1. OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio
Soap Opera Genre –
Independent Textual
Analysis
Name: Harriet O’Toole
Candidate Number: 5970
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number:64770

2. Trailer 1 – EastEnders - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qbVKqCojoY
Verbal Codes
Dialogue “What is it you’re trying to hide?!” “Which one is it?!” “It doesn’t matter” “It does to me”. This
diegetic dialogue is between the characters Alfie and Kat, which indicates a disagreement and argument
between the two of them, which can often be found in soap operas as part of the drama and is a
expected narrative theme. Alfie also states each of the Branning brothers names slowly, “Jack, Derrick,
Max?” in a low questioning voice, which sounds quite threatening. Incidental music, which is non
diegetic, increases the tension and pace of the trailer as it is a harsh drum noise with a fast tempo. At
the end of the trailer, when the point of call is shown, there is a non-diegetic voice over, “Eastenders
thrilling Christmas.” which connotes that something ‘thrilling’ is going to happen still and it’s imperative
to tune in to find out what this.
Non-Verbal Codes
Queen Vic - a community place where all the characters tend to meet and a place with a history of
drama, a well known location within the soap. Communal – everyone knows each others business.
House- Intimate, no one else around, tension is static.
This setting makes the scene more personal and relevant to families (Hartley) who may recognise this
domesticated setting. The lighting in general is quite low key, giving a sense of ‘doom’ and that
something dangerous or upsetting is about to happen. The non-verbal code of Kat’s facial expression is
one of worry and fear, relating to what is happening in the scene and it adds to the mysteriousness of
what could possibly happen next, especially where Alfie’s facial expression is one of rage and hurt, which
immediately ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) an enigma code (Roland Barthes) over something that Kat has
obviously done. In terms of costume everyone is either wearing black or very dark clothing, which
connotes to the dark feeling creeping into the square. Also, Alfie finds Kat trying to burn a piece of paper
over a candle, showing she want to hide or destroy some evidence to protect a secret.

3. Technical Codes
The technical code of a medium close up – front on shot of Alfie’s face gives the audience
more of a ‘personal identification’ (Katz) to Alfie and would affect the group known as
‘Caregivers’ (Maslow) as a medium close up intensifies their empathy to the feelings
shown by Alfie. There is a side on view of Kat and Alfie, which connotes a connection
between the two characters and indicates a conversation or interaction between the two
characters. Point of view shots from Alfie help give away clues to what is going to happen
in the next episode of Eastenders – as he looks at the text on the piece of paper, as he
walks towards the Queen Vic’s doors and when he barges into the pub and there is a
crowd of people around the bar. Alfie is seen tracking the whereabouts of Kat, which is
shown through a slow moving dolly from a mid-shot of Alfie as he does not trust her which
links to Rebecca Feasey’s theory (2007) because Kat is a strong female character and the
situation between her and Alfie is a domestic situation. Therefore this would appeal to a
female audience much more according to Feasey’s theory.

4. Trailer 2 – Hollyoaks -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pIa0pLM6Dc
Verbal Codes
No dialogue, the trailer is relying on the use of other features. The non-diegetic music is a jazzy kind of soundtrack,
very upbeat and young, much like the characters on screen. The verbal code of the non-diegetic lyrics “Watch me!”
in the song also reflect on what appears to be the characters personalities: the students in Hollyoaks want to be
watched and have the attention on them because a situation which involves them is clearly going to be shown in the
next few episodes of the soap. The non-diegetic soundtrack also contradicts some of what is happening in the scene,
giving it a sense irony with its happy sound compared to certain points in the trailer where a girl and boy are seen
kissing by another girl, whose happy expression instantly falls. Also in the non-diegetic soundtrack, some of the lyrics
are , “I’m super bad” which connotes that the students in the trailer are ‘bad’ in some form or another, or are
involved in some form of scandal. There is no voiceover, however there is the dramatic affect of the words,
“Hollyoaks is about to get very very messy” flashing up individually which indicates exactly what it says and is
supported by the mess of the derelict building and the mess that the students made with the paint.
Non-Verbal Codes
The audience are presented with a Derelict building throughout the trailer, it is the place where the students are, it
is very messy, which ultimately reflects the characters in the scene. Natural lighting and artificial lighting which are
both high key is also presented, giving the sense of outdoors where teenagers can be found. The use of white t-shirts
connotes a sense of purity and innocence then red paint comes in and immediately eradicates this. The protagonists
start to ‘play fight’ like rebellious teenagers and they all appear to have happy expressions until one girl finds
another kissing a boy, where her smile drops and she appears sad or hurt, which links to the audiences expectations
of a soap opera, where they expect drama and conflict. They use paint in squeezie paint bottles which they are
‘attacking’ each other with.

5. Technical Codes
Close ups, focusing in on certain characters, connote these specific characters may have a main role to play in the
next episode, and long shots capture the whole scene of the mess and students together as a ‘bigger picture’.
The technical code of a broken frame shot, just before the red paint, suggests a ‘disequilibrium’ (Todorov) of some
sort, such as a broken relationship between some of the students friend groups or a couple.
The technical code of a Eye line match denotes a ‘disequilibrium’ between two characters or more and also creates
tension in the scene which is what soap operas are based around, such as community issues and conflict. The
camera movement is quite fast paced to keep up with the commotion of the characters and portrays the
stereotypical way of student life. The commotion is the students attacking each other with paint which isn’t very
expected in this genre as it is a soap whereas the trailer is set us as more of a connotation of the episode it is
advertising. The play fighting with the paint could connote to some real fights in the soap and some real conflict
between the characters.

6. Evaluation of Textual Analysis –
Compare and Contrast
Trailer 1)
The use of incidental music is something I would incorporate into my own trailer to help convey the message that
something is about to happen and leave the viewer on a bit of a cliffhanger. This non-diegetic sound helps to create a
tense scene and provoke feelings within the audience, especially if they are not expecting it.
I would also ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) and ‘exploit’ (Abercrombie – 1995) the use of mid to close up shots to create that all
important ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with characters.
Furthermore, I feel that the settings used would be more appropriate as it establishes where the soap is set, especially
for a brand new soap opera, a location such as a street, pub or house is needed as the genre commonly reflects a
working class community and the struggles of it’s inhabitants.
Trailer 2)
The use of no dialogue is something I would repeat and focus on the camera shots and angles to suggest tension and
other emotions, which would then be anchored by the non-diegetic music. Also it is quite hard to get dialogue right
and I feel that having music with the right words would bring across a better message and also keep a more mysterious
feeling. The use of an eye-line match would be useful to show a connection between two characters to suggest a
relationship or shared secrets. Also the use of colours and actions to connote some sort of conflict would be something
I would repeat in my own trailer, for example the colour red can be a connotation of love, hate, anger or lust.