14/09/2011

Soap opera basics

- Originated in 1920’s USA

- Broadcast radio

- Advertise soap powder to American housewives

- Soap is a feminine genre – the genre is primarily aimed at women

- This affects scheduling - because traditional female roles are based in the home soaps are

aimed after meal times when there is a lull in the day

- Target audience also affects story lines, narratives perspective, characterisation, settings,

and costume.

- Soap operas run continuously, in the same days, broadcast by the same institutions, for

years. They become part of our cultural psyche, because they are repeated so often. They

become who ‘we’ are.

- The characters become ‘people’.

- Storylines are relatable – audiences can watch and understand what is happening, and

empathises with characters. Or hate them.

- Some storylines can be outrageous – e.g. baby – swapping in Eastenders.

- Most soaps have between 10-15 main characters, with overlapping, interweaving storylines.

- Storylines overlap to keep audiences interested. Different stands can run alongside each

other but develop at different times

- KEY WORD – Catharsis: emotional cleansing. The purging of negative emotions by watching

another person go through something similar/worst than your life.

- Soap becomes therapy when is catharsis – people deal with their problems vicariously –

living through someone else.

- Soap operas becomes a form of escapism for certain audiences.