conventions (both generic and stylistic) of British soap opera.
...ps are set in one space and Walford, the fictional town of Eastenders, has a pub, a café, the square, a park, a shop, a chip shop, characters houses and the marketplace. These are all public spaces where the characters are able to have random meetings. These random meetings allow the soap to function through gossip, everyone knows everyone else’s business in a soap, the characters are all nosy and much of the soap thrives on this gossip. These familiar public spaces also allow for easy introduction of new characters through these random meetings. A new character was introduced into Eastenders this week, and by working her way around all the public spaces she managed to establish a strong character, although it is that of a stereotypical elderly woman. These familiar spaces also present narrow opportunities for the characters. Ninety percent of the characters in the soap work in any of theses public places. This again allows for the spread of gossip yet implies a small community which allows for a stronger sense of realism. Often the customers in the café and pub in Eastenders are that of the residents of Walford and occasionally a few extras many of which are regulars on the programme and this allows the viewers to identify them. The familiar spaces are essential in the character construction as it allows for the stereotypes to come through stronger. Two of the more prominent stereotypes work in the pub, the Queen Victoria in Eastenders. Kat Slater is a typical stereotypical bar maid. The tight clothes, over the top make-up, loud mouth, large earrings, and attractive face all are stereotypical qualities. However, as this character has been present in the show for a few years now the viewers are able to see past all this and into the real person. A substantial amount of drama has happened to Kat, all of which allow the viewer to see past the stereotype they were first presented with and the actress, Jessie Wallace, has been allowed space for creativity. This stereotype has been presented in the confined space and time of a soap and, over time the character will either grow tiring for the viewer and expel themselves from the soap, or will move along with the time and grow and change into another different variation of the stereotype. The second stereotype is that of Alfie, the new barman in the pub. He converses with all the locals, allowing people to see different sides of characters, for example in this episode he tries to sort out Ian’s problems over the bar while trying to start a romance between two other characters. The character has to have the ability to talk to anyone and is seen as a man to come to for advice, yet knows everyone else’s business. These are all stereotypical qualities for a barman to have and as he has only recently entered the programme he has had to create a character very easily identifiable for the audience. The new character that was introduced in Sundays episode of Eastenders, named simply, Nan, is initially presented as a stereotype as this allows her to gain character and audience empathy quickly. If she becomes a permanent fixture in the programme she is bound to gain other qualities which present her from becoming too stereotypical and therefore bland as a character. Instantly the audience see an old lady who forgets things and has a slight mental problem, believing that Kat in the bar is someone she knows, yet seeing her later does not have a clue who she actually is. She also seems stuck in her own rut, refusing to use a kettle to boil water and insisting on her own tea cups. The generic conventions of soap opera allow for the characters to be different than, ‘normal,’ people. The public spaces, stereotypes and characters never disappearing until they die allows for them to be similar, yet at the same time different from the viewer and this is what maintains interest. There are also many different plot lines happening at the same time. Presently there are many in Eastenders; the mystery surrounding Lisa Fowler, the trouble with Laura’s pregnancy, the celebration for Lynne and Garry’s anniversary, the relationship between Anthony and Kat and many more minor plots. These plot lines insure that there is something for all the audience to enjoy and at the same time allows the characters to progress from the initial stereotypes which they will all have originated as. The theme tune is also an essential part of soap operas, where ever they are from. This is instantly recognisable and triggers the viewer into remembering past episodes and becoming involved in the drama unfolding. Gossip is similar in this way and is another essential part of soap. As all the characters do it, it allows the information that has happened in one place be told to another character, therefore reinforcing it in the viewers mind. This gossip adds to the realism that a soap is trying to create. It leaves characters open as they are able to be discussed by others and this gives the viewer a different scope on the problems involved. Gossip is an essential convention of soaps and without it the soap would face many problems and a lack of communication between characters and viewers. During the Eastenders episode there were many different shots typical of the soap opera genre. Cross cutting is one of the most well known and well used shots in soap. It occurs at the opening of each episode, showing a variety of different characters at different places in Walford yet all doing things which will predict some of the action that will happen in this episode. It is often seen between scenes in order to show that scenes are occurring at the same time, for example a scene in the café cuts to one in the pub, implying that they are occurring together. Cross cutting also occurs between the characters in one scene as well, interjected with close-ups on the characters faces. It can occur between many characters, reflecting many conversations, for example it occurs very often at the bar in the pub or in the café where many different characters are talking at once in separate circles. The close-ups allow the viewers...