I still think ECP's completely ruin some programmes. To me the credits are the final part of a program and whilst i dont read the credits, its nice to have a proper ending. It's been very noticeable that since the BBC lost Neighbours the ECP comes up very quick when the credits roll and stays up for nearly all of the credit length, even if it brings the credits back up the announcer normally interupts the entire sequence. To me it just interupts the flow of a program. It''s been designed for you to watch from start to finish so why cant we?!
I've got to admit, on the whole, I don't really have a problem with ECPs. ITV's do the job cleanly and allow those who wish to see who was part of the making of a show whatever they want to see. I do have to take exception with the ones on the BBC channels though. They are just so badly designed! There is far too much going on at once, and the text simply doesn't look right on them.
How come Scotland dosen't squeeze their credits? Catched Neighbours on the Scottish feed on friday and the credits ran full screen with no announcer, while London gets them squeezed in to a corner.
Most people who I know, who arn't TV pres obsessed twenty-somethings don't actually know what ' ECP' means. All of them though hate these things. They
do
ruin the end of programmes and I have the radio times to tell me what's on next. I'm 17, I'm not stupid, and I don't need the announcer to start telling me what's on next. In fact, it makes me more inclined to
change
channel than to stick with it.
Why not just have a ticker thing at the top, a strap? Saying what's next. No fuss. And then we can all read the credits if we want to. (You know, by all means immediately after the programme, they can have a big thing saying what's on all their channels, no problem there). But wait. Don't p*ss us off by interrupting the end of a programme.
And don't make excuses for ratings, or whatever. All this media-talk "keeping the viewer from switching over" claptrap. If I want to switch over I do.
I think they're rather pointless, what was wrong with them running the credits then having a static slide/menu afterwards.
I also hate the NEED for end credits on the BBC to be cut to around 10 seconds, why MUST they be cut, management is obviously completely clueless when it comes to end credits.
I have to agree that I am more inclined to switch over when any channel starts playing its ECPs. I don't like ITV's and never have done... generic credits for all shows just devoids all their output of identity.
Thank goodness that for the most part on BBC Wales we get the credits full screen with little more than a continuity announcement, but the odd occasion we get a video squeeze it drives me insane.
The trouble with alot of ECPs is they are just used to illustrate what the continuity announcer is telling us, and therefore pointless. I don't mind so much if they actually feature a promo.
I also hate the NEED for end credits on the BBC to be cut to around 10 seconds, why MUST they be cut, management is obviously completely clueless when it comes to end credits.
When you look at BBC channels (for example, and by no means the worst) they have slowly progressed from:
Ever increasing trailers, to
ECPs taking up ever more room on the screen, to
IPPs (slugs) on some channels during the last few moments of a programme.
In an official response on the BBC Complaints website about "too many trails", the BBC says it believes viewers want to be informed about other programmes and the range of BBC Services. I can fully accept that. But in their typical Auntie-knows-best reply, the BBC do not acknowledge there are other ways to achieve that, ie. more spoken pointers during the junctions.
If ever there was evidence of why credit sequences should be regarded as an integral part of the show and shouldn't be arsed about with, I present this:
The end sequence from Howards Way in 1988. Nearly 2 minutes long. You really must watch it in full to appreciate its beauty.
Just listen to that magnificent music by Simon May and look at that breathtaking footage. (The seagull noises at the end are a bit cheesy though, I have to admit).
I miss the days when end sequences weren't treated with contempt by the Beeb.
Ever increasing trailers, to