I have been watching television recently to try and find the timings for different soap trailers. I have watched a variety of channels to catch the trailers and have found three good examples.
Saturday- After Doctor Who BBC1 8pm- Trailer for Eastenders
This trailer has been placed here to target a younger audience and to entice a family audience to the soap.
Saturday- After News BBC1 10PM- Trailer for Eastenders
This trailer would have been placed here to target a higher demographic group, the different groups that they are aiming for is obvious, the audiences between shows such as Doctor Who and The News are very different so they are tar getting a larger range of people.
Saturday- In between Inbetweeners Countdown on E4- 10.45- Trailer for Hollyoaks
The Inbetweeners bring in a young audience, the age group that usually view the show is between 16-20. The trailer has been placed here to get people that wouldn't usually watch soap operas become interested in soaps such as Hollyoaks.
From doing this you can clearly see the audience which the production team is aiming for, at earlier times in the day the trailers are sad and slow whereas later on different trailer techniques can be used such as in Hollyoaks where the trailer becomes dark, sexy and evil.
I have purchased a soap opera magazine to get a better view of how soaps are portrayed and how audiences are enticed into watching a certain episodes along with how magazines set them selves out to attract the reader to buy them.
On the front of this magazine it has a picture of a couple who have both recently re entered the soap. The headline is " Kat's Baby Tragedy!" This title is stereotypical of these types of magazines, they use large headlines which strike a nerve with the reader to make them want to find out more. Other storylines which feature on the front page is a character in coronation street being run over and left for dead and a unwanted pregnancy. These issues are quite common place in soaps, they use scenarios which can happen in everyday life and show how other people deal with it.
The magazine uses a large rounded font for the title, this is to draw the readers eye in, other storylines are wrote in similar styles but smaller. The use of colour is very important, one side of the magazine is pink which shows that the audience it is targetting is females. Then the headline is written in white with a bold black outline. All headlines have bold outlines to draw the focus in on them.
I think this magazine is a stereotypical depiction of a soap opera magazine, the use of bright colours, large writing and pictures all draw the reader in with out explaining any storylines. This is a good example of how to set out a magazine to draw the reader in. The need for these techniques is great, in a shop with many different magazines, its the front cover which draws the most attention that gets bought.
I have found images to show the change in soap opera magazines since the explosion of soap operas on television:
By looking at these Soap opera magazines in age order i can view the changes in styles and will create the front cover of my magazine accordingly, so my magazine would be up to date with trends of the time. This way people will notice the soap that i am advertising.
I am going to look at work from students from previous years, this will help me see what i need to include and what makes a good trailer.
Helen How:
Mise-en-Scene: I think that the costumes chosen works well as it singles out the main character and shows how she is different to the rest, this works both ways as all other characters do not stand out and just become people and you do not learn much about them. The setting fits well with the plot of young people being together in a town.
Sound: The sound is slightly cheesy but as there is a limited supply of music without royalties it fits well with the genre. The diagetic conversation didn't feel like it fitted with the piece.
Titles: The titles use a road sign well, it looks good and well thought out, the writing that has been edited after looks rushed so does not look as professional.
Narrative: I was unclear what this trailer was for and what the soap itself would contain.
Camera Angles: There was a wide range of shots used including panning, long shots, close ups and mid shots. This gave the piece a wider feel. The editing between shots was also very good.
Solitude:
Mise-En Scene:
The Mise of this scene is good as it looks like quite a large housing estate which would connote lots of people but you can see they are alone which in turn heightens the fear as in an open public place he is alone. The costumes did not work quite as well in my eyes as the male was wearing smart attire compared to the female who was wearing a lot more casual clothing which makes the piece less believable.
Sound:
The sound in this piece is mainly non- diegetic, the soundtrack is an eery one which heightens the tension and straight away shows what genre this film would belong to. The diegetic sound was only one way speech which in my opinion lowered the tension. The sound also at points was jumpy but this could be altered quite easily.
Titles:
The titles were in the right order and followed the conventions found in film openings, the only issue with them is they didn't give off the interpretation of being from a horror genre as looked to friendly.
Narrative:
The narrative of this piece is that the boy is on his own due to unknown causes to the audience. The story that the piece will change into is unclear however.
Camera Angles:
There was a good mixture of camera angles in use in this piece. There was a good mix between long shots, mid shots and close up shots which gave a different feel to the piece. The use of panning also changed the way the piece felt as it created more tension rather then simply cutting to the next shot.
This piece of work has shown me how important it is to make the storyline clear or the audience is left not understanding and would not choose to watch the show.
In preparation for the making of my own Soap trailer I am going to take a trailer from each of the three biggest Soaps in the United Kingdom and analyse them in detail, this will help me get a better understanding of what to include and how to edit my own trailer.
Eastenders:
Mise-en-Scene:
The first scene is in a hospital which connotes death or loss, this has been reversed as you know that the man in the hospital is happy due to holding his babies hand. All of the trailer is centred around a hospital, some shots are outside to give different emotions. In the opening scene it has a babies cot with hospital equipment around it which connotes danger and death. In the next scene a male is seen to be in tears talking to another male, this clearly shows the male is not strong and something bad has happened to him. When the couple are outside the use of the out doors gives a greater sense of freedom compared to the confines of the hospital, this is where you hear some positive conversation, the setting creates an open view and more positive take on things.
Sound:
Throughout this clip there is non diegetic sounds, it is soft lullaby music as the main topic is a baby, the music has been made to sound like music from a horror film to create tension. The speech in the trailer is all different, when the male is holding onto the baby it is happiness which contrasts to the male crying and asking "to just say goodbye." The conversation outside is more positive as the male talks about a new start and the start of something good. The diegetic sound is used to create the mood and raise the tension.
Camera Angles:
The first shot is of a close up on the males finger being held by the baby, this is to show closeness and a fatherly bond. This is the establishing shot which sets the theme for the trailer, it shows that all of the problems revolve around a dispute for this baby. The next shot used is a mid shot of the father leaning over the cot whilst talking to the baby. These shots are used to show the close bond between the two characters. The high angle over the shoulder shot of the male crying makes him seem more weak and fragile. The use of a montage of shots showing different characters and their facial expressions shows all of the characters emotions towards each other. A low angle over the shoulder shot is used to make the female seem distressed, compared to the high angle shot used on the male to enforce him as the positive strong figure.
Narrative:
The narrative of the trailer is centred around the dispute for the child. It seems that both parties love the child and wish to look after it. This trailer is for one specific episode and not a group of story lines.
Titles:
The titles appear at the end, they state when the show is airing. The use of minimalist titles focuses the attention to the characters and what is happening with them.
Coronation Street:
Mise-en-scene:
The trailer is set inside a church, the theme of the trailer is a wedding. This is normally associated with a happy occasion, but with the darker lighting it creates a more sinister feel to it. The female character is dressed in all white which connotes innocence, which contrasts to the male who has dark make up on to create a harsher look to him, this is a sign of things to come. The shot of the female protagonist holding flowers smiling with her mother is a happy sight which contrasts to what the man is saying over the top of the shot.
Sound:
There is a large amount of non diegetic sound going on through out this trailer, one is a song being played in the back ground, it is of a well known artist "Adele" This song is a sad song which adds to the mood of the trailer. Other diegetic sound is the male protagonists voice stating that "what ever happens it is down to me" This ultimately shows that something bad is going to happen. The use of diegetic speech is used to show the outcome of the service and show what the build up was for.
Camera Angles:
A number of shots are used throughout this trailer to give a different sense of perspective. The establishing shot is of the bride and her mum, their expressions are of happiness, this then jumps into a eye line shot of the male protagonist to show his intent to not go ahead with the marriage. A crane shot is used twice, once to show the concentration on the saying of the vowels in the church and another when another female gets up and walks out of the church, both of these are to highlight different turning points in the episode. Eye line shots are used on the bride to show her happiness and also used on other characters to show their emotions. The use of the close up shows the couple holding hands, it shows the females hand being over the males hand when usually it is the other way around, this shows the females love and the males disinterest.
Narrative:
The narrative of this piece is the wedding falling through, it is showing that it is the end of a large storyline. This trailer is advertising a single episode as the pinnacle point of the storyline.
Titling:
Emmerdale:
Mise-en-Scene:
This trailer is very dark and made to be mysterious. The lighting in this trailer is very dark so is difficult to distinguish the man who caused the fire. The first thing that is shown in a cars rear lights and a male stepping out. The use of this shot is to show that they do not live close and has clearly planned this attack. The identity of the male is concealed throughout this trailer with the use of a long dark coloured coat alongside the setting of night time. A few items are highlighted in this trailer, emphasis is given to the petrol can and the lighter, this is because they are the weapons so create the fear of what is to come. There is clues into when this trailer was made with snow on the floor, which causes the audience to be able to place the problem inside their own lives as conditions are the same.
The house that is set alight is not shown from the front onwards to conceal its identity so secrets are left for the actual episode.
Sound:
At the start of the piece low level non diegetic horror music can be heard, this creates tension and gives a sense of wrong doing. Sounds are heightened in this trailer to show their importance, for example the door and the flicking of the lighter are made to be louder as are both important to the outcome of the trailer. Other non diegetic sounds are used to create tension, the sound of the emergency services rings around very soon after the fire is started, this is coupled with the sounds of civilians shouting "people are in there" etc. All of these effects are used to create tension and causing the audience to want to know what will happen to the people inside.
Camera Angles:
A variety of camera angles are used in this trailer, they are used for different reasons and create different emotions. The establishing shot of the car pulling up and the rear lights turning on creates a sense of unknowing which is heightened by a pan down shot of the male leaving the car. A close up is used on the petrol can and lighter is used to show that they are the weapon and that they are the objects which are going to cause the damage. A long shot is used on the male to show his build and gender but you are unable to see the face or make out features, this is done to heighten the feeling of unknowing which draws in a larger audience as people want to know who it is. When the emergency services arrive a crane shot is used to show their position, this then leads into a high Angle shot which shows how they are helpless against the growing flame.
Narratives:
This trailer is advertising a single episode. The episode is called "A fire in the dales." When a show creates a large scale trailer like this one to advertise an episode it makes the audience realise that it will either be a sad or a dramatic episode that will have a big outcome.
Titling:
The only titles that appear during this trailer is that for the times that the episode is airing, this has been done to keep the audiences attention solely on the actions on screen and not thinking when it is.
I have realised through my research into Soap trailers that many follow the same conventions, a large variety of shots are used in each to create a wider spectrum of views, the use of sound is very important as adds a different dimension to the action. I will make sure I include these techniques in my trailer so it fits in with the conventions of soap trailers.
The initial thoughts on the type of soap opera i would like to create would be different to the major soaps that are on television at the moment. It would contain more humour and believable scenarios and showing how smaller incidents change peoples lives just as much as larger things such as death and divorce.
The soap would be aimed at 15-30 year olds mainly. With the use of extra humour the soap would have a lighter feel to it compared to the feeling of inevitable doom which many major soaps have. With the age group we are aiming our soap at we would include the stereotypical depiction of people of that age group.
The programmes that it would take inspiration from would be Friends and Skins, in these shows they use everyday occurances and create humour and sorrow, in both shows they have a very strong bond between all of the friends, i think a wider scale version of these shows would create a better feeling of community compared to the soaps that highlight violence and aggression and disputes between family and cultures.
This is a trailer for Skins Series 1, in this trailer it shows the lifestyle that many young people want to lead and the effects from it, my soap would run along the same sort of storylines.
I would prefer to have a certain amount of main characters and follow their road compared to following many different characters and sometimes becoming confused with what storylines are relevant and which are not. As it is a soap and would have more then one episode a week the group of friends wouldnt be able to be the only group as peoples attention would dwindle as storylines would become stale.
The main storyline would be the coming of age years of many childrens lifes, it would be the discovery of new things, including drugs, sex and relationship break-ups, This is staying close to the generic conventions of soap operas but my soap would differ through keeping storylines believable and able to happen to any people their age. I would try to keep to verisimilitude as much as possible as drama is much more believable when you can imagine your self being in that position.
The setting for the soap would be in a large town, that way many scenarios could arise, and many characters would be sharing many of the same issues. The language used would not be slang as can be found in youngsters in many soaps. They would include different accents and phrases, but all would be spoken in proper english as with soap operas using more and more slang it spreads rapidly through to the audience and has a negative effect on society.
The trailer would include an introduction to a few characters and to the settings. With the lack of talking in a trailer i think it creates more of suspense for what the show will be about. The trailer for Beaver falls is a good example of this, it hints at what the audience will get but never fully tells them.
The soap that I would like to create a different feeling to many other soaps and try to keep things as up beat as possible, i think this would bring in a large audience as many people would want more humour and happiness in their soaps.
A Soap opera is different to other television programmes due to the open-ended nature of the narrative, with stories spanning several episodes. The defining feature that makes a television program a soap opera, according to Albert Moran, is "that form of television that works with a continuous open narrative. Each episode ends with a promise that the storyline is to be continued in another episode"
Soap operas originated from the boom in radio sales during the 1920's. To aim for the market that would be at home during the day the radio producers targetted women with Dramas. Many of these were sponsored by cleaning items and household goods as the target audience was mainly female. The first radio soap opera based in Chicago was sponsored by margarine for example. By 1939 the press had started to call the drama's "soap operas." The term opera had changed sense of the word since in the 20's when western films were described as "horse opera" These films changed the meaning of operas from musical to a T.v drama. .
The longest running soap is (The) Guiding Light (1952-present) It originally started of as a radio show in the late 20's but made the change to television in 1952. Many soaps have to change to keep up with the times, for example Guilding Light removed "The" from the title to sound more contemporary and inkeeping with the times. Guilding Light has made over 15,000 episodes in comparison to Britains longest running soap "Coronation Street" which has made around 6,500 episodes.
Soap operas have a greater impact on peoples lifes that they realise. For example the American television show, Friends. According to a study by a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto, found that the characters used the word "so" to heighten adjectives more often than other, such as "very" and "really". He discovered that the use of "so" to heighten the adjective had become widely used across America very quickly. This is showing how to use of certain language can affect the way that a wider range of people can speak.
A large amount of people tune into soap operas weekly, certain episodes can reach larger audiences if it is a end of a large storyline, had heavy advertising or if it is an anniversary episode. Eastenders and Coronation street have been in the top 10 most viewed Tv shows since 1993. This highlights the large amount of people that view largly publisiced episodes.
This is an example of a trailer for the anniversary episode in Coronation Street:
To show the amount of people that view soaps weekly i have researched using BARB to find figures showing how many people view them weekly:
Week ending 3rd of July:
Eastenders (Mon)- 8.63 Million
Coronation Street (Mon)- 8.86 Million
Emmerdale (Thu)- 7 Million
Most soaps follow certain conventions, they usually have the same kind of characters, same storylines but all have a different way of telling them asnd many come from different angles. For example many soaps have these characters and places:
Pub/ Pub landlord
Local shop/ Shop owner
Local business man
Old married couple
Newlyweds
Toughman
Villain
Peace maker
Homosexuals
Teenager
Troubled teenager
Soap Operas bring in a large audience weekly, with such a large audience the effect soaps have on the public can not be seen very easily, but the study on the effect of Friends on the American public gives an insight to how powerful soaps can be.
I found this information through many different means:
Soap operas do not have a set time to be shown on television. As a given rule most soap operas are placed before the watershed (9.00PM) This is due to the level of violence, sex and drugs that are shown in the shows. Usually the soaps are shown at our 7.00 P.M through to 9.00 P.M. When episodes are containing too much violence that is not suitable for before the watershed they are usually moved to a later time of 9.00 P.M. The storylines that have had to be moved include rape, drugs and heavy domestic violence.
There was a campaign to clean up soap operas after a storyline in Eastenders showed one character being addicted to class A drugs and using them on screen. These episodes where placed before the watershed. This highlighted the point that soap operas need to clear up soaps as young children could have been watching the show so would have found drug use as a common placed thing that they can see on the television.
The time that soap operas are put on television is very important for ratings and the type of audience that they are after, as they are placed on early young children are likely to watch them, this means that many children will grow up and think that violence and shouting is the only way to deal with a problem. Soap operas if not used sensibly can have a bad affect on society, so must be censored accordingly.
There is many purposes to a trailer for soap operas, they can contain different hints at story lines or anything to entice a new audience to watch the soap. Here is a list of different purposes of a trailer:
To make people want to watch a specific episode or storyline.
Provide information on a storyline
Includes little hints at what will happen in the show
To bring new viewers in
Advertise the soap to a wider range of the public
To make people engage with characters and story lines
Eastenders- Judgement Day for Max:
This trailer is an example of a trailer being used to entice people into watching the episode for a certain storyline, this could also make more people want to watch it as it creates the feeling that many different outcomes could occur so makes people want to watch.
Coronation Street: Peter and Leanne's Wedding Trailer:
This is another example of a trailer for a specific episode, this one contains clips from the show that it is previewing. This is different from the Eastenders trailer as that places characters away from the usual settings but this one shows them in the normal settings.
Hollyoaks- Fire Trailer:
This trailer is advertising a storyline but the outline of which is not clear, this is a teaser for the storyline, with the use of fire it shows how the storyline may contain death or other sinister things. This trailer is different to the other trailers as it doesn't advertise single episodes, this is verging on advertising the soap as a whole and not a single section of it.
These trailers show how the purpose of trailers can change for each storyline or soap. Trailers are predominately used to make people want to watch the soap, the difference between many of these trailers is that some advertise the entire soap as a whole, others a large storyline and others show can advertise a single episode.
Eastenders is one of the longest running soaps and one of the most famous and most talked about.
It covers many different storylines from murder to divorce and love, there is normally two or three storylines going on at one time and many cross together.
In the episode that i watched the themes and storyline that was running through it was engagement, murder, everyday work and life, court appearances, a couple trying for a baby and organising a wedding. These are mostly everyday situations, of course the situations are exagerated to create more drama so is more interestiong to read.
The age in soaps is continually changing as part of the soaps is that you see different characters evolve and turn into adults, it is done to create verisimilitude. The age ranges from new born babies up to old age pensioners. The main age groups are teenagers and adults, this could be a device used to target the audience they are trying to reach which is predominatly teenagers and adults.
The representation of ethnic minorities are shown in a stereotypical manner through the want of a large extravagant wedding with lots of bright colours. Ethnic majorities are shown in a stereotypical way of being in a large family but with some fmaily conflicts, but these are found in all families.
The places where scenes are taking place are in very normal places, they range from the street, inside a kitchen, living room, cafe, restaurant, kitchen, and a house party. These places are used as they are not out of the ordinary and try to keep the drama as close to real life as possible. The same is said for the different types of people shown in the piece, many people are students, a large amount are manual workers, a few aree office workers and a few are businessmen or other high proffesions. The exact number for these are:
This is quite even spread of different classes of people and is quite similar to the overall spread of professions in the real working world.
I have analysed a complete episode of a Soap opera to allow my self the chance to see how they are structured, what types of situations they contain and how they keep to verisimiltude. By doing this exercise I feel that I have a better understanding of how Soap operas are edited and put together in a viewable order. This in turn will help me when making my Soap opera as I have been able to spot many conventions found in Soap operas.
I have created this mind map to show my specific knowledge of Soap operas. This way I will be able to show what level of knowledge I am starting with and I will know what topics I will need to improve on. Specific Knowledge of Soaps in a Mind Map:
I have created this mind map to show what knowledge I have of soap operas. This will allow me to see what topics I need to improve on and what ones that I am confident on.
