Inside Soap TV Guide Analysis

This magazine cover has so much going on however it’s the words in big, bold writing that grab your attention. The main cover line 'Heartbreak' is a word reflected by the main image of Stacy and Bradley's facial expressions. It is the lead article and is the first thing you notice when you look at the cover. This may be because that is the hottest news out at the time. We get a plot of what is happening to everyone just by looking at the front cover, so much information is thrown at the audience it either makes you want to read on inside or not feel like you need to. Different characters from different soaps are all included on the front cover and information about each one is given. This may be to attract a bigger audience that is attracted to various soaps or one or the other. There are lots of red, orange and blue used.

The mast head of the magazine name is printed in red to stand out from the rest of all the writing. On the cover line it says 'Walford Car Crash!' as if it's a news headline; this brings the soap story to life. There are lots of images of the characters in the soaps and below them is a little phrase about each one. On Ronnie’s picture it says "PREGNANT!...by a dead man" this is attention grabbing as the word 'Pregnant' is in big, black, bold letters, the word 'dead' is emphasized by being coloured in yellow. All characters in the main image use direct address, looking straight at the reader and making them feel connected to the character. These captions give you an idea of what the story for this week. On the skyline of the cover there is a lure bribing the audience “First for BIG soap news”. Big is written in big, bold red letters to catch audience’s eyes, it also includes a ‘7 day TV guide’ if you are not satisfied with the first offer.

The use of mainly primary colours is conventional for TV magazine covers, these colours used will be able to contrast against the different characters shown through it and also attracts the attention of the reader as the colours in the magazine shows that there is a lot going on. The font that is used in the magazine is in full capital and in bold letters also this is placed like this so that it is the first thing that attracts the audience right away, this has been done in many TV magazines that i have viewed so far. Also the layout is very conventional the main one in the middle and the least important are scattered around the page.



Posted By U3.TV

Eastenders magazine front cover analysis

This magazine front cover cleverly amazes the reader with its vibrant colour scheme and the way in which the pictures and text are merged with each other. This was well thoughtful in order to attract their target audience. The image of Kat & Alfie bang in the middle of the magazine attracts immediately the readers attention as the image is a direct address to the reader. The text is placed in the right positions as so that it can draw the attention of the reader right away. The main cover line text which is yellow in bold writing, exclaiming ‘KAT & ALFIE ARE BACK’ draws the attention of the reader’s eye as soon as the magazine is looked at. The outline of the cover line being black behind yellow allows the text to stand out and grab the attention of the buyers. There is a smaller caption placed right under kat and on the left of Alfie saying ‘she’s pregnant- but is he the dad?’ this simply engages with the reader and tells them who the main characters will be in the story line of that weeks episode.

The magazine is layed out in a specific way so that all the main events that will be happening in the soaps, will appeal to the audience. The skyline at the top, cover lines at the bottom and the lower third of the magazine cover are focused on different soaps and advertisements such as ‘TV choice Awards 2010’. There are two lures on the magazine front cover which shows the readers the price of the magazine. One of the prices is on the top right in a fairly relaxed shape, and the other one is in the middle of the magazine next to the image of kat & Alfie in a jagged shape bubble with an orange background stating that the magazine is ‘Only 42p’, this draws the attention of the buyer as the word ‘Only’ is meant to suggest how cheap the magazine is. In addition to this having the price in orange helps the text stand out more on a baby blue background and it is eye catchy. The magazine cover is packed with images and text this keeps the reader engaged with different main cover lines and images which then will lead them to read on or maybe actually buy the magazine.

The masthead of the magazine front cover ‘TV choice’, is placed the top left of the magazine front cover with a red coloured bubble behind a bright white text. Part of the masthead is covered by the character Kats head, this may implement that the two characters story line is way more important than the magazine name or it could mean that they don’t have to show the full name as this magazine is known to its target audience anyway, so they are familiar with the magazine as soon as they see it. Underneath the Mast head there is the website for it this is for the people who want to go deeper and want to know then what the magazine has to show this also shows us that the magazine could appeal to a  younger audience as the internet is where you will find most young people in the world of today. It also gives the magazine a more modern edge to it.

In general the colours used in the magazine are controversial and is typical of an advertising magazine, all the bright colours and stand out text allow the magazine to become friendly with the audience as it feeds them in with all the information they need to know about their favourite soap. The main reason these magazines are packed full of information and pictures is because they want to interest their target audience and get these magazines selling.

By U3.TV

A2 TV NOW TV Magazine Analysis

This magazine cover was created by last years A2 media group. We felt the writing wasn't eyecatching enough as their wasnt enough outline or shadow especially around the question "Who will Russel choose?" We felt that their wasn't enough catch phrase on the cover. The skyline has still images of different soaps, this is something we definetely want to do, however we would like to add many more captions to persuade the audience and give thm a sense of what may be happenning in the storyline. Also we would like to use a four colour code and make writing big and bold, especially the main cover line. We want this to stand out and be eye catching along with the magazine logo which must be very appealing. I feel that the main image is not in focus in this cover as it is not big enough. The magazine logo looks misplaced and as if not alot of effort was put into it.We will make sure our main image is in the centre of the magazine and everything else around it doesn't take away from the main image's attention. We will also try to create a professional looking magazine logo.We will also use a blue background just like the magazine cover above. On the bottom of the magazine cover they used the whole space to show still images of only one soap. This takes away from the conventional style of magazines and multiple storylines being shown on the cover.

We will try our best to make our storylines vary and use bold, outlined, eyecatching captions on each one. They have confirmed that their magazine is 'A dead end issue'.We want our magazine to be a 'U3 TV SPECIAL' issue. This is another way of promoting our soap. We will use the price tag more than once to persuade and lure our audience into buying the magazine. Also we want our magazine to look realistic, so we will follow tv magazine conventions as much as possible and also create a barcode which hasn't been done here.

A2 HARROW ROAD POSTER ANALYSIS:

This is a soap poster from the soap 'Harrow Road'. We felt that the font was quite tacky and clichéd. As our soap is not only based on urban culture, but also on ethnic backgrounds; we felt that our font should be a mixture of urban with a middle eastern style. This group have done more than one poster for their soap each one featuring a different character from the soap, however we thought it would be effective to have one poster only that features the main character only, leaving the audience intruiged about if they're is anyone else starring in it. The soap title Kareem may also make the audience wonder if it is a soap starring just one person and even if they figure out their are more characters, the fact that their isn't any information about them, will make the audience want to find out more. We also chose red and white to be Kareem's signature colours to represent his two different personalities and lifestyles. In the title we will try and fit in red and white in the title to show this instead of keeping it plain white like in this poster.The background of this poster is a harrow road estate, this shows the audience where the saop is set, this is a good idea and follows conventions, however we felt that we wanted to present where our soap is set in a more creatve way through using photoshop. We also didn't like the fact that the poster was very crowded, we agreed that our poster will not follow conventions and will be kept simple with a plain background but make sure it remains very effective and shapes meaning. We will give out very subtle information about our soap e.g where it;s set, the genre, what channel it's on and as like the poster above we will also inform our audience of when it will air on this TV channel. We will also have our Channel Ident on our poster somewhere, even if it's on the side to make our audience familiar with who created this soap and the fact that they will now us as a 'urban' channel will help then gain insight into what the soap will be based about. 

Soap Trailer Analysis of Eastenders - Ronnie and Danielle BBC One

The trailer of Eastenders was very emotional; this was conveyed through some of the dramatic scenes shown in the trailer along with the soundtrack. The shots pretty much told the storyline, props, costume and location gave us an idea of where they were and what was happening .It was edited for continuity and everything made sense, the audience automatically knew they were at a wedding and Ronnie was arguing with her long lost daughter. Costume showed they were at a celebration. The storyline was set all in The Vic, an iconic place which is known for its drama. We see lots of characters involved in the trailer and how they are all included and affected in some way by the storyline. Soaps often have multiple narratives running through each episode and even through individual trailers; this trailer however offers another conventional approach, by having one singular narrative that encompasses several characters. The soundtrack was very slow and forebodes a somewhat tragic ending; the calmness of the music is contrasted by the loud, confrontational conflict between the characters. This puts a huge impact on the audience and draws them into the reality of family confrontations. Again, we see a key convention of soaps exploited here- that of real-life drama, an aspect that deals with, and tends to appeal most to, working class families.

Editing was at a fairly slow pace, however the very strong scenes kept the excitement in the trailer. There are a lot of mid shots, from the shoulders upwards, bringing us close to the characters and making us sympathise with them, and the music also helped us get emotionally involved. The opening shot was of Danielle placing her locket on the table, the low angle, close up shot of her face doesn’t make her look powerful but however it highlight he vulnerability and fear, this is highlighted by her facial expressions. The slow motion shot of Ronnie contrasts with Danielle’s vulnerability as Ronnie looks very confident, happy and powerful at the beginning of the trailer, whereas by the end we sympathise with her as she is left looking lost, confused and shocked. The locket is mentioned and presented right at the beginning of the trailer; it signifies the truth, which is not seen by Ronnie till the very end of the trailer. I like the idea of how props are used as a symbol and become a strong position in the storyline.

In our trailer we will use the same theme of focusing on one storyline and use different locations, both external and internal. We loved the use of different camera shots and how they reflected on characters feelings at certain moments in the soap. Our editing will definetely be much faster and so will our music as its goig to be more of a young, upbeat, actionfilled trailer. We will also being using dialogue. Im not quite sure our costume will be anywhere near the characters in this soap as our theme and genre is quite different. We want to have the same storyline structure of Eastenders, however we want to create it in our style and with our conventions of a urban soap trailer.

Posted By U3.TV

Eastenders soap trailer analysis

The soap trailer judgement day for the soap eastender’s conveys a lot of emotions through the way the camera shots and sound were used. The opening shot shows the main character’s shoes as he steps in to a dark environment; this creates tension right away as it keeps the audience thinking where the character could be heading. An over the shoulder shot is used to introduce Bradley Max’s son, the costume giving to him is a security guard outfit and he gives Max a nod with his head for Max to head to the right this gives Bradley a sense of power over him and the tension rises from then. A close up shot is used to show the emotion through his facial expression as if he is accountable for everything that is happening in the trailer, an unsurprised face of the main character spotting Stacey as a cleaner walking up to him in a seductive way shows us that this could be Max’s future if he carries on the way he is. This shot of Stacey allows the audiences to see the dirty nature of her and the link she has with Max.

The soundtrack used matched the camera shots and emotion, and gives the trailer a dark and mysterious feel as we don’t know what will happen. There isn’t any dialogue throughout the trailer, we see all the communication through eye contact and body language this gives the audience an insight that his family and friends don’t want anything to do with him which makes Max isolated from the rest. Non - diegetic sound was used throughout the trailer with the lift doors opening and the movement of the trolleys this also helps the audience see the emptiness and lone feeling; it was as if max was walking into death. The voice over used in the trailer is given to us in a deep and rough way which simply fits in with the soundtrack and the heaviness of the trailer overall.

The lighting that is used in this trailer is unusual of what east Enders will normally use, the use of the lighting goes with the character being lonely and isolated. The lighting used also shows the characters shadows which could suggest that he only has his shadow with him as he is isolated away from his family and friends. The main part of the trailer which keeps the audience wanting more is the end part of trailer when jack is holding the ticket this leaves the audience wondering of what will happen next and will leave the audience with questions flying across their minds.
At the end of the trailer the we see a shot of Jack holding a ticket with Max’s name on it, this suggests Max is walking straight into his death bed it is all ready for him but will he sleep in it?, this is followed by the same deep voice exclaiming ‘’judgement day for max’’ this puts the character Max into frame and makes the audience look out for him in the next episode of this soap. The satellite map of the east end which they always use at the beginning of the soap this is used to create a brand identity bond with the audience. The audience will know right away due to the drumming which starts and ends the soap that this trailer is from the soap eastenders right away due to the iconic bond their identity has with the audience.

In all soap’s multiple narratives are used and each of them are fitted in really well, even though this soap trailer focuses on one main narrative it shows us the outcomes of this one character and how the character has an affect on others.

By U3.TV

Hollyoaks Niall's Revenge: Michaela Trailer Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WdMbTMqCgM

This particular Hollyoaks soap trailer begins with a camera tilt upwards onto a character talking directly to the camera using direct address to the audience, they all speak directly to the camera as they want them to be emotionally involved. We see parallel editing here as both characters are talking one by one, and the camera goes back and forth, we get a sense that this was a moment for confession; each person is in an empty room. Each person has different emotions when speaking. The man is in a comfortable position and a deceiving grin upon his face shows he is careless, this instantly portrays him to being a dominant yet evil person, the female characters seem to be saddened and looks vulnerable, and we as the audience instantly feel sympathy for them more than the man. The following shot of a woman, it shows her slowly facing the camera in an uncomfortable mood and the camera slowly zooms in and focuses on her facial expressions, we then go back to the man as a close up shot, showing his face with a mischievous smile that looks deceptive. The man seems more powerful and less guilty than the women. The shot of the woman in a close up shows her emotions which seems as if she is extremely upset she is almost in tears; this definitely tells the audience that the man in this trailer looks bigger and more dominant than the female and makes us turn against him. This gets the audience emotional involved with the characters in the trailer.

The use of camera shots in this trailer, as it moves in a pattern with the man being in a mid shot then the woman being in a mid shot then the man being in a close up shot, the woman following in a close up shot, this shows that how the power status between them is desperately trying to get equalized. We see no sense of equality here whatsoever.

In the final shot we see a long medium shot of a woman, her eyes wandering around looking confused and not knowing what choice to make. She looks emotionally hopeless with her hands together, this shows she’s scared, the camera zooms in on her and the man in background says “It’s decision time for Myra”, this gives the audience more of a chance to understand what’s happening and gives a better understanding of the storyline.

The editing has been done for a purpose as it is gloomy and dark forebodes that something wrong has happened and something has to be solved, as the trailer starts, the audience instantly can see that the background is dull boring and lacks colour. This is to convey that they are in a bad situation and to put the main focus on the characters. Costume is kept simple too again to focus on the characters and not their surroundings. The music is very slow, dark and lacks energy; it is not upbeat or loud. It sounds like the kind of music you would play at a funeral or if someone has died, this may be hinting that something terrible might happen, the parallel editing between the characters are sharp paced with only a few seconds of each shot, and in the background you can see the lights aren’t turned on, this gives the audience a sense of fear, suspense and terror.

Posted By U3.TV