Abbie Shuttleworth

Introduction

- In this research I am going to be finding out what a Soap Opera TV trailer is. In order to find this out I am going to break it down into what is a trailer and what is a soap opera. This will be easier to research as I can find out the common conventions of trailers and soap opera’s. After looking through my research I will come to a conclusion of what I think a Soap Opera TV trailer is. I will look into what a trailer is and what they commonly contain. When looking at soap opera’s I will look at what it is and what they tend to contain along with how they range on which country you are in.

What is a Trailer?

- A trailer is an advertisement in which is a exhibited ‘feature film’ which is shown on the TV/ in the cinema. Trailers contain a series of shots of the film/ product. Trailers are used to attract the audience to watch the product. Trailers tend not to spoil the film but use ‘exciting or funny’ part of the product. The typical length of a trailer is less than 2 minutes long. The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) says that the trailers should be no longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The composition of the trailers tend to tell the story but don’t give it away, they contain shots from the product including deleted scenes. Most trailers follow a ‘three-act structure’, the start they shows the setting of the story, in the middle they show the story and build up with a dramatic climax and then the end of the trailer usually shows a montage of emotional moments from the product along with a cast run.

References - Wikipedia - Gfactor (2007-11-06). "Why are they called

"trailers" if they're shown before the movie?“. The Straight Dope.

- "Theaters Advocate Shorter Movie Trailers". MarketingMovies.net. 2014-01-28.

- Marich, Robert (2013). Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics (3rd ed.). Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 6–42.

What is a Soap Opera?

- A soap opera is a serial drama that is shown on TV. It has a multi strand narrative of the lives of multiple characters. They focus on emotional relationships and ‘melodrama’. Each episode tends to end on a cliff-hanger. The themes explored in soap opera’s tend to be family life, personal relationships, emotional and moral conflicts. Soap opera’s follow the day to day lives of the characters. Soap opera’s are different in each country. For example in America they tend to make the characters attractive, glamorous and wealthy. Where as in a soap opera aimed in the United Kingdom tend to focus on everyday characters that are set in working class environments.

References- Wikipedia-"soap opera". Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged (10th ed.) (HarperCollins Publishers). July 8, 2013.- a b c d Bowles

Conclusion

- In conclusion a Soap Opera TV Trailer would have footage from the storyline that is happening at the time. The trailer would be a maximum of 2 minutes in length. The trailer would tell you what’s going on without spoiling it. It would build up in tension and pace towards the end of the trailer to attract the audience. As it needs to be a soap opera trailer it would show the characters showing family life and emotional relationships.