Anyone who’s watched daytime TV knows that soap operas are a unique television genre.
Along with their recurring characters, soaps are also unique because they look different from other shows.
Videotape led to soaps' most dramatic tried-and-true tropes: the long closeup.
According to Mental Floss, soaps resorted to using close, tight shots to compensate for lower-resolution video.
Today, these lingering closeups are what daytime audiences have come to expect.
Per the outlet, sets on soap operas are evenly lit to help with the three-camera shooting technique.
With fewer stops and starts, soaps find it easier to stay within budget.
