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Most Impressive News Titles

(October 2003)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
NE
Neil__
noggin posted:
Philip Cobbold posted:
Fish Fingers?

The mid-to-late 80s Nine O'Clock News titles are affectionately known as "the flying fish fingers". They were the titles that started with a wide shot of the studio, a voice over, then a shot of the world from space appeared with gold 3d computer graphic lozenges (the fish fingers) flying out of London to create a 3d 9 O'Clock News logo, that rotated down to the bottom left of the screen and was superimposed over the headline pix.
The music started with an acoustic guitar I think and then developed into a really OTT synth and drums thing.

Public service bit:
This link is to the Real file of the titles on TV Ark (right-click and save target etc)
MO
Moz
Neil Green posted:
noggin posted:
Philip Cobbold posted:
Fish Fingers?

The mid-to-late 80s Nine O'Clock News titles are affectionately known as "the flying fish fingers". They were the titles that started with a wide shot of the studio, a voice over, then a shot of the world from space appeared with gold 3d computer graphic lozenges (the fish fingers) flying out of London to create a 3d 9 O'Clock News logo, that rotated down to the bottom left of the screen and was superimposed over the headline pix.
The music started with an acoustic guitar I think and then developed into a really OTT synth and drums thing.

Public service bit:
This link is to the Real file of the titles on TV Ark (right-click and save target etc)

Courtesey of the TV Room...

http://www.thetvroom.com/images-bbc-one-news/news-past/85-nine-start-b.jpg

http://www.thetvroom.com/images-bbc-one-news/news-past/85-nine-start-c.jpg

http://www.thetvroom.com/images-bbc-one-news/news-past/85-nine-start-f.jpg

http://www.thetvroom.com/images-bbc-one-news/news-past/85-nine-start-g.jpg

Hence 'fish fingers'
NW
nwtv2003
Though they never looked like anything major, compared to the BBC News Transmitter look, the one that gets my vote is the original version of the BBC News 24 Flags, before they got messed with. At the time (1997 / 1998) if you compared this to the National BBC News, Sky News and ITN this looked really cool and very major.
DA
Dan Founding member
noggin posted:
I loved it - the SS Nine that replaced it, from the aquarium studio, was really insipid and dead by comparison.


Have to agree with you there. Which titles went with the virtual studio with the huge desk and the BBC coat of arms made of virtual glass?
AS
Aston
This thread got me looking at the old titles at some websites - it's amazing how much BBC News changed in 1999!

My favourite has to be the 1993-1999 6 o'clock News titles - they're just great, so authoritative and newsy - that IS the news:
It's strange, my association of them is so strong that if the BBC went back to using them tomorrow I honestly don't think I'd bat an eye-lid until realising a few seconds after it had been played!

EDIT: does anyone have/know of any more examples of The Six titles from this period? The only ones I can find are from 1997 with Piers Morgan "considering his position"...
BC
BlackCat Founding member
Dan posted:
Have to agree with you there. Which titles went with the virtual studio with the huge desk and the BBC coat of arms made of virtual glass?


This page from The TV Room has screengrabs from the Nine O'Clock news titles during the Virtual Studio era. No video, though Sad
NG
noggin Founding member
Dan posted:
noggin posted:
I loved it - the SS Nine that replaced it, from the aquarium studio, was really insipid and dead by comparison.


Have to agree with you there. Which titles went with the virtual studio with the huge desk and the BBC coat of arms made of virtual glass?


The 9 O'Clock News retained an arrangement of the same music as was introduced for the "SS" look - but the titles were based round a blue / cut glass spinning globe ISTR, along with the huge virtual wide shot. I think the programme opened with the presenter in MCU (with a BBC News inset) then the headlines which were single shots with a mix between them, a rumble (which was quite stabby stringy?), and then a mix through to the opening titles.

One nice touch was that when the BBC logo was still angled, during the opening read it animated in 3D to reveal the first story inset. This stopped when the current square BBC logo was introduced - you aren't allowed to animate the current logo - especially by breaking it up into discrete elements...
:-(
A former member
noggin posted:
you aren't allowed to animate the current logo - especially by breaking it up into discrete elements...


Especially since the current aristocracy at the BBC are scared stiff about anything that involves breaking the BBC up into discrete elements Wink

...

or cutting their funding
MO
Moz
noggin posted:
The 9 O'Clock News retained an arrangement of the same music as was introduced for the "SS" look - but the titles were based round a blue / cut glass spinning globe ISTR, along with the huge virtual wide shot.


All the themes were kept (though some more recognisable than others) when they went cut glass.
BE
beefqueen
Fish fingers fantastic; as were all the BBC revamps around that time - especially the Six O'Clock News with the filing cabinet. I guess it was the authoritative music and voice-over - the deep booming remains as a childhood memory.

In the same vein, Sky News from '96 and '97 - by 1997 it had got so over the top you thought the performers of the music were going to have a heart attack.
:-(
A former member
The 1 o'clock news intro at the time......white clock rather like Star Wars flying about the inside rim of the clock up to the figure '1' was good - liked the theme too - variation of that theme was used for the Afternoon update on BBC2 wasn't it?
:-(
A former member
I like the Chinese Lantern era too - very authoritive!

I think a variation of that should be used now.

Remember how the lantern changed to the number 9 for the 9 o'clock news? See it in it's splendor at TV Ark.

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