How Soaps have changed over time

am going to be comparing how the soap opera

Coronation Street

has changed over periods of time. I will be looking at the programme in 1961, 1979 and 2011.

From the extract in 1961 I can see that the colours it is filmed in are very basic, they use black and white with a slight green tint. In the shot seen there is very little glamour and the shot used is a dynamic diagonal shot. All these features add to the mise en scene. We can see from the extract that the street looks very cloudy, hazy and bunched together. The attached houses show us the economical state they were in as all the houses look very cramp and the long shot shows us that it stretches on for miles connotes that there is no escape. The shots we see are not smooth which shows the technology used is very budget. The first scene is set in a pub which is code used in most soaps. In the second shot we see two women arguing one women seems higher as they have used a low angle shot. The low angle ironically reverses the hierarchy of the lower women as she has most of the spoken dialogue and the people standing behind her create a sense of them taking sides. The clothing used shows us the time frame and also the women being ‘picked on’ is wearing a richer material (silk) which creates a sense of singling out. A wide establishing shot is used to show support for the character on the right. The scene then goes to a medium shot of the crowd their reactions show they are attentive.

In 1979 technology has changed in the shots we can see this as they have used an aerial shot to open the show, this may also be a crane shot, the houses are still tightly packed like they were in 1961. We can see from the opening shot that the tiles on the roofs are grim and we can see flats in the back that overlook the street which give a sense of escape. The houses give us the sense that people in the street are lost in an economic stranglehold. In this scene compared to 1961 we can see that the technology and colour has been improved which improved the mis en scene. In the opening scene we can see flowers which go above the rooftops, the flowers are a metaphor for people who rise out of the poverty. In the first scene a man enters a house without permission, we can see this as there is silence which creates tension. The character code works with code to create suspense, the character code is the cigarette and leather jacket which is a metaphor for the ‘bad guy’ in films. The old man is sterotypicalls portrayed as he in pyjamas and the low angle shot creates a sense of hierarchy as the old man is smaller than the ‘bad guy’. All the items in the scene create an atmosphere as all the furinute is mostly old fashioned and different shades of brown.

Video Evaluation

The opening shot which is a low angle shot makes Dan look like a typical bully such as where he is 'looking down' at someone. The person being bullied is also very shy which connotes a bully victim situation. In the second shot the bully is wearing dark colours and a hoody which often connote a bully or 'hoodlum'. In many of shots through out the piece the bully denotes angry expressions which are obvious from his facial expressions. In the clip their is clear iconography used such as the run down classrooms, school bins, bullies and victims which represent British schools. The opening of the clip shows the entrance of the school which connote it is a modern school. The shots use help the viewers signification such as the expression of characters and the setting which all connote to a school and bullilying that happens. We have chosen to relate our clip to bullying as it informs which was part of our brief but also has a code of the soap genre. Other codes our clip involves is the good guy bad guy representation.

Soaps.

I am going to be comparing how the soap opera

Coronation Street

has changed over periods of time. I will be looking at the programme in 1961, 1979 and 2011.

From the extract in 1961 I can see that the colours it is filmed in are very basic, they use black and white with a slight green tint. In the shot seen there is very little glamour and the shot used is a dynamic diagonal shot. All these features add to the mise en scene. We can see from the extract that the street looks very cloudy, hazy and bunched together. The attached houses show us the economical state they were in as all the houses look very cramp and the long shot shows us that it stretches on for miles connotes that there is no escape. The shots we see are not smooth which shows the technology used is very budget. The first scene is set in a pub which is code used in most soaps. In the second shot we see two women arguing one women seems higher as they have used a low angle shot. The low angle ironically reverses the hierarchy of the lower women as she has most of the spoken dialogue and the people standing behind her create a sense of them taking sides.  The clothing used shows us the time frame and also the women being ‘picked on’ is wearing a richer material (silk) which creates a sense of singling out. A wide establishing shot is used to show support for the character on the right. The scene then goes to a medium shot of the crowd their reactions show they are attentive.

In 1979 technology has changed in the shots we can see this as they have used an aerial shot to open the show, this may also be a crane shot, the houses are still tightly packed like they were in 1961. We can see from the opening shot that the tiles on the roofs are grim and we can see flats in the back that overlook the street which give a sense of escape. The houses give us the sense that people in the street are lost in an economic stranglehold. In this scene compared to 1961 we can see that the technology and colour has been improved which improved the mis en scene. In the opening scene we can see flowers which go above the rooftops, the flowers are a metaphor for people who rise out of the poverty. In the first scene a man enters a house without permission, we can see this as there is silence which creates tension. The character code works with code to create suspense, the character code is the cigarette and leather jacket which is a metaphor for the ‘bad guy’ in films. The old man is sterotypicalls portrayed as he in pyjamas and the low angle shot creates a sense of hierarchy as the old man is smaller than the ‘bad guy’. All the items in the scene create an atmosphere as all the furinute is mostly old fashioned and different shades of brown.

Evaluation of a chart show.

At first the presenters introduced the show very briefly and tell the viewers that there is a mystery guest which instantly entices the people watching. People who are listening to the show on the radio will not be able to see the guest so the listeners would be even more expected to ‘stay tunes’ into the radio so they can find out who the guest is. There are no musical elements in the clip such as backgroung music, jingles or sound effects. In the clip we can hear two people which are Jessie J & Reggie Yates. The tone of the show is happy and funny as the presenter makes funny mistakes which would make viewers and even the guest laugh. The structure of show is as follows The DJ (Reggie Yates) introduced himself, the radio station and what is going on. The mystery guest then enters which is followed by random questions and then an interview. There is many similarities in this chart show compared to many others such as the DJ introducing himself and the radio station and famous guests. Chart shows nowadays also use modern music which are all aimed at the same type of audience (teenager, young adults). The language used in chart shows has changed drastically in the way slang is used and the speed the presenters talk at, making it a more relaxed casual show.

Evaluation of my group work.

My group consisted of 6 people Rianna, Amber B, Amber G, Alex, Jay and me. We had to make a three minute clip which consisted of the 180 degree axis rule. This rule is normally used when filming two people having a conversation to make the cut of each shot compliment the clip. I found my part in the group challenging as I had to remember lines and speak in front of people I would not normally work with. Rianna took the responsibility of shooting the master shot, Amber Bs responsibility was the medium shot and Alex and Ambers responsibility was to film the close ups. I feel as a group we could of made the piece slightly longer as we didn’t hit the time set. Next time I think I could try harder to push my ideas.

Media Code & Conventions

Genre - films and books have genres such as comdey, horror, romcom, Type of performance or writing.

Convention - something you expect a particular genre to portray.

Code - When a technical element is used to create a certain effect, evoke an emotion, convey information or build an understanding.

Conventions in a Science Fiction
Space, longshot of space, aliens, CGI, futuristic, sound effects, lazer, sound track, space ships, cross cutting, darkness, dutch angle, slow motion, astronauts, subtitles, tracking shot, steady cam.


Conventions of a horror film.
Blood, murder, unhappiness, dim lightning, death, bloodbath, tension, suspence, creepy noises.


Conventions in a Action Adventure
Car case, bright lighting, good/evil, clothing (smart/old/dark), weather, low point/high point, technical, exotic location, sound motif.