Contextual Studdies: Soap Operas

The term soap opera originates from when theese programmes were primarilly marketed at women. In the US they focus heavilly on advertisemnet in the breaks of theese shows, and had to come up with new advertisements that would target the women watching theese shows. The most popular of which was soap, and the narative followed that of a dramatic opera, or reflected opera scenes, and so the term soap operas was coined.

Soap operas are mostly filmed in real life locations, that are constructed, changed and set up as if it were a studio set. They are shot in standard form and edited together quickly so they can be published on a daily/weekly basis.

This means that all soap operas are a serial since they have a cast of regularly occuring characters, but new characters or issues are constantly being introduced. Therefor the show its self doesnt have an ending, but certain characters may.Diferent to a series that has a pre written series of events that will occur, and will have an effect on a certain cast of charcters, and although some new ones will be introduced each of their story lines will eventually come to an end forming an end to the story of the series, giving closure unlike a cerial.

A soap opera like eastenders has to do certain things, and fit certain criteria in order to succeed. Firstly it has to dela with contemporary and meaningful isues/events.

The shos must include a certain range of character archetypes. For example: The innocent; the victim; the matriarch; the villan and more.

In this sense modern ssoap operas are very similar to victorian melodramas, especially due to their use of british social realism.

Critical Approaches: 

Realism: Keeps soaps as relaistic as possible to attract the atention of the target audience, however some issues are often over dramatised to ensure audience atention.

Representation: Atempts to create particular types off characters but diversity often clashes with stereotypes. 

One approach that can be apllied to soaps would be the uses and gratifications theory.