Soap Opera Genre –Independent Textual

Analysis

Name: Hannah HughesCandidate Number: 4067Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Trailer 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcVoNEhhICU

Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or SoundtrackThe non-diegetic soundtrack is very happy and upbeat. This ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) that everyone is happy and knows each other. However, as the soundtrack continues throughout the trailer, and even when clips of the firemen are shown, this is a contrapuntal soundtrack and contradicts the soundtrack as this isn’t happy. The soundtrack also makes verbal reference to the street, which is denoted through the lyrics “on the street where you live”, which connotes a happy environment, which can be backed up by the happy people that we can see at this point in the trailer. This connotes that at the current time, everything was happy on Coronation Street, but perhaps this was going to change soon and could be seen as an enigma clue (Rowland Barthes) to a potential ‘disequilibrium’ (Tzvetan Todorov) in an upcoming episode.There is also some diegetic sound effects that are important to the trailer. For example there is the fire engine siren, which connotes that there is danger within the street and as such contradicts the soundtrack that suggests everything is good. The sirens as well as the images suggest that some of the people in the clips are going to be caught in a fire, with the verbal code “knowing” acting as a warning to the audience that the producers of the show “know” who is going to be suffering in an upcoming episode, however the audience are left guessing who.

Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial Expressions and CharactersThe settings of the trailer contrast each other. This is because one scene is in a bright yellow happy street, where as the other setting is in a dark fire station. This use of binary opposites (Strauss) connotes that the street wont be so bright and sunny much longer, but that the fire station is going to play a very important role in saving the street from the darkness and potentially distinction.The lighting is also important for a similar reason. The bright high key lighting of the street creates a further binary opposite (Strauss) with the dark low key lighting of the fire station. This again indicates that there will be a battle between good and evil, and that the darkness will probably win. The lighting in the street clips also suggests that this is a memory as they appear to have a haze surrounding them and is slightly softer in focus. This could suggest that this is someone remembering what the street was like before the fire, as the fire station clips appear to be in present time.The non-verbal code of the facial expressions within this trailer also ‘inform’ (Katz) the audience a lot about the mood on the street. An example would be that all the women appear to be happy and smiley, whereas some of the men denote blank faces and look emotionless. This could display that the men know what is going to happen, and perhaps the fire is their fault.All the couples in the trailer also suggest that the fire will end lots of relationships. This can be backed up with the ending caption and verbal code“4 funerals and a wedding”. This could indicate that the fire is gong to kill of some of the characters in relationships.The colours throughout the trailer can be connoted to suggest that there is danger in Coronation Street. The excessive use of the colour red can be used to connote that there is lots of love in the street however this can also mean that’s there is danger in the street. This is backed up by the multiple uses of the colour black, which can connote danger and death.

Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera Movement

There are many different shots used in this trailer, however the examples that appeared most often were the mid and close up shots. These technical codes could have been specifically selected to ‘signify’ (De Saussure) the closeness of the street. This is also backed up by the small groups that are shown in each clip as there are never more then 5 people in any clip, which in turn indicates this community is very close.Another point that I noticed is that the shot speeds varies based on the location. For example on the street the clips appear to be in slow motion. This is again probably to reveal the idea of a memory. However the clips at the fire station are speed up, this is probable to demonstrate reality moving too quickly and the speed the fire fighters have to work to get to a fire quickly.Furthermore there are quick shots in the fire station. This clearly shows how quickly a fire can happen and then ruin everything. It also demonstrates how quickly the fire department have to move to get to the fire as fast as possible. This is a binary opposite to the clips of everyone in the street, as these clips are slowed down. This is possible to demonstrate that there are in a kind of haze and that all good things must come to an end.An additional technical code that I looked at was the camera movements. During the whole trailer there are lots of zooms and tacking shots. This could be to connote how close everyone is and to demonstrate that the street is very small and that all the characters therefore know each other very well. This could also be used to connote the love that is in the street, this is backed up by the point of call at the end with the quote ‘ 4 funerals and a wedding’.

Trailer 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4xlLezos0

Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or SoundtrackThere are many verbal codes that can be used to analyze this trailer. Firstly there is some of the diegetic dialogue. An example would be when the character Janine was laughing and then stopped when she saw Kat. This “Hahaha...” was effective in showing that Kat is more dominant then Janine and that she is in charge now not Janine as her laughs are then followed by a prolonged pause.There was also the diegetic dialogue “where do you go to get a drink round ‘ere?” and “you’re gunna need it” suggests that Kat and Alfie have lots of work to do, in order to fix the Square and potentially their antagonistic relationship. The phrase “you’re gunna need it” connotes an example of colloquial language delivered between the protagonists that is commonly associated to the region where the Soap is set.There is also the non-diegetic soundtrack which plays a huge part in the trailer. Throughout the trailer there is a western soundtrack. I believe this is to connote that Kat and Alfie are wild, crazy and that their gunna save the day. This soundtracks connotes Walford Square to be a town with lots of problems that needs to be cleared up by the new sheriffs (Kat and Alfie). As well as these there is also some Strauss sound effects denoted to the audience that will attract their attention. One sound effect that really stood out for me was the gun pull sound effect that was played when Kat got her makeup out. This could connote that makeup is Kats weapon, and that she can use it to win any battle with it, especially when dealing with the opposite sex. This stereotypical representation of the female gender also connotes how she is going to appeal to the female audience (Hartley) due to her ‘strong, dominant behavior’ (Feasey – 2007), however she is still objectified and thus conforms to John Bergers ‘men act, women appear’ ideology.

Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial Expressions and CharactersThere are many non-verbal codes that I can discuss when analysing this trailer. There is the colour of Kat and Alfie's costumes.The use of the colour black connote that they can be dangerous, it can also connote that as a team they are a force to be reckoned with. This is also backed up by some verbal codes, such as Janine's dialogue “Hahaha……………..”As well as this there was the facial expressions of the characters. Jane and Janine’s facial expressions appear very worried. This is because they can clearly see that Kat is the more dominant woman and that she is now in charge, even if people don’t want her to be. In this trailer Kat and Alfie both appear to conform to Propps Character Theory. This is because Kat is clearly portraying the role of the Hero,, as she wants to help the Square and get it back to how it was before. In this trailer Alfie is shown to be the helper. It appears like he has come back to the square to help Kat save the day.The setting for this is very familiar as it is in the market of the square. This is a popular location for EastEnders trailers. they use this location because it depicts the working class community. As working class people are the target audience for soap operas, it is very important to ensure that they feel they can relate to the trailer, otherwise they won’t watch the show.There is very unusual lighting in this trailer. This is to follow the cowboy/western theme that is connoted throughout the trailer. This could help sum up the trailer for the audience, as it would be easier to understand that there is a western theme in the trailer.

Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera Movement

In this trailer there are many close-ups to clearly denote everyone's facial expressions to see how they react to seeing the returning characters. An example of this would be Janine's facial expression, which appeared to be shocked or horrified by the sight of Kat.The Camera tilting up Kat and Alfie demonstrates that they are entering a wild battle. This is because in typical western movies, this shot is used to show a stand off and as such has been ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale – 1980) by the producers of this text. This connotes that she is going to fight to get Albert Square but to how it used to be.There are many close up shots of many of the main characters from all over the Square, which could indicate that the whole of Albert Square is going to be affected by the return of Kat and Alfie. The technical code of camera movement in this trailer connotes a western theme. This is because it moves from side to side, similarly to a western film would in a stand off scene. This helps back up the western theme of the trailer, and helps sell the trailer to the audience.

Evaluation of Textual Analysis –Compare and Contrast

Trailer 1) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) or “exploit” (Abercrombie – 1995)

A strength that I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) would be the happy soundtrack playing in the background the whole time. This is because it really adds emphasis on all the happy people enjoying themselves, and also on the dramatic clips such as the fire station clips that the audience would suddenly not expect from the trailer.A further strength I would “exploit” (Abercrombie – 1995) would be the diegetic sounds. An example of this would be the sirens in the background. This is because it is deliberately there to help the audience understand that something has gone wrong. This would then intrigue the audience and as a result more people would watch the soap.Another strength that I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) would be the text at end of the trailer. This is because I believe it makes the audience want to watch the program. An example would be the ‘4 funerals and a wedding’ which makes the audience want to watch the program to see who’s going to die, however I would also look to include a non-diegetic voiceover as well or instead of this feature possibly.

Trailer 2) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) or “exploit” (Abercrombie – 1995)

A strength that I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) would be the quick shots throughout the trailer. This is because I believe this establishes that there is lots of action coming within the program, which would then spark an interest in the program and the soap may then gain some viewers.Another strength that I would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) is the colours that they use to demonstrate whether a character is good or bad. This is because I think it makes it clearer for the audience who is the bad guy or who is good. A strength that I would “exploit” (Abercrombie – 1995) would be the camera movement. During this trailer the camera movement really helped to exaggerate the theme of the trailer. It also was a good was of changing camera shots without making them really obvious and unnatural..