Poster Textual Analysis

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Ancillary Product
Analysis
Name:
Candidate Number:
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number:
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. The use of greys in the tagline suggests danger as it
reinforces the dark color scheme of the poster. The
language used connotes an impending doom for the
town which EastEnders is set in as it generalizes all
of Walford, furthermore the use of “Change” works
as a buzz word to attract people to watch as it is
ambiguous, not telling the audience if it is for better
or for worse. However is association with the rest of
the poster it is suggested that the change will be
negative. The use of the imperative one word
sentence “Forever.” creates a sense of danger and
finality as it appears on it’s own, suggesting
whatever the change is it will be irreversible and
significant to everyone as it highlights the
importance of the word, making it more dramatic.
A filter has been used on this image to cause it to appear dark and vintage. This
connotes a sense of danger or the end of something as it appears worn down, almost
dystopian suggesting dire circumstances. Also the well know birds eye image of the
Thames from the EastEnders point of call in the background also has this worn effect
suggesting whatever happens will effect everyone in the show, not just the female on
the poster. Furthermore the image appears very sharp to the point it has become
grainy which highlights that something bad is going to happen as it exposes flaws. The
dark vignette uses on the edges focuses the audiences eye on the center of the image
and makes it appear moody and dark, connoting a theme of danger and bad
intentions.
Synergy with social media is
important in the poster as it
creates another point of entry
and allows the audience to
interact with the show using
the twitter hashtag. This also
spreads awareness for the
show for free as it allows the
audience to promote the
show through word of mouth
over social media.
The institution logo makes explicit to people who see
the poster where the show is available for them to
watch the show.
The brand identity is very important in the poster as the
existing audience will recognize the logo, hashtag, and
iconic background and identify the poster to be one for
EastEnders quickly.

3. The image has been manipulated so that the people appear
to be made of fire. This could connote passion as it is often
associated with a flame, and is reinforced through the
nudity and sexy expressions of the characters. The nudity
could also connote vulnerability suggesting a violent
passion rather than sexual passion and is further
highlighted through the woman in the middle holding
herself. The fire spreads throughout the poster from the
characters connoting destruction due to the destructive
qualities of flames therefore foreshadowing negative
consequences of the 5 characters actions in the future of
the show.
The institution
logo tells people
who see the
poster where
they can watch
the show as it
would be useless
if people could
not find what is
being advertised.
The language of the tagline suggests an
impending doom as the use of “change” and
“forever” together suggests that the change will
be negative and irreversible because ‘forever’
suggests that it will affect Hollyoaks for the rest
of the show very dramatically. The word
“change” has negative connotations because
people don’t like change therefore it is viewed to
be a bad thing. This language encourages people
to watch as the audience of soap operas enjoy
dramatic storylines so will want to know what
the change is and what it’s consequences will be.

4. Student Exemplar Work – Textual Analysis
The image of the wedding cake with the characters of the soap sat on top is a clever composition. The
large knife is held as though about to cut through the cake and therefore separate the couple, this
connotes betrayal and a bad marriage about to be split up which is also suggested in the tag line “I now
pronounce you betrayed for life.” The woman’s body language and the presence of a second male sat on
the cake suggests that she has betrayed her new husband by cheating on him. The cake and background
of the church suggests that the betrayal has happened immediately after the wedding or even during the
wedding creating a sense of shock and drama which is attractive to fans of the Soap Opera genre.
The bloody and worn
effect used on the “Thorn
Lane” point of call suggest
passion, drama, and
danger. These are all
popular themes used in
Soap Operas.
The institution logo and
time that the show is on
makes it clear where and
when to watch the show.
The synergy with
social media and the
magazine “soap
secrets” creates
multiple platforms of
advertising and
encourages
discussion. It also
gives people
interested in the
show places where
they can learn more
about the new soap.

5. • I intend to repeat (Steve Neale) the dark vignette effect used in the
EastEnders poster which creates a dark moody theme connoting
danger. This would work well for my poster because it suits the tone
of the trailer.
• I will also repeat the use of the institution logo seen on the
Hollyoaks trailer as it makes it clear where the TV show is available
to watch.
• Like in the EastEnders poster I will repeat the synergy with social
media through the use of a hashtag because it creates another
platform of advertising and encourages discussion.
• Finally I will repeat the use of language to create a sense of danger
and drama to encourage an audience seen both in the Hollyoaks
and EastEnders posters because it is an effective way of capturing
an audience and conveying the tone I intend to create.