Eastenders Title Sequence Analysis

The soap opera genre conventionally over dramatises their characters and storylines whilst capturing a certain extent of realism which is relatable with audience. This allows the audience to empathise and sympathise with the characters and narrative, thus creating contradiction. The main feature of the Eastenders title sequence is the concept of voyeurism, thus looking into the characters lives otherwise known as eavesdropping for our own viewing pleasure. Zooming out could possibly convey the storylines unfolding within the soap opera as if we are looking into their lives spectating them on a daily basis and the spinning could represent the drama spiralling out of control. The beginning credits establish the setting through noticeable landmarks which include: the London Eye, River Thames, Houses of Parliment, Big Ben and the O2 Arena. The extreme long shot shows the entire city therefore relatable to the majority of the audiences due to them being British citizens. The river Thames is edited to stand out significantly more from the depressing greys which makes the soap aesthetically appealing whilst maintaining a gritty look in the urban city of London. The music is very dramatic at the beginning but become calm once the piano begins to play which  coincides with the content of the serial ranging from extremely exaggerated storylines, to very realistic domestic issues such as domestic violence. This immediately grasps the audiences attention and subconsciously engages the viewer; the music could potentially signify the calm before the storm. The title ‘Eastenders’ comes towards the end of the sequence as the music has already established the which Soap Opera is about to begin.