Here are some conventions of a Daytime Soap:
- Arguments
- Hatred
- Family
- Romance
- Acts of Violence
- Sense of Community
- Social Groups
- Conversations
- Secrets
- Gossip
- Meeting Place - E.G. Pub, cafe etc.
- Good/Bad Characters
- Community Hierarchy
- Recognisable Theme Tune
- Establishing and other camera shots
Coronation Street - 1950
This very early episode of Coronation Street, first of all you see the very mouldy colour scheme which is understandable to the time the soap was shot in. The technology is very poor but for the year it was shot in, it was revolutionary. At the beginning of the video, there is a very short establishing shot of the long road and the brick wall. This convention shows that the soap is set in a very poverty ridden city, with small cramped houses. Straight away, there is lots going on. An argument on the street brings everyone out of the local pub to watch. One of the camera shots in that scene shows the 180 degree rule in action, but the lady furthest away has a massive crowd behind her. The code behind this convention, is that the woman dressed in scruffy clothes, is the good character. this is due to the fact that everyone is standing behind her, almost supporting her in the argument. Whereas the woman who is to the right of the screen, is dressed in more posh clothing, which shows she is the more upper class in the community with no crowd, shows she is the villain in this certain scene. The attempt to make this scene tense, is slightly spoilt by not using silence to build atmosphere and tension.
Coronation Street - 1980
Compared to the early version, the technology has improved dramatically . Colour has been introduced into TV broadcasting which automatically gives the programme a more positive feel, which then contrasts to the first scene of the programme. This episode shows no establishing shot, so it goes straight into the shot of a character walking very slowly into a room. With the camera shot showing the whole room in silence and the character slowly sneaking across the room with the sound of his footsteps, this shows he is not really meant to be there and it clearly is not his house. With the long takes, it builds tension along with the silence. The characters body language is viewed with the choice of shot, this also shows that he is being cautious and that he is a bad character. When the old man confronts the intruder, above the old man is a huge amount of head room then they use the close up shot. This is to show the old man as being weak and unstable compared to the person that he is confronting. Every shot that is focused on the old man, is shot from a high position looking down on him, to show throughout the scene that he is weak and helpless.
Coronation Street - 2010
Compared to both the other videos of previous corrie episodes, this is the most technologically advanced out of the three. With the bright and vibrant colour palate, it portrays a more positive and happy feel to the programme. The camera shot is much smoother and effective due to the improvement of filming technology. Crane shot is mainly used in the introduction to show several parts of the city where the soap is actually filmed. The introduction shows many important sights that you will see in the programme, which are the most recognisable. Overall, this episode is much more advanced and suitable for the population at this year in time.
