Ancillary Products: Soap Opera Posters

Soap opera posters should have a narrative that draws the reader in, while conveying information about plot lines and characters, and playing on the audience's existing knowledge of the soap. 


One of the easiest ways to do this is by using stereotypes to build expectations in combination with lighting, editing and mise en scene.


These posters will generally be displayed on billboards at the side of the road and at bus stops, so audiences will only see them for a couple of seconds. For this reason, text has to be catchy, maybe including a play on words that people will associate with the soap. 


The brevity of this exposure makes the image even more important: the combination of text and image should have enough impact to leave a lasting impression.


Below are some examples of soap and TV drama posters that work well in terms of:
- conveying narrative quickly
- use of text to anchor the image
- conveying to the audience the values of the programme and the channel broadcasting it
- photography and editing

- combination of text and image

Hollyoaks

• The connotations of this image imply that Hollyaoks is different to soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street- soaps that also feature a pub as one of the central locations- in that it is injected with glamour, beauty and sex appeal, rather than focusing on realism.
• The Channel 4 branding is prominent at the top of the advertisement, which the reader links with a younger audience than other British channels.

Gossip Girl

Deconstruct this image to find:
- narrative
- characterisation- what are you supposed to think about this girl?
- what is the text implying about the subject matter of the show?
- why is there a quote from the Boston Herald? Consider how rebellious teenagers would react to a quote their parents read in the newspaper...

Ugly Betty

How does this poster play on what the audience already knows about the programme?


SKINS


Comment on:
- what the word "skins" means to the target audience and what this tells you about the content of the programme- look at how the word is displayed and the costume of the actors.
- how stereotypes are used to convey meaning to the audience immediately
- use of colour and how this adds to the narrative of the image.

SKINS SERIES ONE TRAILER:





Then compare with the season two poster and trailer- what changes have taken place?
Look at:
- Lighting
- Performance
- Costume
- Mise en Scene
- How text is displayed

SKINS SEASON TWO TRAILER: