The poster analyzes the effectiveness of different elements in soap opera trailers, including main images, taglines, logos, and air times. The main image of one poster creates suspense by showing a character on the floor, linking to the tagline "It's Going Down." Another poster attracts viewers with its family-oriented main image of happy characters. A third builds intrigue through its tagline mentioning betrayal and a wedding photo of characters in black, symbolizing conflict.

1. Poster Analysis- Ancillary Task
Candidate Name: Jade Cook
Candidate Number: 6622
Centre Number: 64770
St Paul’s Catholic College

2. Ident- is simple, but can easily be recognized by the audience. It
also gives the audience an enigma clue (Barthes) to what the
soap opera is about, as it is set in East London. The white colour
also makes it stand out against the dark background.
Institution
Channel- allows
the audience to be
“informed,
educated and
entertained” as
this is the BBC’s
mission statement
which will attract
viewers.
Main Image- this is
effective because
the character is
lying on the floor
which links to the
tagline “It’s Going
Down” because he
is down on the floor
which attracts the
audience as it
creates suspense as
they are uncertain
of whether he is
alive or dead.
Showing time and day- tells the
audience when the soap opera is on
and at what time. This is a key
convention on a soap opera trailer as
it keeps the audience informed about
the soap opera.
Tagline- the tagline is effective because like the
image, it creates suspense as the audience do not
know what has happened to this character or what
is going to happen to him which attracts them to
watch the soap opera. It also stands out against the
dark background because of the light colour and the
bold font.

3. Main image- this is effective as it links to the name of
the soap opera (Neighbours) because all the
characters shown in the poster are happy and like
one big family. This attracts the audience because it
connotes that this is quite a family-orientated soap
opera as there are a range of different characters of
different ages.
Ident- is simple yet effective and
easy for viewers to read. It also
connotes that the characters are
all quite close to each other.
The institution channel is in
orange which connotes hot
weather and can link to the
soap opera as it is set in
Showing day
and
time/institution
channel- gives
the audience
information of
when the soap
opera is
showing as well
as the time and
channel.
Tagline- this is effective as the tagline
connotes the old with the new. It is also
effective as the soap opera is set on a street
and the tagline is on a street sign which is
creative.

4. Tagline- this is effective
because it links to the
wedding theme as “to love
and honour” are usually
associated with marriage
vows. However, at the end
of the tagline the word
“betray” is used which is
effective as it builds
suspense for the audience.
Main image- is effective
because both the characters
in the image are wearing
black which is an anti-
stereotypical colour to wear
at a wedding. Black is also a
colour which connotes death
and sorrow which is
effective because it gives the
audience an enigma clue
(Barthes) that the wedding is
going to be a disaster and
something dramatic is going
to happen. The characters in
the image are also looking
away from each other which
links to the word “betray” in
the tagline of the poster as it
symbolizes that they have
both betrayed each other
which may cause a conflict
between them.
Institution channel- this
is effective as they have
used a dark colour to fit
with the dystopian
setting of the poster.
However, I will not
‘repeat’ (Neale) the
position they have put
the logo of the
institution channel as it
covers some of the
main image which
makes the image look
less effective.
Showing date/time- this is effective as they
have used the same colour background as the
institution channel logo so therefore stands
out against the black background.

5. Main image- this is effective as it the facial expressions of the characters connote fear and
desperation as they are being followed by the ‘villain’ (Propp) dressed in the dark clothing. The
image also links to the hashtag “nowhere left to run” used at the bottom of the poster because
the characters have reached a dead end and cannot get away from the ‘villain’. This is effective
because it creates suspense for the audience as they are unsure of what will happen to the
characters.
Institution
channel- allows
the audience to be
informed of which
channel the soap is
being shown on. It
is also effective as
it blends in with
the bricks in the
background,
however, it is still
recognizable for
the audience.
Showing date/time- this is useful as the audience are informed of the day
and time the soap will be shown. The white colour of the text also makes it
stand out against the dark background. They have also used hashtags to
allow viewers to interact with each other on social media about the soap
which is effective as most people have access to the internet and social
media and can therefore share their opinions of the soap opera.
Main image- the
dark background
also gives a
dystopian
setting which
connotes that a
disaster is going
to happen and
that some
characters may
be in danger.