1. Desperate Housewives
One main
signifier in this opening sequence is the apple, which is shown at the beginning
and at the end. When it is shown at the beginning of the sequence we see a
naked lady holding one from the tree who is obviously Eve and she is in the
Garden of Eden. This straight away tells us that there is some sort of
temptation and rebellion. We then see the apple again at the end of the
sequence when four women are standing under a tree full of snakes and all
holding an apple each. This tells us that they could either be the temptations
or the tempters. We also see a lady
wearing all black eating a banana and then tossing it over her shoulder onto
the floor where a maid sweeps it into the corner, where there are multiple bits
of other rubbish. This could show that the problems that appear throughout the
TV Drama just get pushed aside and not dealt with, but can always cause harm. An
elderly couple is also shown and a younger women pushes the older lady out of
the way and the man then smiles with the new younger lady. This shows there
could be jealously and unfaithfulness in the TV Drama as well. A pop art women
is also shown punching a man, this shows women power and may suggest a strong
female cast/lead role.
The
sequence tell us that the TV Drama could be about social class, secrecy,
jealousy etc. I would expect to see a female lead and more women aspirating to
be her or her best-friend. Many love triangles could also be involved, through
marriages and single people. I suspect each women will have a secret which
comes up at one point, as it was never fully dealt with the first time, and
causing trouble when it does.
The target audience
of this drama is possibly female teenagers and women in their early 20s. I can
guess this because it has only shown female characters in the opening sequence,
which tells me that the main story line is probably going to follow a women and
therefore could be more attractive to a female audience. I can guess this age
group because they are younger than the women shown in the sequence and could aspire
to be like them.
2. Sex & The City
The sequence
starts with a view of a busy street which later become clear that it is New
York and we can then guess that it is also set in New York City. Sarah Jessica Parker is the only person in the
opening sequence which shows that she is the main character. She is also the
only person wearing bright coloured clothing, everyone else in the background
is wearing dull colours. This again shows that she is the main character but
could also link to a theme of fashion in the TV Drama. There are also many building
of New York shown and this could show us that the drama has something to do
with working and trying to reach the top as the building shown are all shown to
us from a low camera angle, making the building seem extra intimidating. She also
gets splashed by a bus going through a puddle, and this could almost be seen as
a hit of reality.
The
sequence tell us that the drama is probably going to be based around the theme
of fashion and as she seems so out of place in the opening sequence the
audience could maybe guess that she is new to the city and has come to achieve
her lifelong dreams.
The audience
for this TV Drama would again be female teenager and women in their early 20s,
however it may also interest anyone who is into fashion due to the fashion
theme. Again I can guess this age group because living in New York and being in
fashion would be a dream for many young girls so watching this programme would
defiantly appeal.
3. Mad Man
The main
character in the opening sequence has no face and is in all black, this could
tell us that the main character is invisible, trying hard but never noticed.
The main signifier is the man falling downwards past building throughout the
whole opening sequence, this again shows that he is low down at his job or that
he’s fallen from a higher status. In the background, whilst the man is
falling, the building has pictures of slightly seductive women and pictures of
families. This might suggest a trouble with family life and an affair for
affection from another women.
The sequence doesn’t tell us a lot about the TV Drama, other
than the fact it is probably based around an office scenery or work environment
because of the starting image of the man in an office. Due to the images of
women in the background, I can guess he either has a child but isn’t married or
has a family but is cheating with another women and both get in the way of his
work.
The audience for this drama might be of a slightly older age
bracket 17-27 and both male and female viewers. I think this about they age
because of the work environment scenery which I believe would appeal to older
ages. I think both female and male viewers because it doesn’t have typical
gender subject/theme and therefore would be easy to relate to for both genders.
4. Six Feet
Under
A main signifier in this opening sequence is the two feet
shown, with a tag hanging of the big toe. This tag tells us that the feet
belong to a dead body and also hints at the story line for the rest of the TV
Drama. We are then shown a hospital bed which reinforces the idea of a theme of
death. Whilst we are being shown the hospital bed, we can see a black silhouette
of a man in the background who slowly disappears as the bed gets closer to the
camera. This tells us that the deceased is leaving people behind, maybe a
relative or close friend. We later are shown the body, from a bird’s eye view, which
now has clothes on. This now tells us that the drama might have something to do
with a funeral company, as they receive a body then dress it up ready for the
funeral. We can also see in the opening sequence and funeral car boot opening
with a casket in it, this strengthens the idea of a funeral theme throughout
the drama. At the beginning and the end we are shown a single tree in a field,
when this is shown at the beginning it is a very simple image. However, when it
is shown again at the end of the sequence, the title ‘Six Feet Under’ sprouts
from the roots of the tree into the ground. This implies that the TV Drama
might involve secrecy and the title is shown under the surface. But it is also
shown under the surface because the drama is called ‘Six Feet Under’.
This sequence tells us that the drama is going to involve
death, loss, secrets and much more. Although we only see one deceased body in
the opening sequence, I think the programme will involve many deaths and not
just one. I can expect there not to be a main character but a group of main
characters as there wasn’t a focus on a specific person in the opening
sequence.
The audience for this TV Drama could be of a very wide age
bracket from about 15-35. I think this because the theme isn’t a harsh or
brutal theme and therefore would be suitable for the younger ages but it also
looks like it carries a detailed and interesting story line and so could appeal
to the older and more mature audience. I can also guess that this drama will
attract both female and male audiences because again like ‘Mad Man’ it doesn’t hold
a typical subject and therefore both genders could relate and understand the
drama.
5. Dexter
The main signifier in this opening sequence are all the
things which are made to look like blood. Starting with the squashed mosquito
on his arm, then the cut on his neck whilst shaving, then the ketchup being
carelessly splattered onto his plate and ending with the cutting of the blood
orange. These all give a clear image of death and maybe even murder because of
the brutality and carelessness which is shown throughout the opening sequence. We
are also shown a knife cutting into meat, this helps intensify the possible
theme of murder in the TV Drama. At the end of the sequence we see a man
walking out of an apartment into a sunny day. This is the complete opposite to
what we saw inside the apartment and suggests that he might have this secret
identity which the outside world doesn’t know about.
The sequence tells us the theme of the TV Drama is mostly likely
going to be death/murder and obviously having a male lead. I expect that the
main character doesn’t have many friends but still comes across as a normal
person in his day to day life and no one has any suspicions of him being a
secret murderer.
The audience of this TV Drama could also appeal to a wide age
bracket from around 17-40 years old. I think this age bracket will be attract
to the programme despite the harsh theme because many young and older people
love the murder mystery theme. Regardless of the male lead, I don’t believe it
will be a male dominant audience, I think that both males and females would be
attracted to this TV Drama because of the interesting and gripping theme.
