It is where a TV
channels assortment of idents is spread across the year based on the time of
the year, seasonal period and what is to be shown after the idents. For
instance, E4 idents, the beach house which projects elements of stop-motion
animation by having objects more autonomously. This ident would most likely be
played during summer periods. Another reason for this ident being shown amid
the summer periods is probably down to how the British weather is highly
unpredictable, especially when you need it to be sunny and to keep viewers
feeling a little brighter when they show this ident.
In this ident there is clearly a lot going on, by mixing several genres of movies into one ident to show all the kinds of movies they have to offer. The ident is set in day time, meaning that it will be played mostly during daytime. Seeing these genres and all the action packed into this ident, people will want to watch more movies on that channel to see what exactly they have to offer.
Within this
ident, it shows that it is set during night but to about sunrise since you can
see the dark night sky roofed with stars and the children having snowball
fights and then a child running towards what looks like to be a yeti, and sits beside him and watch the
sun rise. The ident fulfils the purpose since the ident is set in the night
time so it would be possible that this would be utilized for late night movies
like Christmas movies that would be shown there.
This is
an important factor since it provides the viewers an indication into what could
be aired after watching the ident. With several TV channels comprising of many
idents for various genre links, scheduling becomes important because how the
idents are produced to some way link to the upcoming program or movie genre,
the grey area of this is majority of the viewers don’t realise that the idents
are made to link to the genre of the upcoming programs so they just simply
think it is a different ident to keep them entertained. Scheduling the right
ident for the right show is essential for a TV company as for the viewers who
do understand TV idents linking to the upcoming program would become confused
to a small extent if the following scenario was to occur.
It is
where a show is regularly shown thus, its ident would be played at the same
time as the show daily. This signifies the ident, for instance, whenever ‘How I
Met Your Mother’ is played this ident would be played right before the TV
sitcom is aired. Since it is scheduled to be played every time the show comes
on or any other show that is played on E4.
This ident
satisfies the purpose since when a TV show would be played on TV, it would be
played before the TV show is aired just to remind the audience what they are
watching and especially the channel they are watching.
The ident above you can clearly spot the emphasizes on the show “Impractical Jokers”
which is a popular show on ‘Comedy Central’, this explains why they would push
the show in order to gain more people to watch the channel, by doing this the
viewers will be aware of the channel and remember where they can watch the
show.
Packaging is
where an ident for a channel of any kind will have their representing their
channel with styles and themes that the TV channel have claimed in order to
represent various genres based on the TV programs they air. The reason for
these types of idents is to show the growth of the channel and how the style alters.
This is known as packaging since how the ident is complete and has been
provided a purpose for watching as it will most likely link to the upcoming TV
program or movie.
The 1981 ident
shows a globe rotating on its axis while the countries are shown in the
background. The current ident still shares some of the elements used in this
ident by utilizing the bikers ride in a circle which is a reference to this
ident. They are recreating the globe from the 1981 ident. It fulfils the
purpose since they are referencing the old BBC ident within their new idents by
the bike riders riding in a circle, which is referencing to the globe in the
ident.
Re-packaging is
where the advert is retrieved back by the channel to add a specific style of
one or more TV shows, in most cases the ident will focus upon one coming-soon
program, for instance, a documentary or if it is based on a seasonal period the
ident of the TV channel will be a basic compilation of some of the best parts
of the upcoming shows and movies to try and lure in viewers’ attention and make
them watch more of that one channel. Another example
is BBC One’s Christmas idents where they show an ident with footage that link
with the seasonal period then run a compilation of footage right after from up
and coming TV shows and movies. They only put clips that with either make the
audience laugh or something that links the program to the festive period or to
entertain the audience with shots from action based movies. This will naturally
stick into the viewers mind and will most likely tune into the channel
frequently since they have viewed a re-packaged ident in which has gained their
attention so they will return to the channel to see what is being shown.
Marketing is when a channel aims on a specific
theme in order to bring the audience back to the point of information-led and
entertainment-led purposes. Due to the fact that an ident alone has small
marketing powers but adding something to an ident, for instance, an advert for
a coming soon program provides it marketing abilities to persuade the viewers
that their channel is worth watching. This is usually applied amid Christmas or
Halloween time, this would naturally appeal to a large audience who tune in for
TV specials.
The ident below is a story of an abandoned
brussels sprout that soon finds a home. Several BBC characters like the doctor
and other characters that play roles on the shows that air on that specific
channel.This ident not only carries a
story but also fits perfectly with the Christmas theme.
Channel 4 sting, promoting one of its many comedy
shows. This 20 second clip shows a highway maintenance putting up a sign that
says, ‘WELCOME TO THE WEST COUNTRY Please don’t laugh at our accent’. This
shows Channel 4’s diverse programs and that they are proud to air things that
are a bit subversive which is really up their street and goes well with their
marketing as well as their target audience they tend to lure in. They announce
the times at the end of the clip, the non-diegetic sound of the cars on the road
produce the sense of realism and equilibrium. This ident provides the audience
the content Channel 4 provides; diversity and authenticity.
Another example in relation to Channel 4, they
brought the broadcasting rights to the Paralympics in order to inform the audience Paralympics is airing soon.
The ident flashes elements of Channel 4 on the screen in the form of their logo
with the use of text that says, “The Paralympics, only on Channel 4”. Doing
this informs the audience that the event could only be seen on this channel,
both live and re-runs. This would naturally increase the channel’s rating as
they are the only channel to have the broadcasting rights to the Paralympics,
but if other channels also have purchased segments of the broadcasting rights
to the Paralympics Channel 4’s rating for each of the channels who are
broadcasting the Paralympics.
It is exactly like branding of products such a clothing etc. Where the logo
such as the chosen style or audio identifies the audience of the TV channel
they are watching.
A
company’s overall ethos and aims can be reflected on its idents. When channels
confirm on their idents they would also have to comprehend what and how the
idents will pitch itself to the intended audience. Obtaining a brand permits
the channel’s target audience to be able to associate with the programmes.
Sky
Sports News and Channel 4 are both popular channels. Sky Sports have utilized this
specific ident to either inform the audience that a programme is about to start
or to show what the up-coming programmes are. They are an entertainment
channel, and the background shows the 2 football teams shaken each other hands
before the game. The image moreover contains Manchester City’s well known
center back player- Vincent Kompany who at the time was a premier league winner
and classed as one of the best defenders. Channel 4 is typically known for broadcasting the
most famous and popular show ‘The Simpsons’, before the show stats they put an
iconic abstract channel 4 logo that is yellow in colour and has eyes and is
edited to make it look like The Simpsons characters. Doing this is very
effective since it lets the audience know what would be playing next and they
can identify their target audience who watch specific shows.
Almost every TV channel
that is accessible to date has their own particular branding technique with the
utilization of an Ident, for instance the music Channel of Scuzz which plays
essentially Rock and Metal music have idents that are about constantly recognised
by the sound in which is typically a 5 second set off guitar riffs with
drumming playing in the background, however, these little sound examples which
are played with the visuals are frequently substantial metal riffs with
drumming which makes it considerably more novel to Scuzz. Other rock music
channels, for example, Kerrang tend to play significantly softer samples of rock
music inside their idents as metal music is not one of their most grounded
regions but rather a broad rock, punk and indie genre are.
They are like digital identification demonstrations displays for viewers to
identify what the channel is through the use of TV channels logo, name or a
specific theme/colour like E4 and their love for white and purple. It is vital
for any media companies to stand out from the crowd, thus creating a corporate
identity is the way an institution pitch themselves to their intended audience.
It is vital that Corporate communications department keep up and enhance their
identity, agencies will be called up to generate a unique corporate identity in
order to fit the channel’s ethos.
An ident needs a corporate title, logo, colours and a specific assembly. If
these elements are incorporated in an ident, it helps the viewers to remember
the name as well as the logo.
Stuart Hall is a cultural theorist and Professor of
Sociology at the Open University. He studied the role of audience positioning
in the interpretation of mass media texts by diverse social groups. He came up
with a model suggesting three ways in which we may read a media text:
Stuart Hall Theory:
NEGOTIATED: Some good qualities, but could have done better, the reader partly believes the code and broadly
accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes modifies it in a way which
reflects their own position, experiences and interests.
OPPOSITIONAL: No corporate identity, the readers social position places them in an oppositional relation to the
dominant code. They reject the reading;
PREFERRED READING: (Audience Preference) Perfect corporate identity. When the reader fully accepts the
preferred reading (audience will read the text the way the author intended them
to) so that the code seems natural and transparent.
When looking at major channels,
for instance, Channel 4, ITV and BBC ONE throughout the years they have gone
through different styles of ident and evolved their brand identity. Taking BBC
One as an example, they have aired a new identity set around the symbol of a
circle; perhaps connoting eternal unity? Peter Fincham (British television
producer and executive) had stated "It’s set in the everyday but shows
people doing extraordinary things. It's got variety and range - everything from
daredevil motorbikes to synchronised hippos. It's warm and it’s dynamic.”
Morning Saturday 7th of October 2006, BBC released its new
channel identity. The circle was published and set as their heart of the
campaign, this has been recurrent in their channel, though it is updated every
few years the circle concept is still around and plays a major role in their
channel.
The
Simpsons idents is utilized by Channel 4 and has been the biggest show shown on
the channel for a long time (3 years), it can be classed under the negotiated
or preferred reading. It contains a substantial amount of fan base meaning that
majority of the channel 4 viewers would probably Simpsons fans. It is aimed
mostly towards younger audiences and the fact that it has been running for
quite a while it could eventually grow out of them, however, this never
affected their views rate and some say that The Simpsons have been embedded as
Channel 4’s corporate identity.
For instance, BBC 2 Idents always shows the number 2 no matter the type of form, 2D or 3D as the channel utilizes the two dimensions to recognise their channel.
With a TV channel, for example, BBC Three, their man ID is inside their logo of the word three which is spelt rather than a figure number 3, likewise with BBC three about the greater part of their Idents are CGI delivered which makes them one of a kind for most other TV channels as different channels change between genuine footage Idents and CGI Idents.
With regards to the styles decided for Idents, most TV channels keep to one, however, develop it enormously. For instance, BBC One Idents all have distinctive subjects connected to them yet all emphasis on the style of a circular shape. These Idents which BBC discharged on the seventh of October 2006 were updates as before they had Idents which depended on Rhythm and movement and begun back in Easter of 2002. In the wake of leading research into the BBC one Idents that are as of now being utilized on their channel, the circular shape in which about every one of them use is down to the letter "O" inside "One" for Identity purposes, BBC One accounted this Idea as a circle is an actually happening shape which is anything but difficult to recognise, additionally, with the additional styles which all make them the unknowing connection between each other, BBC One figured out how to have their Idents effortlessly Identified by their audience as BBC One.
Entertainment-led idents are much the same as Information-led idents with
the exception of what they are driving towards the audience is greater on the
entertainment platforms like movies and TV series, not as serious programmes.
Entertainment drove idents will utilize similar components in which information-led
idents to utilize, for example, the best parts and quick clips spellbinds their
attention at the earliest opportunity. They will likewise apply a similar rate
of frequency to permit additional time and apply a higher possibility of audience
to come across the entertainment-led idents.
Both were intended for one particular reason,
which is to get evaluations helps as they attempt to make the two ranges as fascinating and engaging without twisting their motivations
on TV for instance if a TV channels rating are dropping due to obscure reasons,
they may choose to purchase the broadcasting rights for an exceptionally
prevalent film, for example, The Matrix or Lord of the Rings in which they
would apply to an amusement – drove ident and apply the already expressed elements
to pick up a lift in ratings.
ITV- It is a commercial channel
and it heavily lies in the entertainment platform, one of their TV idents is a
pug being washed in the kitchen sink without the continuity announcement only a soothing tune playing. The
whole ident is just focused on the dog looking at the camera and is being
washed by someone. The purpose of this ident is to be used as a commercial business,
since it entertains the audience by showing them something a little different
with a funny colourful ident matching with ITV’s brand image.
It is used by the industry to describe what type
of material is within their idents on an informal basis, for instance, the TV
channel will collect the best parts of the soon going-to-be aired documentary and
apply it to one of the channel’s ident and host it so the audience will be
informed and they can get a glimpse of as to what it could be.
It is when an ad
comprises very little information, some idents tends to comprise of very little
entertain value and aired solely for information-led to fill in time in between
programmes as a way of scheduling. Continuity announcer is used to inform the
viewers how the up-coming show contains flashing images- warning individuals
with epilepsy.
They are typically
aired on a specific channel, this will probably be stated amid the advert
causing the viewers to think that the channel is the only one to air it and
depend on it.
Picking out the best parts builds tension allowing the TV channel to grab
onto a mass audience; since the audience need crave for the entertainment
factor, even when showing a non-entertaining based material like documentaries.
Making viewers to watch something that they usually don’t choose to watch, in
this case documentaries, showing footages that can create some sort of debate,
disagreement or any other reasons the viewers will be instantly intrigued in
watching it. Information-led idents tends to be repeated quite frequently after the
first time watching them, but this also depend on when it is about to be aired
and comes down to the TV channel when they are trying to promote the new
up-coming documentaries to the full extent. They do this by showing
information-led idents about the documentaries several times over whenever they
can slot it in within the TV channels schedule to gain attention from the
audience with the use of the best parts with a quick tempo.
Since there isn’t a red button
for idents of a TV channel there aren’t no true response interaction, though
with that come the response of the audience from the ident they have seen. When
BBC One first established they only had one TV ident, which was the bat wings
design, but now that the TV industry has developed the ability to produce a
much finer ident with both real-life footage and CGI is possible.
At times idents will be made in order to interact with
viewers, for instance, E4 introduced a new project where the audience are able
to get in touch with E4 and sportively interfere with their idents by tweeting
ideas and messages to be shown on the board the robot ‘Eefer’ carries around.
They can do this on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, Spotify, YouTube etc. A way to uphold their humour and ‘purpleness’
with the creation of Eefer. This was introduced to gain an advantage over
competitors according to Charlie Palmer who stated,“We wanted to try something
truly distinct and invite viewers to engage with us in a way no other channel
does”.The Eefer project was introduced on the date “The Big Bang
Theory” started on E4 which was a quite clever move to make since the programme
is based on science and the field of physics, thus linking to the robot ident. It
shows that the channel really values their audience’s opinion and looking out
for them.
In addition to this, 4Creative and agency Man vs. Machine rolled out on the 31st of October, it was a great idea with the return of the hit sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’. These Idents were created and developed by MPC. This is vital since they are using a show with scientists to promote their E4 robot which links in with scientists.
Another example, is where an
action-adventure film is cued up to be played on BBC One and they use the
helicopter landing on the circular sea pad informing the viewers that the next
programme could be related to action based show with the continuity announcer
who would inform them is what is about to be aired next with a particular tone
of voice to amplify the viewers’ already building tension and anticipating them
by wanting to watch.
Screen tempo must be
taken into account amid the production of a TV Ident because of the
notifications needed for the audience members, since if a TV Ident is too quick
and the shots within the ident are cut too soon the intended audience will find
it hard to identify the channel they are watching. The absence of symbol or
logo identification of the TV programme will result in the channel not gaining
any self-identification which could affect the channel in several ways. Thus,
timing plays a major role in idents to uphold their output message towards the
audience.
A case of this is when BBC released a fast pace edited
ident where playing football forming a circle as they did it, the purpose of
this ident was because the England football team playing was coming up next on
the channel. Thus, the viewers watching it will be more hyped up as to what
they are about to see and prepares them mentally and boosts up their morale. With
the advancement in technology has allowed them to add more elements, for
instance the loop they use when they kick the ball towards the middle of the circle
but it spirals and goes back to each player. Not only it looks advanced and
professional, the tempo fits perfectly. Another concept where the tempo will be drastically
different to this is if ITV was about to show the hit drama ‘Downton Abbey’. The ident will be slow in order to make it look dramatic and because the show itself
is quite slow paced. Ident
designers know that idents aren’t able to show more than one topic of footage
within each ident, since it could be unclear to the audience members as to what
to expect next in the scheduled TV programme. It relates to the duration for
idents as they should come up to 15 seconds giving ident designers a reason to
stick to one topic of footage instead of attempting to apply multiple to one
ident. They ensure to create idents that will inform the audience as to what
channel they are on, but channels such as BBC One usually shows idents which
identifies their channel and not necessarily what TV programme would be coming
up next. They use continuity announcer who informs them with the upcoming
programmes, speaking to the viewers directly rather than pitching it to them
via idents.
BBC 3- The screen tempo in
this ident varies from fast to slow and they have used fast moving shards of shapes, bright
funky colours and layout to mirror the TV programmes they show on their
channel.
BBC 2- In this ident it shows
a 2D number 2 with splattered turquoise powder/paint with a high frame rate making the
number 2 as well as the paint appear as if it’s flying in the air in slow motion, this could indicate
also reflect the programmes they show, for instance informing the audience that
a cooking program is cueing up next.
It really
depends on the TV channel that is producing the ident and what the client
working for the TV channel provides the designers to work with and the deadline
for the completion of the final product. Ident productions are provided with a
small spending plan and majority of the given time is used for the
pre-production stage with the designer’s brain storming. As idents are only
meant to last 15 seconds the creator will tend to put under pressure to produce
something that pitches the message clearly to their audience and linking the
ident to the upcoming program that is going to be displayed after the ident.
E4- The colours, graphics and the settings used clearly aims towards their target audience (14-36 year old). Longer idents are used to advertising space. The regular ad break gives them a chance to take a break and move around a little bit.Knowing that the
younger ages are immature and wouldn’t have a long attention span, thus, using
vibrant colours, graphics and comedic comments would keep the younger target audience
in place. Comparing it to the BBC1, their target audience is ranged between
22-55 years old, a much older and bigger audience very correlates to their
formal style. Unlike E4, BBC doesn’t use
funky colours except for the white and red attracting the older age-group. The fact that most of the shows they show aren't as formal and they don't really comprise of any serious mature contents, thus their idents tend to be quite informal, silly and random.
BBC- Deals with formal information such a the news, their idents and spaces needs to match their identity. BBC quite lengthy and don't really have ads space since their target audience would find it annoying as it would interrupt the show and because the contents they show are quite mature and important using regular ads space would disturb the atmosphere and can loose its value. For instance news.
The video
above is BBC One Ident that shows a team of rugby players doing the Haka, the
message instantly hints the viewers as to what might be coming up next. It
links back to BBC One ident where they are doing The Haka which is a
traditional Maori dance from New Zealand and it is typically associated with
Rugby players.The message of this ident
is that it is showing they are all doing it as ONE, cleverly linking back to
the TV channel.
Viva is another great example since it has a distinctive shade of lime
green. casual text style makes a proposal that it's for a niche audience, for
this situation, 16 – 25-year-olds. Making a group and a dedicated atmosphere
including the audience in their brand make some portion of expanding on identity.
Viva is best known as a cable channel broadcasting the chart show and having a part of broadcasting more offensive shows
to a more youthful crowd, for example, South Park and Two and a Half Men.
Commonly, Viva will utilize these shows to showcase their channel and improve
as a better-recognised name for that kind of programming. It is essential that
the channel sets the correct tone for the ident and is speaking to their set
target audience. In this case, Viva’s catchphrase "deodorant" with
the picture of a show/celebration and a gathering of individuals being in
closeness.
Comic relief can match to the intended interest group and make get them
involved as part of the picture on the screen in the event that they have been
to both a show of a festival and the fact of standing next to someone that may
need deodorant. sentiment being beside somebody that may require antiperspirant.
Having this reference projects, a comedic effect. The recording in this is
moderate paced and can tell that the ident has been slowed down, yet is not the
slightest bit slow paced because of the duration of the ident. Viva has
utilized an ident in which inventively connects with audience through its
development, timing, shapes, text style and colour.
The E4 interval had more depth and contained more information since it says what is coming up next and which programme just finished. The Efer (Robot) and the dog is seen throughout during the intervals showing that, that is their TV ident and they represent the channel.
E4 tends to use visualisation to their power and pitch it
to the audience through their ident and at times can be seen as niche and
surrealist. In this video, we see the E4 mascot on the canal boat with a
painter by the side of the canal, with a beautiful scenery you would think the
painter would be capturing those fine details. Except the image we see
completely surprises as it is a painting of female breasts. This meets the
conventions of the channels target market since it corresponds to popular
culture. The use of this small reference it keeps up to date with the time
period as well as having the viewers engaged. Then it cuts back to the E4
mascot holding a banner which reads ‘TOUCH ME WITH A BARGEPOLE’. There is also
a POV shot watching a television screen on top of the boat with the dog. On it
they are watching another one of E4’s ident. This ident is quite lengthy and
contains quite a bit of detail, giving the ident more of a character and a face
to the channel, in most of their idents a robot mascot gives it an identity in
itself. Using the mascot helps reinforce the visual aspect and creates some
sort of identity for the channel. The logo of the channel has a specific
colour, the white and purple is recurrent in their channel. Colour is also used
to reflect a channels content, utilizing an assortment of colours and textures
can be used dynamically to interact with as programme being shown and various
colours can be included in their time schedule as well.
Minimal Information:
This BBC ident is solely used as an interval, especially when the news is coming up next it is a way to give them time to set up. It was more on the abstract side and compared to the E4
ident it wasn’t as informative, thus making it minimal in information. The fact
that it has zero narrative the action doesn’t really justify the ident.
However, this is probably due to the fact that most of BBC’s programs tend to
be informative and educational, thus they wouldn’t use elements that can be
seen in E4’s idents. In addition to this, they use specific idents during the
cue up of the News meaning that it is informative since it is indicating the
audience what is coming up next on the channel without the narration. The colourful colours could probably connote diversity and they have also included their theme colour- red and white.
SCREEN TEMPO:
The tempo fitted with the show that was about to precede, using fast tempo with the help of the visuals and the music acts as a boost in order for them to get the viewers ready and in the right mind set of whatever content preceding. In this case, a football pitch, fast actions, upbeat music and with the tone and the tempo of the voice over really pitches the vibe and the excitement of the upcoming content.
INTERATION OF THE VIEWERS:
E4 has really valued the viewers and allowed us to interact with them by using Eefer the robot as the vessel. The message on the board that Eefer holds onto are actually messages tweeted by the viewers and they get to choose the messages that shows during ad space. It is very unique since no other channel has that option and in a way distances them to the viewers and makes the channel less surreal. Eefer was released on that same day as the return of the popular American sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", it is very clever since Eefer is a robot and and it fits the content of the show.
INFORMATION-LED:
There weren't any entertainment value but provides information to the consumer, informs you to what to come and provides with lawful regulation, "flashing images" they are informing the viewers as to the upcoming content and that people with epilepsy would be advised not to watch it or at least pre-warned for safety measures.
The purpose of TV dents is: Identity, Branding, Marketing, Packaging and
Re-packaging, scheduling and segmentation within scheduling. These
subtopics are very much vital when looking or researching the purpose of the
ident. They provide the viewers a concrete idea as to what the TV Channel is
like.
What is an Ident?
It is a short visual
image which is broadcasted between TV programmes It provides a visual
stimulant to the viewer, it is used as a break gap to avoid the viewers from
constant mental stimulation from the programme. Idents are typically seen as a
way of branding, due to the fact that it is a product they have made that
identifies with that specific channel.
If there is a
alteration within the channel, this could relate to style or colour of their
ident it basically represents that the channel can alter their idents in order
to indicate the change. A case of this could be, a channel might want to alter
their ident for a specific holiday season in order to show that they are
seasonal programmes and films. This leads onto an ident scheduling
purpose.
The design of an ident is very important to a channel, the main element an ident should require is the name of the channel so the viewers can identify the channel next time, with the help of a memorable ident. It should serve all of its purposes, to make the TV channel and it's programmes more successful.
