Past students soap opera trailers

This is a soap opera trailer from previous media studies students of Chelmer Valley.

Analysis

There is non-digetic background music throughout the whole piece which adds drama and makes the trailer come together as one. The music fades out at the end and this is good as it comes to a nice finish and isn't abrupt. No digetic speech has been used between the characters, even though this isn't necessary it would help to understand and reinforce the plot a bit more.

The mise en scene is good as it helps with the setting of the soap. The sofa and coffee table shows that some of the soap will be based around a domestic setting which is very conventional within soap operas. The sofa is bright purple and this colour can connote wealth and upper class which could reflect the wealth of the characters. The main female character is also wearing purple and this colour can also connote homosexuality and this would reinforce her storyline. The setting of the car in the forest adds mystery and the alcohol bottles, shoes and phone show that something bad may have happened there. This helps to entice the audience into wanting to view the soap.

At the beginning of the trailer a two shot close up of the two female characters in the car show how they are going to be the main characters within the trailer and the soap opera. The close up helps to show the intimacy between the characters and helps to get their feelings across. A long shot is used to show the couple and it also shows their surroundings which reinforces the domestic setting. A high angle shot of the body is used near the end of the trailer and only the arm of the character is shown and not their face so, as an audience we do not know who they are and this adds mystery to the piece. A mid shot has been used to show the petrol scene, dark lighting has also been used in this scene and this makes it sinister and holds mystery over who the criminal is.

Many jump cuts have been used within the trailer and this helps to make it quick and exciting. However, sometimes they are too quick leaving the shots to be cut off. A fade to black has been used before introducing some of the titles, this works well as it comes just after the main female character so as, an audience it gives us the understanding that she will be the character who causes trouble. A fade to black has also been used at the end of the trailer which gives it a nice finish for the titles to follow. The titles within the piece help to understand the plot and at the end they give information about the soap. However, I feel that they could use a voice over to read them to add something to the piece.

Strengths:

This trailer is good as it gives the audience an insight into what story lines they can expect to see within the new soap. It shows multiple characters and possible relationships from the soap. The trailer uses mystery at the end to entice the audience when a character is shown to have collapsed , maybe due to drugs, but the audience do not see the face or know the circumstances to the situation. Also, they have followed the conventions of trailers by revealing the name of the soap and the timings information at the end of the trailer and music has been used throughout with only a bit of dialogue which is also, a key convention in soap opera trailers. A good range of shots have been used especially the two shot in the car. Also, when the character is on the floor the framing of the shot is good as they are not revealed to the audience.

Weaknesses:

As the trailer is for a new Soap Opera it could maybe show more characters and settings which, the audience can expect to see. The trailer shows a big storyline and as this is for a new soap it does entice the audience however, they could save this as a trailer to be shown a few weeks after the soap has started and focus more on showing the audience different characters, relationships, families and settings/locations.



Analysis

Within the trailer non digetic background music has been used throughout. A good choice of music has been used which adds drama to the piece. However, the music kept cutting out quite abruptly which interrupted its continuity maybe it could have been faded out o made quiet in the background. The digetic speech helped to understand the plot and characters but at times it was quiet against the background music so, the sound volumes could have been looked at more when creating this piece.

The couple have been shown in a domestic setting along with other characters and this is a generic convention of soap opera. Also, a pub has been shown which is another generic convention. It helps to show the types of locations which may be involved in the soap. The curtains are closed and the lighting is dim and dark in the photograph scene. This makes it come across as quite sinister and shows that maybe the character might be a baddy. This character is wearing dark clothing and this gives off the connotations of death and danger. These can be hints to a possible dramatic storyline.

Throughout the trailer titles are used showing single words which relate to the different plots within the trailer, this is good as it makes them extra clear to the audience. Also, at the end of the trailer titles have been used to show the name of the soap and informat

The trailer opens with a long shot of a couple in a living room. This is good as it shows a setting for the soap and we can see that the couple are together. It could also mean that as they are on their own they are central characters to the soap as a whole or the main storyline. In the next scene a close up has been used to show a photo of the main female character and from this we can see how the storyline is going to evolve. A mid shot has been used to show the three characters at a party and they are all holding alcohol which can show their ages or that they are going against the rules, they are all positioned close to each other so the audience can tell that they are all friends. A low angle has been used to show someone walking into the house part scene. We are not shown any other features of the character which leads to mystery of whom they may be and as this is a distinctive shot it can show that they are going to cause trouble. In the framing at the end of the piece the characters dads head gets cut out of the frame it would have been good to have seen the whole character.


Strengths

This trailer has involved a good use of different generic soap opera characters all with  a different storyline. The titles which have been used to go along with the trailer match the story lines and show the audience the different themes they may expect to occur throughout the soap opera. The settings and locations used are good and follow the generic conventions of soap operas. The close up of the photograph is good as it lets us see that it is actually another character who is involved in the soap.

Weaknesses

This trailer involves quite a few jump cuts and at times it can make the trailer become a bit fragmented. Also, in some parts the framing cuts off the characters head. The lighting is quite dim which makes it unclear at times but it is good in some scenes. The background music used is good and fits with the soap opera however, sometimes when it stops it can come across as a bit abrupt. A lot of story lines have been shown within this trailer and maybe it would have been better to leave some mystery to the audience.