Magazine and Poster layouts

Thanks to our analysis's of different soap magazines and posters, we could begin thinking about the final design of our own soap poster and magazine for our soap. We each created our own designs for the two publications and decided which of each designs worked the best. Although we didn't decide on my magazine for the final design, we did choose my poster idea. This idea shows the cast lined up looking shocked with George's eyes fading in from the background. To illustrate this design, we made a very rough version in Photo Shop.

My Magazine and Poster Designs
Rough draft of George's eyes in the soap poster

Auditions and final script

Finishing off the final script by making improvements to the initial script meant we could start auditioning people for the roles. This was quite a simple process but finding people for each role proved harder than we had expected. We eventually got auditionees for each role and everything went quite smoothly. When it came to auditioning the role of Jenny's parent we had initially stated that we wanted the character to be Jenny's mum but we auditioned a male, forgetting what we had already said. Because the person we auditioned played the role so well, we decided to change the character to be Jenny's step dad. We had to make him her step dad because they are from different ethnic backgrounds.

To amend this, I created a new character profile for Jenny's step dad including new background information and a new costume list.

Final Script
Audition videos
Casting Information
Jenny's guardian character change

Locations and Equipment

In order to have a clear idea of everything needed to produce our soap trailer, we needed to produce lists describing and illustrating the equipment (including everything from filming equipment to the clothes the cast will wear) and locations. For this, each group member created assigned lists and gave input into the other lists. I created the locations list, describing the places which will be required in our filming. Initially we were going to film the marriage in a church but due to difficulty in getting permission to film in one, we are going to film in a registry office instead.
I also gave input into what clothes cast members should wear, in order to connote their characteristics best in the trailer.

Prop List
Costumes
Equipment
Locations

Storyboarding for our soap

To create a clear and precise outline of what will feature in our soap, we have created three storyboards including a regular story board, an animatic storyboard and a photographic storyboard. Our whole group contributed to the production of these as they show the shots and transitions which will be used when it comes to creating our piece. We each gave our own ideas of how we think the shots and transitions should be made. I helped out by taking pictures, featuring in pictures and creating pictures for our different storyboards. I also spoke over the animated storyboard along with Abi.

Animatic
Photographic
Initial Storyboard

Soap magazine and poster analysis 2

Soap mag

Poster

Group Update

Recently, me and my group have been working on the storyline for our soap trailer. To do this, we have come up with the first two episodes for our new soap named "The Walthams". To show our storyline ideas, we created a video in which we showed the rough ideas of what happens in each storyline. For this, I spoke about some of the clips in the video and helped to film it. We also did some other work, including creating character profiles and making comparisons to characters in other soaps. These two things were made by other members of my group, whilst I created a flow chart about the 3 main story lines in our first two episodes.

During the coming-up with story lines, we also discussed the name for our soap. We came up with many names but finally settled on one of my ideas which is "The Walthams". I got the idea from the name of the place we've proposed to film the soap (Great Waltham) and thought it sounded quite catchy. It also fits in with the soap convention of naming the soap after the place in which it's set.

Most recently, we made a storyboard showing a rough outline of what happens in our soap trailer. In the making of this piece, I contributed by drawing 4 of the cells. I also managed to spell "Walthams" wrong in one of the cells!

Poster and Magazine analaysis

Soap Poster Analysis

Soap magazine analysis

Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire to find out what target audience and demographic groups watch soap operas. To find this out I have come up with 10 questions and created the survey using freeonlinesurveys.com. My aim from carrying out this questionnaire is to understand who watches soaps and the target audience of soap trailers to assist in the creation of our soap trailer.

Click Here to go to the survey

Questionnaire Results

Last Year's Soap Trailer (Valley Hill)

This trailer for a soap made by last year's media students follows similar conventions to real soap trailers. It outlines the plot well and gives the viewers an incite into the mentality of the characters in it. Mise en scene has been used well as the character who dies at the end is wearing black, symbolising death.


The actual plot works well for a soap opera as love and deceit are popular plot lines in modern soaps. One small thing I don't think worked well for the trailer was that all of the characters were shown shooting a gun at one of the male character. It seemed a little bit like they had circled around him in some western movie-style stand off which seemed a bit odd for a British soap trailer.


The dialogue works well in the trailer to show the conflicts and relationships between the characters, however some of the sounds didn't flow too well and it could of done with some music for irony to fit one of the sound convention of a soap trailer.


The mise en scene in the trailer is very simple but appears to have some thought put in. The clothing of the character who finally dies is all black- black connotes death and the female character who is shown as one of the people who possibly shot him at the end is wearing red, implying that she is a sinister character. The actual settings seem quite well thought out as well, with the subway being the place where the male antagonist finally dies. This seems like quite a well thought out choice of place as subways can sometimes connote danger, as they are the sort of place where it's hard to see what's actually going on from the perspective of someone not in the subway. The back alley also seems like a good setting choice as it's out of the way, showing the two characters in love are trying to hide it. I think the use of a food tech classroom wasn't very well thought out, especially since it appears that someone has hidden a £1,000,0000 cheque in a school cookery book. This scene looks quite rushed, as though they used the room as a last minute resort to get their filming done.


The sound used for the trailer works at some points and doesn't at others. although the music used kind of fits the shooting scene, it appears poorly edited making it quite off-putting. The actual dialogue used is quite effective, however as it gives a good insight into the story without giving too much away. It makes the audience feel like they already understand each character before seeing the episodes.


The narrative used has a very similar effect to the dialogue- it gives a strong insight into each of the characters feelings without giving away too much information. It also gives the audience an idea of what is going to happen but leaves mystery so you'll have to watch it to find out the conclusion.


The titles are quite nice as they back up the use of dialogue and narrative, helping to really connect with the characters before even watching the soap as well as provoking the question 'who done it?'. All of the use of titling is quite unconventional for a soap trailer as they are used as a kind of backbone to help the audience to relate to what's happening. This isn't usually done in soap trailers as they usually try getting the story across using sound and narrative. The end titles are also quite unconventional as they give no information about the channel the soap is on and there is no proper logo for the soap. Just the name in a very average font and in black and white.

Emmerdale Soap Trailer

This trailer follows similar conventions to the Coronation Street trailer, outlining the main plot line of what happening in the programme. Like in Coronation Street, the trailer appears to be advertising more than one episode.
Mise en Scene


In this trailer all of the characters are wearing black, symbolising death. This is because the storyline is based around the death of one of the characters. Because the black clothing connotes death, a person can watch the trailer and gain an understanding into what the episodes will be based around without having to actually know what happened earlier in the soap. the police uniforms also connote that there's been criminal activities going on, similarly to the Coronation Street trailer.


Sound


The sound plays a very important role in this trailer. The diegetic sound reveals the character's thoughts and feeling of the situation as well as giving the episode some mystery which the audience will have to watch to find answers to. The non-diegetic voice over provokes questions which will also need to be answered by watching the soap. The non-diegetic music is fitting to the situation as it is quite sinister and mysterious sounding.


Camera angles


Close ups are used to show each of the characters reactions and emotions, giving an idea of who feels guilt etc. This helps the audience to understand what is going on better even if they haven't seen the soap before. Extreme close ups are used to highlight key objects in the trailer, like the credit card, the telephone and the flowers.


Narrative


The narrative is very fully outlines in the trailer, giving an idea of who's guilty and who's not as well as giving an idea of what is actually going to happen in the episode. The trailer has a very conventional narrative for a soap opera trailer.


Titles


The titles in the trailer are all at the end of the trailer, like in the other two trailer and, like the Coronation Street trailer, just the name of the soap and the ITV logo are shown. The ITV logo is also shown throughout. This is a very conventional way to put the titles in a soap trailer.


Editing

The editing of the trailer creates a smooth flowing narrative and almost gives the feel that this trailer is an episode in itself. Every line said fits in with the line in the next clip used. This makes the trailer easy to follow whilst giving the audience an idea of who's involved and what the storyline is actually about. A small montage of clips also shows the audience every character which is involved in this main plot line.

Coronation Street Trailer

This trailer is quite a conventional soap trailer which outlines the plot of not one episode, but a whole week's episodes.

Mise-en-scene

The first thing noticeable about this trailer is that it's very gloomy and dark, connoting negativity and giving an idea about the sort of storyline the episodes being advertised will involve. Apart from the police officers (who connote that there's criminal activity), most of the characters are wearing black which connotes death and mourning, meaning that someone might die in the episodes.


Sound


The trailer uses both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds, with a large focus on the non-diegetic sounds to give an outline of the plot. The non-diegetic voice over reveals that an old character has left prison and is out for revenge. The diegetic dialogue used helps to understand the plot, with one of the characters gossiping to reveal that the man actual escaped from prison and the other characters showing fear about his escape. This means that even if you've never watched the soap before you can understand the situation and gather that it's a dangerous person on the loose. The music is quite fast paced and up-beat, almost as though it's supposed to connote a chase, which fits as the male character is running from the police and he's hunting down some of the other characters.


Narrative


In this trailer, the plots of the week's episodes are outlines right up until the male antagonist says he's going to kill the 3 female characters. The trailer shows everything about the plot to give the audience an idea of what happens without giving away the outcome. This is quite a conventional way to advertise an even in soap operas.


Titles


Throughout the trailer is the ITV logo, but at the end is where the final title is with the name of the soap and when the episodes being advertised will be played. this is a regular convention of soap trailers.

Editing

The entire trailer cuts between the reactions of different cast members and the antagonist walking down a path. This works well as it makes it clear to the audience that the people are reacting to news about this man escaping from prison. the short, sharp cuts also create a faster pace in the trailer, showing the nature of the storyline. When the antagonist begins to turn towards the camera, it goes into slow motion. This makes it easier for the audience to see his sinister face. The slow mo also gives quite a dramatic effect and builds tension.

Camera angles

Low angle shots used on the antagonist and higher angle shots used on the other characters, especially the ones who in the most danger. This use of shots shows the difference in power between the antagonist and protagonists. There is also a reveal shot of the main antagonist walking down the street. This helps to build tension as you don't know who the caracter is until the last moment.

Eastenders Soap Trailer

This trailer for Peggy's exit is a little different to conventional soap trailers which generally outline the plot of an episode. Instead of the plot being outlined, there is a montage of Peggy from over the years of her being in the show. The clips are centred around the Queen Vic and the final clip is of a celebration which could be from the episode itself, connoting that the episode will be set in a party for Peggy's goodbye.

Mise en Scene

The clips of Peggy used in the trailer are quite obviously trying to portray Peggy for the character she has been over the years she has been in the show. It represent her as a feisty, caring and sexy lady by using clips which connote her as being so. The clips connote her as this mainly by sound, but also by how she appears in all of the clips- she's almost always wearing quite smart clothes and make-up, as well as always appearing to have her hair styled. The scenes are lit depending on the situation Peggy is shown in, as the montage shows good and bad moments of her time in Eastenders. The final clip which appears to be in the episode is brightly lit, showing the episode will most likely be a more positive episode.

Sound

Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used in the trailer. The use of diegetic sounds to go with the clips used helps to show Peggy's personality over the years, so even if you've never heard of her, you could feel like you know her. Other diegetic sounds like a wolf whistle from one of the other cast members connotes Peggy as a sexy character within the soap as well as showing some of the negative views some of the characters had towards her.

The non-diegetic music used helps to show off Peggy's personality as well. The lyrics and type of song help to portray her as the feisty character she's meant to be. The non-diegetic voice over gives a literal view on Peggy as 'the nation's favourite landlord' showing that she is a very popular character in the soap.

Narrative

Although the trailer doesn't do what a lot of conventional soap trailers do and give visual ideas into the plot, it's got quite an obvious message into what the narrative of the episode will be. There are a wide variety of story lines shown in the trailer which sum up Peggy's character in the soap over the years as well as some which give hints to there being a party in the episode.

Titling

There is only one title in the trailer at the end which says 'I <3 Peggy'. This is simple and shows th popularity the programme already has. It also has a lot to do with the type of advertising campaign because it is all about appreciating the character peggy. there is also a bbc logo on the screen throughout, showing the channel which the soap is aired on. The lack of titling is mostly because of how well established this soap is. Most people already know what channel and what time Eastenders is shown at thanks to how long it's been running now.

Soap Opera Trailers

Trailers and Why Soaps Use Them

Trailers are used by media institutes to advertise their product to their target audience, to provoke interest in the film, or programme being advertised.

A lot of well established soap operas use trailers, even though they already have stable, and high, viewing numbers. New soap operas also use trailers to promote themselves to a new audience and gain viewing figures.

The well established soaps usually use trailers to advertise an upcoming event within the soap such as the return of a character or a murder. Although a lot of their viewers watch the programme pretty religiously, there are some who pop in and out of watching it. The trailers are intended to reach these viewers who don't always watch the programme and make them want to see what happens in this big event within the soap.

Soap Opera Trailer Showings

To gain further understanding into soap operas, I have looked out for trailers on TV. This gives an idea of what sort of target audiences these soaps are aimed at.

After watching out for soaps, I found that prime time soaps like Eastenders are shown during the evening at similar times to when the actual programmes are aired. For example, I observed that trailers advertising Peggy leaving Eatenders were shown during the breaks on BBC at 8PM and 9PM. This is probably because this is around the time the target audience are expected to be watching TV.

I also saw an advert for Coronation Street during a break on ITV just before Emmerdale, at around 7PM. This is also probably because the target audience of Coronation Street will be watching TV around this time and are probably into Emmerdale if they are soap fans.

Soap Opera Trailer Target Audiences

The target audience of soap opera trailers tend to be the same as the target audience for the actual soap. This is especially true for new soaps who are trying to appeal to the target audience they're created to appeal to.
In the case of established soaps, the target audience for their trailers are on and off viewers who don't always watch the soap and so may not be aware of upcoming events within the soap.


Conventions in Soap Trailers

- They outline an episodes plot
- They tease the audience
- They tend to hint towards how the plot line ends
- Music is used for irony
- They introduce the characters involved in the plot
- The leave the audience in suspense


The conventions in soap trailers are very similar to those in actual soaps. This is probably to make the trailers feel like the actual soap and give the new audience a way to get a feel for the soap before watching it. The way soaps are made also keep the audience hooked for the next episode, so this can work well for advertising too.

Soap Opera Video

This is our soap opera video. It outlines the kinds of plot lines used in soap operas and the sorts of issues they deal with. We have used actors to demonstrate these kinds of plot lines as well as clips from real soaps. I helped film and edit this video and also acted in the scene about domestic violence.

Soap Opera Analysis

History of Soap Opera

Soap operas started as serialised drama on radio in the US in the 1930's. Because they were often sponsored by companies which made household products like washing up powder, soap and cleaning materials, newspapers gave them the name 'soap operas'. The genre continued to expand globally and now mostly dominate peak-time mainstream TV schedules.
In the UK, soap operas first started on radio too. The first one (The Archers) first aired in 1951 on BBC radio and is still broadcasted today, making it the world's longest running soap. It still attracts over 5 million listeners, making up 25% of the radio listening population of the UK at that time of the evening.
Between 1954 and 1957, 148 episodes of a very early television serial named The Grove Family were aired. It was recorded live and only a few episodes were kept in the archives. The idea of a television serial led way to the types of soaps we see today. It wasn't until 1960's, however, when we first started to see these sorts of soaps, starting with Coronation Street. Other television serials soon followed, to compete with Coronation Street and over the next few decades, right up until the present day, new soaps have been created and cancelled in the ever growing industry.
British soap operas have generic conventions which decipher them from other television dramas. Some of these conventions are:

• Serial narratives told through a series of episodes



• They happen in real time



• Each episode begins with a hook and ends with a cliffhanger



• focus on family conflicts and romance



• Story lines which relate to real life issues (e.g. domestic violence)



• Centered around a neighbourhood



• Have a well-known theme tune and intro sequence



• Have a range of diverse characters for the audience to relate with

Nowadays, soap operas are incredibly popular. According to the coronation street wiki page, up to 12 million people have watched a single episode of Coronation Street in the UK this year. Compared to Spooks, which could only get 5.2 million views on it's opening episode, it is clear how popular soaps like Coronation Street actually are in the UK.

Soap Mind Maps

Soaps

Sources:

http://www.atvnewsnetwork.co.uk/today/index.php/atv-today/4067-monday-ratings-dci-banks-beats-spooks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_opera
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1087193