Q1. How did you USE, DEVELOP or Challenge codes and conventions of

real media products?

Laura Marshall

Soap Conventions

Mise en scene.Costumes used to identify the class, status and moods of characters. Location and background reflect the type of characters and their class.

Make up is used in soaps to show what kind of soap it is. For example little make up is used on soaps like Eastenders to make it look realistic where on scripted reality soaps like Made in Chelsea, their makeup is always full and perfect so show their wealth.

All soaps use extreme close ups to show emotions on an actors face during a main storyline.

Conflict between characters is shown by the body language and facial expressions of characters.

Importance of Scripted Reality

The locations and scenarios are set-up by the shows producers, the interaction between the cast is real. The characters usually have a lot of money, or like to appear that they have a lot of money.

Multiple story lines at once to keep the audience engaged, although in Scripted Reality, there is usually one main story line going on.

Camera ShotsClose upsEstablishing shotTwo shotMedium close ups Soaps are usually on all year

round but Scripted Reality soaps not and are on at different times through the year.

Using forms of conventions

The Hollyoaks logo uses the genders signs and also is written in blue and pink which stereotypically pink is a girls colour and blue is stereotypically a boys colour. With them putting the two colours together it looks like they are trying to connect both genders, showing the soap is for males and females. With the font they have used it looks stylish and modern, which aims the soap at an age range of 15-30.

Just by looking at this advertisement for Made in Chelsea it is clear the characters are wealthy by the clothes they are wearing and the props in the set. The props may also be showing that the show being named ‘Made in Chelsea’ is a spoof of the catchphrase ‘Made in Britain’ . The characters shown are attractive young and look like they are wealthy, hinting what the show is about, which attracts its audience as they aspire to have that lifestyle.

Using forms of conventions

As we decided our trailer to be a Scripted Reality we took inspiration from Made in Chelsea. But we decided to name our soap ‘Northern Rock’, as we our from Manchester, which is in the North of England, and we filmed around Manchester.

Use of locations and props. Location is a key part in any soap as it shows the sub genre of the soap. For example if a soap is filmed in a greasy spoon cafe, the sub genre would be realism. As we were filmed a Scripted reality soap with the conventions of Made in Chelsea we wanted to show wealth and places which looked middle class. To also show Made in Chelsea conventions we filmed some of our shots in Manchester, to show where it is based, just as Made in Chelsea films around Chelsea and has shots of familiar landscapes in Chelsea.

To make our trailer look like a Made in Chelsea trailer we used props such as big bags, and the costumes the characters are wearing, for example blazers. The make up the characters are wearing are also just like the Made in Chelsea characters. By the characters wearing big bags, blazers and their make up well done it shows that they are from a wealthy background and can afford to wear items that people from a working class background may just wear on a special occasion.

We have filmed some of our trailer in Piccadilly train station to use the conventions of a Made in Chelsea trailer which is also filmed in a train station. It also shows the wealth the characters are portraying, as in soaps such as Coronation Street, characters can sometimes be seen by leaving on a bus.

Location 2-’cafe’

To also show the middle class image we were trying to portray with our soap we filmed at one our houses in different rooms to show different locations. For example we used a kitchen to show a cafe like Costa coffee.

Therefore the locations enhances the wealth of the characters and their middles class background and portrays the characters laid back approach to the wealth that they have.

Coffee cups to show audience they are at a cafe.

Over shot camera shot used to make the audience feel like they are in the shot watching it as it happens.

Storylines.By adding different storylines in our trailer it not only meets soap conventions it makes the soap and trailer more interesting and makes the audience want to know what is going to happen next.

Storylines.

Mine

In my soap I decided to have a story line where a character is leaving and the best friend wants to them to stay and an ex boyfriend wants them back.

Another storyline i decided to use in my trailer was best friends arguing as one had stabbed another in the back about a boy they are both interested in and the boy has to chose who he wants.

Other soaps