RULES FOR MAKING A SOAP
Get Characters' Back Story
Compare those for the BBC TV soap 'EastEnders' - example
RULE 1
Time and place - succeeding scenes.
Get contrasts!When a character is in the time and place of one scene, he or she cannot
leap to another time and place in the immediately following scene.SOLUTION - dove-tail the scenes
THE FOLLOWING CAUSES A PROBLEM
E.g. Scene 1
Alice in the bath. Visited by Boy 1 (Virgin Boy). Then visited by Boy 2
(streetwise Boy). Rather a crush in that bathroom!Scene 2
Boris and girl student at the Venue. Boris picks up random drunk girl.Scene 3 PROBLEM! PROBLEM! PROBLEM!
Boris and girl in the Railway Tunnel - Boris has brought random drunk girl
to the Master Vampire.=====================================
Your Solution DOVE-TAIL THE SCENES:Scene 1
Alice in the bath. Visited by Boy 1 (Virgin Boy). He is keen on her, but
doesn't have the courage to say so. The Valentine Ball is coming up.
Embarrassment. They are very close together and Alice is in her bath robe
and with her lovely bathroom smellies.Scene 2
Boris and girl student at the Venue. Boris picks up random drunk girl.Scene 3
Alice in the bath. Visited by Streetwise Boy. He asks her to the Valentine's
Ball and she accepts. What will this lead to? Alice is naïve and delighted,
and Streetwise Boy behaves sensitively and well.
Note: Gets a contrast with scene 1, things are hotting up in the bathroom!
And a contrast with scenes 2 and 4. This is not a pick up.Scene 4
Boris and girl in the Railway Tunnel - Boris has brought random drunk girl
to the Master Vampire. Girl bitten by Master Vampire. Screams of girl....Crossfade to ....
Scene 5
Alice
Singing in the bath. Says a few words to herself. Suitable song from Student
Radio.
Just a tiny scene - but she is by herself and romantically dreaming of the
Ball.
Crossfade suitable ironic song into the soap sig tune.SO......
We have got contrasts, a running theme - contrast of Alice with the bad
Random Drunk Girl, and the boys with each other and the Vampires. Violence
and the bathroom. And we have a strong ongoing .... what happens next?
Rule 2
SWITCH LOCATIONS - use your imagination!Is that location you have chosen for your scene interesting enough?
In the preceding example (in Rule 1) - Alice was in her bedroom. But in
talking it over with the scripter, we switched it to the bathroom. .... more
exciting acoustically, but also emotionally.Objection - but student bathrooms are at the end of the corridor in Darwin .
this does not work!
Reply: CREATE YOUR OWN LOGIC! So the listeners KNOW about the geography of
Darwin corridors?! Do they heck!Create interesting locations!
Use the outdoors!
Use 'we go with'
Use OB recording!QUESTIONS:
Have you extended the possibilities by a bit of active research?
What are the interesting places around Kent and further afield?
What are the ways in which you can indicate a location?
Use your ears!
Use a notebook and write ideas down!SOLUTION:
We will list locations.
Listen to previous soaps - especially 'Love Lane'.
Rule 3
Use descriptionYou have to paint the word pictures for the listener.
You do this by
(a) Directly describing - and skilfully NOT clunkily!
(b) Using location and characters DOING SOMETHING (Rule 5).
(c) Using symbol and emotional atmosphere and feeling
Rule 4
Use signpostingWhat is signposting?
At the beginning of EVERY SCENE - you have to indicate to the listeners :
WHERE THIS SCENE IS
You have to do this skilfully - but if your characters are DOING SOMETHING
(Rule 5) - then that is your solution!
And in an interesting location (Rule 2)If you DO NOT use signposting - then the scene becomes a bit flat and
unrealisable for the listener.
Rule 5
Characters in action
and
Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!
PLUS
The 2 plus 1 RuleGet your characters doing something - typically engaged in some busy
activity or something that requires attention.
And then they are interrupted.'Still digging the carrots, Tony?'
This does signposting and activity - all at once!
The 2 plus 1 Rule
A is busy and interrupted by B.
Then as they are talking, C arrives.
And B then leaves or they continue as a three-way conversation.Rule 6
Student RadioAll use the Student Radio Station
rename the station
use this for THE STORY SO FAR
start an episode - at times - with STUDENT RADIO STATION - in perfect as
broadcast digital sound, then crossfade into the acoustic of the scene
(bedroom?) and establish the presence of the character
Rule 7
Music choicesYou have to use these as music bridges - not between every scene and another
(scene boundary) - but at least once in an episode(1)
Use this ironically
Use pop standards
Listen to 'Mother Chip' for the best examples
E.g., coming out of a scene where a character has been rejected (refusal of
invitation to student ball) - and you could go into, e.g., 'Why do Fools
Fall In Love?'
(2)
Use film music
VERY IMPORTANT for vampires, excitement, enemies, violence, building
excitement, sex, under the hill, establishing characters - villains
(3)
music to underscore dialogue
sometimes - establish genre through this
Rule 8
Talk it over creativelyTalk to friends
Talk to other students on the course
Talk to teacherYou will gain so much more by talking over your ideas with others - by
forcing yourself to explain and by hearing others' feedback
Rule 9
Name that character!(1)
You must name characters early in the scene.
There is a skill to this.Listen to previous soaps.
Very important for the first and second scenes of each episode
(2)
Naming characters is difficultFinal decisions with Editors (Alan Beck and James Henry)
Consult the children's names book in the library
Consult back copies of the 'Radio Times' - films
search publicity for films and series on the internet
search on the Internet for naming children
We want unusual names
Rule 10
New listeners start here!You must explain the story so far early in each episode
A & B information
Rule 11
UST = UNRESOLVED SEXUAL TENSION
Makes for lots of excitementvirgin boy never gets to have it
virgin girl?
Rule 12
Best 2 or 3 in the same scene.
Avoid 4?
As few 4 PLUS character scenes as possible.
Rule
Symbol
(more info soon)To Welcome Page