Soap Operas

There and various types and genres of long running soap operas available for regular/daily entertainment. Different soap operas appeal and are appropriate to different audiences. The most nationally recognised TV soap operas stereotypically are; Eastenders, Corination Street, Emmerdale, Holloaks, Doctors.

Why do people watch soap operas?

Most soap operas are designed to be able to relate to their target audiences life. In general society soaps are often seen as a comfort blanket to their audience as its a representation of reality. Most soap operas are set in a working class environment and are seen as an escape route out of their busy and possibly stressful lives and as they are screened so regularly the audience feel that they know the characters as if they are 'real'. Topics and issues that generally tend to fixate soap operas drug use, infidelity, child abuse, divorce, pregnancy, homosexuality, racism, education, bullying and relationships. They offer advise and to gain an understanding that a persons not alone in a situation and that their are other individuals going through the same thing. However some proportion of the audience simply enjoy the entertainment the soap genre offers. Soaps offer excitement and laughter for an audience. Someone once said that people watch soaps to feel better about their own lives.

Introduction to A2 Media

When finding out what the A2 side of my A Level Media course would contain I was thoroughly pleased with the prospect of what it includes. It has offered a good range of creative and exciting choices that we could choose to target our coursework on.

The brief that has caught my attention most overall is brief number 5 which includes creating a promotional package for a TV soap opera. The general appeal that influenced me to choose the specific brief is that TV soap operas is something that I enjoy discussing, watching and analysing for my own personal entertainment. Being able to create a promotional package would be a fun and new opportunity. Recently I have been interested in the idea of how soap operas are continuously marketed to ensure the continue of good ratings of the show. Creating posters, magazine covers and web pages along with in depth research will be a educational experience for me because it will enable me to learn how this process is put in place.  I took into serious conderation if i wanted to work on my own or work as part of a group/duo. After discussion with my course peer, Tilly we discovered we were interested in the same breif so decided to colaborate.

To kick start the project we are currently beginning to start some initial research of what the brief criteria includes and what we will need to do in more detail.