Soap Location

The location of our Soap is crucial in order for it to reach its desired target audience and follow all the codes and conventions of existing Soap Operas. As previously researched we found that most Soaps are set within a tight community and most Soaps contain the same sort of layout. As the a typical Soap is located in usually one village or small town the key features and areas therefore have a specific purpose and are usually connected or relatively close with each and every character. For example in this small community of a Soap location you will usually find a pub, some sort of restaurant or cafe, a laundratte and a local shop of some sort. So quite obviously when choosing our location it was key that we found somewhere which fitted and included many of these key elements in order for our Soap to be effective and work well as a whole.

So after much consideration, research and thought we chose to locate our Soap in the small community of Ashley Cross, Parkstone. By choosing this location we had plenty of options and different places to choose from for filming. Ashley Cross contains all key codes and conventions that we need to follow for an effective Soap Opera setting. Like most Soaps there is usually a piece of green area in the middle with perhaps a seating area and this is where everything happens in a sort of circle around the outside. For example Eastenders contains a small square in which people often meet or cross paths and it is seen as a key part of the socialisation of the community. For example in Ashley Cross there is a large green area, although it is alot larger than those featured in many typical Soaps like Eastenders and Hollyoaks we feel that it will still work and help to make our Soap actually feel like an existing and affective Soap Opera trailer.

In this area we have a pub in which most Soaps have as central meeting place. This is where people arrange to meet and socialise on a regular basis and is well known to everyone. Although Ashley Cross has a few pubs to choose from we chose to be slightly different in the setting for a central meeting place in our Soap and decided to use Isabel's Restaurant which is located just across the otherside of the green. This restaurant is a small run business which appears as though it is somewhere in which locals would go. At first glance it seems the sort of restaurant or bar in which was run by a family. So for example this fits in with the way in which the Queen Victoria pub in Eastenders is run by the Mitchell family and the Dog in The Pond pub in Hollyoaks is run by the Osbourne family. Its all about the way in which the everyone knows eachother in the community and all the businesses are run and set up for those who live in this tight, close area. This is why we thought Isabel's restaurant would be ideal for this location because also of the in which it is located directly opposite the green meaning two central meeting points are easily connected.


When also thinking about choosing our locaton another thing that drew us towards Ashley Cross was the way in which it was a busy bustling place with plenty of people wandering round. This is probably because it contains many shops, a launderette, a bank and food places. These are all essential places in everyday life and also key codes and conventions of a Soap Operas location. By having all these key places in one distinct area also makes the Soap alot easier to film.