Analysis Of Strictly Not For The Faint Hearted Trailer - Hollyoaks

The trailer starts with a mid shot of Calvin wearing a white shirt in a dark room that has no natural lighting and is illuminated by spot lights. The audience are immediately aware that the trailer is about Calvin who is being put on the spot, his white shirt connoting his innocence. Calvin slides sideways and then we see a wide shot of Kris, Sasha and Leo sitting on a judging panel. The song, Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is playing in the background loudly.

We then see Calvin dancing with his new wife Carmel which denotes a first dance, the camera then looks from Calvin’s point of view to show him looking at Jacqui and Des who are dancing together and giving evils to Calvin which denotes their anger at Calvin as Jacqui knows about his affair with her other sister. The camera then shows a mid shot of Calvin and Carmel and Calvin’s reaction to the dirty looks where he looks confused. The couple are then bumped into by Mercedes and Malachi and the camera reveals a close up of Mercedes and Malachi’s face in Calvin’s point of view, this again denotes their anger at Calvin because he is having an affair with Mercedes who is hurt that he is still marrying Carmel and also Malachi (who is the best man) who knows about the affair and feels hurt by Calvin. We then see Jake and Theresa in a wide shot and then a high shot of Jake’s foot stamping on Calvin’s, the camera then pans up to Calvin holding his foot in a wide shot where we can see Carmel, Jake and Theresa standing near him.

The non-diegetic music is in time with the editing and the speed that the camera angles focus on each character. The audience are then shown a long shot of the dance floor where Michaela and Zach can be seen dancing and Michaela who has her back to Calvin is kicking behind to kick him. The camera then reveals Calvin’s reaction and then a point of view shot to show a close up of Michaela and Zach to reveal the two laughing. All characters are dressed smartly in wedding attire and this again connotes to the audience that it is Calvin and Carmel’s wedding day. After the camera shows Calvin’s reaction shot, we then see a two shot of Reece dancing with Carmel and Calving looking confused. The camera then shows a mid shot of Calvin’s torso and white shirt which could connote his innocence. A glass of red wine is then thrown over the white shirt around his heart and the camera then pans up to a close up of Jacqui’s face from Calvin’s point of view and she begins to walk away whilst still looking behind her at him. The audience then see a mid shot of the judges each holding up a white hand card with a number 9 on in time with each other. Each judge is dressed in dark colours which could connote how they – like the rest of the characters involved in the trailer have all be hurt by Calvin and now are angry at him.

The camera then reverses back to a low shot of Calvin looking at his hand which is covered in the red wine, the red wine connotes blood and the use of a low shot reminds the audience that the trailer is focused on Calvin and the event which causes him to be covered in blood. The music then ends on an echo of the word “Dead”. The channel 4 ident then comes up and a narrator can be heard saying “Strictly Not for the Faint Hearted”. The narration is of the title and the name not only connotes how faint hearts will be broken when Calvin is hurt, but also who Calvin’s actor was starring in the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. The audience are reminded of the BBC show by the characters all dancing and the judging panel.