Analysis of Eastenders trailer - Ronnie and Danielle

Analysis of Eastenders trailer – Ronnie and Danielle
Throughout this trailer there are various locations including upstairs, downstairs and outside the pub (The Queen Vic), and the inside of a church. The fact that the majority of this trailer is set in a pub conforms to the generalisation that all soaps have a meeting place where the locals gather, which in this case is the pub.
There are characters seen from a variety of age groups; Danielle the younger blonde who is in her late teens, Ronnie and Roxy the two females having a ‘fight’ in the pub in their 30’s, Peggy and Archie 60-70years old representing the older generation. The variety of ages are present in this trailer so as not to alienate any member of the audience.

The female characters seen in the trailer are portrayed as strong, independent and dominant women which empowers the female audience who are the primary target audience. Danielle is seen to be this as she has the courage and strength to tell Ronnie she is her daughter; Ronnie is seen as this when she throws Danielle out onto the street, and Roxy is seen to be this when she slaps Ronnie. Throughout the trailer the main focus is on Danielle and Ronnie, and Ronnie is your stereotypical dominant female which conforms to Geraghty who said that emphasis is placed on a central female character which the audience are invited to support. Here in this trailer you are invited to support Danielle and hope that Ronnie accepts Danielle as her daughter.
The trailer conforms to Brown who said that there are multiple narratives in a soap; not only is Ronnie discovering who Danielle really is but there is also a quick shot of Peggy and Archie’s wedding and the reception incidentally where Danielle and Ronnie have their confrontation.

The characters seen in this trailer are all wearing formal, fancy clothes for Peggy and Archie’s wedding which suggests that the Mitchell family have quite a bit of money. However it remains obvious that the majority of the characters in Eastenders are from the working class as Danielle is seen wearing a plain yellow dress which suggests that she has little money. The formal wear for the wedding allows for a sense of realise as many people in everyday life wouldn’t wear their every day work clothes.

Although there is no racial diversity present in this trailer, the main reason for this is its focus is on Ronnie and Danielle which leaves little chance for them to show a variety of race and the same applies as to why there are no children present as well. However loyal Eastenders fans would be aware that there is racial diversity and would not be alienated by this trailer.

Throughout the trailer there is use of simple cuts which conforms to what Brown tells us all soaps have in common.

The song which plays over the trailer, She Will Be Loved is relevant as Danielle just wants to be loved and accepted by her mother. The lyric “look for the girl with the broken smile” applies to Danielle as it comes at the point where Danielle is partially hidden behind a door and she has a sad look on her face as she is feigning happiness when she won’t be truly happy until Ronnie believes her and loves her; this line also applies to Ronnie as she wants to know the daughter that she never knew and be able to love her, however she finds it hard to believe Danielle is telling the truth until she sees the evidence in her Champaign glass.
The trailer ends with the usual Eastenders theme tune kick, which a convention of all soap operas.

Shannon