Ident Report Final Copy

Analysing Ident Designs

Idents are short animations that are played before a TV show which usually describes the program which is forthcoming, visually and most of the time, verbally. Idents are used to advertise the channel and this is done by giving the audience a clear idea of the identiy and personalityof the channel. 

The purpose of an ident is to show the channel's identity and to brand and marker the channel. By identity I meant to show the channel's personality off to the viewers. For example, E4 has a very lively and quirky identity due to their exciting and fun idents. By doing this they're clearly marketing their channel to young people as this type of group is a mass audience which will watch energetic programmes and channels. Furthermore, in terms of branding a channel this could be through a logo as it will distinctly show the channel's identity and this can make the channel become recognised around the world.

I will analyse four different idents from various channels. I will analyse them by catergorising the information into six headings; density of information, composition, space and time, tempo, interaction with the viewers and information vs entertainment.

The first ident I will analyse is one from ITV.

This ITV ident has verbal information throughout. The information it gives is the programme which is on next ‘X Factor’ and the voiceover tells us who is on the program and that ‘Sharon is back’ along with ‘Gary, Nicole and Louis’. ITV have done this to capture the audience by telling them that a former person from the panel is back and they hope that this will encourage viewers to watch.

The ITV logo appears within the ident. The logo changes colour throughout the advertisement but it is placed on the left of the screen, maybe to show the importance of the girl spinning a hula-hoop around. ITV might have placed the logo here because whenever the hula-hoop spins around the colour catches the logo which brings it to the viewers attention. Compared to other ITV logos, they're very similar because the colour of the logo changes with the background and also the composition of the logos are the same because they gradually appear when the ident progresses.

This ident is set in the present day. We know this by the realistic actions the girl is doing, playing with a hula-hoop. ITV may have done this to emphasise the colour of the hoop because if it was set in the day, you would not be able to see the bright colours as well as you can when they have done it at night. For other ITV idents, they're usually set during the day and the colours are usually bright which means that the logo is very difficult to see but with this ident, the contrast of the dark background but the vibrant hula-hoop, this is effective because it is more visible.

The text appears slowly during this ident but the voice of Davina McCall is quite quick when she gives us information on what programmes are coming on next. Also the girl spinning the hula-hoop around is quick but it is not extremely fast, it is of a moderate speed. This may have been created to contrast each other or to show when things around you are happening quickly and at a fast pace, ITV slows that down and when you watch the channel you become relaxed and calm.

The interaction this ident has with the viewers is very colloquial ‘your Saturday night starts here’ this is colloquial as it engages the viewer as Saturday nights are seen as being full of fun and partying and so therefore the programmes that are coming up on ITV are going to be fun and full of energy just like a ‘Saturday night’.

ITV is full of entertainment due to its style of programmes. For example X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent is full of fun and excitement and it doesn’t really have formal programmes apart from during the day also the girl playing in the background shows the entertainment which is filtered throughout ITV. ITV would have created this ident to emphasise their joyful nature within their programmes.

The next one is from BBC Three.

The density of information is detailed as it instantly gives us the channel ‘BBC Three’ and then a voiceover is played which tells the audience what happened to the “little people” which used to be in previous idents and furthermore, the verbal detail tells us what program is coming on next and this is ‘Top Gear’. BBC Three may have chosen to use a voiceover to describe the forthcoming program because they want to grab the audience more or less straight away.

When the number ‘3’ is spoken, the logo appears in the middle to show the importance of knowing what channel you’re watching. However, half way through the ident, it appears again but only for a second. This could show that when you’re watching a program on BBC Three, nothing else enters the mind and if it does, it is only for a second due to the captivating programmes within the channel.

The ident looks futuristic due to the wild music and the weird jagged shapes. The music is weird and jumpy as if you’re in a club and this may have been played to attract teenagers and young adults as this type of music would relate to this target audience.

The images/ shapes change speed which coincides with the music which is effective because it gives off a lively vibe. At the end of the ident, the shapes slow down which concludes this ident but the slowing down of the ident could be sped up by the lively and fun programmes which will be played later on after the ident.

I would say that this ident is entertaining and it expresses the identity of BBC Three which is energetic and this is shown by the distorted shapes and the eccentric music but the program of ‘Top Gear’ is factual with a lot of camaraderie between the hosts. This aspect of camaraderie may link with the bright colours which are used in the ident to show fun and excitement.

My next ident will be from Big Brother.

This ident is full of information as it tells us that the program is a ‘run-up to last night’s twist and eviction’. It also tells us, as viewers, that it will contain ‘strong language, adult themes and nudity’. Channel 5 may of done this so they could inform the audience that their shows link and if you didn’t watch the previous episode, you may not understand what the next one will be about so they’re lightly warning the viewer of what the program will contain. Also this program will be played after the watershed because of the adult themes and this will dictate who their target audience will be because young children will not be able to watch this, so the target audience will be older generations and teenagers due to this watershed which has been put in place.

At the beginning of the ident, there is an eye made of doors which is the traditional symbol of Big Brother. This is because you’re constantly being watched by the viewers, but also by ‘Big Brother’ and the use of the term ‘brother’ is that they’re meant to be looking out for your young siblings and always protecting them. There is an extreme close up on a TV screen which fades out to a long shot of the Big Brother eye, showing that you’re always being watched.

The ident is set in real life, present day but the place which it looks to be set in is a very confidential and secret place as it is entirely on its own. Which could portray the people inside Big Brother are on their own and excluded from everyone else that they know.

The overall tempo of the ident is of a slow nature but the cuts from each frame is very sharp and quick, suggesting that the twists and secrets occur unexpectedly, and this was the theme of this year’s Big Brother, secrets and lies, which made everyone become paranoid on what was going to happen next.

The interaction with the viewers is very successful as it has ‘#BBUK’ on a television screen and it says ‘tweet if you want to get chatting’ this distinctly targets the mass audience of teenagers because this age group are regular uses of social media and therefore this is an easy way to get everyone responding to Channel 5’s show.

Channel 5 is mostly an entertaining show and this is portrayed by the bright colours and jerky music which is used in this ident. They may have done this because it attracts the audience and by using bright colours, this instantly grabs the attention of anyone watching.

The last ident that I will be analysing is Channel 4 and this ident is based on American taxis.

The density of information within this ident is low because the voiceover is played near the end of the 30 second ident. The voiceover tells the audience what programme is on next and then later on in the day. Channel 4 may have made the ident like this to suggest that the area is busy and there is no time to fit much information in when everyone is in a rush and so the lack of information used may suggest this.

The composition is set out in blocks which slowly arranges into a shape of a ‘4’ but this happens in the background because in the foreground there are rows of traffic which takes up most of the screen. However at a certain time during the ident, the blocks align to make the shape. Channel 4 may have created it like this to show that when an area is busy, you only see that one person or one thing once because you are in a hurry or you have to be somewhere and you don’t have time to stop and admire. The composition of how the Channel 4 logo forms are the same throughout all the other Channel 4 idents and this shows a sense of continuity and sophistication for the audience. Furthermore, other Channel 4 idents have parts of buildings or pieces of infrastructure that make up the logo. Also this makes the audience engaged throughout the ident because they want to see that exact time when the sections of the logo meets.

I believe this ident is set in the modern era because it looks to be in America. I know this because yellow taxis are used in this ident and they’re predominately found in America. This may be to attract viewers from America which will extend the audience of Channel 4.

The whole ident is very slow and lethargic which may have been done by the producers of Channel 4 to represent that the channel is more relaxed during the day and I know this because the voiceover says the next program is on at ‘five to one’. As young children are at school at this time, this part of the day may have been targeted for older people who are retired because of the lack of energy in the ident.

This ident has been cleverly thought out to engage the viewer because the low angle of the shot of the taxi makes our eyes naturally look upwards which enables us to scan the whole picture. Something is always happening in this ident which shows the busyness. Also the music doesnt distract the viewer and we can still concentrate on the whole ident.

This ident is very sophisticated which is portrayed by its subtle programmes but these are generally entertaining apart from when the news is played at certain times of the day and in this case, the channel is factual and serious and has contents of information.

So therefore a successful ident must have a high density of information in order to inform the audience on the programmes that are upcoming. The audience must also be engaged as well and this can be visually but also verbally. In order to attract the audience and engage them the speed of the ident must be fast paced.