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

TaglineMain Image

Synergy with social media Program IdentBrand Identity

EastEnders poster Analysis • Main image- The main image within this poster is of a young man called ‘Jay’. It is a mid shot which

denotes the upper half of his body. Jay is wearing a blue unzipped hoodie and unbuttoned polo shirt in a road. The connotations behind this could be this is a working class boy following the negative stereotype of being a delinquent. Set behind Jay is a pub which is a key location in soaps and is a focus point. This can remind the audience of the communal feel within the town of the soap which they could relate to. Jay has no facial expressions which connotes that he could be in shock and is overthinking.

• Strapline- Jays blank facial expressions compare with the verbal code of the posters strapline ‘watch out Jay…’ because it gives the impression to the audience that he has done something wrong and someone is wanting to get him back. This reveals a slight insight of the narrative to the audience which would intrigue them making them want to watch the up and coming episodes. The use of the ellipses ‘...’ elongates the sentence and makes the reader wonder what happens next. The words ‘watch out’ indicate that jay is in a dangerous situation and is under some form of treat. This conforms to the working class stereotype that Jay is a ‘thug’ or involved with ‘the wrong sort of people’.

• Program logo/ brand identity- If the audience members wasn’t familiar with ‘Jay’ as a character then the ‘EastEnders’ indentation will reinforce its identity. The program is very well-known and even if you didn’t watch the soap you would recognise the program. By the same font being used for the strapline as the logo, creates a memorable house style connoting why EastEnders have such good brand identity.

• Social media- a hashtag ‘#’ is used to represent that the program being available on different platforms such as twitter on social media. Hashtags are frequently used by a wide range of ages on social media so the audience would be familiar with this symbol. This is how they can relate to the poster and if they are interested have a look what is offered online.

Image

Institution Logo

Tagline ‘Point of call information’

Hollyoaks poster Analysis • Institution Indent- the reinforces the brands identity and reminds the audiences what institution

Hollyoaks is related to. If a audiences member frequently watched the show and was a fan, they are more likely to watch another ‘E4’ program as they have had a good experiences with the channel.

• Image- The non-verbal code of the main image of the poster is a woman on a wedding day looking depressed. This challenges the stereotype of what a bride is meant to be like. This automatically signifies that this isn't an average wedding and will include drama. A man is leaning over the bride and is slightly blurred connoting that the bride is the most important character within the poster.

• Tagline- The denotation of the verbal code of the tag line for the promotional poster is ‘speak now or forever hold your peace….’. This connotes that there may be a problem at the wedding as is the a significant line where the wedding can be postponed. By including a very well known line within the wedding service will help make the audience feel as if they are involved. The word ‘peace’ goes against the stereotypically annotation of a soap as stereotypically they are usually full of drama. Like in the EastEnders poster ‘…’ has been used as a cliff hanging which leaves the audience wondering in anticipation. Putting the ellipses after the word ‘peace’ could suggest to the audience that, when thinking about it, ‘peace’ is very unlikely within the soap storyline and that they don’t know what drama is to come next.

• ‘Point of call information’ – This includes when, where and what time the program is on. This is key information for the audience as if the trailer was successful in making you want to watch the soap, then you will need to know how to watch it. ‘4’ institution has more than one channel and the program information is specific of what channel ‘E4’ which would make the soap easier top find.

Student Exemplar Work – Textual Analysis

Institution LogoImage

‘Point of call information’ Tagline

Synergy with social media

Program Ident

Exemplar Work poster Analysis • Image- The non-verbal code of the main image is of a woman presenting the

tagline. The woman has a dark stroke effect over her making her look eerie and moody. She lacks a facial expression, connoting that she is solemn which connotes why is she in darkness.

• Tagline- The verbal code of the tagline coincides with the main image as both are of a depressing nature. The tag line finishes with the verbal code ‘death’, ‘signifying’ (Se Sauassure) that the soap is dark and mysterious. The strapline also includes the verbal code ‘game’ which highlights its background as the text looks like it is presented on some type of a game board.

• ‘Point of call information’- the poster includes the soaps program information which is vital for a new soap as nobody will know when its on. This soap is aired at 8:30pm which is a popular time and just before watershed, 9m which means there may be a lot of competition but is also a prime time for mature audiences members.

• Institution Ident - the poster includes ‘BBC Three’ which is a well known channel and has regular viewers,. By including a well known intuition such as ‘BBC’ suggests to the audiences that the program has to be of a high standard to be aired on a popular channel.

Exemplar Work poster Analysis • Synergy with social media- By signifying that the program can be talked

about on different platforms like on social media will help publicise the soap which is vital for something up and coming like ‘Manor Drive’. The poster includes two well know social media programs, Twitter and Facebook and their logos, which the consumer will recognise. The poster also includes a TV social media link which some viewers may find interesting as they have not heard of it before, which would encourage viral marketing.

• Program Ident - ‘Manor Drive’ is the name of a road which connotes why the program logo name is set on a road sign. This visual image of the road sign reinforces the programs name and makes it more memorable for the viewer. By using a road name as the programs name highlights to the audience that the soap will be set in a community and will be based in a specific place which will regularly occur within the soap.

What I intend to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) in my own Ancillary Product

• I tend to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) including key information such as the intuitions logo and when and where the soap will be aired. This is important because for a new soap the viewers will be unaware of its viewing time. Until the soap has very strong brand recognition like EastEnders it will require this basic information on its promotional posters.

• I also like how in the student explainer work the programs logo included a road sign. As also my soap is named after a road, I think I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale – 1980) this as it would be a affective way of symbolising that.

• Both professional poster I looked at included ellipses ‘...’ within the strapline. I will ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) this idea as it is a successful way of making the cover line look more dramatic and making a lasting impression on the reader.