Soap Opera Convenstions

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About TV Drama Soaps
•They were broadcasted in the day time
•Broadcasted on the radio
•Soap opera originated from in 1920s in America, originally an advertisement for women e.g detergents / cleaning products
•Soap in a feminine genre – a genre aimed primarily at women
•Because soap is aimed at women this affects scheduling, storylines, narrative, perspective, costume.
• Women’s traditional lifestyle of the target audience affects the scheduling- soaps in the UK are generally on at or after mealtimes.
•Soap opera runs continuously it doesn’t end, on the same channel, in the same time slot for years!
•Because soaps are constantly in the public eye, they become part of the cultural psyche. They become part of who we are, the characters become people.
*The characters become people
•Generally between 10-15 main characters. Storylines interconnect and overlap so audiences stay interested.
* Storylines can be relatable - audiences watch and understand what is happeningand empathise with the characters or hate them
•Catharsis – emotional cleansing: the purging of negative emotions through watching conflict. Soap can be therapeutic.
•Characters lives are worse than “ yours” – you feel better for watching someone go through something bad.
*Soap operas become an escapism for many audiences