Is it me or are Capoeira, Haka, Tapdogs, Festival, Music Video, Tai Chi Rotation and obviously Ballet being phased out because I haven't seen these in Scotland for a while now. Does anyone know why this might be?
(and yes I know none are being used because of the Christmas idents!)
Is it me or are Capoeira, Haka, Tapdogs, Festival, Music Video, Tai Chi Rotation and obviously Ballet being phased out because I haven't seen these in Scotland for a while now. Does anyone know why this might be?
Well the first three get regular outings on network and Wales. Festival and Music Video are less used at present but certainly haven't been pulled. Ballet is now solely reserved for times of "national reflection". Tai Chi (Long) was unofficially pulled, presumably because it makes the viewer feel rather dizzy. I've only ever seen the unofficial instruction to that request, but nevertheless it no longer appears in network schedules. It was certainly shown in Wales at least once a few months ago - I remember watching at home feeling dizzy!
Can't speak for Scotland, and I'm sure marksi will fill you in on the situation in Northern Ireland.
Not really, no. There's the odd vague instruction now and then but it's all very random. In NI we're lucky to have the Skateboard symbol which is obviously filmed in Belfast so it's probably got a higher rotation than in other places.
For example Acrobats went through a phase of disappearing completly, after being used constantly (mainly due to the regions only having this one) Now its back occasionally on network. Capoeira seems to be very lightly used lately
Not really, no. There's the odd vague instruction now and then but it's all very random. In NI we're lucky to have the Skateboard symbol which is obviously filmed in Belfast so it's probably got a higher rotation than in other places.
I've always wondered how idents are selected from sets when "genre" is not an issue - is it completely random or is it partially based upon which ones haven't been used for a while?
Not really, no. There's the odd vague instruction now and then but it's all very random. In NI we're lucky to have the Skateboard symbol which is obviously filmed in Belfast so it's probably got a higher rotation than in other places.
I've always wondered how idents are selected from sets when "genre" is not an issue - is it completely random or is it partially based upon which ones haven't been used for a while?
Random, though you'd try not to use the same one in subsequent junctions.
There are a number of ways this is possible. We could use a great big computer, which is modelled on ERNIE which chose all the Premium Bond numbers for donkey's years. It is stored in a WW2 bunker on the Isle of Man, that being more or less central to Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff. It looks like the thing with the flashing lights which was behind Noel Edmonds on the Swap Shop set circa 1978, and is in fact maintained by the man who for many years played Mr Bennett on Take Hart. There are very long steel cables running underground connecting it to each of the Nations' Presentation areas, and we tug hard on them twice in order for it to generate the next random symbol identification. We then use a wind-up shortwave radio receiver to listen to the resulting morse code reply from the computer. We then divide the resulting number by the number of dots that were on Huw Edwards tie on the Ten O'Clock news on that day one year ago, or if he wasn't on that day, we use the number 14. Once we have that number we multiply it by the diameter of the 1975 globe in inches and when rounded up to the nearest whole number, cross reference that to a list stuck on the noticeboard, and play out the one on the list underneath the one indicated unless it's Sunday when we play out the one above the one indicated.
Or, on the other hand, we can just pick one randomly from the Hotlist on the PC in front of us.
There are a number of ways this is possible. We could use a great big computer, which is modelled on ERNIE which chose all the Premium Bond numbers for donkey's years. It is stored in a WW2 bunker on the Isle of Man, that being more or less central to Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff. It looks like the thing with the flashing lights which was behind Noel Edmonds on the Swap Shop set circa 1978, and is in fact maintained by the man who for many years played Mr Bennett on Take Hart. There are very long steel cables running underground connecting it to each of the Nations' Presentation areas, and we tug hard on them twice in order for it to generate the next random symbol identification. We then use a wind-up shortwave radio receiver to listen to the resulting morse code reply from the computer. We then divide the resulting number by the number of dots that were on Huw Edwards tie on the Ten O'Clock news on that day one year ago, or if he wasn't on that day, we use the number 14. Once we have that number we multiply it by the diameter of the 1975 globe in inches and when rounded up to the nearest whole number, cross reference that to a list stuck on the noticeboard, and play out the one on the list underneath the one indicated unless it's Sunday when we play out the one above the one indicated.
Or, on the other hand, we can just pick one randomly from the Hotlist on the PC in front of us.