A2 Media Studies

1. Primary Research Results
Name: Patrick Coll
Candidate Number: 1102
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135

2. When asked the suitable name for a Soap Opera my audience responded with the
most popular being The Rising Sun. The reasoning behind this name is that it is the
name of the pub we are likely to be filming by and the verbal codes “Rising Sun”
connote how the events of the Soap Opera are metaphorically heating up, implying
the tone of the series.

3. When asked which names are most representative of the Soap Opera
genre, the responses were very mixed, the most popular being
‘Stacey’. Due to the uncertainty within the results it is likely that we
will use all of the names for characters in our Soap Opera.

4. When asked to rank the multi-stranded plot issues from most important
to least the most important was adultery and relationships and the least
being domestic violence. As a result of this we will most likely focus
heavily on the relationships between characters however due to the
uncertainty in relationships we will try and touch on each topic/

5. When asked what would make a Soap
Opera stand out for a younger
audience there was a very mixed
response. A lot of responses how they
would like to expose more common
problems among young people such as
failing exams, social life, young
relationships, the plot based around
young people, music bands, family
issues. Whereas some people thought
the Soap Opera’s should include more
action sequences and violence as well
as a shocking cliff-hanger and more
death of characters. From this we will
most likely try to include some plot
elements that young people can relate
to and try and move away from
realism as this is what really engages
younger people.

6. When asked what topics would appeal
to a male audience, the responses were
very mixed with results such as action
sequences, death, attractive women,
dominant male characters, cars, sport,
scenes set in the gym and a villainous
male character. When creating the
Soap Opera we will try to incorporate
these elements however it is important
that we keep within the guidelines of a
stereotypical Soap Opera. We will try
and implement a scene where two men
fall into conflict as a result of cheating
on a women to satisfy these results.

7. When looking at the results for the best marketing strategy for a brand new Soap Opera
the most popular result is a television trailer and the second being social media and a
poster. To market our Soap Opera it is likely that we will create a Soap Opera trailer as
well as a Poster and magazine poster as an ancillary project however it is unlikely we
will take to Social Media as we are not promoting an actual Soap Opera.

8. In respect to the Hypodermic Needle theory I asked whether people believed Soap Opera’s
to be an accurate representation of real life. Surprisingly 37% of people said yes which
could imply that they have been brainwashed by the content within Soap Opera texts. For
the people that said ‘no’ they said that a lot of Soap Opera’s are over exaggerated and
unrealistic, which isn’t reflective of real life. Since a lot of people don’t see Soap Opera’s as
real life I think it is justified to make our Soap Opera over dramatic and quite unrealistic.

9. To analyse the effectiveness of Soap Opera’s I asked the question ‘Have you ever been
persuaded to watch a Soap Opera based on the trailer for it?’ and the ‘no’ option is slightly
more popular than the ‘Yes’. This explores how many Soap Opera trailers are not very
gripping apart form EastEnders which a lot of people said they thought was persuasive. For
my trailer to be successful I think I should maybe focus on focusing my Soap Opera around
the style of the EastEnders trailer.

10. I additionally asked which setting is best for the Soap Opera genre and the most
popular result was a ‘Local Pub’ which was expected considering that most Soap
Opera’s are set in this place. However some people suggested the town square, a
graveyard or a Local Park as other possible places, which we will try and incorporate
within the trailer somehow.

11. Conclusion
In conclusion, we as a group have decided that the name ‘The Rising
Sun’ is the most effective name for our Soap Opera based off of the
feedback given. We will attempt to touch on as many themes possible
in our trailer as from feedback each one of the themes plays a
significant role in the storylines of many other Soap Operas. We will
aim to make a trailer that is over dramatic and unreflective of real life
as based on the feedback this is how most people view Soap Operas.
According to our feedback the most effective method of marketing is a
television trailer which is why it is important that we make the trailer
engaging for a potential audience by creating cliff-hangers and not
giving too much of the plot away. To appeal to a male audience as well
we may experiment with different locations such as gyms and football
stadiums that might have a greater appeal to the male gender.

12. Evidence