Why do soap operas look weird

Angle shifts are usually accomplished by cutting from one camera to another and any movement tends to be simple zooming, which you're about as likely to see in a movie as you are to see sweeping pan shots and long-take tracking shots on daytime TV. Of course, daytime soaps have taken a big hit in recent years, and only four of the classics— The Young and the Restless , The Bold and the Beautiful , General Hospital and Days of Our Lives — remain on air. They all made the switch to broadcast in high definition, which was a costly upgrade, but one that greatly improved viewability.

For a couple of years, All My Children and One Life to Live briefly found new life on Hulu, where they were also filmed and streamed in high definition. But old habits die hard, and the term " soap opera effect " still persists as a way to describe the glossy, overly polished look that shows or TV settings can take.

BY Matt Soniak. The Lighting Game Soap opera lighting is a major reason the shows look the way they do. On Tape The filming medium that is, what the show is recorded on and the way the show is shot make up the the other half of the equation. We hope you like what you see! Please share: Tweet. Email This Post to a Friend. Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5. Send Email Cancel.

Like us on Facebook! So, when filming digitally, the producers made sure to keep the same frame rate as before to ensure continuity. Additionally, lighting and filming tricks to save on shots and time are also still used. On a soap opera set, the entire set will be lit so that takes can be longer and actors can move around the set without having to stop the take. This makes shooting much more efficient, though it adds to the slightly off feeling of most soap operas.

Some soap opera producers actually dislike the high frame rates soap operas are shot at! However, soap operas are unlikely to shift to the standard film frame rate of 24 frames per second. This is controversial — but if this feature is turned on in your TV, you might be able to turn off the soap opera effect — and according to CNET , Tom Cruise hopes you do.