"Eastenders" reaslistic or real flop?

For this entry i will be studying an episode of Eastenders to evaluate its construct of realism, or lack of realism as the case may be.

The creators, writers and directors have used many techniques in their attempt to achieve realism.

Setting - Eastenders is set in North London in a community that resides around "Albert Square". There are numerous sets within each episode:

• Interior of houses (kitchen, lounge etc) - this allows the 'target' audience to increase their belief of the characters and plot and to stabilise the believability of the acting that the actor presents. it also exaggerates the idea of 'real' people and contemporary issues that can be raised within a private household.
• Market Square (stools etc) - This again is a part of a person's daily routine, it helps incorporate a 'real' persons behaviour in public and also their reactions to the people whom they meet.
• Local Pub - this allows the show to connect to their audience by showing a local pub where the local community socialise, this allows the characters a place to interact with each other and to show that regardless of the plots each character can be seen dealing with their issues at the same time as others, this is as real life as everyone has their stories and issues to deal with and do go on at the same time as everyone else.
• Workplace (Cafe, Laundrette, Garage) - This displays another aspect of a working person's life.

Continuity plays another key role in realism, Eastenders uses strong continuity, from the same characters that sometimes still there decades on or some that leave and later return, to the houses and even decor of the homes around the square that remain constant.

Camera shots effect a persons subconscious while watching Eastenders, the director will only use very basic camera techniques in order help the audience forget that they are watching a programme but instead to be taken into the story lines.

All this is done to conform and connect to a very specific target audience, mainly middle-age women and men. however though this is a strength in the terms of its target audience, it becomes a weakness when trying to attract a new audience. for example though the continuity of the decor in the houses strengthens the familiarity of the show for the 'long term' target audience it does nothing to attract a new modern audience. also i believe that the story lines provide strengths and weaknesses to the effect of realism, as all the plots can be seen in a news paper and therefore does apply to real people however they are not concentrated in such a small area as Walford ergo the show does lose an air of realism, also the stories themselves can often be very black and white and can struggle to connect to more contemporary audience and don't raise enough thought provoking issues that relate to more than just the target audience

Sound - basic realistic sounds are used to increase the idea of realism, the use of colloquial language and often accents make an audience more susceptible to realism.

This has effectively covered every aspect of an 'average' persons life; Private, Public, Social, Workplace, even down to the things people see and even the sounds they hear.

sorry i know its not really a complete analysation of realism in Eastenders but will provide a summary on my thoughts.