Entry 1 - What makes a Soap Opera?

A soap opera has many elements of which reality is presented. For example, Eastenders is seen as a programme that 'takes a slice out of life' by using the array of characters and location settings to show what happens during the programme.

Such elements of a soap opera are:

• dramatic plots
• relation to real-life events
• cliffhangers
• no main character (most drama is shared within the community)
• romantic elements

These aspects show how our reality can be linked closely to the reality of the characters in the soap opera. Some situations such as murder, rape and abuse are problems which are tackled in many soap operas. This may cause a slight feel of escapism for some viewers, however the main focus is to create a sense of eavesdropping, almost as if the viewers are watching into the world of the soap and watching snippets of a characters story one by one and watching them merge into one final battle. This causes a sense of dramatic irony as well, especially since the viewers are aware what will happen to certain characters due to the foreshadowing events that may occur in some stories, however the characters themselves are unaware. 

Apart from the emotional aspects of a soap opera, the location and the shooting times are also very crucial explanations to what a soap opera is. The location is always the same, needless to say that the community living in that area are all connected via previous events or through the social meeting points in the area. In the case of Eastenders, the Queen Vic, the Cafe, the markets and the Launderette are the biggest meeting points in the area, which allow progression of the story line when characters meet up in these areas to move to private areas. Furthermore, the shooting times of most soap operas are usually a couple of times a week and run on the television for 30 minutes.

The music of the soap is another important aspect as it begins in the same way every time it is shown. The sound of this theme allows viewers to know when the programme has started if they are in another room. Almost as a calling to bring the people closer to the screens to watch the drama.