Here is a video consisting one of our group member explaining economic reasons and soap budgets compared to film budgets using the notes we came up and researched as a group. Soap opera production budgets - When episodes were broad casted live, post production was impossible. Though all serials have long switched to being taped, extensive post production work and multiple takes where impossible, are not feasible due to the tight taping schedules and low budget. This also meant that they had to use a single camera shooting style, because the lower resolution of video images.There for Stunts and complex physical action are largely absent, especially from daytime serials. Such story events often take place offscreen and are referred to in dialogue instead of being shown. This is because stunts or action scenes are difficult to adequately depict visually without complex action, multiple takes, and post production editing. When episodes were broadcast live, post production work was impossible During the 1990's the most action and adventure storied fell out of favours with producers due to generally declining rating for daytime soap operas at the time, and the resultant budget costs. There were no longer able to go on expensive location shoot overseas as they had in the 1980's. The visual quality of soap operas is usually lower than prime time US television drama serials and quicker production times also because the soap opera recorded a videotape using a multicamera re tape, unlike prim time producers which are usually shot on film and frequently. Why bosses needed to reduce costs on Eastenders ? Due to the recession, the EastEnders producers have been forced to limit the number of actors that will consists in each episode, which in this case is 16 per episode. This means that long-running actors who have been in the soap for many years who have dedicated fans (Peggy Mitchell, Ricky Butcher etc) which will not be able to see there favourite characters as often as before. This is because the BBC need to "keep a tight grip" on the budgets and the cost/money that is needed. In order to keep on track with the budget they will have to cut down on the amount of characters in each episode so there will be less actors to pay and will help save costs for the soap. In total the BBC director-general Mark Thompson announced there had to be a further "£400million of cuts over three years to balance the Corporation’s books" this would include around 7,200 job cuts in the next 4/half years and reduced fees for actors and biggest stars. In the past eight years there has been a 20% overall drop that the BBC have cut down for their soaps, making a overall being EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City, which meant that only £102.5m was spent last year the BBC's soaps. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/22/bbc-spend-soap-operas Eastenders Production costs and audiences - Last year the Corporation bosses of Eastenders spent a extra half a million pounds to fund a half-hour live episode for there 25th anniversary,costing The BBC around £700,000. The National Audit Office (NAO) reported that EastEnders will spend up to £7 million for the cast in this current year, this has caused the cost for viewers to rise up to almost 9%."Corrie cast to suffer pay cut" - The recession in not only hitting the BBC and causing pay cuts for actors but it looks as though the same is happening for Coronation Street. The soaps omnibus usually is shown on ITV1 on a Saturday, however due to the recession and tight budgets they have been forced to move the soaps catch - up to ITV2. The cast of Corrie were originally paid 37.5% of their episodes pay,due to the omnibus being moved to a digital channel has mean a cut down in pay. "We are in the process of talking to cast members whose pay may be affected by the ending of the omnibus repeat on ITV1. We expect to come to an arrangement in the next few weeks. In the meantime we have confirmed that we will continue with repeat fee payments."- Alison Sinclair,spokes woman.
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