An Inside Look At The “Soap Opera Effect”

Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, particularly where entertainment is concerned.

In the past two decades alone, we’ve seen the advent and decline of DvDs and Blu-rays, the arrival of online streaming services, and the appearance of larger (and slimmer) flat-screen televisions.

That last detail has also had an interesting impact on the way that we view our favorite shows, and has led to the creation of the term “the soap opera effect.”

This is when primetime programs end up looking too smooth or lit differently than many would expect, and it’s caused by how televisions display motion.

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Interestingly enough, both of those aspects have normally been associated with daytime dramas, with some even arguing that it looks more “real.”

Since the phenomena was caused by the way that the shows were filmed, though, and since newer and less-expensive methods have long since replaced those practices, the soap opera effect is little more than a technological artifact nowadays… but it just goes to show that – yet again – our favorite shows have affected almost every element of the entertainment world.

Video Credit: Todd Manning69

Tessa Kendall Mckenzie