Deciding our Target Audience

 In order to decide our target audience, I have looked at existing media products and our own soap opera brief. As a group, we concluded that for our soap opera, and with most soap operas today, our target audience will be both males and females, aged 13 onwards, of demographic groups B, C1, C2, D and E as these are the members of the public most likely to be able to identify with the characters and their experiences. This excludes bankers, lawyers doctors and those born into upper class status (demographic group A) as these are generally a small percentage of the population. The ethnicity of our audience would be predominantly British, but would also include european, asian and eastern european minorities as with the verisimilitude of our soap reflecting a diverse, British society. Our audience will also include homosexuals as we have a homosexual character in our soap opera. This audience will be able to identify with the characters the easiest, and therefore should be able to enjoy our soap opera the most (identification, uses and gratifications theory).


In order to create the highest ratings possible, our soap opera should appeal to the larger demographic groups, such as group E, as there is a higher percentage of students, pensioners and, currently, unemployed people to view our soap. They are also more likely to have the time to watch soap operas rather than doctors or someone of a similar profession due to their busy lifestyle and long working hours. 

Soap Opera Posters Research and Analysis

Since soap opera posters are scarce and difficult to find, I have analysed one poster for Hollyoaks and another for The Only Way is Essex as it follows an open narrative, similar to a soap opera, and uses the same linear editing styles, camera angles and settings like many other soap operas today. Both posters also have a similar, young target audience of demographic groups B to E. 

From evaluating and comparing these 2 posters, I have concluded that for a successful and professional poster, we will need to include the following conventions:

- Bright colours to grab the audience's attention

- Use large images and minimal text to inform the audience quickly

- Use colours that connote the target audience and themes (e.g. pinks for relationships and blue for youth).

- Include the channel, the time and day the soap opera is broadcasted, as well as a tagline, to inform the audience quickly and keep the poster to the point

- Only use an iconic logo for the channel/broadcasting company

Not all of the conventions are included on the 'The Only Way is Essex' poster as it is not a real soap opera and is more of a reality/documentary style show, broadcasted weekly and not daily. However, it is important that we use all the conventions I have listed so that we produce the most professional and informative poster for our soap opera.

Research of Soap Opera Trailers on TV

To produce higher ratings, inform the audience of the soap opera and advertise specific episodes, broadcasters selectively choose a specific time slot on certain channels to air their trailer so that it will reach their target audience. To do this, the programme that the commercial is broadcasted during should reflect the same demographic groupings as the soap opera being advertised. This will also inform me what is included in a typical soap opera trailer according to which time it's broadcasted (before or after the watershed), such as atmosphere, themes and language.

Here are the times of some soap opera trailers I noted including which channel they were broadcasted, as well as which shows between, which day and what time:


Saturday, 8pm - EastEnders trailer.
After Dr. Who (BB1)

The demographic groups of the target audiences of both EastEnders and Dr. Who are the same, including groups B, C1, C2, D and E. The timing of the trailer is also the time that the soap opera is normally broadcasted and so this slot is ideal for reaching the target audience. As it was before the watershed, the was no strong language or disturbing scenes, also following the nature of EastEnder's episodes.


Saturday, 10pm - EastEnders trailer.
After the 10 o'clock news (BB1)
Unlike the previous trailer, this EastEnder's trailer was broadcasted after the watershed and therefore was a bit more sinister and adverftised a more serious plot. The news before this trailer also uses more sensitive themes and is aimed at demographic groups A and below, ensuring that the trailer will reach it's target audience without exposing young children to the mature themes being advertised.



Saturday, 10.45pm - Hollyoaks trailer.
During 'the Inbetweeners Countdown' (E4)
In particular, this Hollyoaks trailer was for a special series called 'Hollyoaks Later' containing more adult themes, nudity and strong language. Therefore, it was broadcasted after the watershed and between episodes of The Inbetweeners, a mature show for teenagers and adults or demographic groups B and below. This makes it a suitable time for a Hollyoaks Later trailer as it would reach their target audience.

Wednesday, 3pm - Emmerdale trailer.
Before Midsummer Murders (ITV1)
The final trailer I noted was a trailer for Emmerdale before Midsummer Murders which has a similar target audience, mostly however the older generation and elderly or demographic groups B to E. However, the afternoon broadcasting before the watershed limits the audience reached as most people work or are in education during the day, specifically those in demographic groups B to D. It also implies that there is no strong language, distressing or disturbing themes features int he trailer. If we were to broadcast our soap opera trailer at this this, it most likely would not reach our target audience.


This information has helped me understand what content is suitable for a trailer broadcasted before and after the watershed - for example the themes and level of nudity or severity of language. Since our soap opera will be aimed at both sexes, demographic groups B to E and is a new soap opera, it will fit best with the timing of EastEnder's trailers as they both share the same target audience. If we decided to create an edgier trailer with more controversial topics, we would broadcast if after the watershed to avoid younger audiences from viewing certain content.

Initial Ideas on Our Own Soap Opera

I have created a mind-map which brain storms my first ideas for our new soap opera. I've considered the different elements of the existing, British soap operas and have also decided on a target audience. I shall present my ideas to my group and together we can produce our own, unique soap opera. 

Soap Opera Magazine Covers Research and Analysis

Initial Analysis
Another part of our task is to promote our soap opera by featuring it in a magazine. In order to gain a better understanding of what we will be creating, I have looked at this cover of 'TV Choice' and evaluated it, looking at what conventions and techniques have been used in order to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to buy the magazine.
Magazine Cover1

In-Depth Analysis
Looking closer at another magazine, I have identified the key elements and conventions of a magazine listings magazine cover and noted what is needed to create the most realistic cover.
Magazine Analysis

By analysing these magazine covers, I have made notes on the common conventions that we need to use for our own listings magazine cover:


- Use a large, main image to go with the main cover line (1/4 of the cover)
- Lots of images of different characters with other cover lines
- Cheap price and include extra features so that audience feels like they are getting more for their money.
- Bright colours to connote the themes of our soap opera (e.g. pink to highlight text and connote love and yellow to connote happiness or alarm).
- Bold, bubbly fonts to grab the audience's attention
- Leave no gaps or space and fill the cover
- Use the left 1/3 of the page to include important information and key selling points
- Keep magazine name catchy, short and relevant to soap operas


By including these conventions, we should be able to create the most effective and professional magazine cover for our soap opera that correctly informs the audience whilst advertising story lines.

Soap Opera Trailer Analysis: Past Students

To help get more of an idea about what the final product will look like, I have evaluated two soap opera trailers from previous years at school. As with the professional trailers, I have evaluated each student trailer on their narrative, camera angles, sound, mise-en-scene, titles and the editing style:


Soap Opera Trailer 1 - Valley Hill






Soap Opera Trailer 2 - The Walthams

Generic Conventions of Soap Opera Trailers

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. 

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.