Comparing the Title Sequences for Holby City and Hollyoaks:

The title sequences of Holby City and Hollyoaks both give the audience a different feel, and both suggest the difference between the two programs. These differences are shown through the opening music, the mise-en-scene, the camera angles/movement/composition and the editing techniques.

In Hollyoaks the music is fast-paced rock styled suggesting to the audience that this show is a modern, upbeat, youthful TV program, whereas in Holby City the first sound the audience hears is a heartbeat this gives an initial sense of seriousness; also the use of keyboards, gives an eerie clinical feel to the show. The audience can also hear breathing, which is similar to the heartbeat-a natural sound to hear in a hospital; the medical objects and sounds link to, and give the audience an idea of, what the show is about.

The mise-en-scene from both the title sequences are in some ways similar, and in others completely different. The similarities are that the audience are introduced to the characters because the characters are shown, however the difference here is that the characters shown in Holby City are subtler compared with the "in your face" introduction of the Hollyoaks characters; the characters from Holby City are shown through a collage and only the bigger main characters, whereas in the Hollyoaks alot of the characters are shown even if they aren't important to the particular episode that is being shown. Also the background in Hollyoaks is lighter, brighter and more youthful, there isn't much of a setting, it is just a white background, this brings the audiences focus more towards the characters and their personalities rather than the setting; whereas the background for Holby City is blue and orange therefore a dark background, this again gives the show a serious edge. In Holby City the close up of the medical equipment again links to what the show is about, and the close up of the heart monitor links to the sound of the heartbeat at the beginning of the title sequence; however in Hollyoaks only the characters are shown close up, which is a theme throughout the sequence, and the feel of the show is suggested throughout as the female characters are shown as barely clothed and seductively pose, and all the men and women are young, sexy and good looking; there is no older characters.

In the opening sequence of Holby City there are close ups of medical instruments and there are shots from episodes where the characters are moving, whereas in Hollyoaks the characters are shown separately, outside of the setting of Hollyoaks. The movement in Hollyoaks is fast moving and fast paced, whereas in Holby City the sequence is always moving but smoother and tracks across the title, this suggests the race for life; which as said before links with the seriousness of the show, compared with the youthfulness of Hollyoaks. In Holby City the characters are shown through the medical equipment and in the title, this links them to the show; however in Hollyoaks the characters aren't as obviously linked to the show, although the audience are better introduced to the characters personalities rather than what the show is about, compared with Holby City where the audience are introduced more to what the show is about and what the characters do, rather than the characters themselves.

The editing techniques of Hollyoaks is slick, jumpy and there are fast cuts between each shot. The transitions are slick, for example: a red ribbon pulled by one character lead to the introduction of another character, and a zoom in to one characters eye zooms out and leads to another character; this suggests that the sequence isn't boringly filmed, and links with the youthful, upbeat feel of the show. However in Holby City the cuts are slower, giving a somber feel to the show. Also the title moves across the sequence, close up and zooms out at the end to show the whole title, whereas in Hollyoaks the title is shown three times during the sequence, mainly clearly at the beginning and the end, the title at the end is the only part in the sequence that gives the audience an idea what the show is about; the gender signs in the title, and the blue and pink suggest that the show could include relationships. The transitions in Holby City move with the heartbeat sound, and everything (the title, medical instruments, characters, background, colours) is layered over each other, this gives the impression of busyness and confusion, this ties in with the shows medical edge.