All sounds quite interesting - depending on how they do it, it could work quite well, as with BBC Two.
Clearly there will have to be at least one generic ident without any promotions on, even if it's only ever used for sombre events or the Queen's speech - so that may be worth looking forward to.
I'll also be interested to see how (or should that be 'if') regional idents fit into the new look. I wonder if the cheap-looking landscape idents for the ex-Carlton regions will be scrapped.
Clearly there will have to be at least one generic ident without any promotions on, even if it's only ever used for sombre events or the Queen's speech
...and the news, which they never use the celeb idents for. But there's no mention of a redesign of the four square logo, so chances are they'll stay as they are for the time being.
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I'll also be interested to see how (or should that be 'if') regional idents fit into the new look.
And how will they advertise regional programmes? If they are going to be strict about trailing all programmes coming up in the idents, won't a lot of them, such as those introducing Emmerdale on Thursdays, have to be regional...?
ITV is to ditch its celebrity idents as it rebrands ITV1 to coincide with the launch of its new “digital family”.
Funnily enough, a little over 3 years ago when they announced the rebrand of ITV Digital it was supposed to coincide with the launch of their new 'digital family' and 'integrated business' of ITV1/2/Sport Channel and their ITV Digital platform. Oh well, what goes around comes arond.
I can't say that it's a surprise - it's just history repeating itself. He introduced exactly the same concept of a channel's celebrities prancing around looking stupid at Channel 5 in late 1999. A year later Hynter had gone, the celebritiy idents were scaled back soon after, and not so much longer after that were removed alltogether.
3 years after the doomed concept was introduced to C5, he introduced exactly the same thing to ITV under the banner of a new innovation. And that they are being removed again soon after Hynter has left is no surprise.
As to their replacements, I guess it's a more in your face version of the kind of thing C4 have been doing for a couple of years now. They list later programmes on the screen as a part of all idents, ITV will display clips of programmes on their other channels as a part of all idents.
Quite how this will be implemented I'm not sure. I don't believe for a second this will mark a complete change from 'British' continuity standards (ident with channel logo, announcement made into programme), but on the other hand if they are playing clips presumably they will have sound with them, so how will continuity work?
It might actually hark back to the past a bit, when trailers frequently took the form of being just a clip lifted straight from a programme (as opposed to the highly edited 'soundbites' type approach of modern trailers) with the CA doing a live v/o over it, and then cutting to a quick slide/in vision link into the next programme.
I can actually picture an announcement being "Over on ITV2 next there's another chance to see It shouldn't happen to a paperman 3 <clip audio is faded up> and on ITV3 there's another chance to see Pop Idol Celebrity Extra on 3 <clip audio is faded up> whilst here on ITV1 we have Dennis Norden's 32nd laughter file of clips we've shown before "
It *sounds* like it could be an interesting concept and a genuine evolution in presentation. I don't however hold out much hope of anything spectacular happening. Oh well, hopefully it will sound the death knell for celebrity idents, and now that ITV have got rid of their idiots prancing about concept, hopefully the long-overused BBC1 dancers will be gone at some point during 2005 too.
It would be a massive increase on the workload of staff to create ident-trails for programmes coming up at every junction and with a graphic ident (probably another incarnation, considering they changed the perfectly decent 2002-03 version) and the daytime idents, I can see this innovation being restricted to primetime only. It has the potential though to be very interesting...
And how will they advertise regional programmes? If they are going to be strict about trailing all programmes coming up in the idents, won't a lot of them, such as those introducing Emmerdale on Thursdays, have to be regional...?
They'll just have general regional idents IMO. For programmes like Emmerdale they will do what they do now - just promote what's on from 8pm onwards - or what's on ITV2/3.
They'll just have general regional idents IMO. For programmes like Emmerdale they will do what they do now - just promote what's on from 8pm onwards - or what's on ITV2/3.
Ex-Carlton stations have had alternative 'non celebrity' regional idents since last November. I do wonder if they were a pilot for something which could eventually be rolled out to the entire network. In marked contrast to the regional celebrities, these new idents were very distincitive and imaginative, and with ITV always seeking to reduce regional commitments, they looked like too much thought had gone into them for them to remain regional only.
I think we'll see Central/Westcountry/HTV continuing with the same regional idents that they've got now, whilst other stations will get their own versions of them, and then there could well be some network versions to be used during daytime?
Ex-Carlton stations have had alternative 'non celebrity' regional idents since last November. I do wonder if they were a pilot for something which could eventually be rolled out to the entire network. In marked contrast to the regional celebrities, these new idents were very distincitive and imaginative, and with ITV always seeking to reduce regional commitments, they looked like too much thought had gone into them for them to remain regional only.
Whilst I'm in favour of any kind of regional individuality, I always thought these idents looked really cheap and nasty.
The big blue and yellow boxes just looked totally random dumped somewhere in the countryside, and the camera-work was so uninspired I can only assume they sent local news crews out to make them. Also nowadays, rightly or wrongly, we're accustomed to live-action idents being given a 'filmy' look. Without this they just had an air of 'low-budget'. Oh, and they couldn't even be arsed to have the ITV1 logo animating either.
The only thing I can see in their favour is there are no celebrities grinning inanely in them.
I am sure there will be plenty of fodder for us to chat about for weeks as ITV Presentation moves into something new and exciting with a look that has never been seen on any UK TV Channel.
Hope they are nothing like C4's afternoon idents. A simple animation featuring three boxes with the Countdown, Place in the Sun and Richard and Judy titles - used all afternoon, even for break bumpers in films.
I still like the idea of giving the cubes characters, just like the old BBC Choice Cubes to be able to bounce, and interact with each other.
With no celebrities, will we not see a 9:25 start up promotion?
I hope they do, it's nice to welcome in changes.
Infact the ITV1 one was nice to start up the channel every morning. It's a shame they didn't keep them.
I was actually hoping for ones for Christmas, basically using clips of people with the snowflakes added all over it, and christmas music.
Does anoyne know if tihs makeover applies ot Scottish TV as well?
Jonnie
I read in the Scottish Sun last week that STV were planning to drop their celebritiy idents. It didn't say if they were being replaced by SMG's own concept or the new one devised by Bruce Dunlop.
