Draft posters

As I did the magazine drafts Sophie did the poster drafts. We had discussed how we wanted both the magazine and poster so we had put our ideas together then just put them on Microsoft word then uploaded them onto Scribd.

These are both the poster drafts from the group blog.

First draft of magazine 2

I put together this second layout of the magazine, I made two so that I could use different storylines differently on the cover and explore different layouts of images and captions.

To see the second layout as a first draft click here.

Filming

We had some issues when filming, the main issue was when we had planned to film but the weather stopped us, this was because of the thick fog in Gt Leighs. Therefore we had to film on a different day. The new date worked well and we finished our shots and filming during the day.
After each day we made sure we uploaded a breig log of how we had got on filming that day. I wrote the filming day 3.

To see the filming diary these are the links for each day;

Filming day 1
Filming day 2
Filming day 3
Filming day 4

Shot lists

As a group we all took pictures for the magazine and poster but Sophie made these shot lists with all the information.

To see the shotlist for the magazine and poster click here.

We also needed to improve our first draft of the shot list with the exact dates and times, costumes, equipment, location and details of the shot. This final shot list can be seen here.

First draft magazine

As a group we had deadlines to meet so we decided to split some tasks between us. We had already done a draft copy of a magazine through drawing as a group as seen on the group blog.
I said that I would take on the task of doing two draft magazine covers. This is the first draft, I have layed it out how we discussed so it is eye catching also I have given justifications down the side of the magazine.


Draft Magazine 1 Repaired)

More Justifications:

The Magazine will be called Whodunnit?! and will have its own logo and masthead, the magazine usually accomodates all different soaps however as Helen Howe is a new soap the magazine will have a special Helen Howe edition where the cover is just for Helen Howe storylines and characters.
The magazine will have one main image and one main coverline and this will be on the left hand side, the reason for the main cover line being on the left hand side will be because when shops stock magazines they are on the shelf so only the left side is seen. So the left side of the magazine needs to be bold and not too over crowded. We have taken this into consideration as the main cover line will say 'Who's the daddy?' in bold sans serif pink. The pink connotes femeniity and would therefore attract females howver because it says daddy it would attract males as well as they are being related to. Also san serif block letters will be used as that is the common type of text used for headlines.

The images of men will attract females as they will be attractive on the other hand the images of males will attract men also as they may be able to relate to the stereotype displayed in the image.

The main image of Danielle biting her lip could connote sexuality and vulnerability this would attract men as she will look attractive and also as part of Laura Mulvey's the male gaze theory as Danielle is simply an object which the storyline is based around and the men are the ones who make the storyline interesting as they could be the father.

The images and coverlines on the magazine cover could also be related to Propp's theory of typical characters in the 1920s. For example we have used the 'villian' as the Richard has clearly caused trouble in Stephanie's 'Paradise' also he looks sleazy and suspicious in his image making him look villianous. Stephanie as the ' princess' as she is threatened by the villian as she has to put up with his sleazy ignorant ways. In addition Dannielle could be seen as a 'false hero' as she appears vulnerable and innocent however she is the character who started all the issues by sleeping with lots of different men.




Also I did a post where I uploaded the handdrawn magazine draft this can be seen here.

More auditions

We have done more auditions as we found out after the previous audition video that some of the actors could not make it to our filming dates and therefore we needed more auditions and more possibilities.

This is the post with the new audition video and the details about what happened to the old auditions and new cast members.

Click here to see it.

Audition film

We advertised the auditions with posters that Sophie created but we also approached people who we thought fitted the specific characters aesthetically.
We organised a date and time for out auditions and got the auditionees into their pairs. We gave them time to run through the script with their partners first so that could relax more and concentrate more on the acting rather than reading the script. We then filmed each audition and told the actors we would let them know if they got the part as soon as possible.
After filming the auditions we edited the film as a group and each did a voice-over explaining who the auditionees are and what part they are auditioning for. We did a voice-over rather than using text to make it more digitally advanced.

This is the audition film

Audition Scripts

For our soap we needed to cast people with appropriate roles, we asked certain people who we thought would match the role for specific characters to audition.

As our trailer will not have much dialogue in it we needed material which we could use in the auditions so we could judge each actor.

I created audition scripts for each main character, the scripts are between 2 characters so the actors will audition in pairs, this will not only be more time efficient but it will put them at ease too.

I based the conversations in the script with language based on the characters background for example Danielle talks in slang to fit her 'pregnant teen' stereotype. The conversations in the script are also based on the storylines hinted at in the trailer as well.

This is the script for Danielle and Courtney

Audition Script for Courtney and Danielle

This is the script for Deano and Helen

Audition Script for Deano and Helen

This is the script for JJ and Aaron

Audition Script for JJ and Aaron

This is the script for Stephanie and Richard

Audition Script for Stephanie and Richard

On each script there is a brief description of both characters and the age range to help the actors characterize.

Magazine draft hand drawn

We sat down in a group and discussed how we wanted our magazine cover

to look, from analysing and researching soap magazine covers we had a good knowledge of what stands out and what is a good layout.

We drew a rough copy of how we want our magazine cover to be.

These are the pictures of the draft copy:

The picture on the left is the magazine cover we have a masthead which is Whodunnit?! as the magazine will be only on our soap becuase it is new and unique.

There is a large image for the main cover story which is Danielle and there are images around her of the possible fathers.

We have included the price which is at the top and the barcode which is down the bottom these are both common places for these details on soap magazines.

We have got cover lines down the right hand side as they are not as important as the main storyline but each one is interesting. Two of them are questions the top one being 'Will the fresh start be a good start?' with a picture of the Halls, and the bottom one is 'Trouble in paradise?' with a picture of Stephanie with her arms crossed. The middle cover line is a reveal, it says 'Aaron's secret revealed!' this type of advertising makes the reader want to watch the soap to find out what his secret is. This is a method which is common on soap magazines.

Inspirations

We got inspiration from the Virgin Atlantic advert in 2010. We got ideas for our trailer from 20 seconds onwards. At 20 seconds the man notices the blonde female in the distance in a red jacket. The shot showing this is a point of view shot implying that the man is looking at the female, she is swishing her hair in a slow motion edit, this complies with the Male Gaze Theory as she is being displayed as a sexual object. Also, the high pitched extra diegetic music fades connoting the female is heavenly as the music sounds glory-like.

The following jump cut to the close up of the mans face shows his facial expression which connotes complete amazement.

The next shot inspired us the most, this is an extreme close up of red high heels walking, the red connotes passion and danger which is reflective of the seductress-like women. In addition the non diegetic music builds in pace and volume increasing the intensity of the high heels and denoting their importance.

The advert then has several jump cuts to peoples reactions to the red suited women, these shots are mainly mid shots displaying a facial expression and their costume which connotes who they are, for example there is a punk and children and parents. This displays the impact the female has on everyone.
There is then a close up of 3 airs of red high heels this builds the attention and suspense as the females have not been fully revealed yet. The females are then revealed in a wide shot, there is a second shot of 4 females this then expands to a further shot of many females dressed in red. The overpowering colour red makes the rest of the airport look bland and therefore connoting their importance. Also, the light used highlights the females especially the blonde one, given the impression that the females are gleaming. It is a spot light that makes this effect. Highlighting the blonde hair makes the character the seductress more present.This is the part of the advert which inspired us as we want our main female character to walk through the village making an impression and making the other characters look at her.

Costume, props, lighting and location

As a group we decided we would do this research seperatly so one person did props another did lighting and so on. As there is four of us it was easy to just do one each. I chose costume to do because I had pictured from each of the characters descriptions what sort of costume would match them.

I looked on different clothing sites such as topman, newlook and riverisland and more. I found outfits for each character in the specific colour that would be relevant then described why they would wear that type of outfit and the colour.
Costume

This is the costume research I did;

This is the final costume post which I also did with the change of costumes and details about where they are from. Click here to see this.

Lucy did lighting which can be seen here.

Sophie did props which can be seen here. With the final props post here.

Jade did location which can be seen here. This is further location scouting that I did here.

Soap poster analysis 2

Skins Poster

Soap opera poster analysis

soap posters

Soap magazine analysis 2

Soap Magazine Analysis

Animatic storyboard

To give a clear picture of our trailer we created a storyboard as a group. We used the pictures we took for our photographic and uploaded them to the Mac we then decided what we would say about each shot and include transitions to create an animatic storyboard.

To see the animatic storyboard click here.

Narrative in stop motion

We feel it is important to incorporate all different styles of media in our work, so to show the basic narrative of our trailer we used the mac to create a short video with toys to represent our characters.

Myself, Sophie and Jade printed off pictures for the set of our soap and stuck them onto books so they stood up like a street. We also brought in our younger siblings toys to use as the characters. We took a separate picture for each of the characters so it will be clear what toy is who. So the next post will be a character profile post with these pictures and names.

We created the film by taking lots of pictures of the characters moving them to how they would move in the trailer. We then put the pictures into the Mac programme Final Cut where once the clips were in place we then recorded sound effects with a microphone.

We were happy with how the narrative came out however at one point Stephanie slaps Richard, but it was difficult to see so we had to make that picture longer.

Photographic storyboard

Me, Sophie and Jade went out around the school and picked places such as the carpark to take photos which can be seen as the appropriate location. For example we needed to take pictures of the shoes coming round the corner, so we found a corner in the carpark. We had to use ourselves as the characters so it is a little bit difficult to know who is who just by looking at the pictures but the detailed description under the pictures explains who is who and what the situation is. To make the teenage girl look pregnant we stuffed a jumper up her jumper, so we took into consideration elements like these to make the storyboard easier to understand and establish the characters.
To see the photographic storyboard click here.

First draft of script

When discussing the trailer we had decided when we would have dialogue. The group wrote the first draft. As a group we will sit down and write our final script together.
This is the first draft of the script.

The analysis of Soap magazine

I videoed the front cover of a magazine and spoke over the top of the video. I looked at what stood out on the cover and who it stood out too. Also I looked at the importance of images on a cover.
This is the clip of me analysing the magazine.

How we named our Soap

I made a post on how we came to the name Helen How, the post is on the group blog it includes research that I did about current names of soaps.

To see this post click here.

The reasons for the first two episodes

After writing the first to episodes I had to justify why I chose to do them the way I did. The first episode was simple just because I thought it would be the best way to introduce a soap however the second episode is more complex and I have justified it. To see the justifications click here.

Outline of first two episodes

After discussing with the group what storylines and characters we are going to use in the soap I put together two episodes. I kept them both quite simple so that it will be easy to use the episodes to then create a trailer. I checked with the group that they were happy with episodes I created and they were. To see the first episodes in brief click here.

Target audience profile

We had to produce a target audience profile to outline the kind of audience we are aiming our soap at. The soap needs to have a specific audience as certain storylines interest certain people and therefore we need to aim the storylines at an appropriate audience then base our soap around that type of audiences interests and views. We had decided as a group that we would aim our soap at the same kind of audience that Hollyoaks captures because we like the way Hollyoaks is edited and the storylines in it. I put a few ideas forward for the target audience however Lucy and Sophie did the majority of the target audience profile. To see the target audience profile click here.

The soap opera brief

After deciding on our characters and settings we constructed our soap opera brief, for this task we sat down as a group again and decided together what to put in the brief. We all had equal input. We had to produce a brief so that people can read the short piece of text and from the text understand the general aim of the soap. For example we mentioned the pregnant teen storyline therefore the person reading the brief can work out if they would be interested in that kind of storyline then decide whether to watch the soap or not.
To see the soap opera brief click here.

Initial ideas for our soap

One lesson we sat in a group and discussed possible storylines, characters, settings, inspirations and other key elements of our soap. We wrote all the ideas down in a mind map. We all had equal input. Some of my ideas were the types of characters for example the 'flirty female' and the 'terror children'. To see the initial ideas mind map click here.

Comparing our targert audeine questionnaire results

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire Results

To make sure we had captured the same audience from our research we looked at our results to compare what we had found.

From looking at both sets of graphs we can see that one set of results reveals that females watch soaps more than males however, the other results show they both watch them equally. This is still reliable as the results that do show females watch soaps more is not completely unbalanced showing that males and females both watch soaps, therefore we will have to appeal to both.

On one set of results it is clear that females and males in the 30-50 age bracket are most likely to watch soaps and this is supported by the other results as the most common age bracket where soaps are watched is the 41-50 therefore showing that soaps appeal to this age group. We can therefore decide if we want to target a younger audience or continue with the current audience we found.

Other questions on our questionnaires are different where one questionnaire asks the audience about what storylines they like and the other is about why they watch soaps. Both sets of results are reliable and will help us create our target audience questionnaire but we cannot draw comparisons between them. However, we have found some supportive evidence on the results that defines the age demographic and whether males or females watch soaps.

I have also published this post on the group website.

Analysis of questionnaire results

I did a questionnaire to find out what audience soap operas attracted and who the trailers appeal to. From my questionnaire I have discovered that more females like soap operas than males however both males and females like soaps where there is story lines with explosions and murders therefore soaps that include these storyline are more likely to capture a larger audience. This could show that males are only willing to watch storylines with a more complex storyline than females making them less passive. However not that many people liked soaps to have mysterious and complex story lines so this could show that soaps have a hypodermic needle effect which is Adorno and and Horkheimer's theory that the audience is passive and the soap would just inject the viewer. Also I found that teenage females are more likely to watch soap operas than teenage males however soap operas attract middle aged females and males equally this could be the case as they watch them together as part of a family. Also the time that soaps are shown supports this as they are in the evening around 7pm onwards which is when couples from the demographic groups C1,C2, D and E would be at home and would relax and watch the television.


I have used some of my results that I found the most important and made them into pie charts on Excel. This makes the division between females and males who like soaps clearer and also the age groups that I found enjoyed soaps the most and therefore my justifications above have evidence.


Questionnaire Results

Soap Opera trailer showings and target audience.

Soap operas are genuinely on the TV in the evening for the obvious reason that that is when people watch soap operas and therefore would be intrigued by the trailer.
Recently there has been the trailer of Peggy slapping people to advertise her leave on Eastenders. This has been seen before Eastenders and before Waterloo Road on BBC 1. This means they are seen around the time of 7.30-8.00pm. This is a time most people would be at home therefore widening the demographic groups being aimed at for example, demographic groups B, C1, C2, D and E are likely to be home and not working at home as they would be relaxing if they have been at work or would watch anyway from being at home. The only demographic group that it would not interest in A, this is because these people would be most likely to still be working or working at home.
From the questionnaire I did I found that it was more common that females watch/like soap operas therefore the evening is more suitable for females as they will be watching other soap operas around that time also females are attracted to Waterloo road especially young females as the programme is based on a high school which attracts a young audience.


19:30–19:57
Saints and Scroungers Mow and Grow
7/15. How undercover surveillance put an end to one woman's 12-year-long identity fraud scam. (R)

demographic groups likely to watch this are-C1-E because it is on reasonably early for those who have jobs such as managers and executives that would finish work later than the 9am-5pm shift.
19:57–20:00
BBC News and Regional News 06/09/2010
The latest national and international news stories from the BBC, followed by Weather.
demographic groupings likely to watch this are- A-E because everyone no matter where they stand in society is likely to have an interest in the news and weather. However, people in group A and B may have already looked this information up on other technological devices.

20:00–20:30

EastEnders 06/09/2010
As Peggy resumes ownership of the Vic, Phil continues to sink into oblivion.
20:30–21:00

demographic groups B, C1, C2, D and E are likely to be home and not working at home as they would be relaxing if they have been at work or would watch anyway from being at home.
Panorama A Risk Worth Taking?
Shelley Jofre investigates the rise and fall of the drug Avandia.
21:00–22:00
Panorama fits in the genre of a documentary and therefore people in demographic groups D and E may not have an interest in something informative and be more interested in reality programmes.

My statistics on audience viewing figures gives evidence to soaps having a wider audience and more inviting to more demographic groups is clear because Eastenders has the highest viewing figures per week on BBC 1.

Soap trailers are seen mainly in the times between these programmes.

Soap viewing figures

To get an insight into which soap is most popular and the reasons behind this I have looked on the website BARB and found the top 10 most popular shows on each channel.


Barb Viewer Figures

Soap Opera target audience questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire to find out what audience a soap opera targets, i will use my results as a source for when I start planning my own soap as I will know what different audiences like in certain soaps.

Soap opera questionnaire

This is a questionnaire to find out what kind of audience soap operas target.

(Put a circle around or tick the correct option) J

1. Male or Female

2. How old are you?

Under 12 12-18 19-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56+

3. What is your favourite soap?

Coronation St Hollyoaks Eastenders Neighbours Emmerdale Doctors

4. What attracts you to a soap opera?

Action packed storylines with murders and explosions

A good love story

Attractive characters

Mysterious and complex storylines

5. Would a trailer for a soap encourage you to watch the full episode?

Yes

No

6. What time would you watch a soap opera?

Day time around 12pm

Afternoon around 5-6pm

Evening 7-9pm

7. Do you think soaps should have classic characters which stay in the soap for years and years or renew the cast often?

Classic characters

Renew cast

8. When a soap opera uses a serious issue or illness in a storyline do you think it helps build awareness of that specific issue raised?

Yes

No

9. Do you enjoy watching special episodes of soaps that only focus on one storyline?

Yes

No

10. Do you think soaps should stick to simple editing where it goes from start to finish or do you think it should include flash backs, split screens and more complex styles of editing?

Simple editing

Complex editing

Conventions found in soap opera trailers

These are some of the conventions that are found in soap opera trailers which are not in full length episodes:

• Loud music to fit with the scene.


• Jump cuts


• Close ups and extreme close ups


• Seductive women


• Titles throughout.


• Fade to black fades.

Example of Mercedes McQueen-Hollyoaks (on right) example of seductive female.

These conventions are extremely common in soap opera trailers as they grip the viewer, however they are not seen in full length soap operas. This is because the trailer is to entice the viewer therefore jump cuts make it easier for more storyline to be spread throughout different scenes and simply seductive women would entice some male viewers. Full length episodes do not need conventions such as titles throughout because the titles are used in trailers to reveal information and make the viewer question what they see, however viewers watching full length episodes follow the action through character conversation rather than titles.

Also music in trailers is used rather than speech because it builds tension and helps the trailer progress however in full length episodes dialogue moves the storyline on.

Last years soap opera trailer

This is a soap opera trailer from the media students from last years year 13.

Things that work in the trailer:

• Dark lighting- connotes murder/danger/fear


• Black and dull coloured costume- highlights the darkness of the bad characters.


• White writing on the black background- sticks to dark theme and looks professional


• Loud tense music- builds tension


• Dutch angle shots- puts across a confused/ unknowing feel.


• Fades- makes the clips look darker and builds tension

Dark Lighting

The dark lighting in the interior connotes danger and puts the audience in a tense state as they would be waiting for something to jump out as darkness in horror films usually leads to the conventional loud outburst of high pitched music with Propp's 'Villain' character making an appearance. So this soap trailer complies with the conventional dark and dingy lighting of a horror film.

Black and white coloured costume

The opening of the trailer is where there is a man in bed, he is in a white t shirt and sleeping in white bedding. White connotes innocence therefore the audience would associate this costume with a protagonist. So when the man in full black costume walks into the room the connotations of black are danger and secrecy therefore the audience would link this man to be the antagonist. This theme of good vs evil complies with Claude Levi-Strauss's theory that all stories operate to certain clear binary options and for instance in this trailer it is good vs evil which is shown through the contrasting costume.


White writing on the black background

The transition used make the titles seem as if they are creeping up on the characters and audience. The colour scheme of the titles are black and white, these stick to the contrasting colour scheme of good vs evil. The background is black and the white writing scrolls over. Having the background black it makes it the dominate colour therefore this could draw connotations to the evil character having the power and dominance over the good character which is highlighted through the white writing.


Loud tense music

The loud tense music builds tension and puts the audience on edge. The loud music is continuous throughout the whole trailer which would keep the audience alert and active waiting for something. There is a break in the non diegetic music at the end where the female speaks. This makes her dialogue seem extremely important and because it stops the music it connotes her importance.

Dutch angles

Dutch angles are used a lot in the trailer, the dutch angle has connotations of twisted and evil this could denote that the characters in hoods are evil and twisted. Also it is unnerving because the angle because it is seen from an uneven perspective.



Things that did not work as well:

• The prop (black bag)- unrealistic


• lack of character profile- didn't know enough about the reasons why each character were doing what they were doing in the trailer.


• Lack of narrator- the title clip of the name of the soap was very plain therefore if there was a narrator it would have had a bigger effect on the viewer.

The prop

The black bag should give the audience an eerie tense feeling as it should denote a dead body as that is conventional. However, the black bag just looks like a duvet which makes the whole storyline look unrealistic because it does not make the audience question whose body is in the bag, which should be happening keeping them more active.

Lack of character profile

During the trailer the hooded characters are not seen full front therefore their identity is not revealed, in some films this is conventional but in soap trailers it is not conventional. This is due to soap operas complying with the Hypodermic Needle theory where the audience are passive so the trailer should reveal the characters but leave the storyline and final conclusion for them to figure out.

Lack of narrator

The narrator usually makes a soap trailer more conventional and easier to follow. The narrator could have also given the end of this trailer an eerie feel. However, they just left the trailer to finish with titles, although the colours of black and white connote secrecy and fear but a narrator would have had a bigger impact with a more conventional end.

The purpose of a trailer

A soap opera trailer is similar to a film trailer as one of its main purposes is to promote. Soap Operas are extremely popular in Britain and they attract a large audience, however there is competition between soaps. Therefore for a soap to get the best television viewing ratings they need to produce a gripping storyline and promote it to win over viewers. The soap promotes this storyline through different types of media for example, they use magazine covers and columns, billboards and trailers. The trailer has to fit in an adequate amount of the storyline so that viewers understand and are intrigued and must be left on a cliff hanger so the viewer will tune in to watch the outcome. Also soap opera trailers promote both the channel they are shown on and the sponsors (if they have any) as the trailer always includes these vital details.

Analysis of 3 soaps

Hollyoaks- The loft fire trailer 2009






The clip begins with a mid shot on Warren this straight away tells the audience that the storyline is based around him, then there is a close up on the paper which says 'Murderer' so within the first three seconds the trailer hints at Warrens past story lines and explains why characters are after him. The over the shoulder shot then denotes Sascha's facial expressions worried and angry, she is wearing a pink top the signifier pink can be signified as feminine and innocent. All of the females throughout the trailer are in pink or white this contrasts with the extreme close up of the females cleavage wearing a red top. The red connotes passion, death and love. This close up shot of her cleavage which is part of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory as the women is seen as a sexual object through the shot of her cleavage rather than a real person. The theme love is seen in the low angle shot of Justin and Hannah as they are hugging, the theme love could then be seen as a cause for the fire.

The trailer goes against Todorov's theory of equilibrium as the trailer doesn't begin with a state of equilibrium as it starts with the clue to the storyline with murderer on the paper, this is a disruption of equilibrium, however, the low shot of Hannah and Justin hugging could be seen as a state of equilibrium. The editing mixes up the theory making the audience more active as some characters like Hannah and Justin seem unaware of the murder story which draws connotations to them being innocent.

When the clip begins there is under laying non diegetic music which is deep and dull creating a fearsome mood. Then the close up on the record with lighting which denotes red, red connotes death and danger however the non diegetic music played sounds upbeat and joyful creating a contrasting mood. However the lyrics in the song are ironic ' no where to run' this tells the audience that Warren will be caught and dealt with.

All the transitions used throughout the trailer are fade to blacks this type of editing keeps this eerie, dangerous atmosphere of the trailer which draws connotations to the dark side of some characters and the depression that the fire will lead to making every one's lives dull and dark.

The majority of the men in the trailer are in black this connotes suspicion and secrecy, which is a theme in the trailer. Also this negative colour of the costume could outline them to fit 'The Villain' character that is from Propp's theory.

The short conversation clips between characters builds tension and displays more emotions from characters this then makes the audience question who could be the murderer. This is an experimental fractured narrative where the audience have to piece together the story, the type of audience that would be interested in this type of narrative would be appeal to audience members in the demographic groups B, C1 and C2.

There is two lots of titles used half way through there is block red bold title saying 'Hell hath no fury' this builds tension. Also the final clip on the trailer is the title of the name of the soap, when its on and the website for the channel it is on. The narrator also tells the audience when its on and what channel, the use of narrator gives the trailer a serious tone, which would make the viewer feel threatened by the events shown in the trailer. Also the narrator is from the perspective of a viewer as they are not part of the soap therefore as the viewer is being spoken to by the narrator they would gain a sense of belonging which Denis McQuail states is important in the Personal identity section of Uses and Gratifications theory.

The establishing shot of the loft explosion before the end title finalises the trailer as it tells the viewer the outcome and setting.


Eastenders- Return of Sam Mitchell




The clip starts with an extreme close up shot on eyes with heavy makeup the heavy make up has connotations of a glamorous female which the story is based around. The animated logo for BBC 1 then comes up obviously displaying where you can watch the soap. The shot then fades black this signifies darkness and the fear of the unknown which links to the fact that Sam doesn't know how the characters will react to her return. There is then a flash back shot the flash back effect is highlighted with different lighting as the shots with Sam are coloured and bright connoting her bright and loud personality however, the flashbacks are not in full colour this therefore contrasts Sam with the rest of the characters displaying rivalry. The editing flicks from Sam and the flashbacks this is a good way of showing different types of showing different reactions and responses and also making it is to follow. The flashbacks show characters that will be affected by the return of Sam also they are short conversations of issues based around Sam.
These conversations would make the audience more active as they would try and piece together the stories about characters and Sam on the other hand, the trailer is still reasonably easy to follow and would appeal to the target audience of people from the demographic groupings C1 to E because they are the less intelligent lower paid members of the public who would be passive. The trailer hints at Sam being vibrant but the close up shots highlighting her facial expressions make her look revengeful this could could be seen as complying with the Hypodermic Needle theory as the audience gain hints that she is a bad character and could fit into Propp's reoccurring character of 'The Villain'.

There is diegetic speech from Sam counting up to 5 this increases tension. Also there is diegetic speech from the conversations in the flashbacks. However there is non diegetic music which is slow this could connote Sam's relaxed view on the return, also the music denotes a slow version of a pop song highlighting the youthful but sincere energy from Sam.

The costume used is very significant as Sam is in a bright revealing dress whereas the other characters are in casual clothing where the colour is not seen through the editing. Also in the shot with Peggy and Archy, Peggy is in white connoting innocence whereas Archy is in black connoting mystery and death. This is ironic however does not link directly to Sam. Sam's dress denotes short and revealing this connotes her sexuality and seductress ways this complies with the Male Gaze theory as she is seen to be a sexual object rather than a human, this theory could also be implied when one of the first shots of Sam is the extreme close up of her lips, lips have connotations of kissing and passion which make women look sexual and insignificant.

The last two shots are a mid shot of Sam ready to return then a closeup of her face where she looks angry and revengeful. The non diegetic music then stops and goes into the theme tune of Eastenders this catchy recognizable theme tune associates the trailer with Eastenders immediately. The animated name of soap, logo, and website finish the trailer on a red background the connotations of red are passion and danger however red denotes the BBC 1 colours.

Coronation Street- Siege week





The clip begins with the animated ITV1 logo in the corner displaying what channel the soap is on straight away.
The police uniform automatically makes the viewer realise something bad has happened as connotations to police uniform are crime and law breaking also the viewer would be able to relate to the police uniform as it is modern and seen in society often this complies with verisimilitude, verisimilitude makes the viewer believe the trailer more as it links to reality therefore making them more on edge as they feel it could happen to them. The mid shot also indicates fear and worry as their serious facial expressions can be seen to express these feelings. The dim lighting also connotes the worried, dangerous tone of the trailer, this lighting runs through the whole clip indicating things are getting worse before they get better. Which could be seen as part of Todorov's theory of equilibrium as stage 2 of the 'disruption of equilibrium' then goes into stage 3 of the 'recognition that there has been a disruption' this can be seen through the worried conversations of the characters in the jump cuts however the trailer is left on a cliff hanger as stages 3 and 4 of the equilibrium theory are not seen throughout so 'reinstatement of equilibrium is not reached' and the audience would want to watch the soap.

There are jump cuts throughout the trailer where the camera goes from scene to scene with a reoccurring scene of a man walking down a street, the camera is slowly panning up on the males dark clothing connoting danger and anger. The panning shot builds tension as it is slowly going into a reveal shot of the escaped man.

The non-diegetic music which fades in from the beginning starts slow and quiet then immediately after the girl says 'escaped' the music goes into a drum like beat which echoes heartbeats and connotes panic.

Typical signifiers used are the hoody which connotes mischief-making and threat also the blood on Tony's lip connotes murder and violence.
The short clips of different characters introduces them into the storyline and shows the large scale of panic in the street.
The clip finishes with the narrator speaking over the animated picture of the Coronation St logo and familiar background, the viewer can either listen to the narrator to find out when the soap is on or read on the screen at the end. The sponsor is also on the last shot.

The purpose of a soap opera trailer

Soap opera trailers give the audience the basic outline of a storyline and possible outcomes that could happen in under a minute. They should appeal to a large audience even to people who do not watch the soap.
The trailer often hints at the character the storyline is based around and has jumpcut shots of the suspects. The purpose of this is so that the viewers know the storyline will be easy to follow and this would attract them. I know that this kind of trailer would attract an audience who are passive because from research I have discovered that the hypodermic needle theory applies for a soaps target audience because they like simple editing and simple storylines with typical characters.

Examples of Soap Trailers

Soap Trailer analysis- Hollyoaks 2009

The clip begins with a mid shot on Calvin sliding into shot where the non diegetic music begins. The music is a pop song which would appeal to a young audience also it has the lyrics ' dance dance dance till your dead' which is ironic as Calvin is dancing and ends up with blood over his shirt therefore the music foreshadows the later events. Wide shot panning displays confusion and chaos as everyone is bumping into eachother. Also the short clips of different characters tells the audiences that there are many possible suspects.

All of the females are in feminine pink dresses highlighting innocence however the dark red lipstick highlights there sexuality. Also Calvins white shirt makes the blood look extremely red making the events look even more dramatic and shocking. The white shirt could also connote innocence.

The lighting throughout the clip denotes dark connoting death and depression, also this colour highlights the hate within the room. The room looks smokey and the walls have blue strips for decoration, this gives off a chilling atmosphere.

Lastly the trailer ends with a low angle shot on Calvin with blood on his shirt. The low angle shot makes him look important and makes sure the audience are focusing on him as the storyline is based around him.

Trailer analysis- Eastenders Christmas 2009

The clip begins with the animated BBC logo over the establishing shot of the pub. This straight away tells the audience the channel for the soap. The establishing shot of the pub makes it clear it is christmas as there are lights up with decorations. Also this shot makes it clear that the pub plays a massive role in the storyline being advertised. The christmas theme is enhanced with the non diegetic music of the christmas carol 'We wish you a merry christmas' which is played in a highpitched chime-like tone. The carol should be festive and happy however the slow pace and high pitched twist on the original make it chilling and it creates a spooky mood.

The next shot is an over shoulder reaction shot where Stacey looks terrified and upset building tension as the audience do not know what has happened to her. There are two shots which are reveal shots making it clear that characters are revealing themselves and the audience are questioning what role they are going to play in the murder.

The fade to black transitions foreshadow the dark events which are going to happen and stick with the dark lighting and shadowy setting throughout the trailer. Also the shots are jump cuts of lots of different characters, this could be seen as a list of suspects.

The extra diegetic voice overs coming from the characters could be interpreted as thoughts from characters heads, this highlights the emotion of fear running through the characters.

Costume is modern and winter-like clothing. However Janine is in a red night dress connoting passion and danger.

The final shot is of Archy Mitchell in the pub. The shot is a low angle pan up which pans upto a mid shot of Archy, this shot signifys that he is the man who the storyline is based around giving him importance. Also the prop next to him is the symbol of the Queen Vic which is a head of the Queen Victoria, this is a obvious message telling the audience the storyline is based around the pub and foreshadows the murder weapon.

Soap Operas Information video

This is a video that I created in a group to show the main conventions in soap operas, including stereotypes, camera angles and more.
The video is based on the research done previously on Soap Operas. We looked at key storylines for example the homosexual storyline, key characters like the 'chav' and 'pregnant teen' and some camera angles like the other the shoulder shot of taxi. We did this video to show our knowledge of soap operas and to also use as a source for creating our new soap opera.

The History of Soap Operas and Key conventions

Soap operas have not always been on television they started in the US in the 1930s and were serialised dramas on the radio. The name Soap Opera came from newspapers as soaps were sponsored by household products like soap and washing powder. Now soap operas are extremely popular and have become more expanded globally. They now dominate peak-time mainstream
TV schedules.

For a long period of time UK soap operas only aired two nights a week. With the original crossroads being the exception as it started being produced 5 days a week in the 1960s but then got reduced.Most soaps started with less episodes showing a week then increased to more when they had developed a bigger fan base. For example Brookside began with two episodes a week in 1982 but increased to three in 1990. However, Coronation Street started a trend where they aired three times a week in 1989 this then increased to four in 1996. Both, Emmerdale and Eastenders followed this pattern, Eastenders in 1994 and Emmerdale in 1997. After Neighbours being imported it now airs five episodes a week, and they are shown at 1.45pm and repeated at 5.30pm. This obviously costs more money however would attract a wider audience as people have more opportunities to watch it, making the fan base larger.

Soap operas such as Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks also run a weekend omnibus, this gives a wider range of people the opportunity to watch the soap. For example people in the demographic groupings B and C1 are not necessarily targeted because their jobs genuinely lead to them being more busy however, at the weekend they might have the opportunity to catch up.

The first soap opera in the UK was The Archers' which was on Radio 4 in 1951.


Facts about soap operas:


They have a serial narrative told through a series of episodes

This type of narrative often leaves each episode on a cliff-hanger, leaving the viewers wanting more. These types of narratives keep the viewers interested and builds the fan base, because they always watch the next episode. The viewer would also talk to their friends about the storyline also which is part of the Uses and Gratifications theory by Denis McQuail.He states that one of the main audiences needs is social interaction, this can be identified in soaps as viewers can talk about soaps with each other.

They happen in real time

Most soaps happen in real time so they would celebrate Christmas around the same time as the viewer for instance. This creates verisimilitude that viewers can identify with and gives them a sense of belonging.

They focus on family struggles and conflicts

Soaps focus on story lines which viewers can identify with in everyday lives. For example, the majority of people can empathise with a character who has an argument with a family member because most viewers have witnessed this event in their life. This is also a part of the Uses and Gratifications theory as Personal Identity.

They are cheap to produce

Soaps are reasonably cheap to produce compared to films and other types of television programmes such as dramas. This is because they keep a steady flow of actors which are not paid extortionate amounts as they are only B list celebrities. Also they only use the same setting to film for example the pub, and houses. For the amount of times the set is used the money spent on it would be less significant as the payment is usually done and the set is used for years.

They are usually based around a neighbourhood

Basing soaps around a neighbourhood is a common convention, this is because it is easy to link the characters together and also the viewers will begin to recognize the settings, characters and social points making them feel part of the neighbourhood and giving them a sense of belonging which is a need defined in the Uses and Gratifications under personal identity.

They have typical social points

Conventional social points are the local pub (The Queen Vic- Eastenders) the laundrette, the park, the cafe and the restaurant.

They have a well-known theme tune

Example of the well known theme tune is Eastenders, everyone even those who do not watch it in the UK would recognize the theme tune to this soap. It is simple but very memorable this needs to be considered when creating a theme tune for our soap.



This is an example of the shots used in soap operas:

They use simple shots- usually two shots as they are easiest to present conversation

This is a two shot of two characters from Eastenders, these shots are used throughout soap operas as they are an easy shot to show conversation. Conversation is a key element in soap operas this produces verisimilitude as conversation is something everybody can relate to.

Also the over the shoulder shot is used in soaps as part as a shot reverse shot, this is used when two characters are having a conversation and the shot reverses to a shot over the shoulder of the person listening to the other person.

Typical characters featured in soaps:

A boss figure- usually a male

A Feisty female

A Jack-the-lad

A strong women who is actually has a kind heart

A gossiping old woman

An ethnic family

A Homosexual couple

Soaps around the world-

Not all soaps are open-ended for example Latin American soaps are not open-ended and they are called 'telenovela' and audiences often tune in to find out what happens in the end.
In America there is a sub-genre of supersoaps, these are soaps with wealthy scheming families, but the metanarrative is still the same. These soaps seek to attract a wider audience.

Narratives in soaps:

The meta-narrative - this is a narrative that has many plot lines relating to different characters in a soap.

Information gained from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_opera

Information sheet from Mrs Manzi-Davies

Analysis of Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks Sheet on Operas

Mind maps on Soap Operas

I mind mapped all I knew about Soaps, including typical characters, typical settings and target audiences.
Click here to see my mind map.

I also did a mind map on specific areas on Soap Operas that I know. For example characters, storylines and reoccuring storylines.
Click here to see my mind map.