Soap Opera Genre –

Ancillary Product Analysis

Name:Candidate Number:Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number:

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

The use of greys in the tagline suggests danger as it reinforces the dark color scheme of the poster. The language used connotes an impending doom for the town which EastEnders is set in as it generalizes all of Walford, furthermore the use of “Change” works as a buzz word to attract people to watch as it is ambiguous, not telling the audience if it is for better or for worse. However is association with the rest of the poster it is suggested that the change will be negative. The use of the imperative one word sentence “Forever.” creates a sense of danger and finality as it appears on it’s own, suggesting whatever the change is it will be irreversible and significant to everyone as it highlights the importance of the word, making it more dramatic.

A filter has been used on this image to cause it to appear dark and vintage. This connotes a sense of danger or the end of something as it appears worn down, almost dystopian suggesting dire circumstances. Also the well know birds eye image of the Thames from the EastEnders point of call in the background also has this worn effect suggesting whatever happens will effect everyone in the show, not just the female on the poster. Furthermore the image appears very sharp to the point it has become grainy which highlights that something bad is going to happen as it exposes flaws. The dark vignette uses on the edges focuses the audiences eye on the center of the image and makes it appear moody and dark, connoting a theme of danger and bad intentions.

Synergy with social media is important in the poster as it

creates another point of entry and allows the

audience to interact with the show using the twitter

hashtag. This also spreads awareness for the show for

free as it allows the audience to promote the show through

word of mouth over social media.The institution logo makes explicit to people who see

the poster where the show is available for them to watch the show.

The brand identity is very important in the poster as the existing audience will recognize the logo, hashtag, and iconic background and identify the poster to be one for EastEnders quickly.

The image has been manipulated so that the people appear to be made of fire. This could connote passion as it is often associated with a flame, and is reinforced through the nudity and sexy expressions of the characters. The nudity could also connote vulnerability suggesting a violent passion rather than sexual passion and is further highlighted through the woman in the middle holding herself. The fire spreads throughout the poster from the characters connoting destruction due to the destructive qualities of flames therefore foreshadowing negative consequences of the 5 characters actions in the future of the show.

The institution logo tells people

who see the poster where

they can watch the show as it

would be useless if people could not find what is

being advertised.

The language of the tagline suggests an impending doom as the use of “change” and “forever” together suggests that the change will be negative and irreversible because ‘forever’ suggests that it will affect Hollyoaks for the rest of the show very dramatically. The word “change” has negative connotations because people don’t like change therefore it is viewed to be a bad thing. This language encourages people to watch as the audience of soap operas enjoy dramatic storylines so will want to know what the change is and what it’s consequences will be.

Student Exemplar Work – Textual Analysis

The image of the wedding cake with the characters of the soap sat on top is a clever composition. The large knife is held as though about to cut through the cake and therefore separate the couple, this connotes betrayal and a bad marriage about to be split up which is also suggested in the tag line “I now pronounce you betrayed for life.” The woman’s body language and the presence of a second male sat on the cake suggests that she has betrayed her new husband by cheating on him. The cake and background of the church suggests that the betrayal has happened immediately after the wedding or even during the wedding creating a sense of shock and drama which is attractive to fans of the Soap Opera genre.

The bloody and worn effect used on the “Thorn Lane” point of call suggest passion, drama, and danger. These are all popular themes used in Soap Operas.

The institution logo and time that the show is on makes it clear where and when to watch the show.

The synergy with social media and the magazine “soap secrets” creates multiple platforms of advertising and encourages discussion. It also gives people interested in the show places where they can learn more about the new soap.

• I intend to repeat (Steve Neale) the dark vignette effect used in the EastEnders poster which creates a dark moody theme connoting danger. This would work well for my poster because it suits the tone of the trailer.

• I will also repeat the use of the institution logo seen on the Hollyoaks trailer as it makes it clear where the TV show is available to watch.

• Like in the EastEnders poster I will repeat the synergy with social media through the use of a hashtag because it creates another platform of advertising and encourages discussion.

• Finally I will repeat the use of language to create a sense of danger and drama to encourage an audience seen both in the Hollyoaks and EastEnders posters because it is an effective way of capturing an audience and conveying the tone I intend to create.