Analysis of a Trailer

As well as title sequences, a lot of information regarding what the soap opera is like and what is usually expected within the programme. Once again the following aspects to be considered in analyzing trailers is to look out for the following elements:

• The plot
• The camera techniques
• The mood and atmosphere
• The intended effect on audience

The clip below is a trailer for one of the episodes within Emmerdale:

The plot consists of an arsonist who sets fire to the house which spreads throughout the village. The main focus of this plot is to cause chaos within the area and to families, also to see wherever all the citizens of emmerdale can make it out alive of the fire. however this is also a question that is answered later on in the episodes following this trailer. By using an event such as arson, this can create attention and the viewers are more likely to watch the episodes afterwards.

Secondly, the camera techniques used consist of close ups of this shadowed figure walking confidently in the darkness. The fuel tank is also partly visible making his motive clear even though his head or facial expressions cannot be seen. The light is exaggerated behind him, almost portraying him as a menace. This is seen specifically in this shot:

Following from the photograph above, this creates the first impression that this man is the main cause of disruption and automatically he has a dangerous aura, almost as if a scorching fire surrounds him as he walks towards the camera. This emotion is fear which causes the viewers to be scared of him. As well as this, he wears leather gloves as he pours out the fuel over the house and on the garbage cans which shows complete anonymity within the character emphasizing the anxieties within this character, especially for a new viewer of Emmerdale, whereas a dedicated viewer may know who it is by reviewing the previous episodes in there mind to this build up.

The camera records this scenes specifically to and without sudden movement or deliberate shaking of the camera, possibly to show that the arson was planned.

The intended effect of this trailer is to attract the audience and to present such different issues other than robberies, murders, drugs and alcoholism. Arson is not a commonly seen crime in soap operas, so by showing this as a trailer, the audience feel intrigued to find out why people commit such a strange crime.

Analysis of Episode

The episode I chose to analyze was Emmerdale's 1999 episode. By writing down the different scenes I can see how each story is split into  .The sequence of events were as follows:

Scene 1 Two people in a bar talking at a fancy dress party, the man says he’s a girl

Scene 2 Two people in a restaurant, the man apologizes for something he did but the woman does not 

              except his apology and asks for more than that

Scene 3 The same two people in scene 1 walk out the pub, the woman says he cant be a girl because 

              he’s a man, he agrees to dress as a woman, in the same scene, three people walk out of the pub, 

              two people reveal a cake with the words ‘will you marry me’ on it for the other man to use as a  

              proposal gift.

Scene 4 Two people at home eating food

Scene 5 At the pub, the fancy dress party, everyone is trying to work out who everyone is.

Scene 6 The customers are complaining about their drinks. All of a sudden everyone comes to the bar    

              requesting common drinks, a woman demands her cocktail.

Scene 7 The barmaid calls Marilyn Monroe lookalike behind the bar, which is the man in scene 1

Scene 8 Marilyn Monroe starts to sing and the customers try to figure out who she is.

Scene 9 The two people in scene 4 are in the bedroom she handcuffs one of his hands to the bed and 

              makes him sign a contract for the house, he refuses but she leaves him there on the bed to sign 

              it.

Scene 10 The drag Marilyn is singing when another woman dressed as Marilyn comes in and see’s the 

               drag, she walks out of the pub.

Scene 11 The guy who wants to marry someone in scene 3, is with his girlfriend, when his friends start 

                to suggest that the characters they dressed as, Danny and Sandy from grease, got married in 

                the end. She says no they just danced.

Scene 12 The drag Marilyn starts to sing towards the guy dressed as Freddie Flintstone and the wife 

                dressed as Wilma finds out that the lady as Marilyn is a guy, she laughs loudly, drag Marilyn 

                kisses him on the nose

Scene 13 The guy dressed as Flintstone finds out that the drag Marilyn is a man when she notices that 

                she has no breasts.

Scene 14 The two people at the restaurant in scene 2 are still talking, she is still angry about what 

                happened.

Scene 15 The man who dressed as Marilyn and the man dressed as Freddie Flintstone have a fight 

                because he kissed him on the nose and he doesn’t like it. He is escorted out and the woman 

                dressed as Sandy is curious about the looks she is getting, a lady called Betty tells her its 

                because she looks lovely as Sandy.

In this episode there were four story-lines that have been identified, these are;

• The fancy dress party
• The surprise present for the grandfather
• A make up meal between two people
• A scheme to gain ownership of a house

The first four story-lines are in progression as they have started in previous episodes, whereas the last story being the drag story is beginning to take a new journey to developing drama especially with the issue of a man wanting to be a girl. Relating to the heightened sense of drama post, storyline usually follow a progression with time and reality. As Emmerdale follows a real timescale, the stories progress each day reaching a peak until it fades out into a memory. By analyzing an episode it is easier to see what stage these stories are in, and how they weave together creating a mesh of stories that are constanty happening in different locations.

Analysis of Title Sequence

Analyzing snippets of the soap opera, including the title sequence requires different aspects of the programme to be taken into consideration when discovering deeper meaning within the product, these aspects are;

• The font of the title
• The music
• The camera techniques (angles and shots)
• The intented effect towards the audience

The programme Emmerdale is located in the countryside and is introduced in the title sequence with the effect of music and camera angles as seen in the clip below:

The first aspect of analyzing the title sequence is the use of font used in the title sequence is very simple yet underlined, this could show that the area is presented nicely, especially as it s set in the countryside which is seen as a 'breath of fresh air' to those who are watching. Furthermore, the name of the programme itself is presented as a 'caption' during the title sequence which shows some sort of pride within itself.

Secondly, the music used within the programme contributes to the atmosphere set in the countryside. Stereotypically, music used to portray the countryside is expected to be peaceful, calm and uplifting seeing as though the same expectations are held for the environmental qualities of the rural area. Emmerdale seems to achieve this as using this harmonic music in a rural area brings about common sense aswell as the reason stated above.

The angles are the most peculiar as it is very different from the other soaps. The camera angles are performed in such a way that it gives off the impression as if the viewers are flying over the country side. This provides a birds eye view of the area and gives the viewers a sense of omnipresence, making them all-knowing. Furthermore, the whole focus of a soap opera is to give the audience the impression that they know everything that is happening, this point is supported by the snippets of black and white photo's showing over the footage of the area.

The fourth aspect being the intended effect created by the producers to attract the audience is an overall conclusion of the elements above. The presentation of the area and the music combined can create brilliant vibes of what the programme may be like and what to expect. The calm atmosphere showedmay however be misleading as, the word soap opera itself is a foreshadowing element suggesting that something bad will consistently happen regardless of how calm the area seems. This may intrigue some audience who are passionate and dedicated to soaps as they have had experience in what to expect, however, for the majority of the target audience the title sequence may be seen as welcoming and may give something for the audience to watch with a cup of tea.