Narrative
The narrative plays a crucial role both in
terms of its structure and content. All soaps are open ended, leading to
various storylines spanning over several episodes. The only way a narrative can
be surely closed is through the death of a character and even then, there is
still a possibility of the deceased character making reappearance. An example
of this is found in ‘Eastenders’, wherein Dirty Den returns in 2003 after being
presumed dead for 14 years.
The more open-ended form of narrative
however, leads to many episodes culminating with a promise of continuation in
the episode, or a "cliffhanger". Suspense is also drawn out
between scenes to build tension. Various plots and sub-plots contribute to the
make up of the soap opera episode structure, as these narrative threads can
also interlink with one another through the mediums of character and setting,
as soaps are set in a typically close-knit community.
The value of a storyline being a “main” or
a “side” significantly links in with the fluctuation of a storyline in general. This
is dependent on the themes and issues raised by certain plot lines, the most
important of which are relationships and prejudice. It is through the change of
themes that sub-plots can amplify into main plots and vice-versa. This is turn maintains the balance a soap opera "mega narrative" must have: its consistency of a blend of story lines weaving in with one another which vary in significance and run concurrently.
Time
Soap operas are typically aired from around
6-9 PM, which is the primetime viewing slot as that is when many people return
from work and school. Reruns typically occur at 10:00PM, and each episode runs
for 30 minutes. This is why they are considered “bankers” by the channels that
stream the soaps, as they can rely on the soap to bring in a large audience
demographic as well as financially supporting the TV channel. The channel also builds its programme scheduling around the soap, as the views of programmes scheduled before or after the soap can be greatly influenced by some viewers tuning in earlier, as well as viewers who stay on the same channel after the soap has aired.
Realism is also presented through time as it maintains a sense of coexisting between the soap world and the viewers' world. This is conveyed trough the episode structure, which relies on cutting in between scenes to imply a shift in time by minutes, and over the course of 30 minutes, a condensation of the viewers' and characters' weekday. This is further established between episodes, as the start of one episode is not a continuation of the last moment of the one before, like a TV series, but rather a start of the next day to imply a sense of realism among the soap characters and audience
Producers take care constructing
appropriate seasons through the set during filming, months in advance before
the episode is released in order to further establish a sense of realism. In some cases, breaking news stories, such as Michael
Jackson’s death in ‘Eastenders’, the producers organise last minute shootings
of gossiping characters discussing the news to represent the soap opera
coexisting with real life events.
Realism
A lot to be said
of realism significantly coincides with the aforementioned dynamic of time. In
addition to time, the use of stock characters are a good example of how social
and cultural indicators are fundamental to the development of the soap opera,
as they can greatly influence the audience appeal on the soap. One example of
this is found in the downfall of ‘Family Affairs’, which occurred when the
villain and pub owner, Pete Callan, was shot dead in September 2005. Now that
the equilibrium had been restored, there was no significant suspense to draw from
the soap, as its archetypal “bad guy” was no longer there to cause trouble.
The
representation of class also coincides with the realistic portrayal of soap
operas, as the most commonly represented in British soaps are of a working
class. This generates a larger appeal to soap viewing audiences, as a high
percentage of the demographic are in this social group. Location shooting is also fundamental to the establishment of realism, as real, familiar settings implies realism. An example of this is found on set of ‘Coronation
Street’, where terraced housing clearly indicates a working class environment
with working class characters. 'Brookside' have even further progressed with ideals of realism in this sense by buying out an estate to shoot the soap in.
Audiences
Soaps, like many other types of shows, rely highly on audience appeal
to survive.
This is why many of them are shown during typical primetime hours,
between the times of 7:00 and 8:00 pm. A contributor to gaining audience appeal
is found in the tailoring of their content in order to cater for a larger
audience demographic. Having characters of different ages, racial backgrounds,
and sexual orientations show a diverse community, similar to the audience’s
real life.
Real life, relatable issues such as abuse and relationships, combined
with the melodramatic content typical of soap operas contribute furthermore to
the overall audience appeal.
The use of signal boosting, particularly in ‘Hollyoaks’ is also
fundamental to the soap’s impact on the audience as it shows the importance and
realism of the issues presented such as domestic abuse, healthy relationships,
and bullying, all of which have websites and phone lines for support. At the
end of such episodes dealing with these issues, the credits roll and a list of
these websites and help centers are there for members of the audience who are
experiencing these issues. ‘Hollyoaks’ also has this on their channel 4
webpage:
Another method of audience appeal is found through synergy. This is
found through the commercial tie-ins with charities such as Comic Relief or
Children In Need, where special episodes/scenes are recorded and screened
during the charities’ annual events. This boosts the soaps’ reputation as well
as attracting a higher potential target audience as those who do not watch the
soap have to in the case of such events. Christmas episodes also occur; often
heavily advertised prior to broadcasting, and with ‘Eastenders’, many families
consider it a tradition to sit around and watch their Christmas special.
Repetition
With regards to repetition in a soap opera storylines, it is a key
element employed which contributes to the audience’s gratification of the soap.
Recurring themes such as death, love, and betrayal, tie in significantly with
persistent narratives such as murders, weddings, and divorce. These continuous streams of recurring
storylines are only modified through the use of different characters. For example, in 'Eastenders' house fires have been explored in different time frames with the use of two very different characters, Tamwar Masood and Kat Moon. The personalities of these characters heavily influence their responses when put into similar circumstances, which in turn provides more drama without the writers thinking up new storylines.
There are
also similarities with repetition found in different soaps as similar
environments and character types clearly leads to similar storylines and
themes. Painkiller addiction, for example, has been explored in both 'Emmerdale' and 'Eastenders', both with middle aged housewives, Rhona Goskirk and Sharon Watts. These women often turn to painkillers in times of stress, which makes both situations almost exact.
It could be argued that this is the very ideal which retains soap
operas’ older audiences, as the repetition of storylines builds a sense of
familiarity between the soap opera and its audience. ‘Eastenders’ for example,
are well known for melodramatic character deaths.
Gossip
In terms of gossiping between characters, it is seen as a very
effective way of introducing characters for a newer audience, as well as
encouraging said audience to continue watching. For example, if two busybody
characters were to gossip about a troubled Jane in their local pub, followed by
a cut to the troubled Jane, the new audience can now identify unknown
characters very easily. This in turn develops the narrative of the soap as the secondary characters are bringing attention to an incident or concern.
Gossip among the general public is also very significant to the soap.
Through word of mouth and the increase of social networking, it is essentially
a below the line marketing strategy raised by the audience themselves to entice
potential viewers.
Promotion through gossip is also heightened with soaps’ symbiosis with
TV magazines, as they load their copies with gossip, which proves to be an
excellent method of persuading newer audiences to watch the soap. This form of
symbiosis is mutually beneficial to the soaps and TV magazines as the soap now
has a larger audience demographic, and the TV magazines have attractive content
to sell themselves with.
Another form of above the line marketing through synergy is the
Christmas/special episode trailers. They are quite ambiguous in content and
reveal little to nothing of the episode they are presenting: a great way to
entice old and new audiences.
