The Grid Ideas

For this task, we are set to create a range of Idents for a new channel called 'The Grid' which will launch next year. They will broadcast various shows including American Sitcoms, Youth Chat Shows and different music videos. Firstly, I compared other channels that would be similar to The Grid, for example 'Viva' and 'E4' and listed programmes that they would show. I also researched on what font I wanted The Grid to have to make it   iconic and relate to it's name. After, I mind mapped everything that I associate with the word 'grid', mind mapped what shows and music videos would be televised and who my target audience is and began making my ideas for the Idents. 

My first idea was a girl blowing bubbles but they come out in square shapes instead of circular shapes. The letters spelling Grid would be inside until they pop. I did like this at first, but apart from being in the shape of a cube which is from a grid, it doesn't link to what the channel is about, who it's aimed at and what they put on air.

My second idea was an extreme close up of a person's face and they are playing with a Rubik's cube. Then I wanted the cube to burst and fragment in slow motion. I think this could work and it reminds me of an E4 Ident. It could work well because of the colours of a Rubik's cube is bright, therefore it might attract the audience. Furthermore, the Rubik's cube was invented in the 70s and the target audience lived in the era of the 70s on wards which relates to them.

My third idea was a grid split into three or four sections with short clips of different people within each box. For instance, on the top, I have drawn an over weight man sleeping on a sofa, in the second box I have drawn a woman in a suit and in the background is a work place etc. I also think that this idea could work because it illustrates people of different sex, society and interests. Moreover, the places I have chosen for the character to be in are in settings that are usually filmed in sitcoms and this demonstrates what type of shows are broadcast.

These are my final ideas of my idents. This is using animation only, and I decided to use objects that relate to those of 18-30 years, for instance, a Rubik's cube, and old school stereo, a pair of sunglasses and an old mobile phone. To link to the idea of a grid, I want to use shapes with bright colourful patterns to attract the audience. The bright colours also links to the 80's fashion because clothing was retro and luminous and the 70's because the clothing was inspired by disco.

Report on TV Idents

An Ident is a short clip briefly reminding the audience what channel they are currently watching. It is used to make people remember what their logo is, their identity and what colours, images and soundtracks they associate with their channel. Idents are required to show originality to separate their selves from each other to create versatility and difference from one and other. Usually, it is played before a programme is broadcast and in between programmes, incorporating their logos. On average they last for 30 seconds. When they are shown, some may use a jingle which allows the audience to remember and then recognise the brand name. Most Idents use bright colours to attract the viewers that make them retain their channel logo. 

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A continuity announcer then speaks over the music and announces the scheduling and the upcoming programmes like, what will be shown now, next and later on. Channels need and use Idents to advertise their brand name. In the past, they used simple logos but have now developed in order to capture the audience's attention.

A good example of a successful Ident would be E4s idents. If I were to ask someone what colour they would associate with E4, they would most probably answer with purple; throughout the years, E4 have effectively maintained their identity resulting to making the audience remember their well-known logo and the colour they have embodied. 7




Furthermore, the channel have created many Idents that suit all people for example, the audience’s ages, interests, sex etc. E4's aim is to push the boundaries of normality and do something new to shock viewers and illustrate something that they won't expect. Some of their Idents are comical and surreal and this helps the audience to remember their channel because they're abnormal and extraordinary. What makes E4 more individual is that they give people the opportunity to create Idents for the channel and this helps get a range of ideas. 'Short Idents created by budding artists and animators, through a competition every year. The Ident stay varied in tone and style because they are created by a range of people.'6

A very well-known channel that uses a reoccurring theme is BBC One which people recognise. In the past, Idents were called 'crests' which showed the logo and the channel name. They broadcast a globe with BBC in the middle. As the years have gone on, BBC One have decided to maintain their globe and circular shape Idents so that viewers remember the original image and associate the world with the BBC. As a development, instead of using the '1', they exchanged it to being spelt as 'One' which links to the cycle of the circle. 4 and 5

I think that BBC One has an effective identification because they continue to use a key motif of the shape of a globe in order to show the representation of their channel. They're showing different images and clips to appeal to different people, different societies and different ages.

Depending on what is broadcast on the channels, Idents should be varied so that it relates to the programme and the brand. For example, BBC One use a football Ident where a group of footballers stand in a circle, each kicking a ball into the centre. This is an example of maintaining the circular theme but also, this Ident is shown before a football match. By doing this, it allows the audience to know what is coming on next, and it relates to those who like to watch football. 

An unsuccessful channel was UKTV Gold 2. It was originally changed from UK Gold Classics in 1999 and has been re branded again into 'Dave' the home of witty banter 1 and 2 in 2007 by Red Bee Media 8 and 9, a company that is well known for creating Idents. This then became successful because the aim of channels and Idents is to relate to the audience. A spokesman from Wikipedia said that 'Dave' originated from the fact that everyone knows a 'bloke' called Dave and it seems appropriate for a male orientated channel. The reason why UKTV Gold 2 was unsuccessful because the branding identity name is too long for people to say and moreover, it's unlikely that people will remember it as opposed to Dave; a short catchy name people retain because it's comical and unique. Additionally, UKTV Gold 2's branding identity was unattractive and pointless; the font is boring and although the colours mildly relate to the colour gold, it doesn't capture the audience's attention enough for them to remember. 

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1. www.brandrepublic.com/news/856954/red-bee-media-unviels-dave-idents-support-rebrand/
2. www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/18/television.marketingandpr?iNTCMP=srch
3. www.theidentgallery.com/dave-2008.php
4. www.bbc.co.uk/archieve/bitsinbetween.shtml?chapter=10
5. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_one_'circle'_idents.
6. www.computerarts.co.uk/interviews/e4-idents.
7. www.thetvroom.com/ch-4/e-4-20-01.html
8. www.redbeemedia.com/news/red-bee-media-created-best-british-rebrand-uktvs-blighty
9. www.redbeemedia.com/sites/default/files/files/download/dave_wins_marketing_society_award.pdf.
10. http://www.theidentgallery.com/viva-2009.php

Researching Idents

Recreating Dave Idents Assessment

This is a short film that me and my group produced where we had to create an Ident for the Red Bee Media for the channel Dave, known as 'The Home of Witty Banter'.

In the first stages of the lesson, we planned with a story board how each shot will go, what camera angle it will be and how long it will last for. Also, we had to arrange who was providing props, costume, what location and set we would be using etc. I think that the planning went well and we had a fair amount of time to prepare for the filming. For this particular task, we had to make sure that we had enough shots to fit a 30 second clip, and we did well on that. Whilst planning, we have to consider whether everyone can get the correct props so that it follows the story board in order to be professional. One thing we didn't do well, was getting a range of camera angles which would of made it much more interesting. Moreover, we cut a scene too early which made it the other clip too late:

at 11 secs.

at 12 secs.

In the last of the three lessons, after importing and editing our film, we realised that we didn't show the Dave logo clearly, so we had to go back and re-shoot in the last 20 minutes, upload, import and edit it back into our film so that it was clear to the audience watching, who the ident is for.

I feel I have contributed to the lesson by ensuring that we had the correct equipment that we needed to have to film. Furthermore, I brought in extra props too, just in case there were any issues with props. We all took turns in shooting the scenes and overall I think ident is suitable and fits the standards of Dave's own idents.

For this task, I think I have been awarded a Merit because it's quite hard to achieve a Distinction and I don't know if I have reached that level yet.

BBC Idents

An ident is a quick clip before the showing of a programme that represents the channel it is being shown on. For an ident to be successful, it should have a unique and individual logo for the viewer to be able to remember.

Over the years, BBC 's idents have begun with a globe and 'BBC 1' labelled to it. The idents have been adapted further, but still maintained the logo they originally had since the beginning. Nowadays, they have played on the viewer's mind as they usually expect to see the globe image, however, they have created a circular shape to imitate the Earth's shape. Moreover, BBC have changed the '1' as the word 'One' to connect with the idea of the circular shape of the Earth.

 The mise-en-scene in this shot, is the sky, mountains, clouds and penguins with a sun sparkling in the sky. The sun imitates the 'O' of the word one. I think that this ident would be used before an animal doctumentary which would be appealing to the target audience (those who enjoy discovery programmes.). Another one of the aims of an ident is to intrigue viewers.

In the mise-en-scene, there is a helicopter landing above the sea and the wings of the helicopter whizz around in a circle making that well known shape as we know as the BBC. Also, the sea ripples out in circular motions to enhance the circle theme. The camera angle is of a birds eye view so we are able to see that shape that is being created.

Personally, the BBC One idents don't really appeal to me because they are quite serious and boring;  they don't use a range of colours to attract or use things that the audience are interesting in. However, what I do like is that the idents that are shown, relate to what is coming up next. For example, when football is being broadcasted next, they will show an ident related to football which makes the audience aware of what is coming up.

Animation

Although making this animation took long, this is one of the activities that I enjoyed the most because when you finally put the pictures together to make a short clip, it looks good and flows well if done correctly. If I were to improve the piece, I would choose to have a bit more time and not added the sound in the background because it doesn't go in time with the scissors opening and closing. 

Denotation and Connotation

In this shot, there is a group of seven students in class. The director has asked for the students to look at the main boy to exaggerate the fact it is about him. Costume has been used to highlight the main character; he wears a bright white shirt and although the boy next to him is wearing the same thing, the girls head is covering making him less noticeable. The use of characters, also lime lights him by there being a lot of girls surrounding him making him unique. 

Here is when the girl first enters the classroom, distracting the class causing them to all stare at her. By all the students looking at her, allows the audience to know that this part revolves around her. The technique 'Rule of Thirds' has been applied to emphasise her because she it right in the middle. Although it's an extreme long shot of her, we know it's about her because of how the room has been set out; a lead way of equal desks balanced on each side.

In this shot, is the main girl just entering the classroom. The director has called attention to her as the main girl because she causes a scene as see enters. The director has made her the focal point by using the 'Rule of Thirds' placing her in the centre as a close up. Not only that, but they have designed the door to highlight her face using a white window against her dark brown hair which makes her stand out.

In this quick shot, the extras in this part exaggerate how much they stare at her. There are three students turned to face her all in a very similar position in a diagonal line so that all of them can be seen. However, this shot magnifies the first boy because of the formations and because he is closer to the camera. Again, the 'Rule of Thirds' has been used, but instead, the main character is at the bottom left.

In this picture, the girl sits down in her chair and stares at the main boy character. Repeatedly, the director has used the technique 'Rule of Thirds' highlighting the girl and the boy on opposite sides. They are closer to the camera and are in the foreground which give the audience a clear view of who this scene is about. Again, the set and background have been used to illuminate them, as the classroom is a dark brown colour and they are in bright white shirts.

Photo Montage

A 'Photo Montage' is a collection of pictures put together to create a short clip. In a 'Continual Edit' the shots have to look as if they were filmed in the same place and the same day, where as in a 'Photo Montage' it is non-linear and non-chronological.

 In this project, we were asked to recreate the 'Look' Photo Montage advert. We took around about 50 pictures, uploaded and imported them to iPhoto and transported to iMovie. We had to make sure that all of the frames were the same length and short enough to match to the length of the song. After, we downloaded the same music from the original advert, and combined the video with the song.

If this was a real advert, producers would have to take professional photographs that links to the theme and what the advertisment is based on. Also, they would probably edit their photos in Photoshop to improve them etc. Furthermore, if they wanted the clip to go with the music, they would edit it to the beat.

Ten Shot Story

Telling Stories

 Here is an example of '180°' edit. In the following image, the shot is only taken from one side of the room of the conversation between the three of them. If it was taken as a 360° shot, the people would switch places which confuses the audience, therefore, 180° is used to make the audience focus and to illustrate the importance of the conversation. In this shot, the subject placement has been used to convey the importance of each character. Although we cannot see the man's face or whole body, we know he has higher authority because he is closest to the audience and is the most noticable person in the room. Furthermore, his big, black studded chair has been filmed which shows his authority. However, we also focus on the woman entering the room, because she is more centred, and we have a whole body shot of her. 

Compounding this idea, the shot is taken from a different angle but still within the 180° area. Because of the era this film was made, lighting cannot be shown to enhance or portray an idea but the director has used a technique to highlight the characters by using 'The Rule of Thirds'. Both actors are sat at the sides with a dramatic gap between them, which makes them stand out more.

In this shot, there is a woman lying on the bed, looking to her right. This is an example of 'Eye line Match' where the camera cuts from a person looking in the direction of what they can see, and the camera changes to looking at that object/person. The effect of this builds tension as we don't know what they are looking at until it is shown and also gives us the impression that because we can see from their point of view, they have higher status because that is what the camera focuses on. Moreover, the director has intelligently made the woman look more important by using costume. The white, plain pillows make her stand out from the bed and the dress worn, with the black V shape neck line, directs us to her making her focal point. Again, subject placement is used to make her even more noticeable.

This is the image of what the woman on the bed is looking at. The shot is long shot where we only see part of his body. This is to make him look lower in authority and what also adds to this is the dark setting. The furniture to the right distracts us a bit from him, making him look less essential. 

This shot is called 'Shot reverse shot' where we see a woman talking to two men which allows the audience to see what she sees. It seems here, that the man in the red top and the woman are the most significant people in the shot as they are the two that are talking. But costume is used again to highlight the most important characters, for example, the man is wearing a red top and the woman is wearing a pink jacket to make themselves stand out. Whereas, the other man is wearing a cream top which pretty much matches the background illustrating his unimportant part.

 This shot is the same but from a different point of view, where we are looking from the men to the woman talking. Within the frame, we can still see all three people only part of the men's heads, if they weren't in the shot, it would look as if she is having a conversation with herself. So, it is used to show that all actors are still present in the scene. Rule of Thirds is used again to give all characters a similar level of importance. The shot is a close up which displays her facial expressions, while the shot of the men are mid shot which give her an even more important role.

 The shot is usually used to show a conversation between people. Although, from the camera's point of view, the man in the cream top looks bigger and the woman looks small, she is still the focal point, because we can see the front of her and she has a much more appealing and dramatic facial expression, as opposed to the side shot of the dull, expressionless man.

 These shots are from a scene where the 'Montage Editing' is used.

 The shots move quickly to show different scenes, settings or places...

 different characters and various actions.

This type of editing can be used to show flashbacks etc.