Yellow (Rosie) Pace
Red (James) Typography
Blue (Daniel S) Brand Identity
Black (Lawrence) Density of Information
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Task 3B Analysis of Suite of Idents (Film 4)
Suite
of Idents (Film 4)
A suite of idents is a collaboration of idents for one channel. Each individual ident has something in common such as Film 4's use of a celluloid transition in each ident and the setting in each one is familiar to films in the 80s or 90s. Through making a suite of idents you can maintain the theme, concept, and brand identity. In this report I will be analysing Film 4's suite of idents.
i. What the theme of the suite is
The theme of the suite of idents is historical throughout
each suite of idents. The evidence as to why I think that may be is because of
the transition of each individual ident is similar to a celluloid film strip.
It is as if the ident itself is a mini film. Each Ident reflects the genre of
the films that will be up next for instance, the corridor ident indicates that
the next film is a horror film because of how similar it looks to The Shining.
ii. How/why the theme appeals to the
viewers (e.g. creating a particular tone to target a particular
audience type)
As I have mentioned before, the suite of idents are
cinematic and they have decided to reinvent the classic celluloid film strip
and integrate it with their idents so that it tells a mini story. These idents
tease the audience into thinking that they are watching an actual film through
a celluloid film strip. The Film 4 Idents appeal to an older audience and the
reason why these idents appeal to an older audience is because they will be
able to know what each film the suite of idents is referencing, for example,
visuals for the corridor ident is referencing the movie The Shining which was
made in the 1980's, the burning tyre in the gas station ident was referencing a
movie called rubber.
iii. How they have used the same theme in
different ways to create Brand Loyalty
A suite of idents is supposed to establish and maintain the
continuity and present the brand identity. For example, throughout these idents
what they all had in common was the movement which resembled that of a
celluloid film strip and that symbolises the history of film making in the
1950s. This creates brand loyalty because the audience would be entertained by
the visuals which would encourage them to watch their channel.
iv. Explain whether,
how and why the idents
are information-led or entertainment led
This ident is information-led because both the visuals are
indicating the genre of the film that is coming up next and the name of the
film. Though it may be predominantly information-led idents because of the
voice over, it is still an entertaining ident to watch. So to conclude these
suite of idents are both information and entertainment led.
v. Are the idents intended to be used at
a particular time of day?
Only the gas station ident was intended to be used at night
to enforce the watershed rule and indicate more adult films would be shown
to the mature audience.
vi. Are idents intended to be used at
a particular time of year?
These suite of idents aren’t used at a particular time of
year given that there was no actual time on when these idents could be used.
vii. What does the suite convey about the
channel's Brand Identity – what meaning?
The suite of idents conveys a nostalgic brand identity
through the celluloid film transition which is consistent throughout the suite
of idents and through that transition, the red strips move in position to
create the number four, which completes the logo. Also, what gives it a brand
identity is the locations in each suite is that it is a reference to films that
the audience may be familiar with. In other words, the suite is trying to
communicate their brand identity across to the audience through the visuals
which are similar to the movie that each ident is referring.
viii. How effective the design of the suite is
in communicating Visual information to a non-visual
audience, appealing to a target audience; and the audience
appreciating of desired tone
These idents aren't very affective in terms of communicating
visual ideas to a non-visual audience because throughout these suite of idents
I have already mentioned that it is a digital reinvention of a celluloid film
strip which I think is the problem in terms of visual communication because the
audience won't understand the artistic meaning behind it. Film 4's idents
are abstract because each one specifically the ones paying homage to horror
films give off a different tone therefore the tone is inconsistent because they
are appealing to both a children and an adult audience.
Ix. Assess - How effective the design of
the suite is (Typography, Pace, Density of Information, Brand Identity)
Each ident is 30 seconds and the screen tempo moves very
slowly but the pace increases but not fast enough that it is illusory to the
audience. The screen tempo is symbolic because that was the moving image for
celluloid film in the 1950’s. The four letter word ‘film’ is positioned in the
middle and the they don't move until the screen tempo builds up which
establishes the concept of stories being told through film strips. The Film 4
uses the colour red to brand their channel which is similar to BBC the colour
is just on the boundary which is 255 and under otherwise it will distort the
audio and the visuals. There is not much information on screen but instead there
is a voice over providing the schedule. Whilst the visuals are there to
entertain the audience. Overall, I think the design is effective because all
the idents carry a consistent theme and each of them pay homage to classical
films.
x. Duration of each Ident
The duration of each Ident is 30 seconds long.
x. Duration of each Ident
The duration of each Ident is 30 seconds long.
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
(1a)Timeline task
Our Timeline
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/762796/Sky-sports-Suite-of-Idents/
Class Timelines
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/774083/Disney-Channel-The-History-of-Idents/
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/762807/ITV-Ident/
http://jameswhite102.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/timeline-film-4.html
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/771873/IDENT-TIMELINE-MTV/
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/762796/Sky-sports-Suite-of-Idents/
Class Timelines
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/774083/Disney-Channel-The-History-of-Idents/
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/762807/ITV-Ident/
http://jameswhite102.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/timeline-film-4.html
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/771873/IDENT-TIMELINE-MTV/
(2b) Limitations of an Ident
Limitations
Typography
Typography is the aesthetics of an ident. In other words, how it looks in terms of font, colours, and size. Typography is a limitation because the logo has to be comprehensible otherwise the audience wouldn't know what they are watching. The typography also has to reflect the identity of the TV channel. The brightness must be balanced when using live footage or animations otherwise the on-screen visuals including the information would be incomprehensible meaning that the channel has failed to expose the channel's identity to the audience. In this BBC three ident, the logo is recognisable and all the colours are balanced meaning that the typography is successful in conveying the channel's identity. In addition, the brightness is balanced meaning that the audience can see the animation and aesthetics clearly.
Resolution
Resolution is also a limitation because when you zoom in on an ident, the audience can see each individual pixel. HD (1920x1080p) has become so dominant in idents that all the others are useless and undermined. Choosing the right resolution for the idents is also key. Ultra-high definition also known as 4k maybe crystal clear, but it reveals so much detail. So if an actress was in an ident wearing make-up such as mascara, the make-up would make no difference because creating an ultra-high definition ident would reveal the spots or freckles. Not everyone has expensive televisions so they are missing out on decent quality programming.
Colour
In an industry such as the BBC you would be working under a paid contract to produce an ident for their corporation and the colours your idents use have to be broadcast safe, meaning that the red green and blue thresholds have to be below 235 otherwise it will result in your Ident being returned to you to make those changes. There are some colours that cannot be broadcasted. For instance, the colour red because BBC have overused the colour red and when an audience sees another ident using the colour red then it will remind them of BBC one given that they overused that colour for years. In this example the colour which stands out the most is red and the colours have been balanced so that it doesn't distort the typography of the ident. Overall, colour is a limitation because the if the colours used in an ident are not broadcast safe, then the channel will end up with an oversaturated ident and the colours will also distort the audio which would lead to failure to expressing your brand identity to appeal to the target audience.
Size
The size of the ident and the logo is a limitation because it needs to have visibility to the audience and the logo needs to be correctly positioned and sized well enough so that the audience can view it on their tablets, computers, laptops and phones. In other words, the idents need to be resized to fit the screen resolution for portable devices. An example ident would be this TV3 ident. The size of the logo is huge but it doesn't cause any problems for viewers who own TV's with an aspect ratio of 16:9, but for viewers who can't keep up with technology lose the opportunity of experiencing high quality on-screen visuals. Size has now become a limitation because all the television channels compete with high definition 16:9 idents which is a predicament for viewers who are incapable of keeping up with technology.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is similar to the size of the screen. The reason as to why aspect ratio is a limitation towards producing and airing these idents is because not all viewers have TV's with an aspect ratio of 16:9 some may have lower like 4:3, this will force the ident maker to crop out the ident which would restrict the overall design of the ident. For instance, black bars which would make the ident look unprofessional. Trying to view and ident which hasn't been cropped out on a 4:3 screen would result in most of the ident being hidden and it will confuse the audience. For example this Ident has black bars on the sides meaning that the creativity is limited because not everything isn't being shown to the audience.
Typography
Typography is the aesthetics of an ident. In other words, how it looks in terms of font, colours, and size. Typography is a limitation because the logo has to be comprehensible otherwise the audience wouldn't know what they are watching. The typography also has to reflect the identity of the TV channel. The brightness must be balanced when using live footage or animations otherwise the on-screen visuals including the information would be incomprehensible meaning that the channel has failed to expose the channel's identity to the audience. In this BBC three ident, the logo is recognisable and all the colours are balanced meaning that the typography is successful in conveying the channel's identity. In addition, the brightness is balanced meaning that the audience can see the animation and aesthetics clearly.
Resolution
Resolution is also a limitation because when you zoom in on an ident, the audience can see each individual pixel. HD (1920x1080p) has become so dominant in idents that all the others are useless and undermined. Choosing the right resolution for the idents is also key. Ultra-high definition also known as 4k maybe crystal clear, but it reveals so much detail. So if an actress was in an ident wearing make-up such as mascara, the make-up would make no difference because creating an ultra-high definition ident would reveal the spots or freckles. Not everyone has expensive televisions so they are missing out on decent quality programming.
Colour
In an industry such as the BBC you would be working under a paid contract to produce an ident for their corporation and the colours your idents use have to be broadcast safe, meaning that the red green and blue thresholds have to be below 235 otherwise it will result in your Ident being returned to you to make those changes. There are some colours that cannot be broadcasted. For instance, the colour red because BBC have overused the colour red and when an audience sees another ident using the colour red then it will remind them of BBC one given that they overused that colour for years. In this example the colour which stands out the most is red and the colours have been balanced so that it doesn't distort the typography of the ident. Overall, colour is a limitation because the if the colours used in an ident are not broadcast safe, then the channel will end up with an oversaturated ident and the colours will also distort the audio which would lead to failure to expressing your brand identity to appeal to the target audience.
Size
The size of the ident and the logo is a limitation because it needs to have visibility to the audience and the logo needs to be correctly positioned and sized well enough so that the audience can view it on their tablets, computers, laptops and phones. In other words, the idents need to be resized to fit the screen resolution for portable devices. An example ident would be this TV3 ident. The size of the logo is huge but it doesn't cause any problems for viewers who own TV's with an aspect ratio of 16:9, but for viewers who can't keep up with technology lose the opportunity of experiencing high quality on-screen visuals. Size has now become a limitation because all the television channels compete with high definition 16:9 idents which is a predicament for viewers who are incapable of keeping up with technology.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is similar to the size of the screen. The reason as to why aspect ratio is a limitation towards producing and airing these idents is because not all viewers have TV's with an aspect ratio of 16:9 some may have lower like 4:3, this will force the ident maker to crop out the ident which would restrict the overall design of the ident. For instance, black bars which would make the ident look unprofessional. Trying to view and ident which hasn't been cropped out on a 4:3 screen would result in most of the ident being hidden and it will confuse the audience. For example this Ident has black bars on the sides meaning that the creativity is limited because not everything isn't being shown to the audience.
(2a)Opportunities of an Ident
Opportunities
Creation of Corporate Identity
Corporate identity is when a corporation present themselves to the consumers and investors through a suite of idents for the purpose of increasing the channel's reputation and potentially increasing revenue. The reason as to why creating a corporate identity through idents is an opportunity is because it will allow the audience to know what your corporation stands for and what content your channel provides. For instance the BBC in the 1950's used circles which represents the world, then they repackaged their idents meaning that they changed the concept to oneness which represents unity seeing as to how the UK is one of the most multi-cultural places on earth.
Branding of Content
Branding of content is a marketing opportunity which involves the use of information and entertainment used in the Ident so that it becomes information/entertainment-led Idents such as The Simpsons Ident on channel 4 where homer climbs up a tree to take a sip of his beer which was hanging from the transmission line and upon taking the sip he electrocutes himself and the camera zooms out showing the eagle eye view of Springfield and the channel 4 logo being introduced every time homer electrocutes himself that is entertaining and enjoyable to watch and it helps prepare them for the upcoming episode of The Simpsons.
Encourage Brand Loyalty
An Ident is only successful in encouraging brand loyalty only of the corporation has done their research on the audience they are trying to cater to. The ident has to make sense and show creativity and flair in so that it makes their desired audience watch only the channel. Most importantly it has to be memorable because it will remind them to tune in to watching the channel so that they can see the ident. An example would be the BBC ident involving Hippos swimming in a circle, consumers will remember the circle and the hippos and the formation they were swimming in, also not much red was seen in the ident but towards the end the red fishes swam across the circle meaning that they are still holding on to the colour red. Encouraging brand loyalty is an opportunity
Appeal to target audience
This is an opportunity and it is similar to brand loyalty. Appealing to target audience is the first step towards encouraging brand loyalty. In order to appeal to the target audience, audience research must be conducted in order to see what the audience likes and what the channel can include in their ident to suit their preferences; This makes the ident successful. BBC has a more adult audience given their suite of circular idents. These idents weren't made to appeal to a teenage audience because there is slow motion being used and teenagers have a short attention span.
Creation of Tone
Creating a tone of the ident gives off the mood and the feelings you would have when you watch the ident. Upon creating the tone of the ident, the tone must match the tone of the programs broadcasted for public screening otherwise the ident wouldn't make sense and it would confuse the audience. For instance, having a channel that gives off an uplifting tone but the program which airs after the ident has an opposite feel to it wouldn't work. The Crime and Investigation Ident gives off a mysterious and suspenseful tone and that is associable to the programs they air.
Display of Text-Based Information
The display of text-based information is the ident providing you with information of what is coming up next during the end credits or after a series of adverts. Text-based information is displayed through a credit squeeze. An example of a credit squeeze being seen is from the end credits of a the TV show, The Apprentice from BBC One where the credits is split in half showing you what is coming up next on BBC two which is usually a follow up of The Apprentice with The Apprentice: You're Fired.
Creation of Corporate Identity
Corporate identity is when a corporation present themselves to the consumers and investors through a suite of idents for the purpose of increasing the channel's reputation and potentially increasing revenue. The reason as to why creating a corporate identity through idents is an opportunity is because it will allow the audience to know what your corporation stands for and what content your channel provides. For instance the BBC in the 1950's used circles which represents the world, then they repackaged their idents meaning that they changed the concept to oneness which represents unity seeing as to how the UK is one of the most multi-cultural places on earth.
Branding of Content
Branding of content is a marketing opportunity which involves the use of information and entertainment used in the Ident so that it becomes information/entertainment-led Idents such as The Simpsons Ident on channel 4 where homer climbs up a tree to take a sip of his beer which was hanging from the transmission line and upon taking the sip he electrocutes himself and the camera zooms out showing the eagle eye view of Springfield and the channel 4 logo being introduced every time homer electrocutes himself that is entertaining and enjoyable to watch and it helps prepare them for the upcoming episode of The Simpsons.
Encourage Brand Loyalty
An Ident is only successful in encouraging brand loyalty only of the corporation has done their research on the audience they are trying to cater to. The ident has to make sense and show creativity and flair in so that it makes their desired audience watch only the channel. Most importantly it has to be memorable because it will remind them to tune in to watching the channel so that they can see the ident. An example would be the BBC ident involving Hippos swimming in a circle, consumers will remember the circle and the hippos and the formation they were swimming in, also not much red was seen in the ident but towards the end the red fishes swam across the circle meaning that they are still holding on to the colour red. Encouraging brand loyalty is an opportunity
Appeal to target audience
This is an opportunity and it is similar to brand loyalty. Appealing to target audience is the first step towards encouraging brand loyalty. In order to appeal to the target audience, audience research must be conducted in order to see what the audience likes and what the channel can include in their ident to suit their preferences; This makes the ident successful. BBC has a more adult audience given their suite of circular idents. These idents weren't made to appeal to a teenage audience because there is slow motion being used and teenagers have a short attention span.
Creation of Tone
Creating a tone of the ident gives off the mood and the feelings you would have when you watch the ident. Upon creating the tone of the ident, the tone must match the tone of the programs broadcasted for public screening otherwise the ident wouldn't make sense and it would confuse the audience. For instance, having a channel that gives off an uplifting tone but the program which airs after the ident has an opposite feel to it wouldn't work. The Crime and Investigation Ident gives off a mysterious and suspenseful tone and that is associable to the programs they air.
Display of Text-Based Information
The display of text-based information is the ident providing you with information of what is coming up next during the end credits or after a series of adverts. Text-based information is displayed through a credit squeeze. An example of a credit squeeze being seen is from the end credits of a the TV show, The Apprentice from BBC One where the credits is split in half showing you what is coming up next on BBC two which is usually a follow up of The Apprentice with The Apprentice: You're Fired.
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