Institutional Context

1. Brief 5
A promotion package for a new soap opera, to include
a TV trailer, together with:
•A listings magazine front cover featuring the new
soap
•A poster for the soap

3. Most soaps include issues that people can relate to, including:
•Relationship issues
•Sexual identity
•Friendship issues
•Drug addictions
•Fights
•Family issues
•Money problems
•Crime
•Death
•Illness
An issue can be the basis for the show that week, but their multi-strand storylines allow
them to include more than one issue, including different characters in the show to make it
look more realistic. They are usually set in one place and rarely introduce new characters,
helping the audience to identify the characters and understand what is going on.

4. The most recent popular storylines include:
Hayley Croppers cancer story
Sienna Blakes search for her
daughter and mental breakdown
Lucys death

5. Front cover of magazines about soaps are aimed at the main storyline of that week, and
feature a main image of characters included in the storyline. There are also thumbnail
images of characters from other soaps and a tag line about that storyline too. The
magazines are all bright using colours such as blues and yellows to attract the readers
attention.

6. Original ideas that work effectively
Once upon a Weatherfield
Fantasy idea of fairytale, theme which is
independent from the actual genre,
imaginative, original
Hollyoaks The Bus Crash
Over dramatic, dark, includes storyline theme
(dark) indicates what is going to happen
without actually showing it, keeps the
audience interested
Hurricane Sharon
Effective, imaginative,
creative, entertaining

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
-
pWr06mx8y8&index=8&list=PLUIR5p
ZGIR6zBfEke3J9lIIuC54lA68YV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V
KbgDzox4FM
Hollyoaks Will and Texas Wedding
Sound bridge, multi strand narrative, dramatic
music, shot clips that cut to the beat, facial
expressions. Linked to twitter with #
Eastenders Who Killed Lucy Beale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8utOBfH
CGo
Coronation Street Who Kills Tina
Mid shot of different characters involved,
historic flashbacks, dramatic music, narrator
over the top of channel ident, time and
programme, features theme tune, short clips
of her falling off of building
Shadowing word art effective,
entertaining, linked to theme.
Dramatic slow music, focus pull, eye
effect, different storylines who killed
her? Slow motion, tag line, narrator
over channel ident

8. Hollyoaks tends to introduce characters without any warning, so they appear when the
audience least expect it. This creates excitement as the audience want to know who they are.
This makes them want to watch the programme again to find out. They also use a song and
different shots to introduce each new episode. They move the story along by using a multi
strand narrative, which includes several different characters and issues to make it more
realistic and interesting. They also have titles for each of their characters and they use an
original theme tune which the audience can identify easily. Hollyoaks use a lot of jump cuts
and sound bridges to move the scenes along. They also use the 180 rule and shot reverse
shots to follow conversations between characters. They use focus pulls to create drama that
are accompanied by dramatic music.
Eastenders use a different approach, and introduce their characters to the audience with
news, to make them want to watch the programme when they debut. Eastenders have one
image and an original theme tune that their audience can easily identify. Eastenders also uses
a multi-strand narrative which continues for a long period of time.

9. Other effective A level videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FodOn9DA
UTQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLNFmieIx
og
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlZ1Ggyx9
_o
Slow shot circling actors works well as it
highlights that they are doing something
important, makes it more creative and
entertaining
Flashbacks work well, contrast between
bright and dark develops storyline
Camera in the bottle looks
effective, different type of
camera shots which entertains
audience, builds up tension

10. Initial ideas:
A new TV soap written just for teenagers highlighting issues they are facing (skins)
Shown in POV shots about a party, teenagers look like they are having a good time,
flashbacks to home life, difficulties with parents, pregnancies etc. Skins was successful
because it was a very raw, to the point drama, that showed the issues that teenagers go
through in their everyday life in a very honest light. A POV shot would be effective because it
would make the audience feel as though they were the character in the advert, and it is an
original idea which would make the advert more appealing and entertaining.
A soap based around police/mystery (broadchurch)
Broadchurch was successful because the trailer showed a mystery, which intrigued the
audience into wanting to know what was going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngsFOWAPTDI