ITV News

Here's my take on it all...

Astons, far far far too big - they need to be downsized... do they think we're all blind?

The studio is OK but I think some of the yellow should be dropped.

The close up of the left presenter seems to have a better and more diverse backdrop image and in my view this is where the solo presenter should be sat at the 1.30 and early AM bulletins as it has simply more depth.

They are making a bit more use of the jib tonight and it does look good.

Titles, a little jerky... and music is OK.

Looks a lot more authoritative but it's too yellow.

We now have Labour News (BBC News is red), Lib Dem News (ITV News is yellow) and Conservatives News (Five News is blue). LOL.

At least the one good thing about a Virtual Studio is you're not using those BARCO screens (like BBC News and Al Jazeera Eng) which just look like crazy paving, as none of the screens match!

They will not move it back to 10.30pm after the atrocious 30 minute void at 10pm they had.

The music started OK but ended up being somewhat ineffectual and the final 'sting' was just embarrassing.
They should also lose the dodgy spotlights over the pictures during the title sequence but otherwise not bad and the set doesn't look as much like a car park as I had been led to believe. Though I hadn't expected to, I actually liked the voiceover.

p.s. Just heard a bit more of the music, I think we'll see it made a little more forceful in the not too distant future.

I said I would wait until I saw the treatment of News At Ten.

So here it is:

Back before News at Ten relaunched, Generic ITV News at 10/10:30/11 was poorly received, and watched by few. The return of News At Ten (Note the lack of ITV) was what bought the viewers back. The intro, the "News at Ten" taglines on the reports, all went to remove it from the lower quality view of ITV News. All that impetus, all those achievements have been thrown away. A pathetic move by ITV I am afraid.

Now, as a title sequence and music for generic ITV News, it's actually ok. Some of the blends from titles to studio are a bit dodgy, but those will be sorted (lunchtime today is an example of a poor one. the one at 6:30 was good).

Whilst I was typing this, I got a text message from my Dad. "Where's proper News at Ten gone? Why do they insist on changing things that aren't broken?" As a rule, he doesn't care about the stuff we talk about here. He asks a good question.

So, to summarise, decent enough titles and tune. Not ground-breaking at all, but decent enough, but not under any circumstances for News At Ten. Bad show ITV.

I cant say Im a huge fan but what I do believe is that the relaunch will grow on everyone and people will soon be talking more positively about it. Its like when most news stations relaunch people don't like it at first but soon they start coming around to it

Some of us have talked positively about some of it. But they have got rid of real News at Ten. No amount of time will change that.

I can imagine that being true for most ITV News bulletins, but News at Ten will be like the BBC1 balloons, looked back at fondly for years to come.

I doubt even everyone who works at ITV News likes the new look News at Ten, only a few who make the decisions. Mark's half-arsed promotion of the new look 'you may notice a difference' rather than 'we'll be back with a bright new look' last Friday is an example of that.

I don't like it as much as the last set. It just looks like a black void with a few yellow bits. They did this with the first launch of the theatre of news and soon added 'real' elements to make it stop looking so cold looking. A step back!

I believe he was named Andrew Burt.

Music reminds me of Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

I do like the new look, could have been better making the News At Ten independent...

Very clever opening titles integration into the studio - and slickly executed. Nicely integrated desk with the VR environment - it feels like it 'fits'.

Awful music - just sounds cheap. Stings really not great.

Name supers too big, background too wishy washy, and the alignment between the ITV News logo and the text fights.

On the plus side they've got the LIVE and location at the bottom of frame, so it doesn't end up going over someone's head. (The BBC had this on the network news on the previous look and it just looks so much better than top right)

Nice wide shots, shame about the close-ups... (Always work out from your close up - not in from your wide shot)

Not convinced yellow is a good colour - it doesn't flatter fleshtones - and there is a lot of it.

Don't like the DTL screens just floating - and the keying of the presenter reflections on the desk is noticably dodgy on the DTL wides (Mark Austin had a body but no head in his reflection...)

(And they still have to take the green leaves off their poppies...)

'...nice new home this.' Mark Austin's words!