In order to fully comprehend the task of creating a conventional soap opera trailer I researched the public’s view of soap operas. This is an important step in creating any form of media product, for it leads us to the holes in the market wanting to be filed. Here are just a small percentage of the debate, essays and complaints I researched.
UK: Soap operas ignoring negative effects of alcohol - research
A failure on the part of soap operas in the UK to feature the risks of alcohol abuse in their storylines could affect under 18's views on drinking, according to recent research.
Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has released research today (8 December) claiming that, on average, over a third (38%) of soap air time features alcohol. From examining four top soaps broadcast in the UK, the research shows that characters were more often than not depicted drinking alcohol to socialise or as a celebration. Only extreme storylines show the harmful effects of alcohol misuse.
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: "We need to avoid normalising the idea of consequence-free drinking to excess, especially among under 18s, so people of all ages can make informed decisions about their own drinking based on the facts"
Drinkaware warned that, with 42% of 11- to 17-year-olds watching pre-watershed soaps, the programmes are not depicting the negative effects of too much alcohol consumption enough.
As a result, Drinkaware has requested meetings with UK broadcasters and has developed recommendations to encourage soap opera producers to highlight the risks associated with alcohol misuse.
*** The writers of the London-based soap have hit the headlines with their cot death/baby swap storyline involving Kat Moon and Ronnie Mitchell. I for one took that particular story with the same fictional pinch of salt I do with all soaps. Pity it left such a bad taste in the mouth for a minority.
Shocking, thought-provoking, and utterly ridiculous at times; the storyline is everything we should expect of a soap opera and more. And it’s the ‘more’ that’s rattled a few cages, most of which appear to belong to ‘appalled’ and ‘distressed’ mothers. The same mothers who watch the soap four times a week for the reasons they’re now slating it.
Over 6,200 complaints have been made about the storyline so far. An Ofcom spokesperson told Confidential: “We are currently looking at them to see whether we are going to investigate or not.”
Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has released research today (8 December) claiming that, on average, over a third (38%) of soap air time features alcohol. From examining four top soaps broadcast in the UK, the research shows that characters were more often than not depicted drinking alcohol to socialise or as a celebration. Only extreme storylines show the harmful effects of alcohol misuse.
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: "We need to avoid normalising the idea of consequence-free drinking to excess, especially among under 18s, so people of all ages can make informed decisions about their own drinking based on the facts"
Drinkaware warned that, with 42% of 11- to 17-year-olds watching pre-watershed soaps, the programmes are not depicting the negative effects of too much alcohol consumption enough.
As a result, Drinkaware has requested meetings with UK broadcasters and has developed recommendations to encourage soap opera producers to highlight the risks associated with alcohol misuse.
This article was posted on ‘just-drinks.com’ and it highlights a growing concern of negative impacts soap operas have on children.
Over the last few decades soap operas are more frequent and appear before watershed hours hosting some adult themed storyline. These plots often include alcohol; however, alcohol is now seen as a prop rather than a luxury. Many believe this could be harmful for children and a high rise of teenage alcohol abuse may be linked to television ignorance.
This can show a possible change in the potential market or call attention to the problems with watershed observations.
Furthering the defence that these shows may be copied I have a small section of an article…
Adolescent Soap Opera Viewers
Louise Saffhill
PART 1 - INTRODUCTION & LITERATURE REVIEW
Aims of study
My initial aim in undertaking this study was to investigate adolescents’ viewing of soap operas in terms of its effects upon their identity. However, I began to question the validity of this investigation upon determining my own reasons for viewing soaps. I have watched soap operas since childhood and cannot think of a simple example of how my engagement with this genre may have affected my identity or personal development. My prime reason for watching is escapism, coupled with the desire to be entertained. Herzog’s study of soap opera viewers lists the three main reasons for engagement in soap as "emotional release, fantasy fulfilment and desire for information and advice." (Brown, 1994: 68) Although this study was carried out in 1944, its relevance remains today and was adapted by McQuail, in 1987 (Brown, 1994: 69) who established four categories of reasons people use the media. They include
***
EastEnders viewers have always and will always turn on for a good dose of doom and gloom. And as an EastEnders spokesperson simply put it: “Our job is to be a drama”.Around 10m of us watched the very real (followed by very surreal) turn of events over the Christmas period as Ronnie Mitchell discovered her newborn James had died in his cot before sneaking into the Queen Vic pub and swapping him for Kat Moon’s newborn, Tommy.
Shocking, thought-provoking, and utterly ridiculous at times; the storyline is everything we should expect of a soap opera and more. And it’s the ‘more’ that’s rattled a few cages, most of which appear to belong to ‘appalled’ and ‘distressed’ mothers. The same mothers who watch the soap four times a week for the reasons they’re now slating it.
Over 6,200 complaints have been made about the storyline so far. An Ofcom spokesperson told Confidential: “We are currently looking at them to see whether we are going to investigate or not.”
Information founded at http://www.liverpoolconfidential.co.uk/Entertainment/TV-and-Film-Reviews/EastEnders-from-soap-opera-to-soap-box
I remember this story to be on the covers of many magazines, news papers, news headlines and internet pages.
It is rare for a storyline to gain so much negative attention. The plot could be considered cruel to many mothers who lost children and offensive to many other viewers. Yet this boundary braking episode brought in a wave a mass audience attention which ultimately ended with huge success for ratings.
'Unrealistic and hurtful': Mothers take to internet to protest at EastEnders cot death storyline’
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