This document contains planning and research materials for a media studies student's advanced portfolio project on producing a trailer for a new soap opera. It includes the student's aims and objectives, research on soap opera codes and conventions using examples from EastEnders and Coronation Street, and planning for production roles and deadlines. Research was also conducted on the target channel, BBC Two, including its audience figures and programming. The materials provide background and reference information to help the student conceptualize and create their trailer assignment.

1. 1
St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Candidate Number: 6485
Candidate Name: Taylor Sabga
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.
YOU SHOULD research when Eastenders is scheduled (Day –
Time)

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)
- Is this evident and how is this presented to the audience?
Research
 Purpose of a Trailer
 Multi-Platform promotion
 Textual Analysis – Coronation Street and Hollyoaks
Deadlines – Production Work
Filming Dates:
Edited Trailer – Complete:
Promotional Poster – Complete:
Promotional Magazine Cover – Complete:
Evaluation– Complete:
Production Work
 Director – Roles & Responsibilities?
 Producer – Roles & Responsibilities?
 Institution research – BBC Two

4. 4
SoapOpera Codes & Conventions – Lesson2
1) What are some of the Codes & Conventions of this genre?
YOU MUST demonstrate what you already know by completing a
“Spider Diagram” ofwhat you know about OR expect from this genre:
2) Codes & Conventions of the SoapOpera Genre
Soap Opera
They are usually aimed and
targeted to at middle
classed/working class people.
There are cliffhangers; they are
used to help engage the
audience. It also helps persuade
the audience to watch the next
episode.
There should be many events
and a multi-stranded narrative,
the TV program should also
relate to the audience which
helps engage and entertain
audiences.
In this genre it is expected to
dramatize everything as it is set
in the ‘kitchen sink’ of London.
This is to make the events that
are happening in the show more
interesting.

5. 5
The Soap Operagenre can be categorizedby the ‘repeated’
(Steve Neale) elements of:
1. Romance
2. Family Relationships/Conflicts
3. Focus on Working Class People
4. Antagonism and Conflict Within the Community
5. Realism and Ideology
Eastenders (1985 – Present)
Key informationregarding this text:
 Exhibited on BBC1 and repeated on BBC 3
 One of the UKs highest rated programs (averages 6millionviewers
per episode
 Set in the kitchen sinksetting of fictional Walford,East London
Textual Analysis Task
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye51O8WBVVM&feature=related -

6. 6
In your opinion, accordingto Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities, whatis the
target audiencefor Eastenders?
Age 18-30 year olds
Gender Females
Nationality English
Trailer 1)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
The name of the trailer is called lies,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Code
&
Convention
Evidence
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
Impact on the Audience
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance
A romance between Phil
and Sherly, Sherly says to
Phil “I love you”.
It helps build a personal relationship with the
audience, the audience will also have personal
identification with the storyline.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
When the woman is
raided in the bar she is in
danger, her family
members then rush to
the scene to help her.
When the bar is being raided it could affect
caregivers, as they will sympathize for the
character that is in danger.
Focus on
working class
communities
There is a focus on the
working class community
as there is a scene where
a women is working in a
shop, there is also the
scene where Phil and
Sherly are speaking in
the pub.
Viewers will have a personal identification as
they will stereotypically be able to relate to the
places that the scene is being held and the
situations/problems being raised in the show.
“Multi-Stranded
Narrative”
There was multiple
storylines being shown in
the trailer, the main
storyline was the bar raid
however there was also
the Phil and Sherly
romance as well as the
Ian Beale affair storyline.
A Multi-Stranded narrative will be used to keep
audiences engaged and interested with the
show, this is because there is more than one
storyline going on at once and audiences will
want to watch all the storylines.

7. 7
‘Disequilibrium’
(Todorov)
Trailer 2)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
Trailers name – Whose heart will be broken?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Code
&
Convention
Evidence
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
Impact on the Audience
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance
Roxy and Alfies
wedding.
This can relate to the audience, as they may
want the characters to be in a relationship. Also
it may appeal to the male audience, as there can
be female gaze.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
There is a clear conflict
between the two
women Kat and Roxy.
Kat is wearing red,
which can signify
danger, or she is going
to do something to ruin
the wedding.
Focus on
working class
communities
“Multi-Stranded
Narrative”
The wedding, Alfie has
to chose Roxy or Kat. In
the trailer there is only
two storylines Kats and
Alfies wedding
‘Disequilibrium’
(Todorov)

8. 8
Multi-stranded narrative
A Multi-stranded narrative can be defined as…..
A multi-stranded narrative can be defined as telling a story from more than one
persons perspective/point of view.
Telling multiple stories about multiple characters in an ‘open narrative’ episode for
example Eastenders.
YOU MUST deconstruct the 10-minute extract from Eastenders and identify where
the following elements are presented to the audience:
 Multi-stranded narrative
 Family relationships and/or conflict
 Focus on working class communities
 ‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)
 Romance
Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience
 Multi-stranded
narrative
- three different storylines
at the start of the clip
- in the restaurant where a
dodgy deal is taking place
- in the bar which is being
raided
-Phil and Sherly in the pub
This keeps audiences
engaged.
It can also affect caregivers
(Maslow) in scenes where
characters are in danger
 Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Family/brother sister/Dad
go to help there friend and
brother who is in danger at
the bar which had been
raided
 Focus on working
class communities
Focus when two characters
walk out of a food shop,
there is also a scene where
Phil and Sherly are speaking
to each other in the pub
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) Sharon unconscious. Affects ‘Caregivers’
(Maslow)
 Romance Phil and Sherly, Phil
listening to her problems, a
hint of romance.
Keeps audiences intrigued
and are interested to see
what will happen with their
relationship.

9. 9
SoapOpera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson3
Textual Analysis
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 women, and as such, it
has been said to appeal to the female viewer”.
1) – Do you agree?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ApPT6isY (First 5 minutes)
Next Page - YOU MUST deconstruct the opening 5 minutes of a sequence from the
popular ITV Soap Opera Coronation Street (1960 – Present) to identify examples of
where this ideology is presented to the target audience.
YOU SHOULD also try and identify, to demonstrate your knowledge and
understanding of the genre, any Codes & Conventions associated to the Soap Opera
genre.
Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience
Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology:
1. A Woman head of the table
2. The woman wants to ruin the business
3. The woman is very demanding and authorive
4. Mother shouting at her daughter, showing her dominance

10. 10
“Multi-Stranded Narrative” In the shop the woman is asked to go to a funeral, there
is also the storyline where the woman wants to take
over the sewing factory. There is also the scene where
Deidre and her family are at the table.
 Family
relationships
and/or conflict
The family are having money problems.
The is a clear conflict between the brother, sister and
mother at the table.
 Focus on working
class communities
Talking in a shop
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)
There’s a funeral (Death).
SoapOpera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson4
Textual Analysis
1) What is the purpose of a trailer?
The purpose of a trailer is to promote and advertise the film/TV programme before
it is released in cinema or aired on TV.
2) What are the benefits of Multi-Platform promotion of a media text?
 Able to gain popularity
 To gain popularity
Ultimately, some form of Convergence is important when promoting a text to the
target audience.
3)
Textual Analysis –

11. 11
Next Page - YOU MUST make notes on the following areas when deconstructing this
sequence from Coronation Street:
 Multi-stranded narrative
 Character dilemmas
 ‘Personal Identification’ (Katz)
Multi-stranded narrative
- There’s a wedding
- Man getting dressed and ready for the wedding
- Most/all storylines affected by the wedding
Character Dilemmas
- Steve (the brother) maybe jealous from the facial expression he uses
- Characters are not all happy, someone sighs, another character walks
away and a character has there fingers crossed.
There are a few enigma clues that may suggest that the wedding may be a disaster
this can be seen through the facial expressions of some characters. Also the non
diegetic voice over at the end of the trailer suggests that it will be a disaster as the
tone of the voice uncertain and the use of words “what could possibly go wrong”.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hollyoaks/4od
The above link will take you to some of the latest episodes of Hollyoaks.
1. What are the connotations of the ident for the popular Channel Four Teen
Soap Opera Hollyoaks (1995 – Present)?
The show includes teen problems, mainly boy versus girls. There is usually a
conflict between the adults and teenagers in the show. There is normally a
viewpoint of a teenagers life as the main characters are usually the teenagers. The
show appeals to young adults stereotypically aged between 15 - 25 year olds. The
show is about a journey of self-discovery and promiscuity.
Next Page - Hollyoaks – “White Wedding Trailer” -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2sW-r9Vb4
2. YOU MUST make notes on the following areas when deconstructing this
sequence from Hollyoaks:

12. 12
 Binary opposition of the non-diegetic music
 Symbolism of the non-verbal code of the tear
 Representation of Pregnancy
 Any other examples that would impact the audience
- Trailer is extremely dark.
- The trailer name is ‘white wedding’ however the theme of the trailer is
very dark and not white at all
- It is a disturbing or unhappy wedding
- The doll falls to the floor – represents pregnancy
- The darkness can show the girl is scared
- The black tear at the end of the trailer can show that the girl does not
want to get married
- The music lyrics ‘shotgun’ represents the wedding being rushed
- The man waving with the glove looks villainous and may be
foreshadowing something
Production Work
1) What is the role of a Producer?
The overall role of a producer is to oversee ALL aspects of the production across the
3 stages of production. A producer manages everyone and ensures that everyone is
in place in order for the text to look fit for purpose.
2) What is the role of a Director?
The role of a producer is to oversee the creative aspects of the production. Also
direct people in front of and behind the camera.
3) Institution research –
YOU MUST research the institution that your trailer will be exhibited on.

13. 13
Tips: Programming, Target audience, Audience figures, History of the channel.
 BBC Two averages 11million viewers daily
 The average viewing time for a viewer was1hr 30mins
 In June 2014 the BBCs most viewed TV show was “Spring Watch” which was
viewed by 2.2million viewers
 BBC Two launched on 20th April 1964
 BBC Two airs factual programs and shows that appeal to a wider target
audience compared to BBC One