The Villain/Shady Businessman: This is one of Soap Opera's most common stock character that is often resented for their soap persona, but revelled for their entertainment value. A great example of this is Archie Mitchell from Eastenders. He told Ronnie that her daughter had died when she was in fact alive and living in Walford, and even kicked his ex-wife Peggy out of the sanctuary of The Queen Vic. One twist to this stereotype can often be a 'villian' thought of as more of a shady businessman with often a good heart/motive; Phil Mitchell wanting the best for his son, Ben. Whilst the deals that they do can often be illegal, or extremely borderline, they would never stab a true friend or family member in the back.
Pillar of The Community: More often than not this stock character will revolve around elderly citizens who offer advice and guidance to the young and foolish. They're a should to cry on for a friend in need and respected by almost every member of the community. Dot in Eastenders tends to have good intentions aiding a protagonists' woes. On the other hand we do have Norris in Coronation Street who often portrays malicious intents; only wanting gossip.
Troubled Teen: Much like real life stereotypes the troubled teen will be full of angst and hatred for the older generation. They're rebellious, argumentative and make numerous mistakes. Occasionally they can be far more extreme and be involved in 'taboo' issues; pregnancy, drugs, gang culture; leading to trouble with the police/law. Lucy Beale is a great example as a Wikipedia exert states: "Lucy's rebellion continues. She leaves home temporarily to move in with Jane's brother Christian Clarke (John Partridge), has a relationship with the older Olly Greenwood (Bart Edwards) and decides to go on the contraceptive pill".
Unlucky Male: No matter how hard they try it's almost certain something can and will go wrong. From loan troubles to a broken heart this stock character's good intentions to better their family's life will often backfire. Billy Mitchell in Eastenders has experienced this vividly with his troubled upbringing in a home, being used by Janine, and at one point losing his house by his own family member - Phil Mitchell.
Genre Research
Soap Opera is often classed as the most significant genre of British T.V. Contrasting to American romance plot clichés, British storylines often parallel the burning issues of their target demographic to highlight both problems and high points of ‘conventional’ working-class families.
Whilst the most prominent episodic serials are considered to be the top three - Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, emerging soaps such as Hollyoaks are beginning to shape a new era of the genre due to its emphasis on previous taboo subjects such as gay/lesbian partnerships and racism. Even Australian soaps such as Neighbours and Home and Away have consistently held high British viewing figures, possibly due to escapism and the audience being able to view the healthy, glamorous lifestyles the shows various protagonists lead.
However soaps are now under threat from ‘real life’ soap operas such as The Hills. Produced by MTV, the show follows the lives of former Laguna Beach stars in a reality television format. The concept behind Laguna Beach is for a camera team to follow around a series of real life characters, recording their everyday life and interactions. However, it can be inferred that some of these conversations are actually scripted or edited. This genre is often filmed in exotic and alluring locations – supposedly unscripted, yet often influenced by off screen ‘story editors’ it can often be hard to differentiate the genre from soap operas.
Soap Trailer Shot/Length Analysis
I researched a variety of current soaps to analyse features of their trailers for upcoming episodes. I particularly focused on techniques used within longer and shorter clips, average shot length, and camera angles. This has then informed the creation of my own trailer.
Soap Trailer | Length of Clip (seconds) | Amount of Shots In Clip |
Coronation Street – Siege Week | 30 | 20 |
Eastenders – Christmas 2009 | 36 | 12 |
Eastenders – Sam Mitchell Returns | 40 | 14 |
Coronation Street – Becky and Steve’s Wedding | 98 | 40 |
Eastenders – Kat and Alfie | 61 | 25 |
Eastenders – The Jackson 5 | 60 | 62 |
Hollyoaks – 1995 Launch | 16 | 16 |
Hollyoaks –Christmas 2008 | 20 | 15 |
The average amount of shots overall per trailer is 26; for an average clip length of 45 seconds. This appears to show close to one shot per two seconds of footage. However, what I did notice is when clips were drawn out techniques such as tracking shots or panning shots were utilized far more, yet when the action is fast paced the close-ups of the characters on screen are far more prominent.
Soap Storyline/Advertising analysis
Soap Storyline/Advertising analysis
Coronation Street
Since the soaps creation Coronation Street has been hit with criticism regarding its controversial storylines. 1968 saw Ken Barlow’s wife, Valerie kept hostage by a convicted rapist named Riley who had escaped from prison. Riley used the twins as a threat if Valerie did not agree to his wishes. Furthermore, in ’98 the soap played a pivotal role in being the first to introduce a transsexual character, Hayley Cropper. What’s most interesting to note is the soap did not introduce a gay character until 5 years after Hayley. The most recent storyline to grace our screens is Tony Gordon’s gun siege on Underworld in which he attempted to gain revenge on those who had ‘wronged’ him in the past.
Advertising:
Deals include: £20m Cadburys deal (largest broadcast agreement outside US). Plus two undisclosed figures with Jobsite and Typhoo.
Eastenders
Only a quick search on Google is needed to see that Eastenders has recently been slated for a flurry of ‘notorious storyline’s’. The most controversial of the past year is often referenced as the ‘baby swap storyline’ in which the BBC incurred 8,500 complaints to Ofcom. Recently however, charity show Comic Relief faced scrutiny for their inclusion of forced prostitution on such a family orientated audience. The BBC defended itself claiming: “We believe it was right to show the - albeit unpleasant - reality of the situation faced by these girls, rather than put a gloss on it”.
Advertising:
The show isn’t subject to advertisements due to the BBC receiving its funding through the TV licence, government grants and foreign soil agreements (broadcasting of its shows etc).
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is best considered as a ‘new age soap’ being the paramount soap in establishing a link between taboo subjects and dramatized fictional storylines. As it were The Guardian published an article on the 25th March 2011 revolving around Hollyoaks decision to use a previous taboo (rape) and let the viewers vote if the defendant is guilty, the programme-makers claim it “is to provoke debate among viewers about when sex is consensual”. Therefore a debate has been ignited into whether soap-land has now finally crossed the border of acceptable content/ideas for its audience, and in this case their participation.
Advertising:
Phones 4u signed a six figure deal in 2010, Nikon had a undisclosed figure for 5 months. Wrigley’s chewing gum was also a sponsor for 5 years (2004-2009).
