Soap Opera Genre –

Ancillary Product Analysis

Name: Patrick CollCandidate Number: 1102Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Headline- The verbal code of the masthead “Shock Murder Twist” hints towards the plot of the EastEnders soap without giving too much away. The minimalistic headline using three words is effective as generally people who consume Soap Opera’s are generally more attracted by less text and more images. The verbal code ‘Shock’, successfully engages the reader as it explores the idea of the unexpected happening making this a must read. The colours and the size of the headline compared to the other conventions is much bolder and the yellow and pink colours significantly contrast each other and the background.

Masthead- The masthead is located in the top left portion of the page as this is the area which most people first look. The red colour could connote danger, which is highly representative of the Soap Opera genre. Alternatively, red could be associated with information, which is one of the main purposes of this magazine. The verbal code “What’s on TV” is generally a question that people would ask when watching television, hence the magazine is aimed to answer this question.

Web Address- The web address is used to add cross media convergence to the publication, giving the audience the ability to read more into the magazine and access exclusive online content.

Main Image- The main image of two of the protagonists in the EastEnders series could be utilised for ‘Star appeal’ (Richard Dyer), which would entice readers to purchase the magazine. The medium close up of the characters has been successfully utilised to give a close up look of the characters and to also make them fill up most of the page to show they are the most important part of the magazine.

Cover Line- There are several cover lines used by ‘What’s on TV’, to hint towards the plots of the latest Soap Opera episodes. There are primarily shows listed in the bottom right hand corner of the page entitled ‘Hot New Shows’. The verbal code of ‘Hot’ could express how it is a must read for the reader and the verbal code ‘new’ denotes that the magazine is contemporary and up to date in regards to it’s material. The use of punctuation in the cover line ‘Alicia sent to prison!’ expresses the importance of the article and the necessity to read it.

Colours- The bright vibrant colours used on the page attract the audience as it is bold and stands out against other magazine’s

Masthead- The masthead is located in the top portion of the page in a red bold font. Like in the ‘What’s on TV magazine’, the colour red could connote danger which is highly representative of the soap opera genre, alternatively it could represent information. The connotations behind the verbal code of ‘Inside Soap’ are that the magazine has exclusive access to the writers and producers of Soaps so are able to get the latest news before anyone else.

Web Address- There is no web address featured on the page, which means there is a lack of cross media convergence.

Cover Line- The main cover lines are very central to the page, located in front of each of the main characters from the Soap genre, giving a short summary of what has happened to each of the characters that week. The other cover lines summarize the plot of some of the episodes of the Soap’s and are located towards the bottom of the page. The yellow and white colours used are very bright and stand out against most pictures. A black stroke effect is also used so the cover lines can be placed on top of the images without being unreadable.

Headline- the verbal code of the main headline is big on the page and overlaps all of the other content to express that it is the most important part of the page. The colour orange could be representative of fire, which connotes how the action and drama is ‘heating up’ over the series. The verbal code of ‘Bombshells’ is short and engages the reader with the use of the exclamation mark making it seem important and relevant. Exclamation marks are used on every cover line on the page, which makes them stand out and gives a sense of importance to them.

Colours- The bright vibrant colours used on the page attract the audience as it is bold and stands out against other magazine’s. The orange colour used on the page could be associated with fire which could connote how the tension is heating up in the series.

Main Image- The main image shows four characters from the same Soap Opera and gives as brief summary of their goings on in the series. All characters are looking directly at the camera, which intimidates the audience and makes them feel engaged with the content.

To create a magazine that is representative of the Soap Opera genre I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) the layout of the magazine by having a main image surrounded by other cover stories. Additionally I will have minimalistic text, as viewers of the Soap Opera genre are more engaged by images as opposed to lots of text. I think it is also important that I replicated the bold, bright colours used on the front cover to reinstate the brand identity. Furthermore I will have multiple puff promotions on the page acting as an incentive for people buying the magazine. It is likely that the price of the magazine will be low at about £0.49p as this is what the audience (working class) can afford to spend on magazine’s. I will also try to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) the use of punctuation on the page, following each sentence with an exclamation mark.

Conclusion