Soap Poster and Magazine

As a group, we discussed the ways in which we could lay out a poster and a magazine cover for our soap opera. We looked at and analysed existing products in order to work out what works and looks effective. We sketched a very basic plan of the magazine cover, which can be seen here. From these discussions and initial plans, Jo and Sophie created draft posters and magazines, which can be found on the group blog.

Auditions and audition poster

On 18th October we held our auditions for our soap opera. We auditioned several different people for each part and from that chose those we thought were best for the part. Our first choices are as follows;

Helen - Jasmine Lee
Deano - Tamer Saleh
Courtney - Hannah Cullen
Dannielle - Jenny Pike
JJ - Tom Le Gresley
Aaron - Lewis Spaul
Richard - Nicholas Crouch
Stephanie - Steph Hadlow

For our two younger characters, Charlie and Spencer, Jo's younger brother and Jade's baby cousin will be playing them, with their parents permission. Because of their age and the minimal acting they will be doing, we didn't need to audition them.

We created an audition poster which we put up around the school, advertising what the auditions were for and who was eligible to apply. This is the poster.

Audition Poster

We put the audition video together as a group, each of us doing a voiceover explaining why certain people were good for the role and why we liked them. This is our audition tape, and it can also be found on the group blog. We used the program Final Cut to make the video.

Shot List for Trailer

On the 18th October I started working on the shot list for our soap opera trailer. The reason we make a shot list is because it means that when we're actually filming we can ensure that we don't miss anything out at each location. It also means that we can plan more indepth and get the best possible trailer out of it. This is our initial shot list, which can also be found on the group blog.

Lighting for Soap Operas

I have been looking into the ways lighting is used in professional soap operas, to get a basic understanding of what goes into the production of a soap opera. Although we won't be using these professional mehtods, it does help us to know how we could do it if we had a proper budget. I then explained how we will overcome this problem and make use of natural lighting which can be found here on the group blog.

Ideas behind Casting

On the group blog, I posted about what sort of people we want to cast for each of our characters in the trailer, which can be found here. The reason I did this is because it is easier for us during casting to have something to work from, and due to our lack of dialogue in the script, it means we have a basic idea of what we want people to do in the audition. It also helps because it means we have more of an idea of how we want our characters to be portrayed, for example, whether we want them to be likable, funny, arrogant, annoying etc.

Soap Opera Magazine Analysis 2

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JfSds68OImNLOHozvmJNlcBO19PC_HyeLIBOxxSBKQ4/edit?hl=en&pli=1#

Soap Opera Magazine Analysis 1

I looked at analysing a soap opera magazine cover because part of my brief is to create my own. By researching them, it means that my own attempt will be more realistic and professional. From researching these magazines, I have found out what sort of conventions are typical of them; for example, nearly all magazines make use of bright bold colours and block text, and feature several storylines on the cover.


Soap Magazine Analysis 1

Soap Opera Poster Analysis 2

Soap Opera Poster Ananlysis 2


Image from http://www.movieposterdb.com/posters/08_08/2008/1225901/l_1225901_461abc39.jpg

Soap Opera Poster Analysis 1

The reason I have looked into and analysed soap opera posters is because part of my brief includes producing one. Although the two posters I have analysed aren't necesarily soap oepras, they both have an open narrative which is similar to that of a soap. Image from http://film-book.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/michelle-richardson-skins-season-one-poster.jpg


Soap Opera Poster Analysis 1

First Draft Script

Me, Sophie and Jade have been working on the first draft of our scirpt, as can be seen on our group blog here
The reason we created this draft version of a script is because as our storyline develops, we may want to change certain aspects of the narrative, but we still needed a guideline to work with.

Animatic Storyboard

As a group, we created an animatic storyboard to help clarify our ideas and to aid us when filming. The reason this will help us is because we have our shots and the order in which they go already decided, which will mean that filming is less time consuming. We took photographs in roughly the positions we wanted people to be in and then did voiceovers, explaining why we chose the shots we did and how they relate to various theories. This is our animatic storyboard, which can also be found on the group blog.

Story board

Me and Jade created the original storyboard in accordance with the planning sessions we did as a group. The reason we did this is because it helps order our ideas and makes things like writing the final script and location scouting easier because we all know exactly what the storyline is. On the group blog, I added written directions underneath each photograph to explain what was happening in regards to shots and sound.




This would be a close up of a pair of red shoes walking along a pavement, with the extra diegetic sound of the shoes enhanced as they click on the pavement. The colour red connotes sexuality and so the audience is instantly aware of the type of trailer it will be, and the type of character who is wearing the shoes.


This is the first of three quick shots - mainly mid shots - which show different people going abouttheir normal daily life, but being distracted by the mysterious character walking past.


This is the third shot which again shows a different group of people in their oridnary lives. The people seen in these three shots are not central characters and their role is only to build suspense.


This is a wide shot looking straight down the middle of a straight road. The character in the red shoes is shown entirely for the first time and she is walking down the road pulling a suitcase behind her. This denotes that she is either moving in or out of the area, and in this case she is moving in. The red shoes and bag are subconsciously linked the Virgin Airways adverts and so the audience will be reminded of glamour. The way that people are grouped on the pavement either side of her is reminiscent of a cat walk.

This shot is a cross between a wide shot and a close up in that three pairs of shoes and the wheels of a pram are seen only. In this shot, the non diegetic music would change in tempo in that it becomes faster and more disorderly, insinuating that disorder will be bought to the soap opera.

Another wide shot is used to show the children all grouped around the main character, Helen. They are in an arrow formation walking behind her down the road, instantly making it obvious to the audience that they are family.

This shot starts as an over the shoulder shot as Helen walks past and then goes to a mid shot, where Richard and Stephanie are seen. In this, Richard winks at Helen, shifting away from Stephanie, who turns to slap him. Extra diegetic sound it used to enhance the sound of the slap.

This is a mid shot where Courtney is seen from behind. As he walks past, Deano smiles at her, and as she smiles back, a reveal shot is used to show that she is pregnant. An over the shoulder shot facing Deano is used to show her stood behind her as he hurries off.


The final shot is another wide shot from a dutch angle, showing the family stood positioned around Helen, with the other central characters slightly further back.