Soap Opera Genre –

Ancillary Product Analysis

Name: Joe DolanCandidate Number: 2043Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Brand Identity Synergy with social media

Image Manipulation-

Eastenders• Image Manipulation: Lucy Beale has been presented in a grainy format mixed with red and

white as though she is about to be dissolved away like sand or ashes. The filter used is old and vintage and has been used to illustrate how she is simply from the past and her life has been ended. Also another use of the shot type called the Eye Level shot of which help in portraying the famous River Thames from setting the location of Eastenders but also how it is from London. Also in the background it denotes an eroded, broken background of which explains how everyone surrounding the death of the victim is also effected and feels threatened by their surroundings. Also the use of the victims gradient explains how the faults that are arising are more vulnerable to the outer world.

• Tagline: With the use of the commanding verbal code “Forever” it gives a shocking, sudden impact on the audience as it will they will feel unable to escape the threat as it will leave the singular word as it will be left in the audiences head and engraved. This word “forever” is bold and stands out from the sentence as it makes it clear that this is an ongoing issue that has overcome Walford and the people within it. The dull, grey font makes the oncoming danger seem more important and foreshadows the fear that the people of Albert Square are feeling. This change about to overcome the individuals is seen as permanent and cannot be undone as the death is so important.

• Synergy: This gives the audience a chance to interact with the programme and help advertise it through social media and linking the hashtag idea through media products such as twitter or Facebook.

• Institution ident: This gives the audience the idea where they can find the programme and therefore gives them information for oncoming episodes as well.

Institution Logo

Image Manipulation

Tagline

Web Link

Disarming Britain• Institution logo: This logo is illustrating ITV1 and gives the audience a chance

to search for the channel and look up other programmes on that channel, this would help broaden their target audience.

• Image manipulation: This image has been made to look lower class and boring and is set in a lower class house with colour manipulation of which illustrates a simple, lower-class upbringing. Also the use of lighting captures the couples sexual attraction and the individuals facial expressions being mature and powering as he is stereotypically associated with looking down on a female and making her feel comfortable. On the other hand the man peering through the window seems to be inspecting the couple in a jealous way as though he has had relations with one of these partners. He is in the shadows possibly indicating that he is disregarded as a concern and is not threatening.

• Tagline: “You never know what’s around the corner” along with the time it is been showing and therefore can imply that the episodes will move forward at this time and will continue on.

• Web link: This gives the audience a chance to access the episode on another day if they are not available for the release date. This gives the audience a chance to catch up 24/7 and watch episodes they have missed out on. This allows them to have a cross media convergence for the audience allowing them to access different media work.

Thorn Lane

Social Media Synergy

Tagline

Date

Image

Thorn Lane- Example a2 piece• Image Manipulation - Through the image it illustrates that they have used a black and white effect and

therefore could be trying to portray the past or a time in life of which is indescribable. Another feature is the costume and that the suitable smart suits and the females dress can denote how a wedding is about to occur and that they take their appearance very seriously for an occasion like this. Facials expressions are very hard to describe as the female is looking confused and oblivious to why she is dressing up whereas the male is looking down from the camera and this could imply that he feels guilty or some pain towards the even that has occurred. Also with the coloured images being toys and smaller items it could imply that a child is involved in the middle of these two individuals and is caught up in this event. Also the use of the red colour being hung up can connote blood of which could suggest that incoming danger is imminent and is being held on by a clip.

• Synergy Social Media: The main synergy is with the social networks like Facebook and twitter of which can imply an attraction to a younger audience as they are more likely to see this through the social media.

• Synergy with BBC: This gives the audience the chance to hashtag and spread the word virally so others can copy the trend and give off their view through word of mouth.

• Tagline: The denotation of the verbal code of the tagline is “Don’t stir your dirty laundry” is the tagline and it suggests that stirring your dirty laundry could be seen as a bad decision and events could occur if you were to do so. Also dirty laundry shouldn’t be stirred as it should be clan before doing this action as it can cause diseases.

Conclusion• I intend to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale - 1980) the gloomy vignette

effect used in the EastEnders poster of which I feel works well in illustrating the cruel nature of this magazine and replicating this in my work would be successful. I would use this because my trailer is also quite horrific and I feel the darkness would build up the tension effectively.

• I will also use ‘repeat’ the use of synergy to social media across my pages as I feel it would be useful in interlinking it with these sites and spreading the word of my programme more effectively.

• Lastly, I will use the stereotypical views that are portrayed in the series disarming Britain as I feel it works effectively in bringing forward the soap opera views.