Hollyoaks

I watched this episode of Hollyoaks, broadcast on the 11th March 2013. Within the first few minutes we see an example of what Ian Pike, Hollyoaks scriptwriter, says about the nature of the show - that they "often cut from something very heavy and thought-provoking to something utterly silly and lighthearted in a way that no one else does".

Certain effects are created through the transition between the more serious story line and a much more carefree one about family life. The serious story line shows two women in a maternity ward in a special facility, although it is not revealed what the facility actually is. The less serious story line shows a family eating dinner on Christmas Eve at a restaurant and joking about Christmas songs.
The transition between the two scenarios is shown through the jump cut to an out of focus scene in the restaurant, consisting of an obscure, relatively neutral background with lights twinkling in it. The shot pans/tracks from the right, where the out of focus portion is, towards the left, where we see the family momentarily out of focus. The camera then pushes focus onto them as it passes the section which was previously shown in the out of focus manner.
The quick movements before the shot transitions helps to show a more complicated story line that requires each character to fully explain themselves. In contrast, the section with the family is one long shot that does not transition as each character talks, showing a much more simplistic scenario despite the fact there is almost three times as many characters.
The women in the first scenario are placed in the shot in a way that abides the rule of thirds, whereby the main focus is slightly off centre. This makes it look more appealing to the eye, but also makes the character appear bigger in the environment as minimal screen space is wasted this way.
There is not much editing in this piece, mainly due to the realistic nature of the soap as well as the fact that neither of the situations call for it.
The dialogue in the shot helps to create tension in the first scene. The way that the dark haired character asks the blonde woman about what "[she] didn't do" leaves a very weighted question hanging unanswered as the focus of the show changes. The conversation that we then join in the restaurant is much more lighthearted and essentially we forget momentarily about the other scene.
There is only diegetic sound used in this piece. In the scene in the restaurant, we can hear the clinking of cutlery, the hub-bub of patrons and light piano music in the background, most likely playing through the speakers in the location. This creates a warm, almost safe environment which takes our minds away from the seemingly hostile, near enough silent location in which the mothers are talking. It sounds comforting and this big difference is effective in helping us to put aside all our emotions for the women in order to focus on the cheerful family.
In terms of mise-en-scene, there is not much. Perhaps the character's in the first scene are emphasised by their clothing; they are both dressed in drab, dreary clothes and they look unhappy, which is uncommon of a maternity ward. This suggests that this is not a normal facility and that there is something we should be aware of when considering these characters.
The lighting of the hospital location is dim and looks as though it is mainly natural light from the windows. This creates an almost sterile effect with the location itself and hence the difference we see as we transition into the restaurant is much more apparent - the warm, out of focus lighting is the exact opposite of what we have previously seen.