Trailer analysis research;

The arrival of the Mitchell sisters trailer (Eastenders)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbUoYGRbIyg

This trailer is advertising the arrival of new Mitchell sisters Ronnie and Roxy in the long running BBC Soap “Eastenders”. BBC is a major media institution with “Eastenders” being one of its most popular and well known programmes. The fact that this particular soap is so well known almost makes it an institution within itself, with people who don’t even watch it being able to identify its characters and storylines.

This trailer is effective in attracting its target audience as the very start of the trailer begins with a shot of well-known character, “Mo Slater”. This character is very identifiable both for people who do or don’t watch the soap and this is therefore important because it immediately shows the audience which soap is being advertised. The institutional brand “BBC One” is reintroduced and reinforced at the end of the trailer and this also helps the audience to identify the soap and reminds them of the institution. This use of advertisement also profits the institution itself because if the audience enjoy watching this programme, they may wish to watch more BBC programmes which would benefit the company.

Representation of different groups is highlighted throughout the trailer. For example, the mid shot of “Shirley” towards the beginning highlights a very strong, powerful woman. The fact she is dressed in black shows she is quite a dark, mysterious character and this is further highlighted through her facial expression. This expression also highlights the conflict within the soap, and the contrast between different stereotypes. For example, all of the older characters shown within this trailer show a disapproving and perhaps slightly annoyed expression towards the two new characters. This is because the Mitchell sisters are being portrayed as young, outgoing and independent girls, clearly very into the party lifestyle. Representation of women within this trailer and within soaps in general is particularly important. This is because, it is well known that the majority of the population who watch soaps are female. The fact that female roles within soaps tend to be very dominating and powerful is very controversial as traditionally within TV, female roles are supportive rather than dominating and this may explain why females enjoy watching soaps because it gives them a sense of power and they idolize the characters.

The more contemporary society becomes, the more soaps such as eastenders in particular are trying to attract a younger, wider audience through the introduction of new younger characters and the sacking of older characters. This is highlighted in this trailer, through the mise-en-scene used. The revealing, party clothing of the Mitchell sisters particularly highlights their age, and the colour of their clothes shows many different sides to their personalities. Red has connotations of romance and also anger, highlighting that Ronnie is a very strong, dominant female. The black also highlights a dark side which adds a sense of mystery. Roxy on the other hand is wearing orange and white, which highlight her as being a very outgoing party girl, but also pure and honest. This gives an indication as to what these characters will go through and be like later on in the soap. The setting of the trailer, the Queen Victoria Pub is a key use of mise-en-scene because it further highlights the party lifestyle of the two new characters but is also extremely identifiable for the viewer which is important because it means they can immediately recognise which soap is being advertised.

A wide variety of camerawork/shots have been used in this trailer, including tracking, panning, mid-shots and close-ups. This has been done to highlight the different characters in different ways. A zoom has also been edited in to emphasize the facial expressions of the different characters and their reactions to Ronnie and Roxie’s arrival. This is important because this highlights the contrast between the different ages of the characters and also, more importantly, the different conflicts that may occur later on in the storylines. For example, the zoom in on Shirley and Mo at the beginning of the trailer show them to be annoyed and unimpressed by the arrival of two young, pretty and dominating females.

The sound used in any trailer is important, because it can inform, persuade and grab the attention of the target audience almost instantly. The use of sound is particularly interesting within soap trailers because it often introduces the character and the type of storyline they are about to be involved with. The sound used within this Eastenders trailer does exactly that- the lyrics emphasize the seductive, sexy and powerful identities of the two new characters, and gives us an idea that there are going to be plenty of love storylines surrounding them in the near future. The use of editing to emphasize the sound effects is extremely effective because it creates a louder, more dramatic effect on the audience, and also further highlights the power and drama surrounding the two new characters. The lack of dialogue is most interesting because it highlights the following of a traditional convention. Most soaps steer clear of the use of dialogue within their trailers as it can sometimes give too much away about the storyline and they like to keep their audience guessing on what might happen- they will have to tune in to uncover the storyline. I will need to take into account this traditional convention when planning my own trailer, so that it ties in with my target audience and suits their needs and expectations- would they prefer dialogue or would it be more dramatic and enticing to keep them guessing?




The bonfire night 2010 promo trailer (Hollyoaks)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Xnxd-xjX0

This trailer was created by Channel 4 to promote a huge bonfire night storyline for modern, up and coming soap “Hollyoaks”. Hollyoaks, although it has been running for a number of years now, has often been criticised for being defined as a soap because it breaks several conventions that are deemed most important within soap operas in the UK, for example it is targeted at both a male and female audience, of a fairly young age. It is also extremely exaggerated, and at times perhaps slightly unrealistic. This is the main reason why I have chosen to look at it, as the target audience and breaking of conventions that follows from having this target audience are extremely similar to my ideas about my own soap trailer.

This trailer is extremely effective at attracting its target audience because it highlights well-known and easily identifiable characters, all of which are of similar age to the audience they are trying to attract. This is important because the audience tend to feel as though they can relate more to characters of their own age. The use of characters is important in this and in all soap trailers because it shows the target audience who is involved in which storyline, it gives them more of an idea about the plot and makes them want to know more.

The representation within this trailer, combined with the mise en scene is important because the characters are highlighted as being very glamorous and sophisticated. The use of costume and styling is effective at representing wealth, class and sophistication because the clothing of all characters within this trailer is extremely formal. This is important because it highlights the breaking of conventions through the idea that soaps are supposed to portray a realistic lifestyle whereas this highlights all characters to be rich, wealthy and glamorous-even if they are not like this in the actual soap. The use of makeup particularly on the females is also important because they are all wearing dark eye shadow and dark red lipstick. This not only emphasizes the glamour and seductiveness of the trailer but also highlights a more dark and sinister meaning. Combined with the slow and mysterious soundtrack and the fire this makes you wonder if something bad is going to happen.

One major convention of soaps and soap trailers is the lack of SFX. However, this particularly trailer is important because it breaks this convention with the use of a lot of SFX. For example, the fire has all been edited in and a time lapse has been used to create a slow motion effect. This is important when studying how soap trailers appeal to their audience because the majority of soaps want to attract an older, female audience whereas this soap is a lot more contemporary and is targeted at a much younger audience of both male and female. This younger audience means that the producers have to use SFX within the trailer in order to attract them, as from my recent questionnaire I found that this type of target audience prefers to see action and SFX, making them more likely to tune into the programme. This is an important discovery as my trailer is also aimed at this younger audience and I will therefore have to follow the conventions that Hollyoaks has created itself, in order to attract my younger target audience. I will also need to take into account the soundtrack with this as a more modern track will help to persuade my target audience to tune in.


Becky and Steve “Good Luck” Wedding Trailer (Coronation Street)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPdiFbCyc8

This trailer was created by ITV to promote the big storyline revolving around characters Becky and Steve and their wedding. The main reason I have chosen to look at this trailer is the importance of the soundtrack.I wanted to highlight the importance of the use of a soundtrack because as seen in this trailer, it links with the storyline and acts as a spoiler, giving away a little information. For example, the repetition of the lyrics "good luck" in this trailer are important because it makes you wonder whether something bad is going to happen. This is further emphaszied by the dialogue at the end of the trailer indicating that it will be screened on Friday the 13th- traditionally a very unlucky day. After deeply considering the importance of the soundtrack, I intend to use a track on my own trailer that will link with the storyline and conflict. I also intend to use a modern and well known track in order to catch my target audience's attention and persuade them to tune in.