In the behind the scenes video, these were the shots from the storyboard that were being directed and coached. Myself, the crew and the actors rehearsed the production four times thoroughly before we filmed, this was so that everyone was clear as to what they had to do and that the equipment was set up properly in order to start recording.
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When directing the actors as a director I made sure that each shot was in line with the storyboard, for example for one of the shots you can see me directing in the behind the scenes video there is a part where a text conversation comes up on screen, because of this my actor had to stand looking at her phone for a period of time long enough so that when the text conversation was edited in there would be enough time for the audience to read it. Having the storyboard board hand was useful to decipher actors positioning and also timings.
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Here is evidence of the sound checks on the test shoot, my sound technician was adjusting the levels of my sound and making sure they were all working ready for the production. There was an issue with the sound on the day which meant my production was shot in mono sound not stereo which meant as a team we had to come up with an agreement that the sound would have to be fixed in post production as there was no way we could fix the sound on the day of the shoot.
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Settings: British soaps are usually set in communities this is so that the characters are close knit and all know each other so that the audience gets a real sense of a community throughout the soap. There is a huge importance on community within soap operas, both in their set design and narrative themes. An example where this is very much apparent is in Eastenders, Albert Square is a small residential area where Eastenders is set. There is also a central meeting point on soaps, this is where most characters are seen and interact with one another an example of this is in Coronation Steet as they have The Rovers Return which is a pub local to the residential area.
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Characters: Characters in soap operas have two key purposes, these are to gear the plot and be figures for the audience members to relate to. The characters are often introduced with built in story lines, such as a hidden secret in their past, a relationship with another character or a character that is a key figure in another characters life e.g. their parents, sibling, boss or colleague. However some soaps introduce characters because they conform to a particular stereo type such as the jock figure, a gossip, bully or the pretty girl who's seen as a 'slut'. Most soap operas have large casts to ensure that the soap stays interesting, soaps tend to only focus on a few characters in each episode so that the audience can get to know the characters more and become emotionally involved with their story line. Last of all, a lot of soap operas revolve around a female character who leads a life that the audience could relate to however this doesn't always have to be a female character it could be anyone as long as their character reflects the concerns of the target audience.
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Costume: Characters in a soap opera dress to conform with their character stereo type, this is so that the audience can identify them more easily and understand what kind of person they are throughout what they wear. Most soaps use costume to help portray the age of a character or maybe their profession, for example in Hollyoaks Ste Hay was originally portrayed as a 'bad boy' character of which his costume helped present this idea of his stereotype as he wore hoodies, tracksuits etc which gave off an impression he was a 'bad boy'. Costumes in soap operas can also reflect the characters job, for example in Holby City the character Essie Harrison who is an emergency nurse wears a nurse uniform which helps the audience identify her character and role within the soap. Costumes are used a lot in soaps to help portray characters personalities or identities which usually means the audience gets sense of the character before they have watched the story lines relating to them.
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Structure: Soap Opera's are continuing dramas which typically means that they run all year round so to be able to do this plots tend to be open ended and there's several story lines running within one episode which keeps the audience engaged. A soap opera usually ends with a cliff hanger which gives off a sense of suspense and entices the audience to watch the next episode as they want to know what happens next. An un-concluded piece of dialogue allows the story line be continuing because it doesn't start and finish all within one scene. Soap opera episodes tend to start off with a hook which tends to be one of the story lines from a previous episode is continued. |
Realism and Ideology: Soap operas tend to present the world we live in as we experience it rather than the sugar coated and idealised version of reality. This is portrayed through all elements of a soap opera including characters, story lines, setting, music, lighting and camera work to be able to portray realism through camera shots, angles and movements. Realism can be portrayed through location, everyday locations can really suggest realism as well as camera angles to show emotion of the characters within the shot.
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Title sequence and theme tune: Soap operas generally have a catchy theme tune and intro sequence which is memorable to the audience. The intro sequence tends to be a few shots of either the location where the soap opera is set or its more character based where it will show the characters but this doesn't tend to happen in continuing soaps as the characters are forever changing but in some cases this happens.
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Music and Camerawork: In terms of music apart from the theme tune there doesn't tend to be music within the soap, if there is it tends to be background music on a radio or music at an event that the characters are at like a party. However, the music is never focused upon it is always quiet and very much background music. In soap operas the lighting tends to remain pretty basic this is so it helps create a realistic scene with realistic lighting. Camera work is simplistic and is usually multi cam operated with basic camera angles, movements and shots. The camera angles are shown by the action very much as a casual observer would see it if they were watching for themselves from a distance.
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Rush 1- Jasmine's secret revealed
Characters: This rush conforms to characters in soap operas as Jasmine has just told Carlos who has been having an affair with Jasmine that Jasmine is in fact pregnant with his child, Jasmine is a figure in this soap that the audience can relate to. This rush focuses on her character and the emotions she is going through so that the audience can empathise with her story line, this is a convention in soap opera's as a characters feelings and actions are what controls the story lines therefore that is why soap operas heavily focus on their characters. Costume: Jasmine is wearing a waitresses uniform that connects her job with her character which is key for this story line as Carlos is someone she works with and she is pregnant with his child therefore work related through her story line. Soap opera's dress characters in their profession uniform most often, this is because it helps the audience identify what the character does as a living which also helps the audience understand what their character might be like. In this case Jasmine is a waitress and is dressed in her waitress clothes, waitresses are usually young and usually live locally, they tend to be laid back people and are good with people as communication is a key aspect of their job. Structure: This rush conforms to the structure of a soap opera as this is going to be used for the ending scene of the episode and this scene is left on a cliffhanger. This is done by showing a long shot and then zooming in to a close up shot to create tension and empathy towards Jasmine's character. This type of structure of scene is used in soap opera's as it creates effect, usually ones reaction to a situation or its used as a cliff hanger. |
Realism and Ideology: This rush conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera due to the fact it's a realistic situation that would happen in the world we live in, the scene hasn't been glorified for the audiences enjoyment. We can also see the emotion going through Jasmine and how she is in herself, this shows that these situations are tough therefore the audience can emotionally attach themselves to her character. Soap operas deal with realistic scenarios because the audience can relate and emphasise with the characters, soap opera's mainly focus on pregnancy, affairs, marriage, job issues, family issues such as divorce, marriage and deaths as these are day to day scenarios that people can relate to at ease. |
Rush 2- Jasmine is in work early
Setting: This rush is set in a restaurant, it is evident that this is the setting due to the set and the props. It is also apparent that this location is a central meeting point for the characters within the soap as we meet two main characters within this rush which shows this is somewhere they are seen often. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera as soap operas have central meeting points and iconic places where the audience can relate the place to the soap. Characters: In this rush we meet two main characters of the soap, both of these characters are interacting and evidently have their own story line within the soap. The use of character in this rush conforms to the codes and conventions of soap operas as it shows two people with their own story line, it is common in soap operas that a story line is between more than one person this is to help show realism as in real life an issue is usually between more than one person and there are always other people involved in ones affairs. Costume: The costumes in this rush relate to the characters jobs which is a key feature of a soap, generally soap operas have characters wearing work uniform as it helps the audience identify what the character does. Jasmine is wearing a waitress outfit and Carlos is wearing an apron which suggests he is a chef. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera as it shows two characters professions which helps the audience understand what the characters do for a living and it also helps them understand what they might be like as a person as certain jobs have stereotypical employees. |
Structure: This rush conforms to the structure of most soap operas as it has a hook at the start that draws the audience in to keep watching. Jasmine is cleaning the tables in silence which suggests something is about to happen, this hooks the audience in and makes them want to see what happens as they keep watching. This conforms to the codes and conventions of soap opera's as normal day to day actions are usually within a shot e.g. Jasmine clearing the tables, before the dialogue starts this is so it sets the scene and gives the audience a further understanding on the scene and what the character is currently doing in order for them to understand the story line. Camerawork: The camera work conforms to how the camerawork in an actual soap opera would work, the shots are simplistic and are from someone who is nearby perspective which makes the audience feel like they are they. It is also multi cam shot which means shots can be centered on just one character, this is where we get to see the characters facial expressions and emotion. The camerawork conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera as it is multi-cam, soap operas like to present the scene so it shows everything that an audience member needs to see so that they understand what is going on. Having multi-cam does this effectively because it shows long shots to establish the scene, mid shots to establish characters and close up shots to establish characters emotions. |
Rush 3- Will Jasmine agree to continue Carlos' affair?
Structure: This rush conforms to how soap operas typically are structured when the story line becomes apparent to the audience. Both characters are having an in depth conversation which gives the audience the information they need to piece together the story but also both characters show their reactions and emotions towards the conversation. Realism and Ideology: The conversation between the characters is a realistic conversation therefore the audience will be able to relate and understand the characters. which is key for a soap opera. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera as it shows the story line can be related to and is shown as a real situation as it is believable, soap operas use realistic and believable story lines so that they can engage their audience and their audience can relate and connect to characters. Characters: It is common for a soap opera to have scenes of long conversations, this is so the audience can find out more in depth about ones life or a characters relationship with another person. This rush shows Jasmine and Carlos having an in depth discussion. The use of character in this rush conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera, with the story line in mind most soap opera's would use both characters coming together in this case Jasmine and Carlos having a discussion about their relationship with one another to help the audience gain an understanding of how they both feel about each other. |
Camerawork: The camerawork presents the material accordingly to the mood of the conversation, we are introduced to background information in this rush which is complimented by the camera movements from the multi cam. As an audience we get to see the close ups as well as mid-shots of the characters conversation allowing the audience to see emotion from the characters. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a soap opera as it shows all the emotions in both of the characters faces as well as their body language which is emphasised by mid shots and long shots.
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Costume: Meaning is created through costume in Bon Appetit as the characters within the materials are wearing their work clothes, this connects their job to their character which influences the story lines as most of the story lines within this soap take place in the work place and are also created because of work. It is also easy to identify what each character does, it is clear that Carlos is a chef as he is wearing an apron and it is clear that Jasmine is a waitress as she's wearing a tied up shirt and trousers which suggest they work in a cosmopolitan restaurant. The costumes of the characters denotes the characters professions which conforms to the codes and conventions of soap operas, this is because it is obvious from their costumes what job they have, soap opera's tend to use this technique as it suggests the characters job but also suggests what they could be like as a person.
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Props: Meaning is created through the use of props in Bon Appetit as it tells the audience more about the characters roles within the restaurant which is where the soap is mainly set as the restaurant is the central meeting point for the soap. The props are those that you would see in a restaurant or a waitress to have for example Jasmine is clearly tables in the extract and she is using cleaning products as well as stacking plates with tells the audience she is a waitress. Another prop used to create meaning is Jasmine's phone, the use of her phone gears the story line as she gets the text from her sister which makes her tell Carlos about her pregnancy so in many ways this steers the story line but also we get to see the dread in Jasmines face when she reads it and realises she will have to tell him. The props within the piece denote the fact that the scene is set in a restaurant however the props we do see are empty bottles, empty plates and empty cups that connote how Jasmine is feeling, it shows that Jasmine feels lonely and unsupported and she doesn't have any commitment from Carlos which signifies the feeling of emptiness.
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I used several different types of camera shots to create meaning in my soap opera, because soap operas only use basic camera shots, angles and movements the shots are simplistic but effective. Here is a close up shot I used to help the audience feel and empathise with what Jasmine is going through. She has just told Carlos that she's pregnant with his child and he has walked out of the restaurant, this close up shot shows how upset and stressed out she is. The close up shot connotes that there are deeper feeling involved as the shot is focusing on her body language, which is her with her head in her hands that denotes the idea of helplessness, sadness and anger.
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This example is a mid-shot which is used in this heavy dialogue scene, it captures body language as well as the characters facial expressions which helps suggest meaning as an audience we can see the facial expressions as well as body language. In this particular shot Jasmine is trying to tell Carlos that she is pregnant with his baby, you can see that Carlos is standing up which shows he's not relaxed and doesn't know what Jasmine will say, he also has his hands in his back pockets which shows he's laid back and what Jasmine is about to say to him will shock him. This shot also provides the audience with context on the setting as we can clearly see its a restaurant due to the table, chairs and props.
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Here is an over the shoulder shot which is just focusing on one character at a time which helps the audience focus on one speaker at a time. This shot is showing Jasmine and Carlos having a conversation as Jasmine is in work early which Carlos says is 'not like her'. This shot creates meaning because Carlos is trying to work out what's up with Jasmine and as an audience we are too, so having an over the shoulder shot of Carlos asking Jasmine whats wrong focuses on Jasmines feelings, emotions and body language so that as an audience we can gather there is something wrong.
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Meaning is created through editing due to transitions and fades which can emphasise meaning. At the end of my extract we see Jasmine being left alone by Carlos after telling him she's pregnant with his child, the scene is left on a cliffhanger therefore it fades to black to create tension of what happens next. Fading to black in any shot creates meaning as it builds tension and leaves a scene on a cliffhanger which is exactly what I wanted this shot to be like. The fade denotes that its the end of the scene however it also connotes the fact it is the end of Jasmine and Carlos but Jasmine is left the one heartbroken and upset as she is the only one in the shot.
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Meaning can also be created by editing in different ways such as visual effects, these aren't common in soap operas but there are some exceptions such as in Hollyoaks they have texts come up on the screen which allows the audience to read the text message. This is what I wanted to do in Bon Appetit as I believe a text can create a lot of meaning and tension within a story line, I used editing techniques to display a screenshot of a text conversation between Jasmine and her sister which creates meaning as it builds tension towards Jasmine finally telling Carlos is she pregnant.
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Lastly, meaning can be created through editing in the title sequence. I used filters to make the title screen more appealing to the audience, the different colours used show that the restaurant is cosmopolitan and there is a variation of ethnic and cultural characters which entices the audience to watch the soap.
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