Soap Trailer Analysis 3

Hollyoaks



Mise-en-scene is a factor very prominent in this trailer, as lots of symbolism and imagery is used to explain story lines and character relationships. At the start of the trailer a female character is shown scraping her nails across a wall, leaving a fiery trail in her wake. This has various connotations- perhaps that what she touches gets burnt, that she has is angry or easily aggravated, or that she is powerful. The last connotation could also be linked with her clothing- a simple white dress and a necklace. The necklace perhaps suggests she is well-off due to her formal clothing, and the colour white often has connotations of purity, peace and innocence- but the fire she is leaving contradicts this.

Fire is a reoccurring theme throughout the trailer, such as the vase of flowers which suddenly bursts into flames- this suggests destruction of a setting or part of a home. A male character in a suit is then shown to be breathing fire from his mouth whilst he looks angry; this shows to the viewer that there is conflict between him and the female character in the red dress. The character in the red dress then throws a glass to the wall which then creates more fire- therefore meaning more conflict and disruption. Fire also occurs elsewhere, such as when a waiter lifts a plate cover to reveal fire to a woman, which could have connotations of the woman being tricked or about to be in danger. A wide shot of the whole room reveals everything to be shrouded in fire, having connotations of disruption, disorder and danger being everywhere. The symbolism of drama and chaos within the show is used to entice viewers by making them curious about how situations will be resolved.

Sound within the trailer includes non-diegetic music, diegetic sounds when fire appears and non-diegetic narration. The music sets the atmosphere; it sounds somewhat classy but has deeper meaning with the lyrics "On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man in a dusty black coat with a red right hand"- this relates to the story line with the waiter as it suggests he has evil intentions. The sounds when flames appear brings attention to them and their meaning, and the narration also helps to hook the viewer's attention by saying "A week that will change Hollyoaks forever." as well as saying the date the soap opera will begin.

Tracking shots, over-the-shoulder shots, mid shots and wide angles shots are used in the trailer. A tracking shot is used to follow the first character as she drags her nails across the wall- this is to clearly show the fire trailing from her. Over-the-shoulder shots are used whilst the man is arguing with the woman in the red dress, also to clearly show the fire that he is breathing. The wide angle used at the end distinctly shows the abundant amount of fire throughout the whole room, which shows that the danger and destruction is far-spread and that what is happening effects everybody.

There are various narratives revealed within the trailer, most of which are more understood by existing audiences rather than new ones. However, it is clear that with most of the narratives are on step two of Todorov's theory of equilibrium- the equilibrium has been disrupted. This is seen through the symbolism and imagery with the fire. Viewers interested in the trailer have to actively try to understand and decode what they are seeing in order to work out the story lines.

Titling is only used in the trailer at the end- 'November 5th Hollyoaks'. This use of titling is very simple but is quick and short, giving out information needed in an easy way. The channel four logo is also shown on the screen, as it is a familiar logo for existing audiences of Hollyoaks.

By analysing these trailers, I have been able to gain knowledge on conventional camera shots, sound, mise-en-scene and characters in trailers. Knowing the different ways trailers express things such as storylines, characters and location in a way that attracts the audience allows us to become knowledgeable of similar techniques.