Soap Opera settings - Jess

Soap Opera settings Jess Davis

Conventions: Soap Opera SettingOne convention of a soap is that they are usually set around a small central area to give a realistic community feel. Audiences then become familiar with the residents within, and it almost become as if it is a place they know.

For exampleEastEnders is set around a Town SquareCoronation Street is set down a street

They also tend to include a central meeting point where all the characters interact and major storylines develop i.e. The Rovers Return Coronation Street or The Queen Vic in EastEnders. These contained sets have benefits for producers because they can save money by using the same set for many different character encounters.

EastEnders EastEnders is a British soap opera; first broadcasted in the UK on BBC One in 1985. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London. The series primarily centres on the residents of Albert Square, a Victorian square of attached houses, and its neighbouring streets, namely Bridge Street, Turpin Road and George Street. The area encompasses a pub, street market, night club, community centre, funeral parlour, café, wine bar, various other small businesses, a park and allotments.As EastEnders is set in a small town characters are often interlinked and share central meeting points for key events together, most noticeably in the queen Vic pub which has seen a far share of weddings, arguments etc. By doing this it has enabled EastEnders to continue a wide range of story lined between key characters.The location and setting used in EastEnders is of a working class atmosphere which creates realistic setting, which would possibly make the average person want to watch it so they can relate to the characters.

Albert Square

Coronation Street The fictional setting of this soap is Coronation Street in Weatherfield, a suburb of Greater Manchester. Within the narrative of the programme, the cobbled Street was built in 1902 and consists of a row of seven terraced houses, with the Rovers Return Inn pub and Corner Shop at either end.

Across the cobbles, the other side of the Street has housed a number of different buildings over the years, including a raincoat factory, Mission hall, warehouse, Community Centre and a block of two-storey maisonettes. Since 1990, three semi-detached houses and several small business properties, including newsagent The Kabin, Audrey's Salon and the underwear factory Underworld, have stood on the site.

As the programme's various outdoor sets have expanded, the area surrounding Coronation Street, particularly Rosamund Street and Victoria Street, have been gradually integrated into the show, with more flats and business properties including Roy's Rolls, cab firm Street Cars, Barlow's Bookies and the Builder's Yard. The houses and businesses provide accommodation and work for the programme's characters, with the action mostly centring on the Coronation Street area, although other areas of Weatherfield are seen occasionally.

The variety of settings in Coronation Street allow for a multitude of storylines to occur at the same time. There are usually 3-5 storylines, the soap switches between the stories, this helps keep the audiences interested. The Rovers is seen as the central meeting spot of the characters and is often used as the setting for arguments, weddings or disasters. The shops and housing in Coronation Street are realistic and represent realism which allows audiences to relate to them.

Weatherfield

Hollyoaks There are many settings used in Hollyoaks but Hollyoaks itself is the main setting for the series a fictional village in Chester, Cheshire. The majority of the characters live in the centre of the village, however some, for example the McQueen's live just outside. Other setting commonly used in Hollyoaks include:Hollyoaks High School- the local comprehensive high school which includes a sixth form. The school is one of the main settings of Hollyoaks, with several characters being students and working within the school.Hollyoaks Community College- is the local college in Hollyoaks village, supplying teenagers with further education. Dee Valley Police Station- The local police station where characters are seen regularly when they are arrested or questioned by police. Characters that have worked here include: PC Calvin Valentine, PCSO Carmel Valentine, PCSO Dominic Reilly.Dee Valley University Hospital- The local NHS hospital to Hollyoaks Village. It is seen regularly when characters are injured or ill. The Dog in the Pond- is the local public house and is used as a central setting for characters to meet. The Loft- is a nightclub is located within the main village. It has been owned by a number of residents including Scott Anderson, Max Cunningham and Warren Fox. Hollyoaks use of locations allows character storylines to often cross over this is a common occurrence in soaps. Soap tend to have large casts, to keep them verisimilitude to a real community. This is seen in Hollyoaks as it has a big location which gives home to a large cast, allowing for storylines to continue as well as creating a sense of realism.

Hollyoaks

Neighbours Neighbours is filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Interior scenes are taped at the Global Television studios in the eastern suburbs. A real-life street named Pin Oak Court is used to represent the fictional Ramsay Street during outdoor filming.Ramsay Street is situated in Erinsborough, a fictional Melbourne suburb. Erinsborough is often contrasted with the neighbouring, and equally fictitious, suburbs of Eden Hills, West Waratah, Waratah Heights, Elliot Park, and Anson's Corner.Due to Neighbours being with a small community this sets it apart from soap conventions but allow audiences to know the characters better.

Ramsay Street

My group has decided to follow soap opera conventions when it comes down to the setting we decided to use for our media piece. In our product we wanted to include as many realistic locations as possible so that there would be a constant sense of realism. Like many real soap operas we wanted to include settings that are in everyday life. The first setting used was actually in the school itself by the stair, but due to camera positioning and lighting we were able to hide the fact the stair were in a school- this setting was used to film the death of Daniels character. The next setting we used was again within the school premises near a bar/pub type table in DA2, this was used to film a bar fight and we wanted to show that within our trailer a central meeting point was within a pub to follow soap opera conventions and gives a sense of realism to the piece. Two other scenes we used for our media piece to create a realistic setting were based at my house in which we first filmed in my lounge, we wanted to create a homely vibe, and this again is common in soap operas. A scandalous affair also took place at my house in my bed, we decided upon this scene as it is a common story line used in soaps and the setting we used is also often used in soaps for similar story lines.

Our soap opera settings

DA2D Stairs

Bedroom Fallow fields Park