Imitations of Life : a Reader on Film and Television Drama – Marcia Landy
The shots commonly used in soap operas are “close-ups and two shots” because these shots can be “laden with paradigmatic meaning”. Two shots are commonly used in soap operas to highlight one of the main themes of this type of program, relationships. They are also used as they portray a realistic and neutral representation of characters. A two shot enables the viewer to clearly see the body language between the two characters which often helps emphasise and develop storylines. Close-ups are also used for emphasis, they can be used to highlight characters facial expressions, body movements and other gestures. Dedicated viewers will read much more into certain facial expressions and gestures as they will have deeper knowledge about the characters – soap operas are often tailored around the belief that their viewers are watch regularly, they also feature more controversial storylines to attract and retain their viewers.
Similar to this is the idea that unlike characters from series or dramas, “ soap opera characters have both histories and memories”. People often find soap operas comforting, like watching an old friends life – people become emotionally attached and involved to certain characters as they begin to see themselves within them; this is why stereotypes are such an important part of soap operas. Other viewers become attached to characters as they watch them grow up via the soap opera. Dedicated viewers can recall upon previous storylines to help understand their favourite characters behaviour, this is often the reason villains of soap operas can be sympathised with. It is important that when creating a soap opera a large amount of realistic and likeable characters are exposed as this is what will increase viewing figures – people talk and other forms of media portray soap opera characters as real people and this is crucial in retaining a large amount of viewing figures.
Soap operas are an important part of British culture and popular soaps such as Coronation Street have been around for over 50 years: “ within soap operas we have a narrative text that might have been begun by a reader in adolescence but which, thirty years later, is still being read by the same reader”. Soap operas are easy to follow as they move forward with the present time, yet also include some nostalgia. Coronation street is the stereotypical set-up of a working class, close-knit community often seen around Britain in the time of the mining strike. Soaps also features other British traditions and most will have a local pub, local shop and local park area. As soap operas move forward with British time as do their storylines, keeping dedicated viewers interested meaning that some viewers may have watched the soap from its early years. It is crucial that soap operas are realistic as this is why they are so popular and can be broadcast so regularly. Like in visiting the same place continually, viewers can find comfort in continually escaping to the world of Coronation Street and ‘checking-in’ on ‘friends’.
However since this text was published the soap world has further developed is now aware of the absence presence theory. The text states that the soap opera world is mainly dominated by white characters and this is true as the majority of Britain is of white race and soap operas aim to create a microcosm of communities. However, there is an increasing amount of black and ethnic race families being included in soap operas. Coronation Street, Eastenders and Hollyoaks are amongst the soap operas that are now including more characters of a different race. Along with the inclusion of characters with different racial backgrounds soap operas are also featuring different cultures and beliefs to make them more accessible to larger audiences.
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