Creative Media Assignment 1 Unit 32 LO1 & LO2

1. Unit 32: LO1 & LO2
By Thomas Horbury

2. Idents: What are they?
An ident is a short clip (almost like an advert) that is
played between programs in order for the audience to
identify the channel. One such channel that uses
idents is BBC 2. They tend to use the same type of
ident, with the main feature being the number 2. This
is known as a suite (something that is used over and
over again over multiple idents that helps the audience
easily identify the channel). A few examples of this
suite being used are on the right (along with a video of
them). Idents are also used for brand identity, since if
someone watches the BBC 2 and doesn’t know what
channel it is, the ident lets them know exactly what
channel they’re watching. Idents can also have
voiceovers on them, which tell the audience what
program is coming up next on that channel and at
what time.
Examples of
ident suites
Video of BBC 2 idents

3. What are the conventions of an ident?
Every ident is different, BBC like to have more informational based
idents, whereas ITV tend to have entertainment based idents. BBC has
voiceovers on their idents which informs the audience about what
program is coming up next, along with the next program on another
channel, for example “.. next on BBC 1, over on BBC 2 .. at 9pm”. This
helps to keep the audience loyal to their institution, since although they
might be changing from BBC 1 to BBC 2, they’re still watching BBC over
ITV. ITV however have idents that make the audience laugh and draw
them in through that way. They do use voiceovers just like BBC does
from time to time, however they tend to make idents for entertainment
rather than information.
Some conventions that every ident has (no matter what the institution) are:
● Logo of the company
● Sound (non-diegetic / diegetic)
● Random things (that attract the audience)
● Numbers (numbers of the channel)
Both of these idents
have a voiceover,
telling the audience
what program is next
(informative)
These idents are just the sounds of
what is going on in the shot, with
no voiceover of what program is
coming up and what time it will be
on (entertainment)
“Traffic Jam”
ident on ITV2
(entertainment)

4. ITV
Purpose Tone Audience
These idents are
mainly
entertainment
based, although
when they are
played on TV they
do have a voice
over. This
voiceover makes
the ident slightly
informative.
The idents on this channel are mainly
entertainment based, although on TV they have a
voiceover telling the audience what program is
next, which makes it informative as well. All of
these idents also use diegetic sound (for example
the rock sticks ident and the tea cups/biscuits
ident - you can hear the rocks hitting each other
and the sounds of the biscuits hitting the tea
cups). These sounds are used to create a
“relaxing effect” on the ident which is used by the
channel to show the audience that they want them
to be relaxed while watching their channel, and
also that they want their audience to feel welcome
on their channel. This is similar to the “Window of
the World” ident from BBC 2 where there is a
number 2 cut out from a boat, with waves crashing
against it. This noise from the waves creates an
almost tranquil feeling in the audience, which is
also a noise that is used by people struggling with
sleep to relax them. Because of this, these idents
give a feeling of relaxation, which is one of the
ways in which they attract their audience.
The idents are very “mature
looking” idents, in the way
that they don’t have bright
colours in them like yellows
and blues and greens, like
what a kid’s channels ident
would have in it to attract
them. Also, the things that
are in the idents aren’t
things that would attract
children (like biscuits falling
into cups of tea and a
“traffic jam”).

5. BBC
Purpose Tone Audience
This ident is based around
the channel (with the main
feature in the ident being
the 2 in the boat), which is
trying to promote the
channel and tell the
audience exactly what
channel they’re watching.
Also, when the 2 is shown a
voiceover starts which tells
the audience what program
is coming up next, and also
at what time. This ident is
an informative ident.
The colours are quite bright, and
the idents themselves are usually
quite slow paced, with the camera
moving very slowly towards the 2.
The tone of the idents for BBC 2
is quite a slow paced, relaxed,
calm tone, with can be seen by
the way in which the camera
moves around the setting, and
also by what is in the shot (which
is usually relaxing sounds). For
example, in the “Window on the
World” ident, the sounds of the
waves crashing against the wood
on the boat is relaxing, and gives
the audience a sense of calmness
which is what they want their
audience to feel while watching
their channel (calm and relaxed).
The programs from this
channel are similar to
the ones from ITV2,
since they’re mainly
reality shows or shows
that are typical of a
middle aged person
would watch, therefore i
would suggest that the
typical audience for this
channel would be the
same as ITV2.

6. E4
Purpose Tone Audience
The purpose of this ident is
to show the audience what
the channel is (by the logo
at the end of the ident), and
also to entertain the
audience before the
program starts. This can be
seen by the way that the
ident has been created,
using stop motion for the
purple “ooze” on the floor,
and also the pillow and a
few other things in the
room.
The tone in this ident is different to
the tone in the other three, since this
ident is more of a fast paced,
entertainment based ident. This is
because although there is a
voiceover which would indicate that it
is an information based ident, the
ident itself is a stop motion
entertainment based ident that draws
in the audience by what is going on in
the ident itself. Because of the way
that the ident has been created, with
all the noises of the animals and the
noises from everything else being
diegetic, it creates a tone of
friendliness in the ident, and since
there is a lot going on at once, it tells
the audience that the channel has a
lot of different things going on
(program-wise).
Looking at the programs
that are on this channel, i
would suggest that this
channel is aimed towards
teenagers and young
adults, since most of the
programs have characters
based around that age
group, so it is relatable
(plus it says that the ideal
age range is 16 to 34).

7. Channel 4
Purpose Tone Audience
Since this ident is set in
Chinatown (presumably), it
shows that they accept
culture, and that although it
is a British channel, the
programs that are on this
channel are for everyone.
As the idents goes on, there
is a voiceover that tells the
audience what program is
going to come on next,
while the 4 (a convention of
a channel 4 ident) is being
created by objects that are
found in that area (like signs
and lights).
The tone of this ident is the
same as the ITV and the
BBC ident, in the way that it
is a slow paced ident, with
not much going on all at
once to distract the
audience from the channel
logo. This ident is both
entertainment based and
information based, as the
ident has a voiceover that
tells the audience what
program is coming on next,
but it also has a sense of
entertainment in the way
that the 4 logo is being
created.
The ident is very bright,
whilst the camera is
moving around the area
which is a typical way to
attract children/teenagers
since brighter colours are
used more for channels
directed to them.
However, the programs
are either reality shows or
they are shows that are
typical of adults, so i
would suggest that the
audience is 20+ year olds.

8. How do idents help with marketing opportunities?
Channels use idents as marketing opportunities, since idents are a great way for a
channel to advertise a program that is going to be coming up later on in that week,
or even in the next month or two. One example of this happening is the Channel 4
trailer of Great British Bake Off. The trailer itself is fully dedicated to the Great
British Bake Off, however the ending is a convention of Channel 4, with blocks
flying from the left (off screen) to the right of the screen. However, since it is a
Great British Bake Off advert, the ending of the advert is made of battenberg
instead of having blocks. This is a marketing opportunity since although the advert
was about Great British Bake Off, that small section will stick in people’s heads
and will make them want to watch it, therefore advertising their program. Another
example is the BBC 1 ident/advert that has people dancing around, with a
voiceover overlaying it talking about the program it is advertising (Strictly Come
Dancing). This is something that would stick in people’s heads, since it suits the
program that it is advertising, along with being eye catching. There is another
Strictly Come Dancing ident/advert that is of a golden disco ball, with the camera
slowly moving away from it revealing more.
GBBO
Trailer
GBBO
Battenburg
Trailer
Ending
(Channel 4
convention)
Strictly
Come
Dancing
Ident/Advert
Strictly
Come
Dancing
Ident/Advert
2

9. How is Brand Loyalty created in idents?
Brand loyalty is when a customer repeatedly buys products from the same
company with no care of price or issues. In the case of TV channels, brand
loyalty means that when a customer (audience member) goes on holiday
to another country and they see the logo of the channel, they immediately
know what channel it is, and carry on watching since it’s a channel that
they know and love from back in their home. One way in which this can be
achieved is through the use of recurring themes, or conventions. This
could be seasonal themes, or just a simple convention such as BBC’s
recurring use of circles for the channel BBC 1. This is something that is
used on every ident on BBC 1, which audiences have gotten used to and
have began to expect in their idents. If an audience member sees one of
these idents and these circles come up, they will immediately be familiar
with that channel, and therefore trust it. Another way that channels create
brand loyalty is through the logo of the channel. If a loyal audience
member travels and sees the BBC 1 logo on TV, they’re more likely to
watch that channel as they’re familiar with it and aren’t familiar with the
other channels. This is a good way to create brand loyalty, since the
audience gets familiar with the logo, and then wherever they see that logo,
they will know exactly what it is.
BBC 1
Circles
(convention)
BBC 1 Logo

10. What are the negatives/limitations of idents?
Idents do have some limitations however, since they are only a 30 second long clip in
between programs. One such limitation that these have due to them being so short, is
that you have to find a way in order to attract the audience and also get the
information to them in that 30 second gap. This can be hard sometimes, but one way
that this is overcome is by having a voiceover. Idents that have a voiceover are
usually idents that people remember, and idents that interest audiences more.
Another limitation for idents is that if you want to do a stop motion ident, you must
have a lot of free time. Stop motion idents are very hard to make, since 1 mistake
could cost you all the time and the money that you spent on it. This is why a large
majority of idents nowadays are live action idents, and not stop motion.
One of the biggest limitations that idents face are that certain idents only sit certain
seasons of the year. For example, the BBC 1 Christmas Ident. This ident is made for
Christmas, and can only be shown during Christmas, therefore limiting the amount of
use that ident can have. This is a huge negativity to channels like BBC since idents
like this cost lots of money, and only being able to use them 1 season a year limits
their use greatly. This is the same for the BBC Summer ident.
BBC 1
Christmas
Ident
BBC
Summer
Ident