From evaluating the previous 4 trailers, I have concluded patterns that appear throughout them all which indicate and signify that they were, in fact, advertising a soap opera. These generic conventions include:
The Narrative: An open and fractured narrative it used, sometimes with forking paths to show different perspectives of a situation or event. In Todorov's Theory, a disturbance is always recognised but there is not always equilibrium before this. Usually, only a victim or villain is recognised from Propp's Theory in a soap opera trailer.
Titles: The channel is sometimes displayed at the bottom of the frame throughout the trailer but the final titles include the channel, time and day that the soap opera is broadcasted. If titles appear during the trailer, there are few. The text is also in a simple font and neutral colour.
Mise-en-Scene: The locations are predominantly interior, except for special events or episodes where more exterior locations may be used. Locations include homes (interior and exterior), pubs and cafes. Costumes vary depending on the character and plot, darker specifically with those characters involved in the disturbance, and props used by characters are minimal and used to set the atmosphere or highlight the disturbance. A non-diegetic soundtrack is used throughout the trailer and a non-diegetic voice-over summaries at the end of the trailer. If the soap opera has a jingle, this will also be used as a sound bridge at the end of the trailer. Lighting is lower in the shots where the disturbance is recognised and higher where it is not, except for when juxtaposition is used. 
Camera Angles: Camera angles vary between close ups, mid-shots and two-shots. Over-the shoulder shots are also used during diegetic conversations. High and low angles are not necessarily used in order to keep the audience feeling engaged in the scenes but may be used significantly to signify inferiority and superiority of certain characters.
Editing Style: Shot durations are short, generally lasting between 1 and 5 seconds maximum so not much is given away. Transitions of razor cuts, dissolves and fade-to-blacks are used throughout following the typical trailer style.
Sound: A non-diegetic soundtrack is used throughout the trailer with a non-diegetic voice over at the end of the trailer stating the name of the soap, time and channel it can be viewed. Diegetic conversation is often used to encode and communicate to the audience the story lines of the trailer, rather than a non-diegetic voice over.
Sound: A non-diegetic soundtrack is used throughout the trailer with a non-diegetic voice over at the end of the trailer stating the name of the soap, time and channel it can be viewed. Diegetic conversation is often used to encode and communicate to the audience the story lines of the trailer, rather than a non-diegetic voice over.
When we come to storyboard and create our own soap opera trailer, I will ensure that all of these elements are incorporated into our piece so that we produce the most realistic and effective trailer.
