Props/Casting

Props

All the props that were used in our trailer, were conventional to a soap opera. The soap opera is meant to be realistic so we used props that would support that, we used props such as mobile phones, glasses, kettles and etc. The purpose if these props was to create a sense or realism for the audience as if it was them being filmed.  

Costumes also fall under props. The clothing of the characters was also conventional as you would expect from a soap opera however different costumes have different connotations therefore we took that into consideration. Because our soap is aimed at teenagers and young adults our characters wore something stereotypical for their age such as a hoody, jeans/tracksuit and trainers. These costumes are used to create stereotypes of some of our characters some of these stereotypes are rebellious, free from concern, worry or anxiety. However some characters could be seen as well educated and little concern for social life, this could be triggered if a character is wearing glasses. 

Cast 

The cast for our soap opera was picked in a way that fits the story-lines and the setting. The cast has to fit the setting because it makes the storyline more realistic, for example in a school environment you would expect teenage characters. 

In our soap opera we have two strong male characters who are gay, this therefore challenges the stereotype however it fits the modern conventions for a soap opera. Hollyoaks is one of the most popular soap operas in the UK  and is known for having gay characters and story-lines about gay people. 

  

Treatment

Treatment

My treatment idea;
A young teenage girl that wants to gain attention of a popular boy. She tries everything possible to gain his attention however she isn't successful. This has obviously had an effect on her school work because she getting bad results just  to show that she isn't a nerd. Lucy idolises Jerel by looking at his pictures and following him around the school. Lucy gets desperate to get the attention from Jerel so she starts talking to him and their friendship gets stronger and stronger. Lucy thinks she can trust him and sends a picture of her self with just underwear on (this cannot be seen in the soap). After getting the picture Jerel shows his friend and sends it to him, his friend promises him that he wouldn't send it or show it to no one however he starts sending it to other people. As Lucy enters her school people start pointing at her without her knowing what she had done. Her heart is broken by Jerel so she slaps him and walks away.

Group Treatment

Winchmore Hill

Winchmore Hill is known for their constant drama and the gossip never stops because there is something new to talk about every week in this neighborhood. People seem to find out about each other's business whether they are young or elderly. Although, there are more teenagers and they get into unexpected situations without realizing. 

Lana is an 18 year old girl, starting University next year and looking forwards to move out but doesn't want to leave her boyfriend called Martin behind. She has a kind heart and friendly towards anybody. However, she has trust issues in her relationship because Martin enjoys going out and partying every weekend. The couple represent the typical teenage love but Lana is looking to mature with time and started talking about their future together. On the other hand, Martin is not interested in the future and he doesn't seem to express his emotions towards his girlfriend. Lana's cousin is called Alex, he is best friends with Martin and they do spend time together as they go out, play football together for their University. However, Alex does not question their relationship due to feeling awkward when Lana is being almost obsessive and constantly needs information about her boyfriend. After a couple of weeks, she realized their relationship is going down hill because they wouldn't communicate as much; she noticed a change in the way he has been dressing and tone of voice. Lana didn't to encourage another argument and thought it would be better to be patient and not over-think this complex situation. 

Furthermore, just when the young girl thought their romance couldn't any more complicated she caught her boyfriend being rather close to his mate. She reacted by raising her voice and questioning the two boys but all of a sudden she put the picture together. Although, Lana was heart-broken and emotionally confused; she has become aware of the fact that her boyfriend was having an affair with another man. 

Storyboard extract from narrative strand

Institutional Research

Soap opera Typical Characters

soap opera typical narrative structure

Analysis of existing soap opera trailer (including music)

The EastEnders trailer 'Meet the Carters' introduces the new characters in EastEnders. EastEnders is a well know soap opera so their trailers aren't as broad as the new soap operas.  EastEnders trailers focus on only one point as its shown on the 'Meet the Carters' trailer where they focus on the arrival of the new family which are the Carters however a new soap opera would try to show multiple story lines.

The trailer shows the intentions of the Carters however it doesn't show much of the actions because the trailer isn't meant to reveal a big part of the story line for that particular episode. Upbeat drums in the background as the each member of the Carter family is shown in the trailer. Throughout the trailer the sound of the drums is heard which is used to get the audience excited about the new characters that will the join Eastenders also suggesting that there's a lot to come from them because of the various stroylines that are shown in the trailer.

In our trailer we intend to have the similar effect, with upbeat music. Our soap opera is new so therefore we are aiming for a similar effect because we have to introduce the characters to the audience.