The document provides an analysis of two soap opera trailers based on verbal codes, non-verbal codes, and technical codes. For the first trailer, the analysis notes the upbeat soundtrack, a sound effect of an object being thrown, and a voiceover introducing the drama. Character costumes and facial expressions are also examined. Camera angles, shot types, and editing techniques are discussed. The second trailer's soundtrack and lyrics are analyzed, along with a dark voiceover. Character nudity, clothing, facial expressions, and the dark background are examined. Camera angles, movement, and jump cuts between characters are commented on. The document evaluates strengths of each trailer and aspects the author would replicate, such as diverse characters

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Independent Textual
Analysis
Name: Von Aerol Soberano Villanueva
Candidate Number: 6515
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. Trailer 1 – Waterloo Road: New Series Trailer - BBC One
-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf9xC7wbzWA
Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or Soundtrack.
An upbeat, non-diegetic rock themed soundtrack called ‘Easy Money’ played by English musician Johnny Marr plays
throughout the trailer while the tempo stays consistent. This represents the type of demographic, specifically
rebellious teenagers that would watch this soap opera. This is supported by the use of teenagers in the trailer as the
buoyant tempo signifies (De Saussure) the cheerful lifestyle of the youthful teenagers. The fast paced non-diegetic
soundtrack also symbolizes the business of the characters’ lives, this is also conveyed by the way the scene ‘cuts’ into
the next one to keep the audience engaged.
The ambient sound effect of an enraged young character hurling an object towards the wall which produced a ‘bang’
sound effect ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) that he is infuriated and has no care for the consequences. This action presents
him as a rebellious, strong and dominant male which will appeal to a rebellious audience as they can ‘identify’ (Katz)
with his persona and behavior. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs also applies as in this context, ‘caregivers’ or similar
teenagers may sympathize with the character which will entice the audience even more.
The non-diegetic voiceover saying “drama everyday, at waterloo road” ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) that the soap opera is
a collection of dramatic events with reference to current issues such as relationship problems between two teachers
which would appeal to ‘survivors’ (Maslow) as the audience would like the relationship to continue. Furthermore,
the audience can also identify (Katz) as they may also have relationship problems, meaning they can relate to the
characters. The diegetic verbal code “now that we’re here, we can leave all the other stuff behind us” was spoken
towards a male teacher said by a female teacher connotes that they have dealt with a problem and now they have
recovered their relationship. This suggests that they have reached a new equilibrium (Todorov) as their relationship
has returned to normality.

3. Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial Expressions
and Characters.
The scene which shows the rebellious student throwing an object against a wall was wearing a leather jacket. The
leather jacket signifies (De Saussure) his rebellious nature and dominant character. This is because he did not
hesitate to throw the object in front of the teacher. After this event, the camera shows a close up of the teacher who
witnessed this action with a staggered facial expression. The use of the close up informs the audience on his true
feelings of what he just observed. This in turn allows the audience to sympathize with the character (Maslow),
especially with consumers with a teaching occupation. Furthermore a close up was once again used on the student
who was slowly descending from a pole. This specific shot type conveyed his terrified facial expression which once
again allowed the audience to sympathize with the character (Maslow). In addition to the close up, editing has been
used in a form of a freeze frame of the facial expression. For example, the last scene of the head teacher shows his
stunned face when he found out his wife was visiting. This facial expression suggest that he is surprised, in a
negative way which was portrayed through the freeze frame. Freeze frames are not conventional when it comes to
soap operas, instead the scene cuts into the next so the story flows and keeps the consumers engaged. However the
use of editing is still very effective as it suits Waterloo Road’s whole premise which is based on school life. The way
the scene freezes connotes a disequilibrium which is usually associated with school as there is a consistent
disruption of order by teenage students.

4. Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera
Movement.
The establishing shot showed the name of the soap opera and emphasized this by zooming in into the ‘waterloo road’ text. This gives a
sense of nostalgia as the use of this camera movement reminds the audience that all the scenes and different events between the
characters all lead back to Waterloo Road school (multi narrative plot).
Hand held shots has been used throughout the trailer. This specific camera movement denotes a certain kind of gritty realism, which is
conventional in most soap operas, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of the scene, rather than viewing it from
a detached, frozen perspective. This will engage the audience more and persuade them to continue watching the soap opera.
A slight tilt was used when a young male teenager was trying to slowly lower himself down to the ground while hanging onto a pole.
The use of the low angle tilt demonstrated clearly the direction he was going for the benefit of the audience. In this scene, a close up
shot was used to keep the face of the character in the frame. This conveyed the terrified facial expression the character had at that
moment and takes into the state of mind of the character, again which makes us feel sympathetic for the character (Maslow). Close ups
are usually used to show the trust between lovers or people with a close relationship, however since it was used in this case, it affects
the audience in a certain way which cause them to relate with the character. In addition, a low angle was also used to show how high up
the character was from the ground. This increases height and helps give a sense of powerlessness and aids in the addition of fear and
insecurity towards the audience which again affects the audience as they can relate as well as sympathize with the character as
everyone has been terrified of something in their life (Katz/Maslow). An eye level camera angle has been used throughout the trailer as
it is a neutral shot. The use of this camera angle is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that the actors'
heads are on a level with the focus. This gives a sense of naturalism, as if the audience is part of the scene.
A long shot has also been used to show the different characters involved in the scene. This shot is effective as it conveys to the audience
the setting and mise en scene involved in the shot. For example food on the table and pictures on the walls. This will further emphasize
the ‘school’ theme the trailer is trying to portray. Furthermore a medium shot has also been used to focus on the dialogue between the
two teachers in the relationship and puts less emphasis on the mise en scene. This allows the audience to focus on the dialogue which is
“now that we’re here, we can leave all the other stuff behind us”. This means the audience can analyze what the character has said so
that they can relate to the character (Katz) , especially in this context.
The opening scene showed a new student being introduced into the school by the head teacher. An over the shoulder shot has been
used and was accompanied by a slight low angle to portray the difference in status as the head teacher was given more height. Since an
over the shoulder shot was used, this gives a feel of looking at the head teacher from the students point of view which makes it seem
like the audience is part of the scene.

5. Trailer 2 – Skins | Series 5 | Coming Soon
-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKa4dTAqE4
Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Dialogue, Voiceover, Sound Effects or Soundtrack
The soundtrack is a song by an alternative band called Arcade Fire and the beat of the non-diegetic
song has a rock theme. The pace slowly increases which is parallel to the increased speed of descent
of the characters. The gradual increase from the soundtrack builds up tension as it will cause the
audience to wonder what will happen next, and therefore entice them to watch the program.
The lyrics from the soundtrack say “now I’m ready to start” which may connote that the characters
may begin a new life, same as Adam and Eve as they were also thought to be naked when the human
race began.
The type of soundtrack used works in conjunction with the trailer as it would attract the type of
demographic that would be interested in the soap such as 16-20 year olds. This is because the
characters used were both male and female who seemed to fit that age range.
The voiceover during the presentation of the ident was said “Skins, the brand new series, coming soon
on E4”and was said in a deep and unsympathetic voice which may connote that the soap conforms to
a dark and gloomy theme. This is corresponds to the background in the trailer which was also dark.
The use of this type of voice and the dark background will appeal to mystery lovers and people who
enjoy cliffhangers as they are left to wonder the possibilities of what may happen.

6. Non-Verbal Codes – Comment on the use of Setting, Lighting, Costumes, Facial
Expressions and Characters.
A ‘strong woman’ (Feasey) may be present in the trailer as the main character is a female, however
she does not represent a traditional female as she has short hair. This may connote that she has a
manly personality. This will allow the female audience to sympathize (Maslow) with her.
In the trailer, the characters begin nude, however they then transition to being fully clothed by the
end of the trailer. This may connote that, in the program, they will begin pure and innocent, but due
to the social issues that they will go through, they will have to lie and hide the truth.
The background in the trailer is dark which follows the mystery theme throughout the trailer. This may
connote that the soap will contain a dark event sometime in the future which the characters will have
to go through to reach adulthood. The black/grey background matches the facial expressions of the
characters as they give a sense of fear, confusion and some are even expressionless which puts
emphasis to the mystery theme. In addition, the background is dark, however the faces of each
character is highlighted. This may connote that the characters are unaware of their surroundings and
are almost oblivious to everyone else around them and are only absorbed in whatever is happening to
them.
The characters are shown to be in their natural form at first since they are naked which clearly links
with the ‘Skins’ title. The characters may be showing their vulnerable side, but they are fully clothed
by the end of the trailer because they are forced to grow up in a society as they are involved in the
same issues and situations as adults, for instance romance and family conflicts.

7. Technical Codes – Comment on the use of Camera Angles, Shot Types and Camera
Movement
Low angles and high angles were excessively used in the trailer and are used to connote the status of
certain characters. For example, a high angle would connote that the character may have a more
important role in the soap compared to someone else.
When the pace of the soundtrack increases, the camera changes to hand-held shots which gives a
gritty realism feel and makes it seem like the audience is also falling down with them. This is
supported as over the shoulder shots were also used. This camera shot gives a personal perspective of
the character and allows the audience to be a part of their perspective. Since the camera begins to
shake, this suggests a disequilibrium as the vigorous shaking suggests that something bad will happen.
The camera falls down alongside the characters to show that they are descending. This also shows
how fast and intense the descent is which may be parallel to the fast paced intensity of the trailer.
Jump shots were used to switch between each character to show their individual facial expressions.
This allows the audience to ‘sympathize’ (Maslow) with them as the confused faces of the characters
also leaves the audience wondering why they are confused.

8. Evaluation of Textual Analysis –
Compare and Contrast
Trailer 1) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale)
I liked the use of characters in the trailer as it allows the audience to ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with
many characters. Therefore I would repeat the use of a diverse range of characters in my trailer with
different ethnicity’s and backgrounds to attract a wider audience. I would also repeat some of the key
prevalent themes that were prevalent such as romance and family conflicts as they are present in other
established soap operas and I feel the use of these themes would make our trailer seem more
professional. Also I think freeze frames can be repeated in our trailer as a way to allow the audience to
view the setting of the scene to give a sense of naturalism which hopefully would allow them to feel like
they are part of the scene.
Trailer 2) – Areas of Strength and what you would ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale)
I feel that the link between the actions of the trailer and the soundtrack is important as it may have
many connotations that will cause the audience to unravel the meanings themselves. Therefore I would
repeat the fact that pace of the music is parallel to the trailer. If this is not done then I feel the audience
would be confused as to what the theme of the trailer is and this may discourage them from wanting to
watch the program. In addition, I would repeat the use of the over the shoulder shot as it allows to the
audience to view the situation in the character’s perspective, and this will make it seem like they are
also in the trailer. Furthermore, since females are the main target audience for most soap opera’s, I
believe it would be beneficial to have a strong female character as a way to attract female audience’s.