1. Ancillary Research
Harriett Couzens
Aq102177

2. “Trashy” TV Magazines
• There are lots of bright clashing colours to create the sense of
organised chaos and “tackiness”. This makes them look like they
are meant to be thrown away
• The advertisements are always laid out in the same way to train
the eye into always looking at the same things in the same order
• Every photo is almost in its own frame and they are all
superimposed together
• Text boxes tilted at exactly the same angle
• Borders all of the same width
• Supposed to look trashy and disposable
• Banner across the top
• Colours and positioning mean everything
• The magazine always refers to characters, not the actors
themselves
• The look of the magazine matches the class of the characters
shown on them
• All the fonts and tilts used on the images and text have to be
exactly the same
• Cheap paper and inks are used to give the magazines a “throw
away” feel

3. “Classy” TV Magazines
•There is always one star on the cover apart from some
exceptions but this is very rare
•You look at the person and not just the character because
the Actor’s name is used; not just their character’s name
•The masthead is always in the same place
•Only one bubble is used
•Always something in a box anchoring the headline
•Little subheadings in boxes that help contain the text and
help organise
•Italics alter the view of the original text
•More expensive inks and paper are used to make the
magazine look and feel less throw away than weekly TV
magazines that are made to be thrown away
•Only a couple of colours are used on the front cover to give
the magazines a more sophisticated feel
•Better photography is used to also give a more
sophisticated feel to the magazine

4. How do TV magazine front covers create
representations of gender that can be quickly
interpreted?

5. Soap operas need to convey to the audience the
narrative and which characters are antagonists
and protagonists.
To do this, stereotypes, gender performance
and social codes are used. E.g. Tiara, tie,
flower in buttonhole create the narrative of a
wedding between two characters, but the
text doesn’t match the facial expressions of
The price is given two times on this the stars. This tells the audience that
magazine which isn’t traditional of something will happen in the plot that these
a TV magazine as they would characters aren’t expecting.
usually use the second spot for
BUTLER: tiara, earrings, blonde hair,
another soap opera advertisement. white dress: conventional female
gender performance. She is alluding
to the dream women are supposed
to have of “the perfect wedding”
aspiration But we want to see her
fail.
Characters are portrayed the
way their character is going to
act in the next episode as we
can see the two main stars are
smiling which means they are
going to be happy. In the
bottom left hand corner we can
see the two characters looking
quizzical towards each other as
if they are plotting something

6. Robert Pattinson still fits the
typical gender stereotype of
a man although his laid back Masthead made to look like it has
dress sense and messy hair been drawn in lipstick to give the
gives him a more magazine a fun edge.
approachable feel and makes
us want to read the article The date and price is still
about him and get to know shown on the front cover but
him. it is less conspicuous
The text is smaller and the
layout has a more restrained
feel to it than 33p magazines
Only a few colours used on
the front cover’s layout
which adds a feel of the
magazine being for a more
Reference to vampires
“sophisticated” reader
which relates to
twilight as the
magazine is a twilight
special
Robert Pattinson’s playful Actors name is used instead of
smile and fun posture the characters name being used
matches the playful text
that is included on the front
cover this is different to the
weekly TV magazines as the
text doesn’t fit to the
character’s facial
expression.

7. Billboards &
Posters
• There’s always a use of symmetry in the
billboard.
• Main characters are always shown to allow
the audience to become familiar with them.
•The date and time of the programme is always
shown on the billboard to get more viewers.
•The channel’s logo or name is always on the
billboard somewhere to let the audience know
what channel the programme is on.
•The billboard portrays what the programme
has in store for the viewer; therefore it lets
them know what the show is about.
•Characters are portrayed by their outfits,
facial expressions and the way they do their
hair.

8. How do Billboards and posters for television
programmes create representations of gender that
can be quickly interpreted?

9. As we can see on this
advertisement for On the picture with the actual Hollyoaks star
Hollyoaks we have a we have the channel’s logo, the days that
unattractive women and Hollyoaks is on and the time that it is on.
man sat in a dingy pub
with the phrase “Rub
some Hollyoaks on it”
above their heads. In the
next ad we see an
attractive man and
women who are similar to
the ones in the first but
everything is glamorous
The shabby lamp has
and clean. This tells the
been swapped for a
audience that anything to
chandelier, this gives
do with Hollyoaks is
off the impression of
glamorous and vibrant
wealth if the
and the people in the
characters are sat
image are wealthy and
somewhere like this.
happy.
This attracts an
audience as they use
it for escapism as they
wish that their lives
were like this.
The women in the red dress gives off very strong
gender stereotypes. She is blonde and wearing The characters in the second image are
posh heels, this tells us that she has money to go thinner and more attractive than the
out and get her hair done and buy nice shoes. characters in the other image. This
She is drinking wine from a glass and is sat at a gives off the impression to the audience
modern table. She is smiling which gives off the that if you want the glamorous lifestyle
impression to the audience that she is happy of the characters in Hollyoaks you have
because her life is good and that’s what the to be thin and good looking.
audience want to see when they watch
Hollyoaks.

10. From this billboard we as the audience get a strong
idea of what “skins” is about. We have a teen Again like on all advertising billboards and
couple kissing. This quickly gender stereotypes the posters the date, time and television channel is
couple as she is wearing hardly any clothes and we advertised on the image clearly to let the
can see her underwear and this gives the viewer know when to watch.
impression of the “typical teenage” girl.
The girl in the corner is staring into space, she is
The boy in the bottom corner confirms that the wearing make-up which is mise en scene as it is
teens have been at a party and they have running down her face which tells us that she’s
crashed out as his glasses are wonky and he has been crying. This tells us that the programme
“virgin” written on his head. This is humiliating deals with teen issues and emotions.
for him as it tells the audience that the boy is
still a virgin and through his embarrassment it
tells teens that being a virgin is bad.