Codes and Conventions of 3 Soaps.

Hollyoaks

                                                                                                    

Hollyoaks, opening sequence

The codes and conventions of the soap opera Hollyoaks include; a title sequence with a theme tune which is very vibrant and upbeat. This tells us the show is very modern and targeted at quite a young audience. The title sequence also involves short clips of every individual character in the television show, which gives us an idea of  their personalities and what their character involves, whether they're good or bad. A villain is a convention for soap operas and is used in Hollyoaks. This creates drama and conflict between people to keep us entertained, another convention that does this is a village/neighbourhood, which is how everyone knows everyone and how the gossip gets by. The camera shots used are mostly medium and close-up shots which are typical conventions of a soap opera. The director uses close-ups to show facial expressions and key props significant in the scene, and medium shots to show some background. The director often uses editing techniques which are also conventions used in soaps, such as; cross-cutting, this shows us action at the same time in 2 different locations and shot/reverse shot which is seen when one character is looking at another character and then back at the first character. The mise-en-scene which is a well known convention is used also and in this case, includes props that we would use in everyday life. This tells us that the show tries to relate to our lives but fails to do so as there needs to be a lot of drama for ongoing entertainment. Hollyoaks is an episodic soap, which means that the storyline leads onto the next episode following a cliffhanger, the director does this to make us want to watch it.


The Only Way Is Essex

The Only Way Is Essex, opening sequence

                                                                                                              
The semi reality show The Only Way Is Essex follow most codes and conventions of other soap operas. Such as; a title sequence that includes all the main characters in the series with a theme tune that is although very old still gives a modern affect. The style of the characters in the opening sequence is very smart and sophisticated showing us that they are high status and possibly upper class people. The characters are all based in Essex, where they have their own shops and businesses, this is a typical convention that most soap operas use which is a common meeting place. In this case it is either their shops or the 'SU Bar'. Which is how everyone knows everyone and how gossip gets around the area to cause drama. The camera shots used include mostly close-ups or medium shots, the director uses close-ups to show facial expressions and key props. Medium shots are used to show background and other characters in the scene. The most common convention in editing used in the show is shot/reverse shot to show one character looking at another then back to the first character. This would mostly be used in a scene where 2 people are having a conversation. Although The Only Way Is Essex uses many of the conventions used in soap operas, they don't however have a villain as it being a reality show. Although the director does use cliffhangers to create suspense and keep the audience interested, The Only Way Is Essex is also an episodic show in which the storyline leads onto the next episode.

The River Thames, opening sequence for Eastenders.

Eastenders


The codes and conventions used in the British television soap opera Eastenders are very common to most other soaps. Such as, the title sequence includes an establishing shot of the River Thames which the director does to show us where the show is based (Albert Square). The theme tune which is also a well known convention in soap operas, has a similar feel to being on a merry-go-round. The tune is quite old and is not very modern, which insinuates it being targeted at young adults. In the show there are a couple of meeting places which is how people know each other, The Queen Vic (pub) which is the main focus and Kathy's cafe on the square. The village (Albert Square) is very tight, and almost everyone is next door neighbours which is how all the drama begins, this is also a convention used in soap operas. Most camera shots are medium shots, close-ups and long shots which show facial expressions as well as background and key props significant to the scene. The mise-en-scene used are realistic props that we would use in everyday life. The director does this to relate to our lives but by putting the characters in difficult situations that we would not usually come across makes it unrealistic. This creates drama to keep us entertained. There are many editing conventions used also, such as; cross-cutting, shot/reverse shot and dramatic irony to show characters in difficult situations and create suspense and also in conversations. Eastenders is another episodic show which the storyline leads onto the next episode, the director does this to keep us interested.