Demetri - Evaluation Task 3

3.a Typical Audience Member

My typical audience member will be a female in her late teens, either studying her A-Levels or at Uni. My audience member will have recently experienced some of the elements this school-based show is about; she may be described as a hipster and interested with fashion and current affairs. Her hobbies will include partying, listening to her favourite musicians, social networking sites, reading magazines such as Ok. Her viewing habits will include watching other Soaps, maybe Eastenders or Coronation Street. She will watch other types of shows such as E News! And view various music channels. Her spending power will not be high considering she is a student, coming from a working class family she can relate to a lot of people in the show.

production trailer, complete with annoations which have been added with Youtube's annotation tool.

3.b Youtube Annotations

This is the annotated version of my group's Media trailer. It was uploaded to a Youtube account and Youtube's annotation feature is what was used to do this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9AZCjl2VgQ&feature=player_embedded

3.c Audience Feedback

In this video feedback is received from two students at Winchmore named Chris and Janki. We asked them a few questions, the first being 'what did you find most successful within our trailer?' to which the response was that it was interesting and left the viewer with a cliff hanger which is what we set out to do as it is a typical Soap Opera convention. Even if our audience was unclear of the genre throughout, the cliff hanger at the end surely would confirm that this is a Soap Opera. Our second question was 'Do you think the trailer was successful in meeting its target audience?' to which the response was that we did meet the target audience and the contemporary music we had in particular was key for our audience to relate to the Soap from watching the trailer. Our Soap is aimed at a slightly younger target audience than your conventional Soap Opera which is why some of our elements such as soundtrack and mise en scene have been approached in a less common manner when compared to most Soaps. Our third question was 'Do you think the shot types were successful in portraying narrative?' The shot types as well as editing were described as fast paced and showed the audience effectively where our main character was headed which is what we planned to do with our trailer, although it is a trailer for our Soap Opera we wanted to push the boundaries a bit by including fast paced shots and advanced editing as they are elements which allow us to set our production apart from others whilst remaining complacently in the Soap Opera genre's boundaries. Our 4th question was 'What do you think we needed to improve?' to which we were told that the relationship between our couple was ambiguous and could have been established better to give the audience a clearer understanding, although we did not want to give away too much in the trailer the feedback is correct. By making our couples relationship clearer to the audience they would have immediately gained a better understanding what our Soap is about and would have made our trailer better. Our final question was 'Do you think our Soap was successful in meeting the conventions of the Soap Opera genre?' to which we were told that the fact that our trailer looks realistic, and has topics that fit into the conventions of the Soap Opera and that the audience will be able to relate, which is exactly what we as a group wanted.

Overall I am very pleased with our audience feedback, everything has been perceived as our group planned it to be. By aiming our soap at a younger target audience we took the risk off creating something that wouldn't have been classed as a Soap Opera if it was not done properly, I believe that our research into the Soap Opera genre was key to us successfully creating a Soap Opera trailer. If I could go back and change anything my main improvement would be to establish a clearer relationship between the characters in my Soap, as our feedback states and also to maybe have introduced a few more characters. Also I would include more dialogue and change certain shot types such as a pan shot showing our character 'Saul' entering a room which looking back I don't feel worked that well.

Demetri - Empire Avenue Poster

This is the Empire Avenue poster created with Adobe Photoshop, it features two of our trailers main charcters who share a relationship. I have chosen to use them because it will help familiarise viewers with the trailer and because I liked the images composition. The male character is staring direcely at the audience as if to ask them for help wheras his partner seems interested in only him, this immediately draws up assumptions of they're relationship. The reason that I have chosen the blue background with the black style banner is because I felt that this theme suited the Soap and I also have the same theme running throughout the trailer with the captions.

Demetri - Empire Avenue Images

These are 5 of the images that were taken on a Kodak 720p digital camera. The purpose of these images were for my group to create posters, magazines and place on the Empire Avenue website. The images contain two main characters that will be in our Soap Opera trailer and portray the relationship that they share.

Demetri - Empire Avenue Trailer Captions

Demetri - Samples of Music

Originally, my group had chosen a soundtrack for our project created by UK Drum & Bass artists 'Nero'. Although the soundtrack was very suitable and complimented my group's trailer we were unable to include it in the final version due to copyright. We were unable to gain permission from the artists so the song had be changed.

We then decided to get our soundtrack from the London Grid for Learning so that we could avoid any copyright complications. After my group went through near enough 100 soundtracks from different categories on the LGFL we eventually settled for a piece called 'World United'

Samples of both have been included on a disc submitted with my group's coursework.

Demetri - Soap Trailer End Title Sequence

Demetri - Empire Avenue Shooting Script

This is the shooting script for my group's media production, we'll have this with us to refer to on the day(s) that we record.

Shot	Timing	Description
1	4 seconds	Approaching train
2	1 second	‘Palmers Green’ sign
3	1 second	Train station ‘exit’ sign
4	4 seconds	‘Saul’ walking up train station steps
5	1 second	Front door being unlocked
6	1 second	Front door being opened
7	4 seconds	‘Saul’ entering house and hugging ‘Andreia’
8	5 seconds	Hug ends and ‘Andreia’ leaves the room
9	3 seconds	A photograph of ‘Saul’ and Nicole
10	5 seconds	‘Saul’ entering the living room and sitting next to ‘Andreia’
11	2 seconds	‘Mustafa’ walking down an alleyway and assaulting ‘Aran’
12	1 second	‘Empire Avenue’ road sign
13	1 second	Shot of ‘Mustafa’ pushing ‘Aran’ against a wall
14	1 second	Shot of ‘Mustafa’ pushing ‘Aran’ up against wall from ‘Aran’s’ point of view
15	1 second	Shot of ‘Mustafa’ looking around for something on the floor whilst keeping a hold on ‘Aran’
16	4 seconds	‘Saul’ and ‘Andreia’ conversing shortly before ‘Andreia’ leaves the room
17	2 seconds	‘Andreia’s’ phone that she left on the couch from ‘Saul’s point of view
18	7 seconds	‘Saul’ moving across the couch and checking through ‘Andreia’s phone
19	7 seconds	‘Saul’ calling ‘Andreia’ back into the room and questioning her about what he found on the phone
20	4 seconds	‘Andreia’ attempting to explain herself
21	3 seconds	‘Saul’ leaving the house
22	1 second	‘Andreia’ running to the door as ‘Saul’ closes it
21	2 seconds	Two trains crossing paths

Demetri - Minutes of Meetings 9/12/2010

Agenda: What do we want our Soap Opera trailer to communicate to the audience?

Present at meeting: Demetri, Mus & Saul

Person recording minutes: Demetri

Start time: 2.13 PM

End time:

Demetri: What do we all want to represent with this Soap Opera trailer we’re making?

Mus: I think we need to make a trailer that represents something more experimental than conventional Soap.

Demetri: Something that stands out?

Saul: That’s true, Soaps are all similar but we need to stick to having traditional Soap Opera elements otherwise it’ll be classified as a Drama or something along the lines.

Demetri: I agree with both of you, I’d rather make a Soap Opera trailer that shows a more experimental approach to the genre but still manages to stay in the guidelines of traditional Soap conventions.

Mus: We need to work out how we’re going to get that balance.

Saul: It shouldn’t be too hard once we have a solid idea of how we want our Soap, at the moment we can’t be too specific because we haven’t established characters, script etc.

Mus: We should just establish a general set of ideas of how we want our Soap to be, once it comes to establishing characters we can work with these ideas.

Demetri: I think as far as traditional Soap Opera conventions are concerned, we need to display parallel storylines that show typical elements such as relationships, affairs, confrontation etc, a sense of community and the mise en scene that you would expect to see in a Soap Opera.

Saul: Don’t forget realism, shot types and editing.

Mus: Realism is an important factor; we can engage the audience by basing our trailers narrative of things the audience can relate to. Like you said Demetri, relationships, affairs and confrontation. We can also try and include current affairs in our trailer. As for shot types and editing, it’s a trailer so we don’t have to be close to home with the genre, we can push the boundaries.

Saul: That’s a good point, I think a good way to make our Soap stand from others is by giving a different target audience as well as viewing schedule to others. If we take all we know about the genre and adapt it to a younger audience, say late teens to late twenties and put it on a channel such as E4 we’ll have something that stays within the Soap Opera conventions and stands out by appealing to an audience of its own.

Demetri: Yeah, I agree, that’s what we need to focus on if we want our Soap to be different from others. Target audience is a key element and if we focus on changing that that instead of conventions such as parallel storylines then this will all go to plan.

*End of minutes*

Demetri - Empire Avenue Work in Progress

This is a print screen of the software that I used to edit my group's media production. The software is 'Sony Vegas 10.0' and was very useful once I got the hang of using it. I was able to insert video clips that I had recorded with my group, appropriately cut them and adjust their tempo as well as add filters to change lighting and colours. I also had a range of transitions to choose from which allowed me to create flashing image effects as well as have screens fade out to black. The dark red 'Video Overlay' tab was where my flashing images would go. The light green 'Video' tab was where my main footage, captions and transitions were placed. The purple 'Voice' tab is where the sound for all footage is located and is where I can adjust and edit it. The dark yellow 'Sound Effects' tab is where my audio track has been placed, this tab allowed me to adjust the volume of my soundtrack and fade it out near the end of the video. All of this was aided by the on screen preview which showed me what I was editing and real time and allowed me to constantly check my progress.

Demetri - Nick Christou Focus Group Interview

How old are you? A:

A: I’m 22.

What is your ethnicity:

A: Greek Cypriot

What area do you live in?

A: Enfield

Do you prefer the suburbs or the city?

A: City.

What are your hobbies?

A: Playing football, watching football, fixing cars.

What channels do you watch?

A: BBC, ITV, MTV & E4.

How many Soap Operas do you watch per week, give names?

A: One, Eastenders.

What type of Soaps interest you the most?

A: They all seem too similar, I’m not sure if there is even types, I just watch Eastenders because It’s always been the most popular.

What do you look for in Soaps?

A: Good acting is a must and a good storyline.

What times are you most likely to watch TV?

A: 7-12 PM.

Demetri Constantinou - Jane Brettwood Focus Group Interview

The purpose of conducting a focus group interview was to gain basic but vital information about the type of people who would be interested in our Soap. The first half of the questions were designed to gain an understanding the type of person our candidate is and the second half was designed to gai nan understanding of what they want in a Soap Opera.

How old are you?

A: 39 years old.

What is your ethnicity:

A: White Caucasian

What are do you live in?

A: I live in Edmonton.

Do you prefer the suburbs or the city?

A: City.

What are your hobbies?

A: Making jewellery.

What channels do you watch?

A: BBC, ITV, Channel 4.

How many Soap Operas do you watch per week, give names?

A: Three, Hollyoaks, Neighbours & Eastenders.

What type of Soaps interest you the most?

A: Realistic and action packed.

What do you look for in Soaps?

A: A gripping storyline.

What times are you most likely to watch TV?

A: During the afternoon and the evening.

Demetri - Research Analysis & Evaluation

Throughout my research I have dug deep into the Soap Opera genre and learned a considerable amount of important information. My research has been conducted mainly by analysing the genre and observing the way it works nnd its conventions. I've looked into the Soap Opera 'Eastenders', trailers such as the 'Hollyoaks 50th Anniversary Trailer', the things that should be considered when creating a Soap Opera. I studied Soap Opera narratives (elements such as realism, audience and representation). I also analysed title sequences, conducted research via focus groups and questionnaires before deciding on a 'typical audience member' and what elements I should include in the production of my Soap Opera trailer. Once all of this was done I was ready to take my pitches and create a full treatment for my Soap Opera trailer. I feel as though all of this research has helped me and I am ready to create a Soap Opera trailer that has the correct conventions and not only falls under the genre but also manages to challenge it. If I could improve anything I would spend more time analysing different Soap Operas as the only ones that I analysed were Eastenders and Hollyoaks. This was a downfall because if I analysed others such as Emmerdale and Coronation Street I would of had a broader knowledge of the genre which would have helped me when deciding how I wanted to represent the genre with my production.

Demetri - Location Recce's

Palmers Green train station: The start of our Soap Opera trailer will show one of our main characters (Saul) making a homecoming to Empire Avenue. We visited Palmers Green train station and decided that this was the perfect location for a number of reasons. It was local to us, we were able to record trains arriving and departing from a number of angles allowing us to put our cameras to good use. Also, during the day the train station had a good enough amount of people to add to our trailer’s sense of community but it wasn’t completely packed. This allowed us to get various shots of signs around the station which I will use to build on mise en scene.

Mustafa’s house: This is our main location as it is where most of the filming took place, it will show a scene between a couple in the Soap (Saul and Nicole). As a group we reviewed the possibility of using one of our houses for the recording but decided in terms of layout that Mustafa’s was most appropriate. The living room is round the corner from the door way which also has a porch, the hallway was spacious so I knew immediately it would be perfect for framing shots at a variety of angles and that overall this would contribute to the quality of our camerawork.

Highfield Road Alleyway: As a group we decided to have parallel storylines, we also wanted a short, outdoor clip that wasn’t directly linked to the other storylines. The location has a long winding alleyway, not one that is secluded from other areas as it links a school and a local neighbourhood. The alleyway has short fences on either side and we noticed it was well lit and very open to the public. A lot of alleyways are perceived as dark and mysterious, but being the opposite this was the perfect location. It also allowed us use good shot-reverse-shot techniques.

Demetri - Things to consider when making a Soap

From my analysis of failed Soap Opera Eldarado, I have decided that I will have to consider key conventions such as community and representation to make mine succesful. Representation was important to Eldarado and the fact that it changed from representing only Britain, to other places in Europe arguably contributed to the show's failure. Community is also an important factor, realism is a key convention in soap and having a sense of community (various links/relationships between characters) is an element that cannot be left out. I will look at Soap Operas, particularly Eastenders and the sense of community based around it's setting (Albert Square) as well as the traditional Biritsh character representation. I will consider the predictability of my Soap's story lines in an attempt to keep the audience interested as well as plan out the Soap's cliff hangers and ongoing issues in such a way that I can rely on the audience to tune in when ever it's on. I will challenge my audience when developing emotion towards the characters with the use of realism, this will contribute to overall success as people will relate to the show and grow fond of it.

Demetri - Eastenders Title Sequence Analysis

The Eastenders title sequence is arguably the most memorable title sequence in the history of Soap Opera's; it has remained pretty much the same for over two decades and has become somewhat iconic. The title sequence makes very good use of key elements such as Mise En Scene, sound, camera work & editing; this contributes to its overall success and appeal. Like the start of many films, the title sequence opens with an establishing shot of a location, whilst this is the only shot apart from the still at the end of the sequence, it is very effective as it puts the viewers into perspective with the area the show is filmed across. The only real editing that has gone on is the 'Eastenders' and the 'BBC' logo fading in at the end of the sequence, this simplistic approach is just right as there is no need for high end editing here. The use of Mise En Scene is also basic but effective, as the establishing shot spirals out the location is easily identifiable just from noticing the River Thames running across the screen. Already this is making the viewer feel at home and is a big bonus for the show's realism. The soundtrack for Eastenders is probably the most important of all of these elements, the drum roll is a motif and when it's heard it is immediately linked to Eastenders. It is also used at the end of the show as it's builds tension as the show always ends with some sort of shocking revelation or cliff hanger. The theme tune has a laid back feel to it, and sounds very slow and calm. This is a contrast to the show's storylines and is quite ironic, if I hadn't seen Eastenders or heard its theme song before I would expect it to more upbeat. The fact that it's mellow can only be described as an apparent success due to the fact that it has been embraced for so long. The theme song suits Eastenders perfectly.

Demetri - What is a Soap Opera?

A Soap Opera is a type of genre which has become increasingly popular particularly in the UK over a number of years, Soap Opera's are recognisable from their traditional conventions which include:

.Cliff hangers

.Parallel storylines

.Stereotypical representation of social class

.Gossip

.Affairs,

.Dialogue

All these elements are key when considering producing a Soap Opera. Soap's are almost always serial's, they're designed to juggle loads of storylines at once which lead to new storylines, having a show which can go on for decades. Eastenders is a good example of this.

Soap's focus mainly on Narrative, (a sequence of events constructed to tell a story, Soaps use open-ended narratives so while there is resolutions to storylines there is no real end) Representation (the soaps producers point of view on things, for example characters can be represented with stereotypes or those stereotypes can be challenged. Representation plays a big part and is very common) Realism (making what the audience see believable and giving them something to realte to in the show, realism can be achieved by having the show up to date with current affairs such as exams) and Audience (the audience is the people who will view the soap, careful consideration must be taken when deciding on a target audience and many things including age, gender, ethnicity, working class and more have to be thought through)

Demetri - First Soap Opera Treatment - The Staff Room

‘The Staff Room’ is a Soap Opera based around the lives of people working at Wintervalley Secondary School, a place known by most for its controversy and poor reputation. Although there is a variety of staff featured, we have three main characters that the storylines will be based upon.

Our first main character is Jonathon Moore, a white Caucasian man in his late thirties who is the Headteacher at Wintervalley. Being the head teacher, Jonathan is a powerful person who’s often slandered for his decisions; he’s often in local newspapers for the issues surrounding the school. He is liked by few and is considered more of a tyrant than a head teacher. Our second main character is Carl Clark, a Black male in his early twenties who works as a peer mentor. Carl is a well known figure in the school; he works closely with the students and is often trying to resolve of any drama that goes on between students, as well as staff. Our third main character is Jane Smith, a white Caucasian woman in her mid thirties. Jane is the head of the English department at Wintervalley and is considered to be ridiculously strict, not a good teacher and someone who doesn’t deserve their position in the school. Jane is surrounded by controversies and although there has never been evidence, just denial she is said to have had affairs with other teachers in the school. Our three main characters all share business relationships with each other and are the catalysts for plots that contain deception, confrontation, affairs, gossip and other Soap Opera conventions.

In more detail, Wintervalley Secondary School is in South London (although the actual set of the program will be in a location in North London), it is set in 2010. The time zone of the program will be the same as the time zone of its target audience to add to the shows realism. The target audience is 16-24 year olds, both male and female who come from working class backgrounds in London, England. A description of my typical viewer will be a male who’s in Year 11, studying for his GCSE’s at his Secondary school. Being a student himself, viewing a program like this he will be at some sort of understanding with some of the shows elements and for that reason will relate and enjoy the show more.

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 mild 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 because each week will have 3 episodes based around one of the 3 characters storylines, then the next week will have 3 episodes on another characters storyline.
The first episode of the staff room will begin at the heart of a Police investigation involving our main characters; a gang of year 11 Wintervalley students have been linked to the near-death of a student in the lower years. Reports suggest that the students notoriously bullied the student for some time, right under the noses of our main characters. 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 school. The first episode will contain intense drama as small detail involving the affair are revealed, at the end of the episode a revelation is made that a member of staff may have been behind all of this. 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 assault of this student 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. Problems such as the school being monitored, close to being shut down; and key characters having their work careers compromised will be common.

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.

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.