Research into Target Audience
Internet research:
'Coronation Street is the longest running TV soap in the world, but it is predated by a radio soap, The Archers, a rural soap opera broadcast on BBC Radio 4. After the successes of glossier productions such as Dallas in America, soap suddenly became more popular again in the 1980s. This caused the inception of new British soaps such as Brookside and EastEnders. Also, the success of Australian soaps like Neighbours and Home and Away caused British soaps to reconsider their target audience and, therefore, their characters. These Australian soaps tended to be aimed at teenage viewers with characters and plots suitable for that age. British producers decided to follow suit, for example, the British soap Hollyoaks is aimed primarily at young people. This change in the target audience proved to be a very shrewd move and, consequently, soaps are now more popular than ever.'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1087193
'Most of the soaps on TV today have been airing for decades, and are continuing to go strong. With a regular entourage of characters for viewers to become emotionally invested in, the plot is usually centered on sex, romance and scandal. Unlike a typical dramatic show that follows one story throughout, soap operas usually flip flop between several plotlines, sometimes intersecting them for further twists. Females make up the majority of a soap's audience demographic, and the classic dramatic format has caught on in other nations such as Mexico and the United Kingdom.'
http://soap-operas.lovetoknow.com/Soap_Opera_History
Summary: Target audience's have changed in order to include teenagers, and by widening the target audience, soaps are more popular than ever before. Females are the majority of a soap opera's audience demographic, and most soaps have been aired for a long time, therefore the audience becomes emotionally interested and involved in the characters. Typically there will be several intertwining storylines instead of one main.
Questionnaire:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B80MF7gJN8o9ZmZlZGQzNGUtMzBmOC00ZjZhLThmNDEtNmRmYmU1ZjhjMTI2&hl=en_GB
Focus Group Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRv4c8IFirs
Ancillary Task 1 - Soap Opera Magazine Cover
Internet research:
'Coronation Street is the longest running TV soap in the world, but it is predated by a radio soap, The Archers, a rural soap opera broadcast on BBC Radio 4. After the successes of glossier productions such as Dallas in America, soap suddenly became more popular again in the 1980s. This caused the inception of new British soaps such as Brookside and EastEnders. Also, the success of Australian soaps like Neighbours and Home and Away caused British soaps to reconsider their target audience and, therefore, their characters. These Australian soaps tended to be aimed at teenage viewers with characters and plots suitable for that age. British producers decided to follow suit, for example, the British soap Hollyoaks is aimed primarily at young people. This change in the target audience proved to be a very shrewd move and, consequently, soaps are now more popular than ever.'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1087193
'Most of the soaps on TV today have been airing for decades, and are continuing to go strong. With a regular entourage of characters for viewers to become emotionally invested in, the plot is usually centered on sex, romance and scandal. Unlike a typical dramatic show that follows one story throughout, soap operas usually flip flop between several plotlines, sometimes intersecting them for further twists. Females make up the majority of a soap's audience demographic, and the classic dramatic format has caught on in other nations such as Mexico and the United Kingdom.'
http://soap-operas.lovetoknow.com/Soap_Opera_History
Summary: Target audience's have changed in order to include teenagers, and by widening the target audience, soaps are more popular than ever before. Females are the majority of a soap opera's audience demographic, and most soaps have been aired for a long time, therefore the audience becomes emotionally interested and involved in the characters. Typically there will be several intertwining storylines instead of one main.
Questionnaire:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B80MF7gJN8o9ZmZlZGQzNGUtMzBmOC00ZjZhLThmNDEtNmRmYmU1ZjhjMTI2&hl=en_GB
Focus Group Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRv4c8IFirs
Ancillary Task 1 - Soap Opera Magazine Cover
This magazine features the name of the magazine, ‘What’s on TV’, with a recognisable logo in the top left-hand corner, which is one of the primary optical area. According to the route of the eye, this is the first thing the audience will see. It has a red background with white font in order to make it stand out. The magazine follows conventions, as there is a date at the top of the logo in yellow, and a website underneath in blue, making these both eye-catching.
Following the route of the eye, there is a small story in the top right-hand corner which is another primary optical area. The story uses yellow and white to stand out, as the image is dark, giving a sci-fi feel which relates to the genre of the programme in question.
The eye then goes diagonally down to the bottom left-hand corner, and the main image related the main story is in the centre. This grabs the audience’s attention. The image of Sean features him looking sinister, relating to the cover-line underneath, which says ‘murder?’. The use of this word shocks the audience and makes them want to know more as it grabs their attention. The cover-line uses bold font and the colours red and yellow in order to stand out, with the word ‘murder’ in red to signify danger. Stacey is also in the image, but she is behind Sean, showing she is a less involved character in this storyline. She looks worried, perhaps signifying the character’s situation.
In the bottom left-hand primary optical area, there is another story which is much smaller, with an image of the character Becky looking upset. The cover-line is overlays the picture and uses the words ‘Big shock’ to spark interest from the audience. It uses white font in order to stand out against the colours of the image. There is a border around the story, therefore making it stand out more.
There are 3 other smaller stories, following the route of the eye across the bottom of the cover, one of which is bordered in yellow with yellow and white writing, and one with a white background and blue text, and in the dead area, a final story with a white border around the outline of the photo with pink text. By using a different style for each of the smaller stories, this makes them stand out more and interesting to the audience, and gives the sense of each story being separate and worth reading about.
There is a price bubble underneath the title logo, and it is in a yellow bubble with bold lettering to catch the eye of the audience and boast its cheap price, and the word ‘only’ suggests this, and there is a barcode included on the cover which is conventional to a magazine.
Continuing the use of bright, bold primary colours, there is a star-shaped bubble with an offer inside. The use of bold text and the use of black white blue and red and yellow, this stands out and grabs the audience’s attention. The use of the words ‘extra’ and ‘free’ make audience feel they are getting a bargain, and encourage them to buy the magazine.
I think the target audience for this magazine is working class and middle class, as the language used is not overly sophisticated, instead using basic, simple to the point language. I also think that this magazine is directed at all ages. This is becuase the simple, bold colour scheme and birght pictures will appal to young and old audiences alike, perhaps especially appealing to a younger audience woth its brightness.
This magazine cover follows the route of the eye, as the eye is drawn across the name of the magazine ‘Inside Soap’ and then across the large, main image in the centre, through the main coverline which reads ‘Showdown’ then from left to right across the bottom of the cover, through the other coverline stories. This is conventional and acts to draw the reader in and attract their attention. The page layout is very packed, and there is very little space that is not filled. Pictures and text often overlap, and this helps the page to flow and look linked and busy, creating a feel of excitement, making the magazine cover more interesting to a reader.
The colours used are highly conventional for a soap opera magazine, with eye-catching and bright, consisting of blue, yellow, orange, red and white. This grabs the audience’s attention. The fonts are bold, and this enhances the effect o the bright colours and really attracts an audience’s eye. Short, sharp words are used to create impact and interest, such as ‘showdown’ and ‘killed’ and this shocks the audience and intrigues them to read more. Phrases like ‘Big for soap news’, which is in the top right-hand corner, help draw the audience in.
The main image shows the characters Stacey and Max from the main coverline, and by having Stacey at the front, this signifies the situation evolves around Stacey, and by Max standing a little behind, suggests his involvement in the situation. Stacey’s hair and make-up show youth and attractiveness, which will entice readers, and possibly attracting a younger adult target audience.
The other images include an image of conflict, with 2 characters arguing, which shows scandal and creates interest, and other images of the characters concerned in the coverlines which attracts the audience. The stories at the bottom of the page have colourful borders, and one is at an angle, and this has creates variation and makes the page more interesting to look at.
‘Inside Soap’ is in very large font and reaches right across the page, making it stand out, and making the magazine recognisable to the readers. The tag line of the heading has a catchy phrase ‘Every story, every secret, every week,’ to enhance how recognisable the magazine is, and to also create intrigue.
The target audience for this magazine cover, in my opinion, would be working class to middle class, as the situations shown on the cover involve everyday situations exaggerated, and people may identify to this. I think the age of the target audience would be young adults to middle aged people, as the scandal would appeal to them more than older people, especially with the bright colour scheme.
The Main image is used as a background with text overlapping, which appears to be a convention with all soap magazine covers I have analysed.
Unlike the other 2 soap opera magazine covers I have analysed which contain multiple coverlines and stories, this cover has one main story and a sub-story underneath. This makes the cover appear less hectic and jam-packed.
The cover contains lots of images of the characters involved in the cover story, all looking distressed, emphasising the situation and making the story appear to be dramatic and interesting, which entices the reader.
This cover contains many conventions of a soap opera magazine cover, such as the barcode at the bottom and price, along with a website, and a date at the top. The magazine has a memorable logo, which is recognisable to the buyer, increasing the chance of regular purchase.
This magazine may attract an older audience than the other two magazine covers, as it appears to have a more sophisticated image, due to less colour and fewer images and coverlines crammed together. An example of this is ‘Days of our Lives’ which is shown on this cover is an older soap, and people who have been following this soap will be more attracted to this magazine.
Ancillary Task 2 - Promotional Soap Opera Poster
Ancillary Task 2 - Promotional Soap Opera Poster
This advert does follow the route of the eye to some extent, as it passes across her face, then across her body through the centre of the advert and across the bottom where all the writing of the advert lies, therefore the rest is left as dead areas. This helps draw the viewer in ,as they see the face of a main character which is recognisable, then they see her partially naked body which may attract people to view the show. The font of this advert is white on a purple background which stands out and is young and funky, reflecting the target audience of the advert, which would be teens. The other colours in the advert are dark and colours such as green and black are used. This makes the background image appear more edgy. The image itself has low key lighting and appears shadowy, and this reflects the nature of the image and what they are doing. Everyone is partially dressed, and kissing, reflecting the after math of a party, which would appeal to a younger adult/teen audience. The girls make-up is messy and exaggerated, which accentuates this effect. The language used is simple and to the point, and by stating ‘brand new series’ this excites the audience and makes them want to view. The characters in the image are represented in an exaggerated way. This is apparent through lack of clothing, messy setting and make-up, low key lighting, and the behaviour they are participating in such as kissing, etc.The conventions this advert follows are the positioning of the writing at the bottom, and the large central image in the background.
This advert does follow the route of the eye in some respect, as the 4 main characters are in the central hotspot, and the information is also in the route of the eye, although it is I the dae area, and does not take attention away from the image.
The font used is simple and white on purple which is funky and young, reflecting the young adult/teenager target audience the show is aimed at.
The image shows a long-shot of a school photo, and all the students are dressed correctly and similarly in their uniform, except the 4 main characters who are not wearing the blue jumpers like the others, therefore representing how they are outcasted from the other students. This is further reinforced by the fact that the other students are leaning away from them, showing they are different.The way they are sitting also represents each of their personalities, such as Will is wearing a blazer, reflecting his nerdy nature, whereas jay has his tie loose, showing hes more scruffy and laid back as a character.
The language used is simple and informative, and it is conventional in the fact that it has the ‘E4’ symbol in the corner, and times and dates.
Main Task - Soap Opera Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4xlLezos0
The camerawork uses a lot of reaction shots to the character of Kat, and fast editing emphasises this. There is a tracking shot up Kat's body to show her face, and a low angle shot in order to show the dominance of her character. This is emphasised at the beginning by using a tracking shot of Kat's feet, and this suggests to the audience she is someone of importance.
The mise-en-scene of the trailer relates to a 'Western' theme. The non-digetic music starts off gentle and then it relays to become more energetic as the trailer picks up pace. The recogniseable 'Eastenders' theme is also used at the end, as this is relateable to the audience and makes the advert more appealing to them. The mise-en-scene includes Western - style costumes, such as long boots, scarves, and long coats and hats, etc and this adds to the effect. There is a non - digetic sound effect of Kat pulling out a make - up mirror instead of a gun adds humour and to fans who know the character, this would appeal to them, making the trailer amusing and appealing.
The location used is a recogniseable one to 'Eastenders' fans, and Western elements have been added, such as the creaky sign, and someone looking through their blinds. The editing of Alfie emerging from the shadows gives his character power, and adds to the sinister Western feel of the trailer, and a low angle shot emphasises this. The digetic sound is limited, and the characters dont say much, but its short snappy sentences such as 'where do i get a drink around here', which adds to the tension in the trailer. The extreme close - ups at the end also build on the atmosphere of the trailer, and give the audience the impression of conflict, and the non - digetic voiceover builds on this by saying 'its all kicking off''. The 'Eastenders' logo is shown at the end, along with the time and date which is conventional to soap opera trailers.
The camerawork used in this trailer is very conventional, as it consists of many close ups and mid shots to show characters expressions and reactions, such as Becky's facial expression when putting on her tiara in the mirror. Shot- reverse - shot is also used, to show conflict between characters, such as Eileen and Jason in the street. A long shot is used to show a banner being put up, and birds eye view is use to show a package being taken out of a van to break convention and add a little variation to the shots used in the trailer.
The shots are edited fast to add to the energetic, hectic and celebratory feeling when showing different characters and what they are doing, yet the camera lingers on reaction shots of character's expressions, such as with Steve looking doubtful and worried, and this suggests to the audience that all is not well with the wedding plans, and suggests some kind of drama is to follow.
The non - digetic music in the background is an old fashioned song with an upbeat feel, and this reflects the way Becky behaves. the lyrics 'This is my lucky day' relates to the close - up of the prop of the cake decoration saying 'good luck' and 'good luck' written on the car. This contrasts the digetic voice over which tells the audience that the wedding is 'Friday 13th' and suggests that disaster is impending. This grabs the audience's attention and makes them want to see the soap opera to see what happens.
Mise-en-scene is used a large amount in this trailer, and the location is the familiar street where the soap is set., as this is relateable and familiar to the audience. The weather, however is dreary, and this contrasts the mood of the character Becky, and may foreshadow that something is going to go wrong. The costumes are related to the wedding theme, as Becky is wearing a wedding dress with all her hair and make-up done, and her surroundings are all white and light to emphasise this happy feel. The props used, such as the close - up of her slipping on the garter also add to the wedding theme, as does the cake.
The recogniseable 'Coronation Street' logo is used at the end to attract the audience as they find it memorable, and we are told the channel and times, with a recogniseable image behind, which is conventional in soap opera trailers.
