Representation in soap
- 2. Representation of Men Within this trailer, men are represented as untruthful and aggressive as they want to know who shot Robert. The use of sound shows this as dialogue shows how each character feels. For example, at 0:03 seconds in, a male character says “I hate him so much”. This shows anger and hatred toward other characters. Mise-en-Scene The use of costume and prop creates different representations for young male characters and old male characters. For example, older characters are represented as sweet and calm, as Paddy’s costume consists of brighter colours. Younger men are represented as dangerous and confrontational as their costumes consist of dark clothing, coloured black/navy. This connotes their dangerous side, which is shown within the narrative as they are searching for Robert’s killer. This suggests that all men have a dark side, representing them as dangerous. The age of the characters, who are around the ages of young adults, roughly 20 to 35, also suggests that they will be irrational and impulsive. There is evidence of this in the clip as one of the characters is shown ready to punch another character. The clip also shows men to be very emotional as characters are shown to be angry, upset and vengeful through their facial expressions and body language. This presents a very real representation of men, as the archetype of a male tends to be strong, tall and stable, whereas Emmerdale represents men realistically by showing their feelings and emotions. This will make the characters more relatable to the audience as they connect to realism as this allows them to gratify their need to relate to a media text (Uses and Gratifications Theory). Camerawork The trailers camerawork consists mostly of close-ups and two-shots. This allows the audience to see their facial expressions, which show the emotion of the characters. Plus, many of the two shots which tend to be over the shoulder shots allow the audience to see both characters facial expressions, and therefore their reactions. Another camerawork technique used is high angle shot at the end. The shot shows a character walking around in a small room with low key lighting. The high angle highlights that the character feels small and perhaps helpless as he’s in prison, while the dark lighting adds drama.
- 3. Representation of Men… Editing The editing is very fast paced within the trailer, with editing consisting mostly of simple cuts. This makes the editing less apparent and seamless, almost encouraging the audience to be invited into the characters world. From previous research, fast paced editing has been a very commonly used form of editing within soap opera trailers, showing that it’s a convention. This is to dramatize the narrative and keep the audience engaged by constantly showing them something new. Sound Dialogue within the shot represents male characters as aggressive as their speech is often harsh and loud. Conversations between characters are centred around their hatred for other characters, for example at 0:03 seconds a male character states “I hate him”.
- 4. Representation of Women When thinking of women within soap operas, the archetype seems to be attractive women who conform to the Male Gaze Theory (Laura Mulvey). However, soap tends to challenge this as the personality of women are more apparent. The trailer for Coronation Street shows this as it revolves around one narrative: Tracey’s plot for revenge. Mise-en-Scene From this trailer, women are presented in different ways. For example, the woman shown getting married is represented as a home maker. Costume shows this as her white wedding dress connotes tradition and purity. Following tradition within her costume and prop represents her as a wifely figure. This suggests that she will fulfil the traditional duties that a wife has. This appears to be a very conventional representation, as she is portrayed as a family orientated character. Carla, on the other hand, is represented as a strong female figure. She appears to be very assertive, as shown by her body language and dialogue. Where women are conventionally shown as weak within their body language and facial expressions by cowering from threats, appearing scared, Carla challenges this as she doesn’t allow Tracey to hit her; she catches her hand which creates an assertive and bold presentation of her character. This can also be seen within her costume, hair and make-up as Carla’s black eyeliner and eye shadow paired with her black costume connotes danger. Therefore, we can see that some women within soap are shown to break convention as Carla’s character is dominant. Tracey is represented Lighting The lighting within the trailer alternates between natural and low key lighting. The darker lighting is used to show Tracey being deceptive and evil, as the image of her is difficult to see. The darkness connotes danger, indicating that whatever Tracey is doing will harm others. This creates the representation that Tracey is unstable as she is shown to be impulsive; this is an unconventional representation of women as they are stereotypically the calmer and more friendly sex.
- 5. Representation of Women… Camerawork The unity of Steve and Michelle as a couple is represented within the camerawork used as a two shot shows them at the isle. This indicates that they are a conventionally happy couple as they are shown together in the shot. The scenes of arguing between Carla and Tracey is shown using shot reverse shots that show a close up of their faces. This allows the audience to see their facial expressions clearly. This is particularly the case at around 15 seconds into the trailer as the close up allows us to see Tracey’s lip curl in anger before she tried to slap Carla. A low angle shot is used to show Tracey in the dark holding a candle. This shot is usually used to make someone appear powerful, however the shot does this in a different way as Tracey had bad intentions. This creates a negative representation of Tracey, as the low angle indicates that she has the power to kill. Editing The editing of the trailer goes at both a fast and slow pace which creates a beginning, a climax within the trailer, and an ending. For example, at the start, a two shot of Steve and Michelle (the couple being wed) lasts for a couple of seconds which encourages the audience to focus on the happy couple. From this point on, the pace of editing speeds up as the antagonist – who is Tracey – is shown. The pace of editing increases to create suspense and excitement within the narrative as cuts occur almost every second. This emphasises the arguing between the women which creates an aggressive representation of them. The editing slows suddenly at the end as the shot of the burning lamp lasts 4 seconds. This is the longest shot in the trailer, showing that editing has been used emphasize the danger and damage that this narrative will cause. The use of editing is also used to end the trailer with a fade to black. Sound Dialogue within the trailer represents Tracey as a very jealous and unstable character as she states “There’s no point in lighting a fuse if you’re not gonna stick around and watch the fireworks”. This kind of threatens the equilibrium stage of the plot which represents her as the antagonist. It’s unconventional for a female character to be ‘villain’ of sorts as the archetype of an antagonist is usually a less attractive male. Therefore, Tracey challenges the convention of females within soap, although she follows it to an extent as she expresses her individual personality which is a convention feature of soap opera. Dramatic music is also used; it has a very deep sound and drums slowly, however this gives the feeling of impending doom, as opposed to building suspense. This indicates that the narrative will not end well, representing Tracey as even more dangerous.
- 6. Social Groups Teenagers In this trailer for the Hollyoaks soap opera, the teenage social group is represented as being very naïve and immature. This can be seen within the issues presented in the trailer, which include sexuality, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and mental health issues. Mise-en-scene Narratives of abuse, and props such as drugs and alcohol present the teenage social group as morally weak, as well as showing that the younger generation lack self control. This shows that elements of mise-en-scene are used to represent teens in a negative way as it shows teens are selfish and inconsiderate. Camerawork The trailer begins with an establishing shot of the town which is decorated for gay pride. Camerawork is also used to present the bad relationship between Nico and her mother. This is shown when she pushes her in an empty grave as a low angle shot presents her character as powerful and intimidating. This creates a negative representation of Nico as this shows her to be an aggressive and out of control teen. The next shot creates a juxtaposition, as camerawork presents her mother as weak and frightened as a high angle shot is used to make her seem small, showing that she lacks control over her child. This creates a juxtaposition as this is not the relationship expected from a parent and child, which again conforms to the rebellious teenage stereotype. Editing Editing within the trailer is very fast paced, which is a conventional feature of soap opera trailers. The fast paced editing shows the range of narratives within the soap as it allows the audience to se snippets of each in a short amount of time. Sound Dialogue is used to present the teenage characters as being immature and unwise, for example, a voice over shows that a young, teenage character will be expecting a child. However she seems to regret getting pregnant as she states “I’m not ready to be a mum”. This presents teens in a stereotypical way as the social group are known for not thinking about the consequences of their action.
- 7. CONCLUSION In conclusion, I think that men within the soap genre are represented in stereotypical ways. Young to middle aged men are shown to be impulsive and quite aggressive, which is connoted by their dark costumes which suggests that they are quite mysterious. On the other hand, women differ as some follow convention while others do not – this is based more on the characters personality. Teens, however, they are also shown in a very stereotypical way as the Hollyoaks trailer indicated that they were selfish and impulsive. Themes of drugs and teenage pregnancy showed that they had no concept of the future, therefore creating the representation that teens are irresponsible, short-sighted and immature.