Analyse the function of two British soaps

When analysing both Coronation Street and Emmerdale’s opening title sequences it is clear that the main purpose was to establish location and allow viewers to become acquainted and familiarised with the area in which the soap is filmed.

When observing Emmerdale’s opening title sequence it is clear that this soap is set in a rural countryside area as immediately a camera tracks continuously across vast pastoral fields where we see animals grazing and a series of bridges. Through out the title sequence there are no cuts which may have been used in order to make the viewers feel as if they are really travelling across the countryside and not just watching it on television.
On top of the camera tracking the countryside, mini scenes of various actors who are not characters in the soap are overlaid over the background. These ‘mini scenes’ show people displaying a range of different emotions which include happiness, lust, anger, despair and joyfulness which could all give the viewer an insight into the type of storylines Emmerdale produces or the emotions that the characters experience.
The characters that already star in the soap have not been featured in the title sequence, it is thought this choice has been made as the director wanted to focus primarily on the emotions depicted by each short clip and not the actors themselves.
Also, if the characters in the soap were used for the title sequence then it would have to be updated regularly to accommodate new characters which would cost the soap extra.
These ‘mini scenes’ are produced in faded black and white so that the audiences primal focus is on the overhead panning shot of the countryside which is in colour and therefore stands out.
Nearing the end of the title sequence the camera which has been panning across the countryside slows down as it emerges into the Emmerdale village, this is a key part of the title sequences as it is an introduction to the community.
We then see two shots of the village as the camera gets closer so key areas of the village can be identified and recognised by the audience, accompanying this, the title Emmerdale appears in white simple lettering which is easy to read in order not to bring too much attention away from the images being shown. Not many soaps are set in rural areas and for this reason the title sequence strongly focuses upon this aspect rather than the characters.
The music played is almost melodic as it goes up in a scale then down again until the final sequence of the title is reached when the music then calms down into a long pitch which fades out.

When observing Coronation Streets title sequence it is felt that they have opted for a simpler sequence as there is an absence of any characters and instead the location in which it is set is the primal focus.
Short clips of various parts of Manchester where Coronation Street is situated are used in the title sequence along with key locations used within the soap such as The Rovers Return Pub where much of Coronation Streets storylines are set.
A fundamental part of the title sequence is the use of various housing shots which are featured in the soap itself, old cobbled areas and old terrace houses are used as these give a preview and link scenes within the soap with the title sequence. These houses also indicate a working class area with back yards not gardens.
Like Emmerdale the title sequence is almost like an introduction of the area for viewers. Through out the title sequences cuts and fades are used to ensure that the small clips of various important landmarks for the soap are shown and linked together.
Coronation Streets title sequence is the direct opposite of Emmerdale’s due to the fact that much of the sequence illustrates the more urban areas.
The music used to introduce in Coronation Street is simple as it adopts series of repetitive phrases predominantly played by a trumpet which fades out as the title sequence nears the end. As the soap title Coronation Street appears in simple bold white lettering the instrument changes to a softer melody to establish that the soap is starting and not to draw attention away from the current scene. The fact that the music changes to a softer melody as the name of the soap appears it makes the introduction flow better.

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