The Function Of Soap Opera's Part 5

See if you can identify the stereotypes in the soap opera's you have watched. You might not get them all, but get as many as you can.

The Function Of Soap Opera's Part 4

Narrative and Representation - Stereotypes

Soaps use a variety of narrative techniques to keep audiences watching.
Here are some of those techniques.

• Cliffhanger: A dramatic event at the end of an episode that promises to be developed next episode.

• Mini-Cliffhanger: A dramatic even that happens before a commercial break that tries to ensure audiences will continue to watch. (Only on ITV, C4, C5).

• Teasers: An event that promises further conflict or dramatic excitement.

• Hooks: An opening scene that has a large dramatic impact or normally continues on from the previous cliffhanger.

• Dramatic Irony: This is when an event happens that the audience know about, but other characters do not.

Here are a list of the techniques that soap opera's use when representing Persons, Places and events.

• Stereotypes and Counter-types
• Use of a gossip to create future conflict
• A greater number of births, deaths and marriages
• Based in real life, but with more tragedies
• A wide range of characters to attract a wider audience
• The name of the soap will have give off strong connotations to it's themes, lifestyles and conflicts

The Function Of Soap Opera's Part 3

Watch two extracts from two different soaps and make notes up on the typical codes and see if you can work out what sub-genre it is.

Genre: It defy's what the object is. If there wasn't a genre the programme wouldn't make sense. People have a favourite type of genre.

The Function of Soap Opera's - Part2

Why do some people not like watching soap operas?

• Don't Enjoy it
• Bad acting
• Always Depressing - Not happy
• Have similar story-lines

Why do people enjoy watching Soap Operas?

• Finding answers to story-lines
• Story-lines connect
• Cliffhangers
• Romance

Watch a Soap Opera sequence and write down five things that an audience might get out of this particular episode

• Drama
• Excitement and entertainment
• Relate to certain story-lines/characters
• How to deal with things

The Function of Soap Opera's

How many soaps can you name?

• Emmerdale
• Coronation Street
• Eastenders
• Doctors
• Neighbors
• Hollyoaks
• Home and Away
• Holby City
• Casulty
• Dallas
• The Bill

Write down the definition of the following two words:

• Soap: A substance used with water for washing and cleaning.
• Opera: Dramatic work in one or more acts.

Write down the typical things you would expect to see in soaps.

Narratives

• Murder/Death
• Adultery
• Sex
• Weddings

Settings

• Pub
• Garage
• Corner shops
• Chippy
• Train station

Characters

• Evil
• Secretive
• Gangsters
• Wise guru