Exploration of conventions and codes in three different tv soaps

Coronation street - is a popular soap opera set in weatherfield, a fictional town in greater manchester.
its first broadcast was on the 9th of december 1960, and has been broadcasting since.

Conventions:

• Pub/ meeting place (allows gossip to circulate)
• Fights
• Hierachy
• Relationships/ affairs
• Political views
• Medium shots and close ups in dialogue (Over 90 percent of soaps are devoted to conversations between pairs of people)
• Cliffhangers/ tease devices
• Theme tune with a strong melody
• Studio lighting (high key)
• Mostly diegetic sound
• Constant illusion of real time
• Precise continuity
• Establishing shots/ tableaux (groups of people composed dramatically)
• Interweaving storylines through each episode
• Coverage of current social issues

Narrative
An open narrative would never end, or would continue for a long duration. where as a closed narrative could be short.

Soaps: advances in technology, codes and conventions. On Coronation Street

Codes and conventions of Coronation Street - throughout different years

The typical conventions of soaps consist of

Storyline conventions.

• Bisexual/homosexual love not being accepted - in the early episodes
• Engagements
• Secrets
• Different views and opinions
• Prison
• Bar fights
• Gossip
• Hierarchy
• Pubs / particular meeting place for the community
• Arguments/Shouting
• Lying
• Problems
• Stereotypes

Technologicial conventions.

• Theme tune (sound)
• Dialogue (sound)
• Non-diegetic/ diegetic music (sound)
• Over the shoulder shot (camera)
• Close up shots in theme tune (camera)
• Shot reverse shot (editing)
• Dialogue (sound)
• Different cultures (mis-en-scene)
• Establishing shot (camera)
• POV shot (camera)
• Medium/Long shots (camera)
• Cross cutting (editing)

• stereotypes

I have looked at codes and conventions in 3 episodes of coronation street from different years (1960, 1987, 2011) the differences between the three are clearly shown through the codes and conventions down below.

Coronation street - 1960

This is the very first episode of coronation street, as you can see there is no colour due to the lack in technology in the time it was filmed. The shades are very gloomy, which portray sadness, poor, depressing, plain, and may even lead some viewers thinking that the area "Coronation Street" is a rough, working class place, filled with people without jobs and money. Also the intro to the clip is a tilting shot, which is the only shot in the intro. As the episode goes on you can see that the main shot used is a medium shots, and the cameraman isn't changing shots frequently, each shot lasts a while. and also the first few minutes show only women actresses which may be telling us who they have aimed this soap towards, which means there target audience is women aged 30 - 50. The women are wearing similar clothing which may be showing a sign of conformity.

Coronation street - 1987

This is an episode of coronation street from 1987, straight away you can see a massive improvement in technology from the first episode, as the episode has colour, better sound quality, establishing shots, crane shots, tracking shots, and close ups, the first episode didn't have any of those advantages. After the intro, the first shot has codes to try and tell the audience the two characters are in a pub, as there are draft taps, alcohol bottles stacked, glasses on a rack and an old wooden bar. Also most of the characters are a similar age about 40-60 which yet again shows who the directors target audience is, but with a difference as there is more of a balanced gender, where as the first episode was mostly women.

Coronation street - 2011

This is the third episode i chose it is the most recent episode out of the three, this episode shows how technology has advanced enormously as in the intro they use CGI - (computer generated image) of birds flying at specific times and enhanced colour which could also be CGI. the sound is much better in quality.