Wednesday 8 August 2012

Soap Trailer Analysis

This soap trailer is from the BBC One soap, Eastenders.
In this trailer which reintroduces a character from the soaps past, Todorov's theory of equilibrium is followed and stages one to three are displayed. Narrative wise, the trailer builds to a peak at the end.
Camera Angles and Editing
Many camera angles are used throughout. Many are long and mid shots of well known characters in the soap, establishing to the audience which soap is being advertised and the characters this metaphorical 'storm' will effect. In addition to these, close ups of the characters faces are also prominent in the trailer. These are to show the shocked and scared reaction they have as they look up at the main character of the trailer, who is still unknown to the audience, adding to the suspense. There is also a high angle shot used on a strong female character in the soap, showing that now even she is vulnerable. At the end of the trailer, the character at the centre of the storm is introduced, we first see her at an extreme long shot, so we still cannot see who she is, once again building the tension  The camera then goes to a mid shot of the female, then zooms into a close up, revealing her to the audience.
Sound
The trailer uses a non diegetic soundtrack and diegetic sound effects, all of which, link to the trailers storm theme. Diegetic sounds include wind and rain. These match the visual side of the trailer, as we can watch the storm and to add emphasis, we can also hear it. There is a fast paced rock like soundtrack throughout, this matches the fast paced editing which relates to the idea of chaos being caused.
Mise
There is a fair amount of Mise in the clip, lots of which have connotations to the storm theme. Right at the start you notice the sign of the Queen Vic pub which is iconic to the soap, allowing us to know right away what show is being advertised. Low key lighting is used throughout, displaying the dark sky and bad weather to the  viewers. In the clip you can see there is a lot of mess and debris on the ground which has large connotations to the storm theme of the trailer. We are also shown all the recognizable locations within the soap, such as the pub, the shop and the chippy telling us that nowhere is safe. The main female character is dressed in a wedding dress, this allows the audience to question why she is wearing this, and it hints at possible story lines, hopefully attracting the audience to watch the soap.
Titles
In terms of titles, the BBC One logo is shown throughout, reminding us of the host channel. The slogan of the trailer 'There's one heck of a storm coming' is spoken but not written probably to added affect. The soap name, Eastenders and when it is on 'coming soon' is displayed at the end.

No comments:

Post a Comment