ITV News Relaunch

OK, my initial considered thoughts....

Yes, the set is now very flexible. I mean, they can put whatever they want on there... BUT, it just looks a bit fake, expecially when someone's standing in front of it (their shadow just vanishes!)
The flying 3d text... oh dear! It looks bad and then it gets to the "wall" at the back and goes 'curved'
The music isn't too bad but the bongs can occasionally feel a bit out of place
The opening titles.... will ITN ever get over its fixation with the Big Ben clock face?? They've been using it for far too long now and just dressing it up with some flying blocks doesn't really make a huge difference. Plus, if they're going to have a virtual set it would be a bit better if the titles actually incorporated this
Yes, its better with 2 people on it.... they can actually interact (which makes a nice change!)

Well London Tonight does. All i say is, bring on the new ITN studio. The titles are almost as bad as the BBC News situation in terms of the fact that they clash with the studio.

Border TV's bulletin was excellent. It had the UK map made up with squares, with the Border region in brighter squares. Then the name Border News flew in from the top. Brand new CSO backdrop. It was the regional squares like on the website, with the uk map and the name Border News on it. The music was great, I can't wait to see the new Lookaround set tonight.

First views after watching 15 mins of the News Channel :

1. Clever use of VR and very cleanly keyed. The desk reflection is superbly done. The insets behind Andrew Harvey look very nice - though the fact they are virtual gives them a slightly flickery or soft look. Nice use of the 4 blocks though.

2. But everything feels very flat. The virtual backgrounds mean most of the shots have no real levels of depth, unlike Sky and News 24 which have real backdrops with things at different distances behind the presenters. The only time you get any sense of some depth is in the wide-shots and the presenter to presenter hands. The whole effect makes the programme feel a bit 'fake'. The animating "Live with Alistair Stewart" gets very annoying very quickly. The main Alistair shot is also bit ugly - cutting a presenter off in the middle with a desk is often not a good look - somehow the BBC One set gets away with it...

3. Interesting music - but the headline bed has too much of a beat to work cleanly with bongs triggered by the pictures, rather than cut to the beat, occasionally the bong hits 'off-beat' and sounds like a mistake.

4. The studio shots seem quite limited - they are having to zoom on shot rather than cut between a decent variety of shots. I wonder how many cameras have the kit required to be re-positioned (i.e. the ability to physically be moved around the set rather than just pan/tilt/zoom on-shot)

5. The astons are nicely conceived - and the glinting effect is subtle enough to be nice. Pity the fount is so "primary school"... The ticker doesn't flicker though - although I think it is agreed that sentences in upper case is more difficult to read than in mixed case.

6. The use of the 4 blocks itv imagery is very nice - however nothing will make the "itv" logo look nice - and as a DOG it is hardly great...

7. I agree the flying text looks odd as it curves when it hits the back wall.

8. Quite like the titles - the blocky map made up of blocks is a nice touch - very Nationwide.

So - I guess I'm saying, very clever in technology terms, but it all feels a bit cold and distancing, and a bit messy in places. But for a launch with such complex technology the telly geek in me is impressed, just not the viewer in me.

Here's a selection of caps from The Wales Thread...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales02.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales03.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales12.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales13.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales05.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales06.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales10.JPG

I hate that background. It looks great, innovative, clean, expensive from a distance (and presumably on paper). But in close-ups (and to be honest anything other than the widest shot available) it looks so fake. General presentation has improved, but the studio looks very naff.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales10.JPG

By the way, before now, HTV News was "A Carlton Production". Does this mean that everything which was a Carlton production is now "An ITV Production".

Is this not because all of the Carlton and Granada regional news programmes are now part of the "ITV News" division? Therefore they are part of the new ITV plc and thus branded as ITV productions?

The 10.55 Central East is online.Central News East
Their set is a rejig of the past look with the ITV squares background but from what i can see, same desk, studio layout etc. There were no titles just a wide shot of the studio that panned into the presenter

So what are Carlton Productions going to be called?

Andrew Harvey is now in the CSO of the CSO if you see what I mean, as they prepare the main studio for the Lunchtime News.

They've used the presenters well this morning,

7 - 9 Andrew & Lucy
9-10 Andrew on his own
10-11.30 Alastair & Lucy
11.30 - 12.30 presumably - Andrew

So 3 presenters for the whole morning. I expect Nick Owen will continue after the Lunchtime News, then we might see more dual anchored bulletins ?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ronald.jones4/itvnewswales10.JPG

Thats the logo but it has GRANADA instead of wales, like I said does Carlton have one?