Many Thanks
In any regions does the presenter stand like rumoured?
Let me get this straight. ginofish has the ability and mental acuity to a) use the internet, b) find TV Forum, c) register on the site and d) come back, sign in and post comments on the site, but he isn't capable of typing 'Zee TV' into Google and instead relies upon others to do it for him. Did I miss something or is there something wrong with that scenario?
Managed to watch some of Daybreak from a feed pulled in earlier today. I wish I could say something complimentary but I don't think that I can. I was hardly a fan of the final GMTV set but, compared to this, it was very welcoming. There is no warmth to the set and it's quite sterile. Given that the presentation team appears to be populated by a younger generation, one cannot help but think that the set designer had a New York loft (a la Friends) in mind. Sadly, he failed to realise his or her vision and ended up instead with a mock sitting room from an IKEA brochure. Quite what the yellow and white semi-transparent pumpkins are, I'm not sure, but until they find suitable alternatives, they work quite well as a desk or a table. I'm not keen on the expanse of roof behind the main anchor position; I know that ITV can't be blamed for the position of the studio but surely a feature could be made of it to make it look less unsightly?
On the graphics front, it's a rather mixed bag. The title serve their purpose and I don't know what you should (or could) expect. They provide a stereotyped depiction of the early morning, with a corner café opening, a stall holder laying out his marrows, a milkman delivering on his rounds, the children being packed off to school. Yes, it's cheesy, but it happens everyday (though more often than not without sunshine and lens flare). They could have gone down the route of the Today Show or the Early Show - very white and only the occasional flash of color - but resisted the temptation. I'm not too sure about the lower thirds; the Daybreak strap and clock work well and are unobtrusive, yet when a name strap appears on screen it gives the appearance of being rushed and put together by somebody in pre-school (perhaps not pre-school, but my argument is valid).
From the perspective of the presentation team, you get what you pay for. Whilst at the One Show, Chiles and Bleakley - by all accounts - had a rapport and chemistry that was well-suited to the broadcast. I don't think that it works so well in the morning. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Perhaps the issue is that there is so much riding on Daybreak. There is an extreme amount of pressure on the production staff and the presentation team to make it work but, as it stands at the moment, I doubt that it will. Once the pressure is relaxed then maybe, just maybe, it might work, as it did when Holmes and Kelly took over from Armstrong and Wilson in the early days of GMTV. I'm not saying that it needs jettison its anchors, but if the reports of a memo reminding presenters to smile and the studio crew to laugh at Chiles' jokes are true, then it's a mistake to think that they have the right team in place. The watchword I suppose is time; stand back and see how it develops over the coming months.
I'll shut up now - I realise it's a little hypocritical to be commenting on presentation when I don't live or work in the UK much anymore. I can hear that an argument has broken out at the Fishbowl about whether we should cover the burning of the Koran live on Saturday. I'm off to join in!
UPDATE: I turn up to join in
just
as it all gets called off!
Last edited by Schwing on 9 September 2010 10:10pm
