Realism social realism

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Naturalistic settings On-going serial format broadcast frequently Each episode has many short scenes typically less than 2 minutes Multiple characters with strong female characters Storylines fragmented and segmented

Themes and Issues

CLIP 1 CLIP 2 Underage pregnancy Underage pregnancy Poverty Working class Inter-racial

Melodrama
Exaggerated characters Tries to draw emotion from the audience Enhanced stereotypes Enhanced character traits Catharsis storylines when the viewer goes through emotions

Diversion The need to escape from everyday life, and to relax Personal Relationships People use the media to fulfil their need for companionship, and to form relationships with others (to be part of a social group) Personal Identity We tend to sometimes use the media to find out about yourselves, sometimes people that are presented, in some way reflect us Surveillance using the media to find out what is going on around us, for example reading a magazine, which tells us what has been going on in the lives of our celebrities

Richard Kilborn
Kilborn noted seven main gratifications (pleasures) from watching soaps

Soap opera schedules provide a regular encounter for viewers Sharing opinions provides social interaction Soaps fulfil personal needs, like sexual gratification Audiences identify with the characters in soaps provide escapism (especially in US soaps) People learn from the programme ethics, ideologies, values embedded within the media texts Watching a soap is like watching a game with its own rigid rule system The audience likes to engage with this formula and guess outcomes of the narrative

SCRIPTED REALITY Non-professional actors Young/trendy characters Attractive cast Sex Break ups Cheating Jealousy Natural lighting

AMERICAN SOAPS Artificial lighting Creates sense of diversion American dream Concentrates on wealthy characters Use of melodrama Syndicated re showing it on different channels (friends) Middle/upper class characters Usually targeted at females