E4 Ident

In this project we are creating e4 idents. We started by brain storming ideas on what we wanted to do our ident on. We came up with ideas based on either films or games. At first we were going to base our ident on the film mission impossible. The idea was very good and captured the humorous side of e4, however it proved to be very difficult to create the scene. We were unable to find any images with a big enough resolution for our background, meaning when we came to print the images were unfocused. Also as the 4 would have only been coming down on a rope there was not much animation happening. We played around with the ideas of introducing security guards to give it more actual animation. However as we were unable to print the background set big enough we had to scrap the idea and create a new ident.

We came up with the idea of a wrestling ring. We would have the E and the 4 as wrestlers fighting one and another, when the two wrestlers collided they would combine and create the E4 logo. We started of with this idea (shown below). However when we came to shooting we changed it around. We would have the E already in the ring and then have the 4 entering. Realizing that it would be hard to get one of the characters to jump onto the corner of the ring we used the idea of pushing off the ropes, much like in actual wrestling fights. This would give us the action we needed to combine the two, and give more physical animation.

We then began to create our set. Using foam board we constructed a ring and glued it together with a glue gun. We then covered it in purple fabric (capturing the iconic purple colour). We used pins to secure the fabric into place. We also used the foam board to create steps leading up to our ring. To create the poles on each corner we cut down pieces of wood and coated them in white paint. Next we cut string and rapped it around the wood to create the ropes. Overall I am happy with how the ring turned out, it looks realistic and is the right size for our wrestlers. One thing we could improve were how we fastened the wood to the foam board. Using nails we nailed them into the bottom of the wood and ten pressed them into the foam board. Although this did work, some of the nails did not go in straight and therefore caused the wood to be wonky and some of the strings loosened because of this.

 

Our wrestlers were also created from the foam board. We originally used cardboard, however it looked very messy and distracted from the logo. We used wire to create the arms and glued them to fasten them to the foam board. When positioning them on the ring we found it very difficult to get the characters to stay on the fabric. We used blue-tack in the beginning but found if we placed pins in the bottom it was a lot easier to hold up the character.  Ultimately I believe the characters worker well, and having them join through the idea of wrestling was a interesting way to create the E4 logo. The only issue we found was when trying to move the arms of the wrestlers. It was difficult to make them move realistically and stay in certain positions. If we were to do it again we could try a different material to see if that worked better. Or use a thinner wire to see if we could move more freely. 

To light our set we wanted a small circle on the center of the ring. The lights in the studio were to big and didn't give the right effect. We are now using a small light source positioned above the ring. We wanted it in the middle to highlight the characters, and blackout the crowd. The issue with the crowd was we were worried it did not realistic enough. Also when the light reflected of the fabric it created a purple reflection on the crowd creating an unrealistic effect. To overcome this we had to play around with lighting till we could fix the issues.   

We also added various sound effects to our animation. We used the iconic Rocky theme tune throughout our animation. We did this to relate our ident to something the viewer will recognize. It shows that a fight will take place and could link to E4 broadcasting various films as well as TV programs. We also got the sound of a bell ringing to make it more realistic and feel like an actual fight. Lastly we added a slap sound when the 4 hits the E. This emphasis ed the action and again made it more realistic.

Here is the example of our first shoot. From this shoot we first discovered that we needed to improve our characters. We used cardboard to create them when we first started. When watching the shoot we realised how distracting the brown sides were. They would look much cleaner if we used foam board.  Secondly you could see were we had fastened the characters arms using blue tack. This distracted the viewer and again made the overall animation look sloppy. Also we saw are actually animation needed to be a lot smoother. Parts of the movement were jumpy and unrealistic. In our first shoot we thought we would be able to show the 4 falling onto the E. From this shoot we noted that it made the animation look messy. We decided to have a flash and then cut to the joined E and 4. Through out the shoot the set was moving. This happened as we were moving out characters. This again was distracting from the actual animation. We needed to either secure the background down, or ensure when moving the characters the set was not altered. As well as the set moving the camera was also moved to much during production. In the final seconds we boomed into the E4. However as we were holding the camera it made the scene extremely jumpy. We needed to use a tripod to make it a lot smoother and more effective.

Evaluation:

Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of our animation. I believe it fits the brief and with the style of E4. We captured the humerus side to the channel, which was a focus for us and made our audience laugh and smile. I believe we met the target audience with our animation by using the idea of a wrestling match. It showed the channel to be exciting and entertaining, but also to have a twist and have a funny side. Our set was well built and looked very realistic. I believe the crowd worked well and added to the set, due to the scale fitting with the ring. We also lit the ring well, however at times we could have lit the E and the 4 better. At points where they were circling one and another, they were blocking each others light. The audience noticed the change in tone on the characters as the circles the ring. This therefore caused some distraction to the viewers. To overcome this we could have used a second light, and focused the light primarily on the characters. Another issue we had was with the characters themselves. As we were continuously moving them, and did have some difficulty getting them to stand, some of the edges were slightly damaged. This was at times visible in our ident and distracted some of our viewers. The audience would have liked the characters to be cleaner as it made the ident look more realistic, and believable. Also some of the animation could have been a bit smoother. For example they commented that when the characters are circling the ring/ each other they movement is slightly jumpy. This could have been overcome in production. However that being said, the audience did react very well to the animation. They found it very humorous, and enjoyed the theme of the ident. They also felt the sound effects worked well and were timed extremely well.

About E4

E4:

E4 is a huge British television channel, they were set up in January 2001 to go along side channel 4. There are a range of programmes you can watch from reality TV shows, sitcoms and dramas. It is mainly aimed at people from the ages 15 to 35. They broadcast a variety of american programmes, from Big Bang Theory to 90210.  The actors that star in the programs are aged around the same as the target audience. This makes it easier for us to relate to the characters. Also as they use some real life situations within the story lines it again help us connect to the characters, therefore making the program more enjoyable and interesting. As films and music have evolved so have to types of programmes E4 broadcast. For example, theres is a lot more rap music being listened to by the younger generation. This led to the production of 'Youngers', a series about a group of friends who are braking into the industry.

During adverts E4 use a lot of idents to promote there logo. Each ident has the logo incorporated into it, however they are done in many different ways. The latest ident stars 'Eefer' the E4 robot. In this ident the robot is the E4 logo and keeps the signature purple colour. It shows the robot doing everyday tasks like going to the cafe, this relates to us the viewer as it is something many of us do on a regular bases. He is portrayed to be like a human, and even has his dog waiting outside for him. It is more interesting and humorous because he is a robot. The people in the ident do not react to him and treat the situation like it is normal. I believe this relates to the older side of the target audience as they are most likely to go into a cafe to get there daily caffeine fix.



This ident features a hotel room. The room slowly begins to come to life with various strange and unusual things happening. It plays on the idea that when we leave rooms they come to life. This could show how E4 will bring your television to life through the different programs. It creates a surreal setting that attracts the viewers attention. By having it set up in a hotel room it links to there target audience, however by using this idea it can also relate to our childhoods.







BBC3 IDENT:

(2014)


This ident uses a lot of colour to attract the viewer. It keeps the colour theme through out the ident, which links to the colour of the BBC3 logo.  It portrays BBC3 to be a very appealing and glamorous channel. It reminds us of nightclub lights, very bright and in your face. This can link to their target audience, 16-25 year olds as they are the majority age group that would go to a club.


(2010)

In 2010 the idents were very different. They did not have the signature purply,pink colour. This meant the idents were a lot duller. However they used comedy to attract people. They used small animated figures to create different scenes. In this ident they are singing a song. The song says' Three is a magic number' emphasising that channel 3 is great channel. By using humour it relates to the genre of the channel. Although they do broadcast some series documentaries and also show films, the majority of the programmes they show are comedies. Thus portraying BBC3 as a hilarious channel before even watching the programmes.