All the episodes begin with an establishing shot of the area the soap is set in. Because it is in London, the shot shows a densely populated urban area, this could suggest the nature of the film, in that it is busy, possibly involves violence and includes a range of characters from various backgrounds.
The establishing shot is a typical shot within Soap Operas, for example, in Coronation Street the episodes begin with an establishing shot of the rooftops and shows the viewers the street. Also, the camera shows the audience the local pub, 'Rovers Return Inn', this is a convention of soap operas as it is amongst the vast amount of meeting places that allow gossip to circulate. The example of this in Eastenders is the 'Queen Vic' pub.
Soaps also have interweaving storylines, this helps them to flow better and keep the audience entertained with a multitude of plots to think about. For example, in this episode the emphasis is on the relationship between Ben and Christian and Phil's feelings towards it. But, as we follow this story we also see the story between Ian and Jane. The way these stories interweave also shows the precise continuity that Soap Operas exhibit; as Phil walks out of the pub we go to the other stories, but we then see/hear Phils actions with the baseball bat from their perspective.
Another convention of Soap Operas is the use of music for a motif. The music is one of the main associations we have with them and reminds us of them when we hear it. In Eastenders it is the famous drums at the end, usually sounded when there is some kind of shocking advance in a storyline.
A further convention of Soaps is the dominant use of diegetic sound. Watching and listening to the Eastenders clip above, we can hear very little sound added from outside the actual clip. But, there is an exception with Hollyoaks, they quite often have non-diegetic sound, especially at the beginning; usually there is a song playing quite far into the episode as opposed to having a theme song that finishes as the episode begins.
Finally, another feature amongst Soap Operas, and shown in this EastEnders clip is over-the-shoulder shots and two shots.
A good application of soap conventions to your chosen extracts.
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