Hollyoaks trailer analysis

The Trailer

Editing

Fast paced cutting as the trailer progresses represents the eventful soap narratives and their various importance, an example being the split second shot of a woman waving shows less attention compared to the man at the beginning. He was shot numerous times with cutting in between situations at a slower pace, which signifies that his current narrative is more important than that of the woman aforementioned. Also hints at various dynamics of the characters in the soap. Matched cut between the woman and the wallet she is holding signifies an element of importance; a narrative enigma contributing to a fundamental story-line. This is also hinted at with the fact these shots were taken after the title shot, separating this story-line fro the rest, and thus implying that this is one of particular importance. Conclusively, editing within the trailer is an effective promotional tool to summarise a cacophony of events and narratives within the soap series.

Mise-en-scene

Setting is quite mundane and typical of the suburbs, areas such as parks and the pub signify this well. This pushes the element of realism found in many soap operas, connoting a typical living environment in the suburbs of England. Title set over stormy blue background connotes narrative enigmas and exaggerated story-lines, as it significantly contradicts the mundane colours of the setting. This further enhances the dynamics and status some story-lines have over others, as well as the varying character types and stories and how they clash with one another. Costume shares the same conventions of setting with regards to its typicality in England. Overall, mise-en-scene significantly contributes to the trailer being a promotional tool as it signposts upcoming events with glimpses into certain narratives, whilst maintaining character and location familiarity for the audience.

Sound

Use of tense, pacy, non-diegetic music to signify the cascade of events and their severity/importance following the soap narrative. The soundtrack reduces in volume during moments of important dialogue, which helps the audience infer information about upcoming story-lines. An example of this is the phrase "we should tell her the truth about who she is", wherein the the soundtrack is lowered for the viewers' purpose to hear the phrase, generating a narrative enigma behind it. The soundtrack is also matched to shots within the trailer, such as when a young girl is falling backwards down a flight of stairs, the soundtrack lowers in pitch and has a droopy sound to it. In conclusion, sound is an effective component to the trailer as a promotional tool because of its ability to unite footage of story-lines and execute them for the audience to piece together.

Cinematography

There are a multitude of close-ups of faces within the trailer, which notably defy the rule of thirds. These head on shots are used to explicitly inform the audience of characters' emotions, as they would be deemed inappropriate as cinematography to convey natural conversation, which does abide by the rule of thirds. Voyeurism and spying is also implied through the cinematography, with the shot change from a couple kissing, to a close-up of a hidden camera, which then transitions into the couple kissing, this time from a different position than before and with a blue filter, implying that this is footage from the hidden camera. This sense of voyeurism caters for the audience's desire for dramatic irony as to promote the episodes, they are drawn to information that other characters do not know about, thus employing a relationship between the soap and characters.