Soap Opera Genre –

Ancillary Product Analysis

Name: Phoebe RegnaultCandidate Number: 1212Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Cover line

(Secondary Story)

Masthead

Main Headline

Use of Punctuation to sensationalize a story

Web Address (Cross Media Convergence)

Main Image

(Usually shot at a MCU)

Analysis • Masthead- The connotations behind ‘What's on TV’ suggest what this magazine is going to

include. The masthead ‘informs’ (Katz) the reader that this magazine is going to include the up and coming television such as what to expect and where the soap is taking the story line/ characters. This can capture the readers attention as they will be anxious to find out what's going to happen next. The red background could represent the drama, passion and violence which frequently features within soaps. The masthead is fairly big and the bright colours would draw the reader towards the magazine. Being drawn towards the masthead is important for the magazine because it makes their brand identity more memorable which creates brand loyalty.

• Web Address (Cross Media Convergence)- The magazine has included their web address which signifies that their magazine and its content are available on different platforms. This gives the reader opportunity to access the magazine on a portable device which would make the magazine constantly available.

• Main Image- The main image is one of the most important visual aspects of the magazine. On this issue both characters featuring on the front cover are making direct eye contact. This is a way of the magazine connecting with the audience as it feels as if the actors on the front cover are looking at them. The image is a mid-shot of both actors but the main focus is on their faces as the text covers their body. This focal point allows the reader to clearly see their facial expressions. The male character is set back from the female character which depicts the main head line ‘Stacey's dark secret’.

• Main head line- The verbal code ‘dark secret’ ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) to the reader that the next story line could be very mysterious and full of drama. The head line gives an insight to the reader of what type of story is coming up and what type of mood it will contain. It also suggests what type of character role will be played, the word ‘dark’ highlights that a villain may be present within the storyline.

• Use of Punctuation to sensationalize a story- The use of the exclamation mark are used to express excitement. By including this at the end of the main head line exaggerates and makes the text look more exhilarating.

• Cover line (secondary story)- The text is writing in upper case capital letters which makes the words stand out more and makes them seen important to the reader. The cover line says ‘Lovers again!’, which depicts the stereotype that soaps are often based around relationships and the drama within them. The word ‘again’ can relate to the viewers who have been watching the show for a long period of time because they will know the characters and their history, which makes the reader more involved.

Continued

Strapline

Date

Price

Masthead

Main Headline

Cover lineWith pictures

• Masthead – The masthead says ‘inside soap’ which detonates the idea that the magazine will go deep inside the soaps to produce good content for the reader. The test is in red bold writing which is very eye catching as it spreads across the width of the page. The colour red indicates drama and danger which is frequently included within soaps such as Eastenders which is included on the front cover.

• Main Headline- ‘summer of shocks’ suggests that some big story lines are about to be revealed as it prepares the reader and audience member for some shocks’. The word ‘shock’ suggests something dramatic and unexpected is about to come which is stereotypical of a soap.

• Cover lines With pictures- The cover lines annotate the pictures and make it clear for the audience to understand what the pictures are trying to connote. By adding the text makes it easier for the consumer to understand the relevance of the picture and what storyline in the soap they go along side.

Analysis Continued

• Strapline - The connotations behind the verbal code ‘every story, every secret, every week’ suggest that this magazine is very insightful, informative and worth the read. This would encourage the audience to buy the magazine as they are intrigued what “secrets” will be revealed. The strap line uses the rule of three as it repeats ‘every’ three times exaggerates the word and makes the strapline more memorable and reliable for the reader.

• Price - The magazine includes the price in the top middle of the magazine. The magazine costs £1.60 which is a very reasonable price to pay for a magazine. By including the price the magazine are being up front about how much it costs instead of the customers getting a surprise at the till and not wanting to buy the magazine again. By the magazine being fairly cheap it will encourage the consumer to keep buying the weekly magazine which will provide loyal customers for ‘inside soap’.

• Date- By including the date on the front cover of the magazine will help the reader keep up with all the issues. This is very important for a soap magazine as stories lines within the soap move on very quickly and there is a lot of content. If the reader didn't’t know what week the issue was from they may get confused and expect something to happen in the soap which was from months ago.

Analysis

What I will to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale)

In my own Ancillary Product Front Cover I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale)..• I will include the colour red in my masthead like both ‘What's on TV’ and

‘Inside Soap’ as this colour is bright and catches the audiences attention. The connotations being the colour red are passion, anger and romance. These are all key elements which soaps daily include and which I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) in my own trailer and on my soap magazine front cover.

• Furthermore I will also ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) how ‘What's on TV’ made its main head line big and bold. By the text being in white with a red border makes it pop out the page which is why it is one of the first things you see when you look at the page. This is important because the main head line is the biggest story within the magazine so it should stand out.

• Lastly I will try and ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) how ‘ Inside Soap’ have included the date. This will help the reader keep track of what's going on within the soap. Including the date will also show the reader how the magazine is very informative and it highlights that there are weekly releases and all its content is up to date.