Past students soap opera trailers

Avenue Springs


This is a soap opera trailer created by the media studies A2 students from two years ago.


Mise;
-The dark clothing worn by the two males connotes a disruption and suggests they are going to be characters that will not be liked and have a sense of danger about them.
- It begins with very dark lighting in a bedroom which immediately sets the mood as some that is quite eerie and mysterious.
- The props that are used also signify danger as in the beginning a still shot of some medication that has been left is shown which leaves you wondering why it is there and what it is for.


Sound;
- I think the non diegetic music that is played throughout the trailer sets the mood perfectly as you suspect something is going on and it makes you feel quite tense and on edge as it begins quite low pitch but gradually gets higher.
- A voice over is used to state the name of the soap and the time it is on. The voice does not disengage you and it matches the mood and reflects the kind of atmosphere you can expect from the soap.
- It ends with a female asking the question to someone on the phone 'Is it done?'. This makes the audience wonder that 'it' is and if she is up to something. It is a good way to leave it as a cliffhanger as this makes you want to find out what will happen next.


Titles;
I like the idea of the titles used in between shots that say 'What if?' etc. I think the way they appear could have been make to look slightly better to fit with the mood. I think if it gradually appeared or faded in the effect would have been better as sometimes continuity is lost as some titles appear at a quicker speed than others. However the way the title of the soap fades in is a lot better and the font used works well. It is also good that they show the time but they do not state the name of a channel which is something that is vital.


Camera Angles;
I think the low angle shot works well on the person entering the room at the beginning as the focus is on that person and what they are about to do. It makes them appear as trouble and the seem intimidating not only as he is covered by a hood but also the way the camera is positioned. also the close up of the girl in the car works well as even though its from the side and you can not really see her face you can still tell she is important as the camera is focused on her and not whats around her.


Editing;
The panning shot used to follow the car driving past as it shows that they are up to no good and that something is going on involving the car which is later revealed. I think the use of the transition fade to black if effective but is used quite a lot. I like the effect of wanting to know that is happening during the fade to black and think that the continuity between them matches well. The use it a lot when doing match on action which makes it appear more continuous as it runs smoother. I think the continuity is lost slightly at the beginning when the male is entering the room. it cuts back and forth 3 times and the third time it does not match as he appears further back than the time before but other than this it is done well.


Overall i think the way the built up an atmosphere in the trailer was really engaging as the darkness of it all made you feel on edge and the cliffhanger at the end leaves you wanting to see more which is something that is vital in soap trailers. Although some improvements could have been made to the titles and continuity i think the way they used a wide range of camera angels and the way they thought in depth about their mise paid off and it shows in the trailer.