Soap Opera Genre –

Independent Textual Analysis

Name: Taylor SabgaCandidate Number: 64855Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic CollegeCenter Number: 64770

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Trailer 1 –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO71CaQ_nig

Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or Soundtrack

There was little diegetic dialogue used in the trailer there was also no soundtrack as it sounded more like a montage of sound effects. Diegetic sound effects were also used in the form of a door being locked. At the end of the trailer the non diegetic voiceover was used, the voice over denotes “Eastenders: on BBC 1”. This verbal code provides very little and reveals nothing about the narrative but only ‘informs’ (Katz) the audience when and where they can watch it. A voiceover is usually used to remind the audience that the trailer is just a teaser and a taste of what the full episode will be like. At the end of the trailer before the voice over comes in, Kat stops speaking midsentence when she sees another female character. This could connote that there is something going on between the two characters and their secret is the main USP for the trailer. The non diegetic sound effects used sound similar to a knife which the trailer is about, the audience know this because when Kat is talking in the courtroom she says “Alice grabbed the knife…” This could be the enigma clue the audience desperately crave from the scandalous Soap-Opera genre.

Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera Movement

The technical code of a mid shot is used when Kat (character in courtroom) is giving a statement to the judges in the courtroom, however when Kat sees Stacey walk into the courtroom the camera which is a mid shot turns into a close up to denote her facial expressions which is a look of a plea to stop her from saying the statement. A reverse eye line match is used when Janine is looking at the image of her baby, the camera looks at the image of her baby first then reverses back to Janine's facial expression which is sad and can connote to the audience that she may have let her baby down. An over the shoulder close up of Janine is used when she is in the courtroom when she is looking at Kat. This shot is used because the scene is about her and the questions being asked to Kat relate to Janine. A mid shot is used when Stacey is talking to a male character because Stacey is using hand gestures whilst talking, this is because she is motivated and is passionate about the situation (Kat going to prison) and wants resolve the situation.

Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial Expressions and Characters

Low key lighting is used because the situation itself is very dark. In the courtroom the lighting is very dark and all of the characters are wearing dark clothing, however when Stacey walks in she is wearing red which can symbolize her being in some form of danger or posing a threat to the other characters involved in this crime. The non-verbal code of the colour red also acts as a defining example of a ‘disequilibrium’ () in the trailer. There were three main settings used in the trailer; the prison cell where one character was being held, a courtroom and in a house where two characters are having a conversation about Kat going to prison. When Kat is in the courtroom is near tears when she is speaking, which is stereotypical of the gender role as they ‘appear’ (John Berger) to be vulnerable, however in some respects this representation challenges the expected generic theme of the ‘strong, dominant female’ (Feasey) in Soap-Opera texts. When the door closes on the woman in the prison cell she closes her eyes because she does not want to be there. Also later on in the trailer she says “not long baby” looking at an image of her baby which can connote she wants to leave and is expecting to see the baby soon. The male character (max) in the house makes a sigh impression, he makes this when the girl says to him “so I get my life back but Alice gets hers taken away”, which connotes that Max is thinking about the severity of the situation. The trailer contains 5 characters, 4 female characters and one male character, there are also a few other characters including police guards and a judge in the courtroom. From the trailer the main character in the episode seems to be either Stacey or Kat because Stacey is wearing a bright red coat in a low key room and stands out. From the trailer it seems as if the females are more dominant, there is a female in charge of the court room, Stacey who is trying to sort out the whole Kat going to prison situation and then Max who seems to be powerless in the situation which is an anti stereotype for a male.

Hollyoaks Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbK-UyEihjs

Verbal Codes - Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or Soundtrack

In the trailer there is a multi stranded story happening, for example a story with Sienna and a young girl, an online dating argument and two children talking about how their family is falling apart. All the narrative themes & issues in the trailer seem to be affected or revolve around the character Sienna. There is a fast paced ‘Dubstep’ like non-diegetic soundtrack which can connote that everything is unorganized and messy in the family. One of the narrative strands is a man who has setup an online dating profile and his wife finds out. The woman's reaction is extremely bad and she becomes angered by this, we know this because of her diegetic as she shouts “you promised me this was behind us”, while shouting she also starts to cry. There were no sound effects used in the trailer and there was no voice over used either, I feel there was no non diegetic voice over because of the way the trailer ended as a character who's name is not mentioned in the trailer says “where's my daughter?” and then ends which may leave audiences on a cliffhanger and speechless which is why no voice over was used.

Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial Expressions and Characters

The lighting used in most scenes were high key, however in the scene where the woman is shouting and crying the lighting is low key to connote to the audience that she is upset. If she was in a happy mood then high key lighting would have been used. The facial expressions of the man when his wife is shouting and crying is confused because he is confused why she is reacting in that particular way, he says “I didn't’t set up that profile” trying to defend himself, however after he says this Sienna walks in through the door which can connote she set the profile up. The characters vary in age as there are two young children aged around 11 who were talking about how there family is falling apart. There is a teenager aged around 18 who is trying to be a mother figure to her sister (the young child) and the mum who is aged around 50. The costumes used were fairly basic, however the character who is crying and shouting is wearing purple, which can connote that she is vulnerable, fragile and upset. The main setting of the trailer was the house in which Sienna and her family live, this is because all of the storylines in the trailer are affected by the online dating profile story.

Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera Movement

There is a low angle shot of the woman who is shouting and crying, this is because she has more authority in the scene and is a more dominant figure compared to the man sitting in the chair. A high angle is also used when the man is in the chair as he has less authority of the situation. A medium close up is used when Sienna walks through the door to denote her facial expressions which is a smirk like facial expression, I feel she made that facial expression as she has something to do with the situation, the situation she is in is about her parents splitting up. A close up is used when the sisters are hugging each other to connote that she is trying to protect her sister. A low angle shot of Sienna is used when she walks into the room right after the boy says “she’ll mess you up in the head”. A close up of the piece of paper which are tickets for the concert is used to ‘signify’ (De Saussure) to the audience what the two characters are looking at, it can also mean it is a way out for the two sisters who are in the middle of a family crisis at home. An extreme close up is used when the women is questioned about where the women's daughter is, her facial expression is shock then the trailer ends.

Evaluation of Textual Analysis – Compare and Contrast

Trailer 1) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) and/or ‘exploit’ (Abercrombie – 1995)

From trailer one I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) the use of effects as near the end of the trailer the sounds used sound very similar to a knife which the trailer is based around. I would also ‘repeat’ the door closing and chain sound effects as it helps dramatize the scene where the woman is locked up in a cell. Another aspect of the trailer I would ‘repeat’ is the use of camera angles, one angle in particular was a low angle shot as it can connote that the character has more power in the scene and possibly the antagonist, camera angles help in a scene as it helps signify who had a higher status in a particular scene. I would also repeat the use of a slow zoom into Kats face as when the camera turns to Stacey then back to Kat the zoom becomes an extreme close up of her facial expressions and her reaction to seeing her was her being shocked. I would also ‘exploit’ (Abercrombie – 1995) the inclusion of diegetic dialogue used as the sentences being said were short and snappy and did not drag on, meaning it got to the point quicker. I would also repeat the way the trailer was made as it only focused on the one storyline which was Janine in jail and Kat making a statement, in other trailers there are elements of a multi stranded narrative happening and can be at times confusing.

Trailer 2) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) and/or ‘exploit’ (Abercrombie – 1995)

From trailer two I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) the use of shot reverse shot and the close ups of the characters facial expressions. I would also ‘exploit’ (Abercrombie – 1995) the use of the soundtrack, I found that the use of the soundtrack was extremely effective and was in tune with the theme of the trailer. Unlike trailer one the trailer only focuses on two storylines, although there are multiple sub plots all the characters apart from two are affected by the main narrative strand which is that the family is falling apart and that Sienna is the only one doing something about it. I would also ‘repeat’ the use of text during the trailer which gets the audience thinking and can also set the tone of the trailer, an example of the text use in the trailer would be ‘ Some people can’t see the truth’. I would also ‘repeat’ the dramatization of the characters reaction to something that has happened an example of this would be when the women finds the online dating profile on the mans laptop.