Soap Opera Genre –

Ancillary Product Analysis

Name: Claire OlneyCandidate Number: 1186Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

The colours that have been used within the poster are predominantly black, and then the image is very faded, in order to foreshadow that Lucy is going to be killed off, as well as the fact that the image has been sharpened in areas connotes shock from the other characters in the soap as well as the audience. There is also an element of red present on the image of Lucy, which could give off the effect of surveillance, whilst connoting death.

The layout of this poster is landscape, which allows the tagline to run alongside the image of Lucy, almost to give off the idea that she could be saying ‘Walford Will Change. Forever.’

I think that the tagline is supposed to be the main focus of the poster as it has been written in white, which boldly stands out over the black background, even more so than the faded image of Lucy. This therefore conveys that the tagline is the main focus of this particular poster as it is the most eye-catching feature above everything else.

This poster only features an image of one character, which demonstrates how the entire storyline circulates around her, and that she is the reason for Walford’s change. As she has been featured in a faded red light, this suggests that she is in some form of danger, or could even be causing danger for other characters within the soap. Additionally, Lucy is

portrayed wearing a light coloured top, which connotes that she is an innocent character in the event that is going to unfold. She is not making eye contact with the camera, which suggests that all contact with her character has been lost due to the event.

They have included the BBC One institution indent in a faded white colour in the bottom corner of the poster. Not only is this a form of brand identity and promotion for the institution, but it also ‘informs’ (Katz) the audience of what channel the program will be exhibited on.

An Eastenders hashtag has been referenced in the bottom corner of the poster, which is again another form of brand identity for the program. On top of this, it also is a form of synergy with social media, which allows audience members to involve themselves in gossip/talk about the program online, as well as receiving updates on it.

The non-verbal code of the main image has been manipulated in order to make the characters appear engulfed in flames. This connotes how there will be a shocking and dramatic event to occur in the soap opera, which could involve some kind of a fire, hence ‘changing Hollyoaks forever’. The image comes across as quite impersonal because none of the characters are making eye contact with the camera, which could suggest vulnerability, as well as a sense of distance, which could be as a result of the dramatic event about to take place.

The verbal code of the tagline has been outlined in white in order to make it stand out to the audience over the black and orange of the poster. They have used language such as ‘change’ and ‘forever’, which suggests permanence, and it also disrupts any kind of routine audience members have adopted from watching Hollyoaks, so they will therefore want to watch the event unfold over the week. Also, they have enlarged the tagline itself, which draws more attention to it, and this also allows the essential details as to when it starts to be highlighted in a smaller sized font.

The layout of the poster is landscape, which allows each character featured to have a decent amount of space, as it is quite spread out, which connotes that each character plays a very significant part within the storyline.

The colours used within the poster include black, orange and white. The white is only used to highlight the tagline, and represent the institution, which connotes that there is no element of innocence or purity that will occur within the soap’s storyline. The black background suggests that there is a darker truth hidden behind what is being portrayed on the poster, which will be revealed in the program. The orange of the flames engulfing the characters connotes energy, which could imply that the events that will take place are action-packed, and that these particular characters will be heavily involved in the action.

They have included the institution indent for Channel 4 on the poster, which overlaps the image of the characters. This is a form of brand identity, as it promotes Channel 4, and it has also been printed in white, which is the same colour that has highlighted the tagline, which links to the timing of the program ‘Starts Fri 5 Nov’, so it therefore ‘informs’ (Katz) the audience of when the storyline begins, and where they can watch it.

Overall, the colours present within the poster are light, apart from the colours of the characters’ clothes and parts of the cake. The lightness surrounding the characters connotes how they are the ones involved in any kind of bad atmosphere, whilst the rest of the characters within the soap are unaffected by the events that are to occur. The black of the clothing suggests that the characters are engulfed in the dark secrets and bad atmosphere, and they are unable to escape. The two boys wear black suits with white underneath, which suggests that they are viewed to be bad characters, but they have good intentions underneath. However, the girl wears white with elements of black in her outfit, which could suggest that she is viewed to be innocent, but she hides darkness within her character.

The tagline ‘I now pronounce you betrayed for life’ is a play on words of what is traditionally said at a wedding ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife’. This dark twist to the traditions connotes how within the soap there will be a dark twist on the actual wedding itself. The word ‘betrayed’

has been italicized, which causes it to stand out over the other words. This therefore adds more emphasis to it, leading the audience to believe that betrayal is a key theme to the storyline.

The non-verbal code of the image has been manipulated so that the characters are on top of a wedding cake that contains 2 layers. The two layers could connote that there are 2 layers within he story, and the boy that is on the lower layer could be viewed as a lower status to the other two, and how he isn’t supposed to be involved in their relationship. The background is slightly faded to draw more attention to the characters. It features a church, which implies that the main elements of the storyline are to take place.

within a church, which is associated with purity, so ironically, the event will juxtapose with this.

It also features an image of a knife, which could hold connotations of some form of murder, or as they are standing on a cake, it could imply a sense of separation between the characters.

There are references to the program’s social media links at the bottom of the poster in order to allow the audience to be involved online with the soap opera, which will create a ‘hype’ for it, and it will therefore increase in popularity. There is also the use of synergy with social media in the fact that they have included the ‘Thorn Lane’ hashtag for Twitter to allow users to tweet about the program.

They have included the institution indent for BBC Three, which is a form of brand identity, and they have placed it next to what time the program is on, so it allows the audience to know where and when to watch it.

ConclusionFrom the posters I have analyzed, I have decided that I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) the way that the Eastenders and Hollyoaks posters have included a solid colour for a background, as I believe this looks professional, and it also creates a sense of mystery and allows the main image and tagline to stand out more instead of using an image for the background. Also, I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) how they have included manipulated images of the featured characters, which relate to the storyline and this gives the audience an idea of what may occur in the program, which can get them excited to watch it. I also will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) the use of synergy with social media, which is present on the Eastenders and the Thorn Lane posters, as this creates a ‘hype’ for the program, and it also allows the audience to get more involved with the program online. I also intend to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) the inclusion of the institution company along with when the text is scheduled to be televised, as this will ‘inform’ (Katz) the audience as to when and where they can watch the soap opera.