Christmas Idents Thread 2003

Thought I'd get in first with an Official Christmas Ident thread before anyone comes along and creates a wannabe unofficial thread

With the climactic week of the TV presentation calendar only weeks away, I think it's time forumers turned their attention to what might be on their screens this Christmas.

Last year saw the first of the BBC One Christmas idents in the dance genre. Ickle kids running around dressed up as snowflakes with a red sky backdrop. Fair enough, it was ok I suppose.

But how do you suppose they are going to tackle the theme this year ? Will they stick with the idea of dance and movement or will we get something unrelated ? I'm going for ice skating santas again this year.

I'm hoping ITV might bother this year other than sticking a few stars on the existing celeb idents. I mean even the celebs with santa hats on would be an improvement, and they could have easily filmed these when they recently filmed the new batch. Isn't there an ident featuring the announcers that's been made ? Maybe that will go out at Christmas, or maybe they've done some more Creature Comforts ones.

Put your predictions here, the person nearest to what appears on screen will get a big smacker under the miseltoe from Katherine or Ison (depending on your orientation).

I've a feeling that BBC One will add another ident for Xmas and add that to last years - using them in rotation, like BBC Two. I'm not sure BBC Two will have a new one - since they've already got two very good ones already.

ITV will probably do sod all, like last year, add a few stars, because the uninspiring Xmas ident is very representative as ITV1 as a whole these days.

But what will BBC Three do? This will be their first Xmas wont it?

BBC ONE -- I don't think the kids will be reprieved like BBC TWO are doing, it'll be a new set, and only that. Be nice to see linedancing Santas or something entertaining, but I suspect it'll be something middle-of-the-road like a close up of two ice-skaters, then panning away to loads of skaters in red on a Christmas ice rink with snow.

BBC TWO -- The idents from the last two Crimbos, plus a new one where the 2 and his family are all p issed, and are getting on each others nerves shouting and arguing etc, food fights, physical violence, the lot. Just like the real day.

ITV1 -- I haven't the slightest idea, really I haven't. Something under-aweing at any rate.

C4 -- The same red and blue ones as the last half century *yawn*

FIVE -- <Comedy moments with random people enjoying festivities> blandness, with 'five' on top. Bound to include suggestive party games.

S4C~ -- Will win this year again -- something simple, pretty, and seasonal. Perhaps funny also, but nothing alive.


And I hope the prize gets honoured.

Well i know for a fact that SMG, that's short for Scottish Meangie Group .Will probably be doing their usual NOTHING as far as festive idents go .

They're just full of the xmas spirit and they're good at nicking the festive network graphics for their promos .Nice cheap and cheerful xmas .

Festive Greetings from Scottish Meangie Group !!!!!.

I think that ITV might bother this year, as they weren't under the management of Nigel Pickard last year IIRC. Also, since Carlton used to have festive idents and Carlton and Granada are merging, I think we may well see a festive generic including four squares and lots of glitter/snow.

I'd like to see a real life variation on this:

http://home.clara.net/jim.edwards/tgy.jpg

Replacing the dancing holly with dancing people of course - and the tree and star wouldn't have faces!

I think it might work quite well!


Photo from TV World.

I'd like to see a BBC One ident with skaters in red coats, and red jumpers, perhaps with red and white lights on trees, and millionnaire styled lighting in red. A real setting would be great too, perhaps shooting it on the New York ice rink would be great.

itv1. I really am hoping that itv1 are going to go for christmas. I'm not sure that I want to just see the celebrities on the current set with fake snow and decs, though that would be nice. They could really push the boat out and put the celebrities that are going to star over christmas in christmas situations, perhaps mixing the celebrities together too.

Like in a decorated kitchen, ant & dec try and help Cat to prepare the christmas dinner, and flour goes everywhere, including through the window as the camera pans out (computer animation would take over) where the flour mixes with falling snow on a dark lit sky, as snow flakes form a glowing white itv1 logo. on a dark blue/black sky background with glowing golden stars, and the falling snow. (When created, the itv1 logo would be white with a golden glow to distinguish it from the snow.

Each sequence using the celebs would be somewhere around a home, garden, street, bedroom (waiting for santa), and would all pan out up to the sky to form the logo. If they did put in the effort, and do something like this, it could turn out as good as the Channel 5 xmas 2001 idents. Creating a lovely christmas atmosphere.

I think they should have another BBC1 Xmas Skateboarders Ident with them wearing red hats etc and when that 1st skater jumps up in the air and lands on the ground, he hits some ice or snow and falls over and injures himself!

It's a ten second ident, not a ten minute mini-film!!!

And? Your point is?

That is detail. Things don't come alive with little ideas.

For those that want it simple, an example would be;

>kitchen setting
>ant at oven pulling out turkey tray whilst dec comes into shot,
>dec touches tin, burns hand, knocks over flour,
>flour dust spreads
>camera pulls out of window and flys up to the sky
>itv1 logo is formed from falling snow

Would work with a slowed down festive itv1 ident tune.

Well, all I can say is that it would have to happen pretty quickly to get the camera up to the sky before the announcer had finished speaking - I just reckon it's too fiddly (IMHO of course)

The celebs doing things would be pre announcer. Like the celebs are now, the announcer speaks as the tune climaxes, with background music after for the presenter to speak over. The short versions would be the camera flying through the festive snowy village and up into the air, a bit like the titles to emmerdale, except, dark, well lit, and snowing.

The village, and the flying especially would be computer animated, so that such speed can be gained.