Soap poster analysis

1. Soap Poster Analysis

2. Content
This soap poster features a range of recognisable
characters that have been in the soap for a number
of years. As this is a soap poster for the 25th
anniversary episode of Eastenders, the characters
used are all those that the audience recognise. The
image is set in the Queen Vic, which is a
conventional setting for a soap and is seen a lot in
Eastenders episodes.
The characters are all dressed in old fashioned,
brightly coloured, clashing clothes and are all
positioned in different ways to represent their
character and what is going to happen in the
anniversary episode. For example, Kat is seen
walking into the pub with a suitcase looking very
unhappy and dirty. This indicates that she is in some
sort of trouble and is going to bring some drama to
the episode. Stacey is seen leaning on the bar with a
glass of wine in her hand smiling. This indicates that
her character is quite laid back and flirty as she is
smirking slightly and staring towards Phil. Ian is
standing on his own in the corner with a beer,
hinting that he could be in some sort of fall out or
relationship that will leave him on his own. Peggy is
seen behind the bar looking very defiantly at Kat,
showing that there could be a conflict with them in
this episode. This mise en scene entices the
audience into watching the show as there are so
many hidden meanings that they feel they want to
find out about.

3. Style
Eastenders poster features a number of
different characters that are all doing
different things to persuade the viewer
to look at the poster closely at all of the
hidden details such as facial features
and body language. Dot Cotton stands
out as she is wearing a colour similar to
the ribbon used in the title but if you
look closer you can see a mystery man in
the background wearing a hat and
someone walking through the door with
someone over their shoulder. This type
of poster creates an enigma for the
audience as it looks like there is a lot
happening so it appears exciting and
there are clues as to what is going to
happen, but not too much is given away.

4. Language
The only text present on this soap poster
is the programmes name and the
channel it is featured on. The writing
says Eastenders 25 which highlights the
fact that the viewers can expect
something to happen in this episode as it
is a special anniversary one. The channel
logo is used to promote what channel
the episode will be on which will inform
audiences who may not have watched
Eastenders before but have been
persuaded by the poster to do so.
By not including lots of text, the
creators of the poster have been able to
suggest what is going to happen through
the use of characters and mise en scene.
This creates an enigma and keeps the
audience active as they have to take
their time to look at what is going on
with each character and come up with
their own interpretation as to what is
going to happen.

5. Layout
The layout of this poster is landscape,
and features one main image and little
text. The poster shows the well known
Queen Vic with some of the most
memorable characters that have been in
the show all portraying a different event
that is going to take place in the
anniversary episode.
The colours used in this poster are dull
and washed out, making the image look
harsher, conveying the gritty drama that
is featured in the soap.

6. Content
This soap poster includes the images of
five of the most well known characters
from Hollyoaks engulfed in flames. It
also shows the channel logo that the
programme is broadcast on and the
tagline ‘The week that will change
Hollyoaks forever’ followed by the
details of the date that the episodes
start.
The flame effect used symbolises that
something is going to happen to these
characters that is going to change their
lives forever. All of the characters are
seen engulfed in flames and looking
away from the camera, making them
look quite vulnerable and pained by the
flames. It comes across to the audience
that there is a secret as none of the
characters can look at the camera, so it
looks as though they are hiding
something.

7. Style
The style of this poster is that it is made
to look very dramatic. The dark
background contrasts against the flames
making them look bright and stand out
to the audience. The text is on a white
background which makes that look
bolder and easy to read, attracting the
readers attention and leaving them
wondering what is actually going to
happen that is going to ‘change
Hollyoaks forever’.
The after effect of the fire makes this
poster stands out from others as it is
creative and unique. This helps to
intrigue the audience and persuade
them to watch the show as it looks
entertaining and professional.

8. Language
The language used in this poster is very
dramatic, as the word ‘forever’ suggests
that something big is going to happen
that is going to change the soap. As the
soap is being affected by this event it
means that the audience also will
because they are the ones who watch it,
so they will also feel that they are a part
of this event and will be persuaded to
watch it.
By not using a lot of writing, the poster
looks more aesthetically pleasing and
appears mysterious as it doesn’t give too
much away.

9. Layout
This poster is landscape and would
probably be shown on a billboard. It
layout is quite simple, and uses one
main image of a few recognisable
characters. It also uses a dark
background and a white and black
border. The house style is consistent as
both the text and box the text is written
in are white which match the border,
and the writing itself is black like the
background.

10. Comparisons
 The Eastenders image is very conventional for a soap poster as it uses a location that a lot of the audience will be
familiar with (pub) as this is where they would go out to enjoy themselves, making Eastenders look more relatable
and entertaining. This is contrasting from the Hollyoaks poster, which is unusual as you can see the characters
covered in flames. Hollyoaks poster appears more creative and fresh in comparison to the Eastenders poster, which
makes Hollyoaks appear individual with new storylines unlike Emmerdale and Coronation Street who tend to copy
Eastenders storylines.
 The characters in the first poster are all dressed in old fashioned, cheap looking clothing that makes them appear
outspoken and poor, whereas Hollyoaks characters use the male gaze theory as the characters do not appear to have
any clothes on with only flames covering them.
 Both soap posters do not use a lot of text and appear to use mise en scene and editing techniques to convey what is
going to happen instead. This helps to create more mystery and persuade the audience to watch the episodes to find
out what happens.
 The soap posters both feature the logo of the channel the programme is on to advertise it and inform the audience
of where they can watch the soap.
 Both posters also include more than one character which presents their multi strand narrative and makes them look
more exciting because they have more than one thing going on.