Hollyoaks’ opening sequence starts with an ‘ECU’ of an eye with ‘Hollyoaks’ on the pupil. This establishes to the viewer immediately what they are going to be watching without having to wait for the rest of the opening.
We hear very fast-paced, almost rock like music, which begins with a short guitar solo, that grabs the viewers’ attention, this is a very recognizable tune that can always be associated with Hollyoaks.
Throughout the sequence are quick-cut; fast-paced; edgy video sequences that show us all the main characters of the show. This can lead us again to assume that Hollyoaks is targeting a younger, teenage audience, as that quick-paced editing grabs our attention.
Also these clips are edited in time with the music, making a more entertaining opening, drawing the viewers in, compelling them to see more.
The characters throughout the clip, are wearing one of these three main colours: red; white; or black.
Each of these colours suggests different things to us. Red, to many people, may symbolize ‘sexiness’ or ‘danger’, from this we could assume that any of the character that was wearing red could have a sexy or dangerous appeal. In different parts of the opening some characters have props: ‘Hand-Held Mirror’ and a ‘Boxing Punch Ball’, these can suggest that the character may be very self-centered or vain, or that the character is very violent in the show.
The lighting of the clip was very bright and flashy, like in a disco, again appealing to the more teenage audience.
Then to conclude all of what the viewer has just watched the sequence ends with a fade out of the music and the title ‘Hollyoaks’ displayed again full on the screen.
Cathleen Guiney 13M
