The first sound you hear when watching a Soap Opera is their theme tune; these are always very distinct and sometimes quite catchy. Music is very rarely used in British soaps although occasional cliff-hangers might have a piece of music which will then flow into the closing theme song. Another time when music might be heard is if it's being played in the background on a radio or TV. When wanting to achieve dramatic irony or create emotional responses, the production team may put in well-known songs. For example in Hollyoaks when it was the character of Max's funeral, the song My Immortal by Evanesence was played which was extremely emotional. Any sound is always non-diagetic.
Lighting in soaps is very basic although they do vary. Special effects are not used which is important when wanting to maintain a sense of realism. Camera work is also usually rather simple and avoids and special sort of tricks; "point of view" and "high angle" shots are very rarely used. The camera generally shows you exactly what is happening so you see what a general observer would see if they were watching. Most of the scenes are short and simple to avoid the audience from becoming bored and so that other storylines and characters can be shown in one episode.
