Soaps
1) Eastenders: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05pwl1p/eastenders-02042015
a. Technical and audio codes: This episode of Eastenders starts with a Bird’s-Eye view of Kat laying in bed. This particular camera frame shows a scene from directly overhead making whoever’s in the shot look insignificant, with a low status. This shot then zooms in into a Close-up frame. This shows very little background, and concentrates on the face. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, in this example it clearly shows the expression on Kats face, portraying how she is feeling. The lighting often changes with every scene, throughout the episode. Setting the atmosphere and mood behide the story of whoever’s in the scene. For example, the first scene of Kat is dimly lit with the curtains closed, representing how down she is feeling, in comparison to the next scene with Ian and the baby, where the room is naturally lit and there is a peaceful, happy mood.
b. Representation: Representation of ethnicity is used in Eastenders for example, each family is presented differently either by race, culture or status; by doing this stories most of which are repeated throughout different households e.g. affairs are portrayed differently. For example when the Masood family found out their son was gay, as Muslims they responded very harshly and differently to the Mitchell family when they found out that Ben was gay as it was not as big of deal to them as it is the the Islam culture.
c. Conventions: One convention is Central Meeting Points. In soap operas there are central meeting points used; this is a place where all characters go regularly and allows their stories to intervene. Central meeting points are public places such as the local pub or the laundrette. For example ‘the square’ is a popular central meeting point in Eastenders as this is based in the centre of Walford and all characters must pass this meeting point in order to get to their various destinations. Places such as these allow characters to leave their individual stories and involve themselves in the other various stories around them.
Another convention is Cliff Hangers. A cliff hanger is when something dramatic happens within a story, but the ending/consequence is not shown. For example in this particular episode, it ends with Kat holding a jar of tablets saying ‘One more for the road’. This is suggesting that Kat might attempt an overdose but we wont find out until the next episode. This is mainly used in soap operas to make the audience want to know what happens next and carry on watching. Cliff hangers happen throughout the episode as different stories switch between each other as well, this is done to keep the episode interesting and builds up tension in the audience. However, cliff hangers are most commonly used at the end of an episode. This is done to ensure they maintain an audience and watch the next episode.
