Creating a distinctive brand identity

How do you know: 1. Which soap this is?2. Where is it set?3. Which institution broadcast

it?4. When it is set?

From the music, what do we assume about the lifestyle of the characters?

EastEnders

When the opening credits role on the BBC’s EastEnders, it creates a dynamic brand identity.

Although we are able to see the water of The Thames, we are unable to recognise the location, until the shot shows the O2 arena.

As soon as we are aware of the location, we are then certain as to which soap it is as we know that the O2 arena is

in the East End of London, therefore we know we are watching EastEnders.

Cleverly, the producers of the show created the name EastEnders in able for the audience to be aware of the location, as well as creating a catchy

name for the soap.

EastEnders

EastEnders is set in the east end of our capital city, London. The audience is aware of the setting of the soap just by watching the

opening credits. As soon as the overhead shot of London is turned around, the viewer is aware that it is in London, and it is in fact the east

end. This is then confirmed when the title appears on the screen as EastEnders because ‘the clue is in the name’.

EastEnders

EastEnders is broadcast with the BBC, first being shown on 19th February 1985.

The series was originally shown as two half hour episodes per week, but since August 2001, four episodes are broadcast throughout the week at

tea time, with a repeat at 22:00 on BBC3.

EastEnders

The audience is aware that EastEnders is set in the present day. They know this because on the opening credits, it is a modern over-head view over London, where the O2 arena is clearly visable, which we know is a

very modern building and is standing at present in London.

EastEnders

From the music at the beginning of each episode, we assume a lot about the lifestyle of the characters. The dull tone throughout the tune gives

the impression that the character’s lives are not very exciting due to the fact that there is no climax in the music, so we assume that there is no

climax in the character’s lives. The tune seems to drag on throughout the opening of the series,

suggesting that maybe the lives of the characters in the program lead very slow lives, with not much to look forward to.

EastEnders

In the first few seconds of this opening scene, the audience is aware that the house it is being filmed in has 2 young boys. This is evident due to the school bags on the floor,

the football on the stairs, felt tips on the floor and also the colour blue being

repeatedly used in different shades to be stereotypical in representing a male.

When the camera then pans up the stairs, the audience is aware of shades

of pink and teddies suggesting that there is a girl also living in the house.

By the fact that there is a teddy, it suggests that the girl is quite young as

she possibly may have been playing with it on the stairs which is why it is

positioned there in the shot.

EastEnders

The house which this scene is set in seems to be common and not well kept. The audience is able to see this by the leopard print wallpaper being used, the cheap wooden picture

frames hanging on the wall, the thick out-dated wallpaper border up the stairs and also the un-kept banister rail. This gives a sense of dismissal to the reader as it is as if the owner of

the house has no dignity as to what their home looks like. Also in this shot, the woman’s night gown blends in well with the decoration and setting as the gown looks cheap and not very expensive. Relating to what she is saying at the time,

this works well as she seems to be a cheap person to have a possible one night stand, as it seems to the audience.

EastEnders

Again in this shot, we are able to see the cheap, wooden photo frames hanging on the leopard print wallpaper. From these two observations alone, as an audience, we are aware that there is not much style or class in the village. We are able to see the front door in this medium close up also which looks dirty and as though it hasn’t been painted in around 15

years. Adding to the features of the house, the man stood in the hallway looks just as un-kept as

the rest of the house with stubble and work men’s clothes on. This suggests to the audience that appearance doesn’t seem to be as important in the East End as it is in any

other parts of the country.

EastEnders

Contrasting to the first clip we saw, a more ‘glamorous’ woman appears on screen. To the audience, we assume that she is a glamorous woman because of her hair, makeup and jewellery, although on a deeper level, we are able to see that she appears to be a snob

which all the other women would dislike. In the background there is a picture of chips and sauces bringing the whole set back into

the supposed East End. This is because the whole series of EastEnders