The document provides details about Ashley Mason's planning and preparation for a soap opera trailer project. It discusses: 1) Initial planning with a group where they researched similar soap operas and drafted storyline ideas. 2) Developing characters for the soap opera that represented different archetypes and storylines. 3) Planning ancillary materials like a magazine cover and billboard, using conventions from existing examples. 4) Choosing a dramatic song to set the tone for the trailer but removing lyrics to avoid clashing with dialogue.

1. Name: Ashley Mason
Candidate Number: 4593
Aquinas College: 33435

2. Planning
To begin with myself and seven other students were put into our filming groups. Before we
began filming we had to research ideas and watch similar soap opera trailers such as
Eastenders, Hollyoaks and 90210. Once we had conducted our background research
we came together to discuss and put forward ideas for the trailer. From here we drafted
up ideas, creating simple sketches and scripts.

3. Planning
Each partnership came up with different
scripts and scenarios that we could base our
trailer on. The ideas and material were
viewed and put into discussion to decide
which we thought worked best for the trailer.

4. Planning for Ancillary
Planning for final front
Planning for final poster
cover

5. Planning for Ancillary
For my ancillaries I looked at a variety of different
TV guides/magazines to come up with ideas
that I wanted to use in my own. For 1st draft of
my magazine front cover I decided to go for
the so called ‘tackier’ looking magazine, which
included bright colours, etc.
I decided to change this when it came to my final
front cover. I thought it worked better if I used
a more serious magazine such as the TV and
satellite weekly. I looked at many examples of
this magazine online and used them to base
my own on.

6. Planning - Characters
Tyson is the
bad guy of the Craig is a sly
James comes soap, he is character
across as quite known for his who is
nerdy and the Max and previous knowingly
type of person Sophie are criminal cheating with
who would stay the main conviction and his best
out of trouble. But couple of is now making Jack and Charlotte are friends
he seems to be the soap. his money another couple in the girlfriend.
getting involved The are through soap, Jack a teenager
with the wrong dressed selling drugs. who has it all going for
kind of similar to For the soap him is about to get the
people, this can indicate that opera we had shock of his life.
only end badly. they are to dress this Charlotte seems all
interested character in innocent but in reality
in the same dark colours she secretly cheating
kinds of such as black behind Jack’s back.
things to represent
making that he is bad.
them seem
a real
couple.
All the characters are dressed in casual clothing
so that the audience can relate to them and it
makes the soap seem realistic.

7. Q1. In what ways does your
product use, develop or
challenge existing codes
and conventions?

8. Conventions of a magazine cover Other storylines
Masthead
Realistic
characters
Clear picture
Buttons
Big, bold
title
Bright
Attention
colours to
grabbing
grab
headlines
attention

9. My Final Magazine Cover

10. My Final Billboard

11. Conventions of an existing billboard
Name of soap
Large, clear Main characters
picture
Channel logo

12. Billboard – 1st draft Main characters
Soap
opera E4 purple
name tape
E4 channel
logo
I decided that I did not like the font type for the grove, the graffiti style worked well but I thought it was hard to
read. Also the brick wall style of background is not common on E4, this was the reason why I decided to change
my trailer to ITV2 and use a better background.

13. Front Cover – 1st Draft
Masthead
Price
Realistic Stars
Bright colours Barcode
There are numerous things that I did not like about my first draft ancillary. I believe the
headliner does not make sense, the colours seem to clash and there is too much empty
space. I decided to start my final ancillary from scratch and change the complete look.

14. Trailer A variety of shot
types are used
including over the
shoulder, establishing
and panning shots.
Close-ups allow the
audience to see the facial
expressions and emotions
of the characters
The soundtrack
to the trailer
creates drama
and suspense
with the tempo
increasing when
emotions are
Very little make-up and high.
causal clothing to create
realism
The locations which the The choice of clothing
scenes are set in are places used by the characters
Camera as 4th wall gives a realistic feeling
that the audience can relate
to. to the soap

15. Storylines
Several storylines are used throughout the trailer to keep the viewer interested.
A scene included a drug
deal, a cheating scene
and a storyline between
the couple who are
expecting a child.

16. The music that I decided to use for my trailer links well with the story line, ‘I Gave You All’ is
a dramatic song by Mumford and Sons which contains powerful lyrics that fit well with
the events that unfold in my trailer. The part of the song that goes, ‘I gave you all’, can
represent a variety of events. It links well with the unplanned pregnancy of one of the
characters and the cheating scene. ‘And you rip it from my hands’ stands for the
murder of one of the characters boyfriends as he has been taken from her life in the
worst way possible. ‘Well now you’ve won’ fits well with the unknown murderers who
killed the characters boyfriend as they have done what they wanted to do. The fast
paced rhythm of the song gives a panicky feeling and lets the audience know that many
things are happening. In my first draft lyrics could heard in the background, however
when I came to making changes to my final trailer I opted to go for just the music, no
words. I decided to make this change as my trailer included a speech made by the
police officer, the words in the song clashed with this speech. I decided it would suit the
trailer better to just have the instrumental.