The document provides a production log for a media studies student's advanced portfolio project. It includes the student's aims and objectives, a brief for a soap opera trailer, research on soap opera codes and conventions using examples from EastEnders and Coronation Street, analysis of trailers for Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, and notes on the roles of a producer and director. Research was also conducted on BBC Two as a potential channel for the trailer.

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* St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Candidate Number: 6409
Candidate Name: Joseph Gibbs
A2 Media Studies
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media –
Production Log
Evidence of Planning & Research

2. 2
Aims and Objectives
 AO2 – Assess candidates’ application of knowledge and
understanding in evaluating their own work, showing
how meanings and responses are created.
 AO3 – Assess candidates’ ability to plan and construct
media products using appropriate technical and creative
skills.
 AO4 – Assess candidates’ ability to undertake, apply and
present appropriate research.
Brief Chosen
A 45 second – 1 minute 30 second trailer for a NEW Soap Opera
that will be exhibited on at 8:30pm (after EastEnders)
that will appeal to a Male and Female audience.

3. 3
Contents
Textual Analysis
 EastEnders
- Soap Opera Codes & Conventions
- Multi Strand Narrative
 Coronation Street
“..the home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong woman, and as
such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer”
‘Masculinity and Popular television’ – Rebecca Feasey (2007)
Research
 Purpose of a Trailer
 Multi-Platform promotion
 Textual Analysis – Coronation Street and Hollyoaks
Production Work
 Director – Roles & Responsibilities?
 Producer – Roles & Responsibilities?
 Institution research – BBC Two

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SoapOpera Codes & Conventions
Codes & Conventions of the SoapOpera Genre
The Soap Operagenre can be categorizedby the ‘repeated’
(Steve Neale) elements of:
1. Romance
2. Family relationships and/or conflict
3. Focus on working class communities
4. Antagonism and conflict within the community
5. Social issues – crime,unemployment, racism,sexuality,etc.
Soap Opera
Codes and
Conventions
Romance is a key element
in many storylines
Multi-stranded
narrative
Tackling social issues
that are, sometimes,
controversial
High
drama
Many 'disequilibriums' (Todorov)
for the characters - little
happiness
Exaggerated
version of reality
'Personal identification'
(Katz) - relatable for the
audience

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EastEnders (1985 – Present)
Key informationregarding this text:
 Exhibited on BBC1 and repeated on BBC3.
 One of the UK’s highest ratedprogrammes (6millionviewers on
average)
 Set in the “kitchensink” of fictional Walford, East London.
Textual Analysis Task
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye51O8WBVVM&feature=related -
In my opinion, accordingto Hartley’s SevenSubjectivities, the target
audiencefor EastEnders is:
Age 15-30 years old
Gender Female
Nationality British

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Trailer 1)
The focus of this trailer: A murder has taken place on the square and there are a
number of suspects.
Code
&
Convention
Evidence
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
Impact on the Audience
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance
N/A There is no romance shown in the trailer.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Many members of
Lucy’s family are
suspects for her
murder.
Creates a sense of ‘diversion’ (Katz) for the
audience – an unusual scenario to help them
escape their own life.
Focus on
working class
communities
The characters are seen
working, for example,
Peter is seen with a
shovel.
“Personal identification” (Katz) – allows the
audience to form a relationship with the
character because they can identify with
them due to similarities between the soap
opera and modern life, for example working
with an every day job.
“Multi-Stranded
Narrative”
There are many
different characters in
the trailer all doing
different things, leading
into the same storyline.
This creates the idea that there are many
different suspects for the murder, and will
appeal to “explorers” (Maslow) because it
will drive them to find the missing clues for
the murder of Lucy.
‘Disequilibrium’
(Todorov)
One of the people on
the square is a
murderer.
“There’s a killer amongst them” – non-verbal
code creates the idea that it could be anyone
on the square.

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Trailer 2)
The focus of this trailer: New characters have arrived on the square.
Code
&
Convention
Evidence
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
Impact on the Audience
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance Johnny and Danny
kissing, after he’s seen
with Whitney and
encouraged on by his
parents.
‘Diversion’ – seeing other characters’
relationships can divert the audience from
their own lives.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
“Got a lot of catching up
to do, Shirl”
Mick talking to his sister, who he
presumably has not seen in years.
Focus on
working class
communities
Setting – pub. Familiar setting, ‘personal identification’
(Katz) – a setting many of the viewers will
know and recognise, allowing them to relate
to the characters.
“Multi-Stranded
Narrative”
Johnny and his
relationship issues
Nancy’s relationship
with her mum.
Linda and Shirley not
getting on.
Keeps the audience entertained with many
different storylines all tied in together.
‘Disequilibrium’
(Todorov)
Shirley not getting on
with Linda – could
cause trouble as they
work together.
‘Diversion’ (Katz) – other characters’
misfortunes distracting the audience from
anything in their own lives.

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Multi-stranded narrative
A Multi-stranded narrative can be defined as…..
- Telling a story from more than one person’s point of view.
- Telling multiple stories about multiple characters in an open narrative
episode for example.
EastEnders trailer:
Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience
Multi-stranded narrative Sharon being attacked
Phil/Shirley’s discussion
Ian and Rainie
Builds suspense, will appeal
to “explorers” (Maslow) who
would like
Family relationships
and/or conflict
Mick helping Johnny – “alright
son”
Shirley’s difficulty with her son
‘Caregivers’ (Maslow) and
‘Diversion’ (Katz) both apply
here. They allow the
audience to give sympathy
to the characters, as well as
immersing themselves in the
text, allowing them to forget
their own troubles.
Focus on working class
communities
Colloquial language – “allo” ‘Personal identification’
(Katz) – familiar language
making the characters
relatable and identifiable.
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) Sharon unconscious ‘Diversion’ (Katz) – an
unusual scenario for the
audience to immerse
themselves in.
Romance Ian and Denise – broken down
relationship – low key lighting
‘Diversion’ (Katz) – will
distract the audience from
their own lives and focus on
Ian and Denise’s
relationship.

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According to Rebecca Feasey in ‘Masculinity and Popular television’ (2007), the Soap
Opera genre tends to focus on:
“The home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong
woman, and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the
female viewer”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ApPT6isY (First 5 minutes)
Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience
Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology:
1. Domestic tribulations – “two sittings for breakfast” – Deirdre
2. Deirdre sat in the middle – strong female.
3. Anna telling Faye to go to school – strong, dominant female.
“Multi-Stranded Narrative” - Deirdre and family.
- Anna and her daughter Faye.
 Family
relationships
and/or conflict
- Family at war.
- Anna’s personal troubles affecting family life.
 Focus on working
class communities
- Anna washing up – ‘personal identification’
(Katz)
 ‘Disequilibrium’
(Todorov)
- Carla
- Funeral – Tina’s death
SoapOpera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson4
Textual Analysis
1) The purpose of a trailer is:
- To promote and advertise a product, for example a film or TV show.
- Inform the target audience about the film, TV show, or other media
product.
- To create buzz about the product.
- To serve as a marketing tool.

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2) The benefits of Multi-Platform promotion of a media text:
- Helps to reach out to a mass audience.
- Creates more buzz about the media text.
Ultimately, some form of convergence is important when promoting a text to the
target audience.
Textual Analysis –
 Multi-stranded narrative
 Character dilemmas
 ‘Personal Identification’ (Katz)
Multi-stranded narrative:
- Fast paced cuts showing different characters in different locations.
Character dilemmas:
- Hayley’s face – disapproving.
- Soundtrack – non-diegetic music – contrasts with the reactions.
- Voiceover – “the perfect date for a Coronation Street wedding” – inferring
that it is not a typical happy wedding and is instead going to have some
kind of ‘disequilibrium’ (Todorov) as the audience would expect from
Coronation Street.
- Jason being warned off by Liz.
‘Personal identification’:
- Wedding – familiar situation (stereotypically)

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http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hollyoaks/4od
The above link will take you to some of the latest episodes of Hollyoaks.
1. The connotations of the ident for the popular Channel Four Teen Soap Opera
Hollyoaks (1995 – Present):
- Boy vs. girl.
- Aimed at a younger audience – suggested by the bright colours used,
compared to darker, more dull colours used in other soap idents, e.g.
Coronation Street.
Next Page - Hollyoaks – “White Wedding Trailer” -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2sW-r9Vb4
2.
- The tear – shows she is not happy at the fact that she is getting married.
- Black tear – the colour black connotes something bad, or even death, and
is therefore worse than a regular tear.
- ‘White wedding” lyric – ‘binary opposite’ (Levi Strauss) to the non-verbal
code of the black costumes.
- Pregnancy – ‘shotgun’ wedding.
Production Work
1) The role of a producer:
- Oversees all aspects of the production across: pre-production, production
and post-production.
- Manages everyone and ensures everything is in place in order for the text
to look fit for purpose.
2) The role of a director:
- Oversees the creative aspects of the production.
- Directs people in front and behind the camera.
3) Institution research –
- Tone: surprising, witty, warm, intelligent, informative.
- Audience: 35-54 year olds
- Average weekly share – 5.6% (BARB)
- Reaches 31,790,000 viewers every week on average.
- Some of the biggest shows of recent years on BBC2 have been Top Gear,
Who Do You Think You Are?, The Apprentice and Have I Got News For You.