soap magazine and poster analysis with conclusion
TRANSCRIPT
Soap Opera Genre –
Ancillary Product Analysis
(Magazine and posters)
Name: Asuka Young
Candidate Number: 4149
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – A2
Level
Unit G324: Advanced
Portfolio
The Masthead
The colour of this is red, which is a
conventional colour for a magazine mast
head, because it attracts attention as it
stands out. The drop shadow may
connote that a depth of topics/soaps are
covered in this magazine, which is what
‘survivors’ (Maslow) would expect.
Main Image
This image is a medium shot of a couple with a
baby, and the audience can be familiar with this
shot as it connotes a family. The non-verbal code
of the facial expressions of the three protagonists
represents happiness and fulfilment. However, in
contrast to this, to the back there is a man with an
unhappy facial expression, which may connote
jealousy or some form of negative emotions
towards the couple and the baby. Because his age
seems mid-age, the audience can assume that the
main image has a narrative of a love triangle or
similar.
The main headline
This has a pink background with white text which
connotes love and purity, which is a binary
opposite (Levi Strauss) to the connotations of the
verbal code, which is affairs and negativity.
Moreover, by saying ‘Who will be daddy?’ so using
shortened sentence instead of adding the ‘the
daddy’, it get’s the main message of the narrative
easier to the audiences, adding a rush and panic
to the narrative and urgency to find out who it
could or will in fact be.
Cover line
The verbal code ‘Death or Divorce?’
attracts the readers as they are both
describing stages of hardships and
negativity in life that some readers may be
able to ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with and
the question mark in the end ‘signifies’ (De
Saussure) that somebody have to choose
between the two.
On top of this, the non-verbal code of the
man’s facial expression in the picture
above matches with the connotations
behind the cover line.
Another cover line
The combination of the exclamation mark
and the question mark at the end
suggests panic and chaos, which builds
up the tension and expectations of the
audiences. The word pregnant is in capital
letters, in order to emphasize that
pregnancy in this situation is a big
problem.
Strapline
By saying that it is the British No 1, it gives the connotation that
local, British people should buy this because it is the top magazine
that they can ever buy- which tempts them.
The masthead
It has capital letters to both words to be
clear that this is a soap magazine.
However by not leaving a space between
the words, it may connote that all soap
opera’s are together in this magazine, and
the red colour represents that the
magazine takes this with importance.
Main image
This non-verbal code of the image has
two characters who are counter-
stereotypically represented gender-wise,
because the man is behind the woman,
connoting that the woman is more
important than him. Furthermore, the
camera is overall a medium shot, but it
seems more focused on the woman with
clear outlines etc, than the man.
Cover lines
The language used here lack’s in grammar
but because of this, it succeeds in targeting
those who watches soap, as they
understand the narratives so not many
words are needed to describe it. For example,
Cain knows! Does not refer to any details of
what he actually knows.
Moreover, the exclamation mark at the end of
each short sentences ‘signifies’ that they are
important events in the soap.
A pop-up
The pop-up consists of verbal codes such as ‘biggest
Ever’ which has two extreme- words together.
Because of this, the readers will have an impression
That this issue is a special one, as the font is larger
Than the cover lines too. The ever is in Italics, which
Increases the importance of the information, because
it emphasises the word itself, being different from the
rest of the sentence. The images of balloons around
this pop-up connotes celebration and achievement,
and this visually informs the readers the importance
of the issue.
A promotion
this part of the cover consists of promoting
the magazine. The verbal code ‘Amazing’ connotes
that the pull-out is a unique selling point of this
issue, which attracts the readers’ attention and the
will to buy it.
The image of the woman perhaps is a
representation of a typical reader in terms of
gender and age group, and the facial expression
allows the readers to visually see the scale of
‘amazingness’ for themselves.
20 years is in a different font to the other sentences,
Which makes the number of years significant.
Moreover, as the font is a serif font, it connotes
glory and formality. This makes the 20 years look
As if something great has been achieved.Main HeadlineThe orange connotes passion and commitment, and the readers
will sense the excitement that is in the main headline, and would
be tempted to read into the story to know more about it.
StraplineThe fact that the font for ‘Every’ and other words are different
makes the ‘every’ stand out, and promises to the audience the
level of detail of the magazine’s information and
entertainment.
The main image
The older looking man on the image has a
Facial expression of seriousness, which
may connote anger or negative emotions.
On the other hand, the facial expression of
the man at the front looks as if he is smiling
slightly, with eyes narrow so that it might
connote cleverness and sneakiness.
From the thumbnail image below, the readers
can tell that the older man at the back is the
victim of some sort. This helps for the readers
to know that he is not the murderer.
Moreover, as the background seems dark,
the readers know that this is a negative incident.
The cover lines
They consist of the logo for some soaps, so
that the readers can easily recognise and relate
the storylines to the soap. As there are two-in
shots In each of the cover lines, the readers can
understand the situations the characters are in
easier than having lots of different shot types
going on at the same time. Cover line texts help
too, as Doctor in Love! Has a different mood to:
crash Horror!. It is almost a binary opposite in
two different soaps.
The Masthead
This consists of a bright red background, as it
stands out with the white writing of the mast head.
The red connotes attention and importance, so it is
a good colour choice. Furthermore, the white writing
stands out in front of the red background. The writing:
‘TV’ is larger than What’s on, to let the readers know
clearly that this is a TV related magazine. The slight
drop shadow on the mast head represents the depth
of information that the magazine holds.
Strapline- this advertises another section of the TV, and the purple dark
background does stand out at the top, which is anchored alongside the fireworks
which connotes celebration and happiness.
The main headline
This has a yellow font with orange outline, which
again stands out, but also connotes that this story
is an important one to the narrative, and points to the
readers that it is an urgent matter. By having a
question mark at the end of the verbal code ‘Jack kills
Phil’ helps the audience sense ambiguity and doubt
what it says on the cover, and have temptation to read
inside for more details.
The image for this cover line corresponds with the
verbal code underneath, ‘Cheats’, which is supposed
To be an unhappy event, but the facial expressions
of the couple in the image is happy. This represents a
Change in the narrative / disequilibrium, which is
significant to a soap opera.
This is a Soap opera trailer for East Enders. The main
Image used here connotes that this woman is the key to the
Plot, but the angle of her head and her eyes suggest that she
Is seeing something, and that it is something negative.
moreover, the eyes suggests that she is very focused on what
she is seeing, connoting seriousness in the matter.
The audiences will be tempted to find out what she is
Seeing, and what is wrong with it.
Moreover, the effect that all images
has here is somewhat vintage and
red themed. Red represents death
or trouble, and the vintage feeling
perhaps gives to the audiences the
impression of time passing.
The background image consists of
a satellite view of a town, which is
very iconic as it is the point of call of
East Enders. The curve of the river
tells the audiences, especially to
those who knows this soap opera
well that it is East Enders.
The whole poster also has a black
surrounding, and only shows the
main parts of the main image. This
may connote to the audience, the darkness of the upcoming
context, and that it’s slowly engulfing the story, because of the
fading out effect around the main image. However it also represents secrecy, as the
main image seems to be peeked from a hole, because of the black colours
surrounding it.
This tagline consists of a sentence, and
a word underneath. This composition
separates the world ‘FOREVER’ from the
rest, and makes the word look as if it’s
something very iconic and important. And
because this word is in the lighter white area of
the tone, it stands out even more.
The full stop after Change and
Forever makes the content of
This tagline very serious and
troubling, as if there is nothing
that anyone can do to stop the
change. This way, the audiences
will be curious to know the
fate of Walford, and will convince
them to watch it.
This is a social media promotion,
where it uses an icon that almost
everybody recognises, which is a
Twitter hashtag sign. This reminds
The audiences instantly, the
Availability of information about what
This poster is saying on social media.
The main image for this TV Drama poster connotes serious situations, as the two people’s facial expressions signifies anger,disbelief,
or worries and many other negative emotions. The ridge in the middle divides up the two visible faces, connoting the difficulties that
they are going to face in this Drama. In this poster, the whole image is made up with lots of small parts recognisable of them being
houses, or a town. This further connotes that there are going to be local issues, or makes the audiences think of a war going on
because of the lighting and the colours of the poster. Perhaps unlike the conventional genre of drama, this poster makes the audiences
also think of an action genre, somewhat similar to a film- and this sort of genre attracts audiences of many diversity, as it is a genre
that most people can comprehend, and therefore enjoy.
The logo for the program is an
Important element to put into
A TV drama poster, because
The audiences need to know
Which program it is on. In this
Particular case, the white really
Stands out against the brown
Main image of the poster, and this
Simplicity within colour schemes
Helps the audiences to remember
This particular poster, but also the
Program.
This part of the poster is the point of
Call. The repetition of the use of the
Word: ‘Divided’ provides a strong
Connotation of conflict and trouble
To the audiences, and by saying
Land and loyalty, it perhaps makes
The audiences think of Romeo and
Juliet, and attracts audiences who are
Familiar with it. Moreover, The Promise does sound as if
There is going to be a relationship related narrative in here as well,
And immediately informs the audiences, the multi-stranded
Narratives that are possibly going to be on this drama. Finally,
By stating the date and the time that it’s on, the viewers can have
A look at this drama.
-Perhaps add a link to a webpage /
social media pages for viral marketing and
cross media convergence?
This is a film poster, not a soap poster, because there wasn’t many when
I searched for it- this represents to me, perhaps the lack of soap opera
posters around to promote a new Soap opera. However, film posters may
have overlapping elements with soap opera posters.
This is a quotation from a magazine, as
It is mentioned next to the quote.
The audiences can tell which magazine
It’s from, and the fact that it is located at
The very top tells me that this is near enough
the first thing that the audiences are going to
Read. For this reason, this quotation has
many convincing languages used, such as
‘The best’ and ‘ the century’. They both enlarge
the scale of the positive representation of
this film, and therefore appeal to local
audiences, or perhaps even in America, as
citizens in America tend to like British films.
The background colour is white, which
connotes simplicity but also contrasts greatly
with the black main title of the film, as well as
contrasting with the images used within this
poster. This allows the different characters
presented on here to have their own colours
and get out to the audience, their unique
characteristics.
The images used in this poster are
several, compared to some other #
conventional ones who
only uses one or two. This allows the
audiences to have a feel for many
characters, as the facial expressions
and camera angles / positions are
different in each frame, and since
there are images with scenes and
props (such as a gun) as well, the
audiences are also able to have a
feeling for the possible upcoming
narrative of this film too.
The ruff edges effect in each of the
photo’s not only makes the poster
aesthetically entertaining, but also
connotes the ruff situations and
relationships with people that are
possibly going to be in this film.
The main title of the film is in a simple, black font which contrasts greatly with the background and the soft ambiance of some of the
Images. There is the name of the director, which may be conventional to all film posters, and there is a tagline at the top of the main
title to emphasise a little bit about the narrative of the film. This little hinting of the narrative attracts audiences to make them find out
more about it. Underneath the title, there are some awards presented to show the quality of the film, and how proving much public
appreciation It got.
Conclusion from my analysisFrom analysing magazine front covers for soap operas, I found out that the main/essential conventions includes: a
masthead, a main headline with the strapline, a main image, and cover lines. The masthead and the main headline should
stand out in particular, in terms of font size and colour contrasts. The colour of the masthead is conventionally red and /or
white, and I may repeat (Neale) that. For cover lines, I should mentions news from other soap operas aside the new one,
and at the top, I should mention something about the magazine itself- eg: anniversary etc, or about another soap opera.
Also, the date of issue and a bar code is essential. In order to appeal to my target audiences, who are teens and adults, I
would include for the main image, perhaps a range of different aged characters (but not too many).
For the Soap opera poster, I found that simplicity is the key to make the audiences remember the promotion. This includes
short, snappy sentences and one or more image that links together or stands out on it’s own. There is also a logo only of the
channel that the soap is going to be on. This helps to instantly get the message of what the poster is all about, simply and
effectively. The use of colours is extremely important for posters too, because this is what draws the audience’s attention.
Overall from this ancillary products research, I now know what is necessary to include to fulfil conventions of the ancillary
products, but also how to try and appeal it to the target audience.