I interviewed 8 women aged between 25-50, who live with a husband or partner and watch soaps. Would have liked to have asked more but it was difficult getting hold of them as they had work etc when i was free.
questions and results:
>How many soaps do you watch?
1 (1) 2 (3) 3 (3) 4 (1) 5 6 7 8+
>How often do you watch soaps (days a week)?
5 (6) 4(1) 3(1) 2 1
>Which characters do you relate to most in a soap?
Eastenders: Zainab Masood (2), Tanya Branning (5)
Coronation street: Michelle Connor (4)
Emmerdale: Dianne Sugden (1)
>Do you sit down to watch a whole soap? or watch it whilst doing something else?
Whole programme(5) Whilst doing other jobs(2) Both (1)
>Do you think women are represented as an equal status to men in soaps?
Yes(3) No(4) Other.... (1 sometmies but women never really seem to make it very successfully in their lives or if they do they are unhappy.)
> Do you think men or women have more successful careers in soaps?
Men (6) Women Equal(2)
>Who do you think spends most time looking after their families in soaps?men or women?
Women (8) Men(0) Both (0)
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Monday, 18 May 2009
conducting interviews
Need to find clips to show interviewees
Ask work out questions that I am going to ask them about the structure of soaps in general and the characters in the clips. Can they relate to them? Matriarchal women? Mytime? Light watch? fit in with life? Parrallel womens skills? favorite story lines?
Ask work out questions that I am going to ask them about the structure of soaps in general and the characters in the clips. Can they relate to them? Matriarchal women? Mytime? Light watch? fit in with life? Parrallel womens skills? favorite story lines?
More character study
Matriarcal Women
Eastenders has several strong matriarchal women that the female audience can relate to as being powerful women and plys with the idea of women being strong but ultiamtely being controlled by men.
Peggy Mitchell is land lady of the Queen Vic and is a strong mother figure and bosses around the weedier men in her family (Billy). However Phill Mitchell (her son) owns the deeds to the pub so has the ultiamte power to sell the pub from underneath her as he already has done and threatened to do this week. In this weeks story line Peggy was made out to be a strong woman but this was soon deflated as a drunk Phill threatened to sell the pub for £5 and Peggy was shown as a weak character that is below an alcoholic.
Pat Evans is another Matriarcal woman in Eastenders she owns Pats cars and also has a large family that she takes care of. However her ownership of the taxi firm is often threatened by characters like Janine Butcher (her own family) and Jack Branning now has it. Frank Butcher and other men in her life have always had a hold over her and make her less powerful when she has a man in her life.
Both of these women become less powerful when they are with men as they trust them and give some of their power and responsibility to them. The men are normally manipulating and end up taking away from them everything that makes them powerful (e.g. When Archie Mitchell takes the pub away from Peggy Mitchell).
Hollyoaks doesn't have as strong matriarchal women (this could be because it isn't as old, started in 1995, Eastenders - 1985). Women like Frankie Osborne, Nana McQueen and Myra McQueen are matriarchal within the family, but there are no obvious women like in Eastenders. Frankie did joint own the pub with Jack Osborne and was a strong land lady but her husbands fraud led to her loss in the pub and status. She was never as strong as Peggy in Eastenders. Nana McQueen is seen as a matriarchal woman in the McQueen family but she is only spoke about and rarely seen in eastenders. I think Myra McQueen is the strongest woman in Hollyoaks but only within her family. She is unsuccesful with money and doesn't have a job (live in a council house) but she is a singel parent who looks after her large family. All of her children, neices and some of her children's friends ask her for advice.
Eastenders has several strong matriarchal women that the female audience can relate to as being powerful women and plys with the idea of women being strong but ultiamtely being controlled by men.
Peggy Mitchell is land lady of the Queen Vic and is a strong mother figure and bosses around the weedier men in her family (Billy). However Phill Mitchell (her son) owns the deeds to the pub so has the ultiamte power to sell the pub from underneath her as he already has done and threatened to do this week. In this weeks story line Peggy was made out to be a strong woman but this was soon deflated as a drunk Phill threatened to sell the pub for £5 and Peggy was shown as a weak character that is below an alcoholic.
Pat Evans is another Matriarcal woman in Eastenders she owns Pats cars and also has a large family that she takes care of. However her ownership of the taxi firm is often threatened by characters like Janine Butcher (her own family) and Jack Branning now has it. Frank Butcher and other men in her life have always had a hold over her and make her less powerful when she has a man in her life.
Both of these women become less powerful when they are with men as they trust them and give some of their power and responsibility to them. The men are normally manipulating and end up taking away from them everything that makes them powerful (e.g. When Archie Mitchell takes the pub away from Peggy Mitchell).
Hollyoaks doesn't have as strong matriarchal women (this could be because it isn't as old, started in 1995, Eastenders - 1985). Women like Frankie Osborne, Nana McQueen and Myra McQueen are matriarchal within the family, but there are no obvious women like in Eastenders. Frankie did joint own the pub with Jack Osborne and was a strong land lady but her husbands fraud led to her loss in the pub and status. She was never as strong as Peggy in Eastenders. Nana McQueen is seen as a matriarchal woman in the McQueen family but she is only spoke about and rarely seen in eastenders. I think Myra McQueen is the strongest woman in Hollyoaks but only within her family. She is unsuccesful with money and doesn't have a job (live in a council house) but she is a singel parent who looks after her large family. All of her children, neices and some of her children's friends ask her for advice.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Soap Structure- textual analysis
Realist structure
From watching Eastenders for a week (11th-15thMay). I noticed the classic realist structure is used at different lengths. Some characters had a quest which had closure before the end of the episode, some lasted a few episodes and some were not solved by the end of the week but a hint of closure is suggested to keep the audience watching. Each episode ends on a high tension moment.
Hollyoaks has the exact same structure except it has about a minute montage of footage at the beginning set to music that recaps the feeling of the characters. This could be to do with the idea that soaps are made for housewives who can zone in and out of the programme whilst doing cleaning or cooking etc. This montage is not always part of the actuall action, sometimes it is surreal setting up a piece of action that is parrallel to the emotions of the characters (e.g. 14th may James Bond style - lots of secrets and hidden dealings happening recaping on the previous episode and setting the audience up for what is about to come).
Segmented structure
As I just mentioned Hollyoaks has a montage of characters feelings at the beginning to remind the audience of previous events and so that people dont have to concentrate fully on the soap. When watching an episode of Hollyoaks from 14th May I counted the number of times each separate storryline is mentioned or developed. I counted 6 separate stories mentioned one of which (Dom and Lorretta's relationship) never had any action take place just mentioned twice. The main story that ran the whole way though was about Justin and Hannah's relationship which occours 8 times. The couple are in the same scene together only once. Other stories mentioned: Warren and the Loft - 3 times, Nancy and Russ - 5 times, Cindy's cleaning job - 4 times, Sarah and Lydia's date - 5 times.
Eastenders (14th May)
I counted seven different story lines that are mentioned or developed though the 30 min episode. The scenes appear to be shorter that Hollyoaks as each story is mentioned an average of just under 7 times in this episode (Hollyoaks just over 4 for each storyline). Stacy seems to be the main storyline through out (which is a theme for the week as right at the end offridays episode you find out she has bi-polar), it is mentioned 11 times. The audience don't see much of Ronnie or Jack in this episode, when they move in together, but this storyline appears 10 times in this episode. Other storylines: Max and Tanya - 6 times, Bradley and Syd - 9 times, Nick/ Dot going crazy - 7 times, Nick and Billy - 3 times and Jeans new job - 2 times.
Female orrientated?
Hollyoaks's story lines in this episoe don't tottaly conform to the ideas that I looked at. For example one idea said that soaps were set in domestic, family setting. None of the storylines in this episode are to do with family but most are to do with young couples (target audience feature?). The stories are female orrientated though; about young couple falling in and out of love; females cleaning but not in usual sense been sexed up. Aimed at young audience; young couples and lesbeins. Male big shot/ ultamate dominant control; Warren and Loft, Ash and Russ taking Nancy out, successful chef Dom, stereotypically females cook but because successful represented by male?
Eastenders's also has a lot of stories about couples but this episode also festures other things such as families and illness. I think Eastenders conforms more to the ideas that i looked at at the beginnning of my study. For example the couples are older (housewife age), you meet the couples family and learn their opinions, has more variety of story, ultimate male control - Nick manipulating Dot, women all incontrol of relationships- Stacy says "get the hint" doesn't wanmt to be with him, Syd dumps Bradley, Tanya dumps Max before date.
Eastenders oldfashioned? Hollyoaks more modern?
From watching Eastenders for a week (11th-15thMay). I noticed the classic realist structure is used at different lengths. Some characters had a quest which had closure before the end of the episode, some lasted a few episodes and some were not solved by the end of the week but a hint of closure is suggested to keep the audience watching. Each episode ends on a high tension moment.
Hollyoaks has the exact same structure except it has about a minute montage of footage at the beginning set to music that recaps the feeling of the characters. This could be to do with the idea that soaps are made for housewives who can zone in and out of the programme whilst doing cleaning or cooking etc. This montage is not always part of the actuall action, sometimes it is surreal setting up a piece of action that is parrallel to the emotions of the characters (e.g. 14th may James Bond style - lots of secrets and hidden dealings happening recaping on the previous episode and setting the audience up for what is about to come).
Segmented structure
As I just mentioned Hollyoaks has a montage of characters feelings at the beginning to remind the audience of previous events and so that people dont have to concentrate fully on the soap. When watching an episode of Hollyoaks from 14th May I counted the number of times each separate storryline is mentioned or developed. I counted 6 separate stories mentioned one of which (Dom and Lorretta's relationship) never had any action take place just mentioned twice. The main story that ran the whole way though was about Justin and Hannah's relationship which occours 8 times. The couple are in the same scene together only once. Other stories mentioned: Warren and the Loft - 3 times, Nancy and Russ - 5 times, Cindy's cleaning job - 4 times, Sarah and Lydia's date - 5 times.
Eastenders (14th May)
I counted seven different story lines that are mentioned or developed though the 30 min episode. The scenes appear to be shorter that Hollyoaks as each story is mentioned an average of just under 7 times in this episode (Hollyoaks just over 4 for each storyline). Stacy seems to be the main storyline through out (which is a theme for the week as right at the end offridays episode you find out she has bi-polar), it is mentioned 11 times. The audience don't see much of Ronnie or Jack in this episode, when they move in together, but this storyline appears 10 times in this episode. Other storylines: Max and Tanya - 6 times, Bradley and Syd - 9 times, Nick/ Dot going crazy - 7 times, Nick and Billy - 3 times and Jeans new job - 2 times.
Female orrientated?
Hollyoaks's story lines in this episoe don't tottaly conform to the ideas that I looked at. For example one idea said that soaps were set in domestic, family setting. None of the storylines in this episode are to do with family but most are to do with young couples (target audience feature?). The stories are female orrientated though; about young couple falling in and out of love; females cleaning but not in usual sense been sexed up. Aimed at young audience; young couples and lesbeins. Male big shot/ ultamate dominant control; Warren and Loft, Ash and Russ taking Nancy out, successful chef Dom, stereotypically females cook but because successful represented by male?
Eastenders's also has a lot of stories about couples but this episode also festures other things such as families and illness. I think Eastenders conforms more to the ideas that i looked at at the beginnning of my study. For example the couples are older (housewife age), you meet the couples family and learn their opinions, has more variety of story, ultimate male control - Nick manipulating Dot, women all incontrol of relationships- Stacy says "get the hint" doesn't wanmt to be with him, Syd dumps Bradley, Tanya dumps Max before date.
Eastenders oldfashioned? Hollyoaks more modern?
textual analysis of families/characters in Hollyoaks and Eastenders
I have looked through the character lists for both soaps and brainstormed personality traits and roles of the characters to see if they conform to the theorists ideas that i have looked at.
Conclusion
Hollyoaks doesn't conform to the stereotypes as much as idea suggest. This may be because it is aimed at a younger audience audience of 14-25 (according to a fan site). A lot of the ideas that I was looking at showed women in stereotypical sexist roles with the men having the ultimate power. Whilst in Hollyoaks the men did seem to have the ultimate power a lot of the characters roles explores new personalities such as cross-dressers, single male parents/house-husbands,lesbeins and students. This could be because of its younger audience so feel that they have to add these characters to reach out to a wider audience so more people will relate to the characters. Hollyoaks focuses on relationships between friends more.
Eastenders sticks a lot more to the ideas that i looked at. Such as matriarch women who are never really successul and are ultimately controlled by men (such as the storryline involving Peggy and Archie Mitchell, even the adverts for the storyline showed Peggy as Archie's puppet). Eastenders has more storylines based in the domestic setting and explores family relationships more.
Conclusion
Hollyoaks doesn't conform to the stereotypes as much as idea suggest. This may be because it is aimed at a younger audience audience of 14-25 (according to a fan site). A lot of the ideas that I was looking at showed women in stereotypical sexist roles with the men having the ultimate power. Whilst in Hollyoaks the men did seem to have the ultimate power a lot of the characters roles explores new personalities such as cross-dressers, single male parents/house-husbands,lesbeins and students. This could be because of its younger audience so feel that they have to add these characters to reach out to a wider audience so more people will relate to the characters. Hollyoaks focuses on relationships between friends more.
Eastenders sticks a lot more to the ideas that i looked at. Such as matriarch women who are never really successul and are ultimately controlled by men (such as the storryline involving Peggy and Archie Mitchell, even the adverts for the storyline showed Peggy as Archie's puppet). Eastenders has more storylines based in the domestic setting and explores family relationships more.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Primary Research
1. Analysis of two current soaps in terms of their reps of gender and their narrative structures.
Are there strong matriarchs?
Are the men often weaker?
Are the narratives segmented?
Does the lack of a main hero parallel the woemn audience members need to "identify" with (care for) a range of people in their real lives.
General discussion each soap - you don't have to do close analysis for this.
2. Interviews with women who watch soaps. Does their viewing habits confirm what you have read?
3. Show some specific textual examples to your mum and her friends ands ask them about the reps of gender etc etc - how they feel about the characters and so on.
Are there strong matriarchs?
Are the men often weaker?
Are the narratives segmented?
Does the lack of a main hero parallel the woemn audience members need to "identify" with (care for) a range of people in their real lives.
General discussion each soap - you don't have to do close analysis for this.
2. Interviews with women who watch soaps. Does their viewing habits confirm what you have read?
3. Show some specific textual examples to your mum and her friends ands ask them about the reps of gender etc etc - how they feel about the characters and so on.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
New idea
Are soaps still female orrientated?
>study male and female characters within soaps
>study structure of soaps
- repetitive structure for busy housewives
- big shot character always male (confines womans stength)
- domestically set (female world)
- womans concerns explored (relationships, family etc)
[http://intranet/MediaStudies/Media%20AS/Exam%20unit%20G322/moving%20image%20fiction%20techniques.doc]
>interview both genders about the representation in soaps (show clips to them)
>study male and female characters within soaps
>study structure of soaps
- repetitive structure for busy housewives
- big shot character always male (confines womans stength)
- domestically set (female world)
- womans concerns explored (relationships, family etc)
[http://intranet/MediaStudies/Media%20AS/Exam%20unit%20G322/moving%20image%20fiction%20techniques.doc]
>interview both genders about the representation in soaps (show clips to them)
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