canary Warf on a fictional street named shadowed row and this reflects the dark secret in which Mark Business owner has to hide. The street is situated on a Junction in London with a Bar on the corner where all of the Punter's Gather after work.
Within this Location are many smaller Locations i.e. office kitchen is where characters gather to have a conversation and gossip.
There is also the Office reprographics room, cellar, office, elevator and car park

Narrative

The Narrative will mainly exists to Address Political issues i.e. the credit Crunch and also criminal issues in which the audiences it attracts can relate to. There will also be parallel storylines within the soap narrative in order to eavesdrop in and out of the conversations and events occurring within each character lives. The episode is run on real-time meaning that we will follow the characters from when they wake up in the morning right up until they return home in the evening.

Style of Soap

This particular soap is made to appeal to all audiences in the way in which Eastenders does so I want the Soap to appear gritty to the audience but with also comedic moments without taking away the seriousness of the issues being addressed.


Outline of first episode

Episode on will be an introduction to all of the characters. In order to do this we will get the cast all to wear name badges with the characters names on it and the narrative will begin at a large circular conference table with the characters seated around it. The Camera will quickly pan around all of the characters faces so that the audience get the opportunity to put the faces to the Names. This episode consists of varied themes and contains parallel storylines all happening within the work place.
Brief Outline of themes within Episode 1:-
• Begins with colleagues at table with pan shot to show all characters faces in order to give the audience the idea of the types of characters working within the office.
• Quick cuts to Charlotte in Marks office Reporting Hussein for Harassment at work due to the fact that she aims to get him the sack but, due to the fact that Hussein found out about Marks situation with the loan shark he decides not to take on board charlottes allegations.
• The loan shark John enters the work Place posing as a client. And we revisit john story throughout the narrative as he attempts to hide the loan shark from his wife Claudia. The loan shark John continuously blackmails Mark and threatens to jeopardise his career if he doesn’t get his payment by Monday.
• Within this episode all of the characters narratives are not introduced due to the fact that the show is only run for 30 minutes each episode.

Target Audience

Due to the fact that there are a variety of characters within the series there are a range of potential audiences that I would like each character to relate to. My main overall target audience are practical Londoners who are very up to date with current affairs i.e. the war and the Recession.
The reason as to why I used the word practical to describe the types of Londoners I would like my series to appeal to is because I want my series to break down the ideas of Social Class and appeal to all audiences by providing topics within the narratives that all audiences can relate to i.e. The weather, Character stereotypes, Issues within the news.
The types of audiences The soap is aimed at would be the type of people who are not afraid to watch real issues being address and they would usually watch the kind of films which don’t attempt to glamorise some of the negative issues in which our society faces.

Demetri - Pitches/Ideas for a Soap Opera

(1) 5 teens, 5 troubled lifestyles and a block of flats.

Content: Drama, revenge and confrontation.

Target audience: Teenagers, males and females.

Channel and time of broadcast: BBC1 at 9.00 pm.

Frequency: Twice a week.

(2) A busy staff room, controversial issues surrounding a controversial school.

Content: Gossip, rumours and affairs.

Target audience: 16-24 year olds, males and females.

Channel and time of broadcast: E4 at 8.00 pm.

Frequency: 3 times a week.

(3) Political scandals, £3000 suits & corrupt cops.

Content: Business, corruption and scandals.

Target audience: Late twenties to late thirties, males.

Channel and time of broadcast: ITV at 10.00 pm.

Frequency: Once a week.

(4) Set in the Tudor times, a dramatic history lesson.

Content: The life and times of a Tudor family.

Target audience: 30+, males and females.

Channel and time of broadcast: BBC1, 9.00 pm.

Frequency: Once a week.

(5) University students, life and all that comes with it.

Content: Student life, partying & work,

Target audience: 16-24, males and females.

Channel and time of broadcast: E4, 10.00 pm.

Frequency: 4 times a week.

Demetri - Eastenders Narrative Analysis

Episode on the 30/9/2010

Narrative: The narrative in Eastenders is designed to have parallel storylines running effectively and in conjunction with one another. The amount of these parallel storylines seem to be limitless and almost always build up to some sort of climatic ending, and although a common critique for this is Eastenders’ predictability the narrative is tried and tested and is pushed by tradition Soap Opera conventions such as gossip, affairs, rivalry and more. The episode that I’m analysing starts off with a scene of Kat and Alfie in an uplifting and humorous mood, sharing jokes with one another before cutting to a shot of a very bitter looking Jannine, already setting the stage for an episode packed with mixed emotions.

Realism: Realism is a key element in Soap Operas and Eastenders tends to focus on it more than others, the whole set of Eastenders is based around a community of working class people who although at times can act over the top, lead believable lifestyles. Realism is also portrayed with camera angles, for example conversations are put together with shot/reverse/shot techniques and other professional camera tricks. Another element of realism often noticed in Eastenders is that it is linked with current affairs; the cast go by the same time zone is the majority of its viewers. A scene towards the middle of the episode shows Alfie in the Off Licence being served by Heather whilst engaging in everyday conversation, short scenes like this are effective in making the program more realistic and believable.

Audience: The audience that Eastenders attracts is arguably key to its overall success and it’s commendable running time. People from as young as 13 watch Eastenders with their parents/grandparents, it attracts a wide range of ages as well as people from poor to rich backgrounds. Both male and females view the program, it has made such a name for itself over the years that it has viewers overseas. A lot of the things that take place on the set of Eastenders are things the everyday person can relate to, the troubles Alifie and Kat are going through in this particular episode are the troubles any couple doing what they can to pay the bills go through. For this reason the program connects with its viewers and keeps a stronghold over its audience.

Representation: Eastenders is well known for its representation of East Londoners. The representations portrayed can be described as challenging, sometimes even to an extreme. The cast in Eastenders, regardless of age, gender and other elements seem to be used confrontation and drama. Although Eastenders is flooded with a mixture of representation, some of it is marginal and as you would expect, an example is the way that cockney people are portrayed, their dialect and use of words is as you would expect it to be. The main event for this episode was Stacey beating up Jannine; this is a perfect example of how the characters are not afraid of confrontation.

Demetri - Soap Opera Trailer Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4xlLezos0

The link above is the trailer that I'm analysing, it has been titled the 'Kat & Alfie trailer' as it marks the return of two of Eastenders most notorious characters. The first thing about this trailer I noticed was that it has abandoned most of it's Soap Opera elements and adopted a Spaghetti Western theme. This change in style is a technique to symbolise the importance of the two characters; it shows the power Eastenders has as a show to be able to pull this off something that is somewhat humorous, as a serious advertisement.

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of the Queen Vic, which is a focal point for the show and will make the adverts origins immediately recognisable, after a few cuts there is a low shot of Kat (whos identity has not yet been revealed to the viewers) walking across a dusty road in black boots, this communicates tension and possibly a stand off to the audience along with the background music which can be compared to something from an old Clint Eastwood movie. A close up shot of a character called Jane reveals a very worried face as she shuts her blinds before cutting back to a low to high panning shot of Kat, finaly revealing her to the audience. As more shots ranging from medium to close up are shown of other Eastenders characters in shock and disbelief of Kat's return, I noticed the transformed Western style scenery of the Eastenders set is complimented by the trailers editing. The footage has been given a sepia tone and the trailers producers seem to have taken a cinematic approach to make the whole trailer more believable. A front facing shot of Kat turning around becomes an over the shoulder shot, which reveals the trailers second main character, Alfie. Close ups of the two characters faces which cut from one another in a tpyical Western movie fashion are displayed, the cuts being in sync with the distinctive motif that is the Eastenders drum roll. Dialogue between the two shows the audience that they're's going to be some serious changes in the square.

Mustafa - Info on The Soap Genre

The soap opera genre originated in American radio serials of the 1930s, and owes the name to the sponsorship of some of these programmes by major soap powder companies. So, like many television genres (e.g. news and quiz shows), the soap opera is a genre originally drawn from radio rather than film.
Television soap operas are long-running serials concerned with everyday life. The serial is not to be confused with the series, in which the main characters and format remain the same from programme to programme but each episode is a self-contained plot. In a serial at least one storyline is carried over from one episode to the next. A series is advertised as having a specific number of episodes, but serials are potentially endless.

Successful soaps may continue for many years: so new viewers have to be able to join in at any stage in the serial. In serials, the passage of time also appears to reflect 'real time' for the viewers: in long-running soaps the characters age as the viewers do. Christine Geraghty notes that 'the longer they run the more impossible it seems to imagine them ending.' There are sometimes allusions to major topical events in the world outside the programmes.

Soaps in the U.K
Soap operas in the U.K. began on radio and consequently were associated with the BBC. The BBC continues to broadcast the world's longest-running radio soap, The Archers, which has been running nationally since 1951. It is currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and continues to attract over five million listeners, or roughly 25% of the radio listening population of the UK at that time of the evening.

An early television serial was The Grove Family on the BBC. 148 episodes were produced from 1954 to 1957. The series was broadcast live and only a handful of recordings were retained in the archives.

In the 1960s Coronation Street revolutionized UK television and quickly became a British institution. Another of the 1960s was Emergency Ward 10, on ITV. The BBC also produced several serials. Compact was about the staff of a women's magazine. The Newcomers was about the upheaval caused by a large firm setting up a plant in a small town. United! ran for 147 episodes and focused on a football team. 199 Park Lane was an upper class serial that ran for just 18 episodes in 1965. None of these serials came close to making the same impact as Coronation Street. Indeed most of the 1960s BBC serials were largely wiped.

Saul - Notes of Demetri's Analysis of Eastenders....

Episode on the 30/9/2010

Narrative: The narrative in Eastenders is designed to have parallel storylines running effectively and in conjunction with one another. The amount of these parallel storylines seem to be limitless and almost always build up to some sort of climatic ending, and although a common critique for this is Eastenders’ predictability the narrative is tried and tested and is pushed by tradition Soap Opera conventions such as gossip, affairs, rivalry etc. The episode that I’m analysing starts off with a scene of Kat and Alfie in an uplifting and humorous mood, sharing jokes with one another before cutting to a shot of a very bitter looking Jannine, already setting the stage for an episode packed with mixed emotions.

Your sentence structures and use of terminology is very effective however i think it would be good for you to go into more detail about some of the things you have described for e.g. Why is the 'Eastenders' narrative designed to have parrallell storylines. I like the way in which you describe particular narratives as tried and tested but it would be good for you to say more on the conventions mentioned. Good use of examples but its good to describe the effect these examples have.

Realism: Realism is a key element in Soap Operas and Eastenders tends to focus on it more than others, the whole set of Eastenders is based around a community of working class people who although at times can be over the top, lead believable lifestyles. Realism is also portrayed with camera angles, conversations for example are put together with shot/reverse/shot techniques and other professional camera tricks. Another element of realism often noticed in Eastenders is that it is linked with current affairs as the time zone is the same as the one it’s viewers are in. A scene towards the middle of the episode shows Alfie in the Off Licence being served by Heather whilst engaging in everyday conversation, short scenes like this are effective in making the program more believable.

What is realism? why is realism a key element In Soap Operas?How are the characters Lifestyles Believable? give an example of how eastenders is linked to Current affairs.

Audience: The audience that Eastenders attracts is arguably a key element to its overall success and it’s commendable running time. People from as young as 13 watch Eastenders with their parents/grandparents, it attracts a wide range of ages as well as people from poor to rich backgrounds, both Male and Females view the program and it has made such a name for itself over the years that it has viewers overseas.

What evidence do you to prove the target audienceyou have described?what effects can the themes within the programme have on the audience?

Representation: Eastenders is well known for its representation of cockney people, the representations can be described as challenging sometimes to an extreme. The cast in Eastenders, regardless of age, gender and other elements seem to be fond of confrontation and drama. Although Eastenders is flooded with a mixture of representation, some of it is marginal and as you would expect. The main event for this episode was Stacey beating up Jannine, it was perceived as quite a big deal and is a perfect example of how the people, particularly the younger characters are rowdy and down to fight.

It would have been good to have used evidence in order to improve that comfrontation is something that most 'Eastenders characters' are fond of.


3 Things to Improve on:-

* The level of discription used within analysis
*Use clear sources of evidence in order for you to back up points.
* Consider the audience and how they are effected or why eastenders does specific things in order to have an effect on the audience.

Saul - Soap Opera Pitches

A pitch within the media is when someone attempts to sell or promote a particular idea for a film, article, or a specific product to a producer or a film director within a phew wordsHere are some Pitches in which i have attempted to create for a new soap opera:

Demetri - Analysis of Soap Opera conventions in Eastenders

Episode on the 30/9/2010

Narrative

The narrative in Eastenders is designed to have parallel storylines running effectively and in conjunction with one another. The amount of these parallel storylines seem to be limitless and almost always build up to some sort of climatic ending, and although a common critique for this is Eastenders’ predictability the narrative is tried and tested and is pushed by tradition Soap Opera conventions such as gossip, affairs, rivalry etc. The episode that I’m analysing starts off with a scene of Kat and Alfie in an uplifting and humorous mood, sharing jokes with one another before cutting to a shot of a very bitter looking Jannine, already setting the stage for an episode packed with mixed emotions.

Realism

Realism is a key element in Soap Operas and Eastenders tends to focus on it more than others, the whole set of Eastenders is based around a community of working class people who although at times can be over the top, lead believable lifestyles. Realism is also portrayed with camera angles, conversations for example are put together with shot/reverse/shot techniques and other professional camera tricks. Another element of realism often noticed in Eastenders is that it is linked with current affairs as the time zone is the same as the one it’s viewers are in. A scene towards the middle of the episode shows Alfie in the Off Licence being served by Heather whilst engaging in everyday conversation, short scenes like this are effective in making the program more believable

Audience

The audience that Eastenders attracts is arguably a key element to its overall success and it’s commendable running time. People from as young as 13 watch Eastenders with their parents/grandparents, it attracts a wide range of ages as well as people from poor to rich backgrounds, both Male and Females view the program and it has made such a name for itself over the years that it has viewers overseas.

Representation

Eastenders is well known for its representation of cockney people, the representations can be described as challenging sometimes to an extreme. The cast in Eastenders, regardless of age, gender and other elements seem to be fond of confrontation and drama. Although Eastenders is flooded with a mixture of representation, some of it is marginal and as you would expect. The main event for this episode was Stacey beating up Jannine, it was perceived as quite a big deal and is a perfect example of how the people, particularly the younger characters are rowdy and down to fight.

Saul-Conventions of soap

Carrying on research into Soaps as a Genre, I have found more information on the typical conventions featured in most soaps seen on television.

Representation within soaps determines the ways in which most characters are ofter represented for e.g. social class, cultral background age and gender are ofter used to fill the common or specific stereotypes present in everyday society and create a fictional society that mirrors a realistic society that audiences can almost believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYclw5FJ2Eo

Within the extract of Eastenders featured above we see the character Phil fiting into the characteristics of a stereotypical East London Hard Nut through his agression and violence towards Ian as as he attempts to winds him up over his son being jailed. Many audience members Might be able to relate to Phil's situation because a wide majority of the audience Estenders secures may be parents themselves and may not want there children to incur the same events. The ways in which characters are represented within the Genre of Soaps can vary to enable programmes to appeal within wider audiences and enable particular audiences to relate to Individual characters for e.g. Within the narrative of Eastenders teenage character Lucy becomes pregnant and has an abortion this Particular story line highlights the huge issue of Teenage Pregnancy and also the effect in which Abortion can Have on people and this can cause many audience members to relate to this storyline which is so common in real-life society. Deiderick Santer's main aim as director of Eastenders was to make the programme feel more 21st century by broadening the minority representation and providing a range of different characters for Audiences to be able to Identify with and relate with.

Below: this image features Muslim character Syed entering into a Homosexual Relationship with character Christian.

Above: Picture of character Phil Mitchell Drunk and abusing Drugs after His son Ben was taken into Prison and his daughter Was taken by her Mother..

Realism/Social Realism

Within many British soap operas there are always attempts to create a reflection of the social issues currently being faced by society within Narratives/Storylines. This can be seen within British soap Opera Eastenders where there is a variety of negative storylines within the narrative which can be used to reflect the characteristics of people or specific issues currently being faced within the News and society. A good example of a negative storyline in Eastenders is when Muslim Character Syed Has a Homosexual affair behind his wife Amira's back with character Christian.

Sometimes soap Operas can produce a Very Conflicting Response due to the fact that they can sometimes raise controversial issues which are sometimes sensitive amongst specific members of the Public Most common Issues Highlighted within soap Operas Include:- * Sexuality * Religion * Politics * Alcoholism/addiction *Rape *Immigration *Depression *Teenage Pregnancy * Bullying Realism within a soap Helps to make a soap opera Look as ordinary as Possible to the audience. Realism is crucial within soaps as it helps determine how believable a soap opera is to its audience.

An example of realism within soaps is in the setting of Eastenders and coroination and how it is made to look like an everyday street with no futuristic or non-fictional features as seen in programmes like Doctor Who? so that it is as believable to the audience as possible. However some soaps do bare unrealistic features for example in Coronation Street and Eastenders Narratives all of the characters seem to know everything about one another and in the typical society it is very rare to know every single person on your street. Most of the time the Audiences do not pay attention to these small unrealistic features within a soap due to the High level of Social representation within the narrative and also how the storylines challenge many controversial issues being faced within society.

Also articles which contain gossip based on current affairs within the soap operas can cause audiences to get caught up in the narrative outside of the soap and refer to the characters as if they were real people. Another Realistic element within soap operas is the way in which the narratives are run in accordance to Real-time. The use of night and day within the narrative causes the soap to appeal to particular audiences because it makes the soap feel as if it is happening at the current time. in addition to real time most stories within the soap narratives are run parallel to one another this helps focus on many events and helps the audience to relate to the way in which there are many things going on at one time for e.g. there are many different problems occurring within different peoples lives at the same time.

Above: here is a road sign for the fictional Eastenders Location of 'Albert Square' we know the soap is set in East London but there is no road in London under the postcode E20 or an east London Bourough named Walford.

Left: this a birds eye View of coronation street.

Narrative

The narrative is a crucial part of any Soap opera due to the fact that it is what shapes the storylines within soaps and is responsible for the events which occur within the soap.

Narratives sometimes include:-

* Regional accents

* Storylines based on social Realism for e.g. Within Eastenders and Coronation Street the lives of everyday working class Individuals are portrayed through 'realistic aesthetic'. This can sometimes be crucial in securing audiences as there are many Working class People in the UK. Many soap operas are created for entertainment purposes but sometimes the Issues being raised within their narratives are so realistic that they can sometimes cause the audience to get caught up and develop a need to find out more about specific Storylines which can sometimes cause gossip outside of the soaps. Some episodes end on cliff-hangers and sometimes this is purposely included within soap narratives in order to keep audiences coming back and urging to find out more. Within Many soap the narratives are extremely similar this is due to all of the different Companies attempting to attract audiences by feeding them narratives in which they can relate to.

Saul - Anaysis of Soap Opera Conventions

Analysis of the Conventions of a Soap opera Within 'Eastenders'.

Throughout Soap operas a Narrative is the key Convention in ensuring that the storyline has been correctly communicated to the audience. Within Eastenders I Had noticed that the Narrative is run in parallel storylines in order to give a Sense of real-time and also the idea that many Incidents and events are occurring at one time.

Within this specific episode of Eastenders scenes were extremely repetitive this was evident through the way in which we as an audience continuously re-visited the Narratives of Sam and her New born baby and also The narrative of Phil and His Drug Addiction. Within the episode I also realised the way in which Most of the Narrative was centred on the theme of Children this is seen through the ways in which Sam was represented as an unfit mother through her lack of knowledge of how to bring up a baby and also Stacey’s situation with her visit from social services.Within the Narrative there was a lot of Reference to Peggy Mitchell who had recently Left the Square due to the burning down of her Pub. This was interpreted gossip Within the Narrative as the whole of the square began to speculate and ask her close relatives about her disappearance this particular gossip amongst the cast can also stem into public gossip due to the fact that Barbra Windsor the character Who plays Peggy Has been a member of the Eastenders Cast since it started in 1985.Within the Narrative of this specific episode there are many events in which specific members of the Audience can strongly relate for example Phil Drug addiction can be used to highlight the High level of Drug addicts living in and Around London and also how easy it is for a person to become addicted to Drugs.Also there is a High level of Situations within the Narrative in which Might Stimulate Gossip within and Amongst the Public Audience for e.g. Sam is represented throughout the Narrative as Sly and cunning and this is shown through the way she attempts to play Minty, Ricky and Jack off against one another by asking them all to take a paternity test. This particular incident has the potential to cause Media speculation and gossip and also raises the current issue of promiscuity and contraception.


The narrative is continuous and also run on real-time and this enables the audience to feel as if Eastenders is a part of their every day life and that they can stop watching it for a long time but still manage to pick up the storyline and plot when they return to watching it. Eastenders also becomes very addictive amongst audiences due to the fact that the narrative is so realistic and believable and this why the programme attends to attract religious viewers.Within many soap Operas specific characters are represented in specific ways in order to deliberately portray certain characteristic or stereotypes to the audience. Within the episode I analysed Phil is represented as an extremely Violent drug addicted this is seen through the way in which he Phil confesses his problem to Shirley by saying “I’ve got to change I need you to help me, I put my life in your Hands shirl.” and also by the way in which he has a violent outburst and strangles jay whilst saying “you think your hard ey?.” The way Phil is represented can cause gossip amongst the public due to the fact that his specific character can help to raise issues of Addictions leading to Violence.

Within Eastenders there are many components that may come across as unrealistic a main example of this is the fact that all of the cast seem to know one another and in real life it is very rare and uncommon to live on a street in London and know every single person on your street. However sometimes these specific elements can be shadowed by the other realistic components of Eastenders for example the way in which the narrative runs in real time can some cause the audience feel as if the narrative is real and also become caught up within the narrative.The fact that Eastenders also continues out side of television can also give a sense of realism for example within Radio, television and magazines there is usually publicized gossip about the soap narrative.Within the episode of the Eastenders I analysed the relationships within the families helped to give a sense of realism due to the fact that as an audience member I could relate to certain characteristics for example arguments between relatives and also jeans concern as a mother for Stacy.

The scenery within Eastenders is also a key component of realism due to the fact that the scenery is very normal and that there are no futuristic elements that might be seen in television series such as Doctor Who. The diagetic sounds within the scenes like the sound of the Washing machines and also the radio playing in the background of the laundrette portrays realism to the audience by providing the key characteristics in which they’d expect to find within this particular location for example if the washing machines could not be heard it would seem extremely unrealistic because most people have a washing machine and many people know that they are not silent.