ANALYSING TV IDENTS 3/9/12

To analyse a TV ident you need to look at how it moves and any messages it portrays.

You could also look at:

• place or time the ident is set
• the tempo or speed
• how it interacts with the audience (breaks fourth wall/direct address)
• is it informative or purely entertainment?
• does it have density?

The design of the ident should relate to its overall purpose: to advertise and communicate.

1. MTV CLASSICS IDENT 

0:26-0:36 seconds

MTV Classics is a 24 hour music channel which was launched in 2010 which plays music from the 60s to present day. The setting of the ident starts in an office with computer equipment which looks dated (70s-80s) and changes to into a 'cyberspace'. The ident has a retro style theme.

The ident has a very rapid tempo/pace. The ident is mainly for entertainment and would not immediately be recognised as a music channel ident. However there are subtle hints at the Channel's genre eg. the ident starting in the past (old computer technology) and then cutting to the modern futuristic cyberspace part relates to the old and new music the channel plays. 

The ident is colourful and eye catching with some 3D shapes giving it density.

The ident could portray that the channel is for young people because of the technology and gaming theme and the electronic music used. 

The channels logo is then shown at the end of the ident, the logo is animated slightly. The ident is innovative as it takes the audience from the past to the future.

MTV Classic logo

2. E4 LOADING BAY IDENT 

E4 is a british TV channel launched as a second channel to Channel 4 in 2001. The 'E' stands for entertainment and the channel is mainly aimed at the 15-35 age group.  

The setting for this ident is garages/a loading bay. The household items shown in the ident eg. Microwaves etc show that the ident is set in modern times. The tempo of the ident is moderately fast and it fits with the tempo of the music. 

The ident features many different objects eg. home electronics, furniture, animal figures and musical instruments. which could perhaps could reveal that the channel has a variety of different programmes and would appeal to a variety of different people. 

The ident is purely for entertainment as not much information about the channel can be gathered from it. The E4 channel branding is placed upon the crate objects in the ident. Finally, the 'shove it up your tellyhole' pun which can be seen at the end is comical and would appeal to a younger audience. 

3. MTV HITS IDENT

MTV Hits is a 24-hour music channel, playing mainly pop music videos (top 40) and was launched in 2001. 

These ident feature animated characters. The fact it is animated shows that it is a 'modern' channel. The tempo of all the idents is fast-pace and the music used reflects this. 

Again these idents are mainly used for entertainment purposes, but by looking further into the 'character's personalities' we can find out some information about the TV channel. For example, the first few idents feature characters moving/dancing in sync almost like choreography. At 0:36 the characters reflect a 'boy band' and at 0:48 the two characters are a 'rapper' and 'diva' type. These can suggest the type of bands/artists that will be played on this particular channel. 

The idents are bright and colourful and the colours/shading on some of the characters gives the ident a 3D feel. The shape and movement of the characters could resemble the equaliser bars on a CD player. This subtle reference to elements of sound relates to the channel's theme.

The MTV Hits logo is shown at the end of each ident and is animated slightly. 

MTV Hits logo

4. SKY MOVIES TV IDENT

'Sky Movies is the collective name for a group of subscription television movie channels. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite and cable, in the UK and Ireland.'
The ident is purely for entertainment as it grabs the attention of the audience. It has a quizzical element, as at first glance it is not obvious it is an ident and keeps the viewer watching.

The ident consists of different landscapes from different film genres being shown in a slow/smooth panning style. The choice of music fits with the ident tempo and what is happening on-screen.

 The different film genres shown relates to the type of audience the channel appeals to. From the demographics of the channel (shown below) and the ident it is clear the channels target market is families.

Sky Movies Demographics

5. MTV 'ORGANIC' IDENTS

MTV is an American cable television channel based in New York, that launched on August 1st 1981. The initial purpose of the channel was to play music videos. Today, MTV primarily broadcasts a variety of reality and scripted television shows.

It's target market is adolescents and young adults. This target market is reflected through the ident.

The settings used relate to the youth audience eg. use of graffiti. The use of local-looking scenes could also be recognised as places where the youth like to socialise, again appealing to the target market.

The settings themselves are not dense but empty wasteland spaces. The idents density comes from the animated logo itself. The idents are very well made as the animated logos create shadows on the floor to give the impression they are actually present.

The oriental sounding music and origami inspired logos relate to different cultures and audiences.

One of MTV's main objectives is that it remains a constantly growing channel. This relates to the way the logos move, the unfolding/getting bigger animation reflects growth. Finally, the suite of idents is named 'organic', this again reflects the companies ambition for growth.

6. CBBC IDENT

CBBC is a children's television channel created by the BBC. The channel is aimed at children from 6-12. The channel currently broadcasts 12 hours a day, between 7am and 7pm.

The ident has been created to suit the target audience. Firstly, the ident is comprised mainly of animated 'daytime' settings, this represents the time of the day the channel is on. Also, young children often fear the dark so including this in the ident may have a negative effect.

The ident is very energetic and fast paced, which is appropriate for the target market. The ident would keep the viewer happy and entertained, and is short enough to hold the attention of young viewers. The ident also reflects a child's imagination and dreams.

The ident contains some familiar characters from the channel, which gives the viewer confirmation that they are watching the correct channel, this is important for young children.

The colour palette used is bright with the typical vibrant green which is familiar to the channel.

7. SKY NEWS IDENT

Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster. The channel focuses on rolling/breaking news. The ident is effective in portraying the channels genre and identity.

The ident is both entertaining and informative. It includes different viewing devices for example an iphone and ipad, to show an audience alternative ways to watch the channel.

The ident is futuristic in its style, showing the channel is current. Density is created by the sophisticated metallic textures used.

There is no setting for the ident, it is based in 'cyberspace' again showing aspects of modern day. The ident colours are dark/black reflecting that the channel is not aimed at a young audience but for an older, adult audience.

8. BBC 3 IDENT

BBC Three is a television network created by BBC and launched in February 2003. The channels main target audience is aged between 16 and 34. The channel is on-air from 7pm up to 5am each night. 

One of the channel's main purposes is to 'provide 'innovative' content to young audiences focusing on new talent and new technologies.' 

Another of BBC Three's aims is 'Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK'. This aim is reflected in the ident's visuals, based in space/on the earth. The ident also appears to be set in a city environment. Diversity is shown through the different characters used in the ident. 

The objects/characters in the ident relate to the different types of programmes shown on the channel. For example. shoes, for fashion programmes and a diver/swimmer to represent the sports programmes.

The ident is fast paced and has appropriate music to match this, again appealing to the younger youth audiences. 

9. BBC 2 IDENT

BBC 2 is the second TV Channel operated by the BBC in the UK. BBC 2 is thought to show more 'highbrow' or intellectual programmes (eg. QI and University Challenge) and is aimed at an older audience. 

The BBC's main missions are:
 'To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.
To be the most creative organisation in the world.'

The ident is set in a coffee shop environment which reflects the average persons life/social life. ('Enrich people's lifes'). This can subtlety be direct address with an audience, as the coffee cup image would be recognised by anyone.  

The main focus of the ident is around the number 2, to establish the TV channel and branding. 

The tempo of the ident is quite slow and relaxed. This is suitable for the 'daytime' television programmes the channel tends to show. The ident uses interesting camera work and viewpoints eg. panning/zooming out and looking at the 2 from within another 2. 

The different shapes and textures used eg. the powder/foam textures give the ident density. The ident is creative which reflects the channel's aims.