ITV Presentation guidlines PDF...

Just stumbled across this PDF document that contains ITV's presentation protocols... quite interesting:

http://www.granadamedia.com/cyberdocs/ITV%20Credit%20Rules%20August%202002.pdf

ITV? Is that thing still going?!

And what is that supposed to mean my dear?

I've commented on them several times before, but for those not wishing to read the whole document, the basic points are:

Frontcaps, or indeed any type of PCC other than a static, silent, endcap are explicitly banned (this includes any reference to the production company within the programme - this rule is what forced the remaining ITN namechecks to be removed from the news in 2001)

Whilst all new productions are compelled to use the current generic credits, old productions with hearts generics or indeed non generic credits can still be shown without modification on ITV2 or on ITV during CITV or late at night.

There are a total of 6 coloured backgrounds (although I've only seen 3) but deviation from this is allowed with permission (which makes it much more flexible than the old credits - although I wonder why Corrie has stuck with the plain generic background when Emmerdale has it's own).

All credits must be cut paged (i.e. no fade in and outs between pages), and may not scroll or crawl (although I've seen this rule broken).

All copyright dates must use arabic numberals, roman numerals are banned (although how this rule came about when both Granada and Carlton used roman numerals before generic credits existed I don't know).

Each person can only appear once in the credits, if they have fulfilled more than one role then they must get a single combined credit for it (although sensibly this role does seem to be relaxed if a person has been both an actor and a crew member in the same production)

Any amount of front of programme credits (except copyrighting and PCCs) are allowed; in theory the entire credits sequence could go at the start of the programme.

All credits must constitute a 'substantial creative or technical contribution' and should be agreed in advance (although this rule is broken practically every time an 'Executive Producer' is credited).

Programme websites can only be plugged if the production company has arranged for an itv.com/.... website. If this hasn't been arranged, they must plug itv.com itself. No TLD other than itv.com is allowed to be plugged (but the odd ITN endcap with itn.co.uk still goes out).

Perhaps the biggest rule at all - if any deviation is made from the rules which the production company doesn't have written permission for, then ITV may decide to refuse to transmit the programme in it's present form, and will require that it be re-edited to match the agreed rules at the production company's expense.

It's all utter madness isn't it? The appearance of the credits doesn't affect the quality of the program, and I think that ITV should stop worrying about very strict branding rules, and try to improve their programs instead.

I think i've seen more than 6, although the favourite dark blue seems to be used far too regularly

All broadcasters have such rules, the BBC's rules are on their website somewhere, which details lengths allowed, website references etc

ITV's rules arn't particularly strict though because as is mentioned on here regularly they are often broken across a whole range of programmes whether middle of the night stuff or big budget shows

BBC TV Credit guide: www.bbc.co.uk/credits

Channel 4 Producers guidelines (lots of interesting stuff here, the link to the credit guidelines PDF is about two-fifths of the way down): www.channel4.com/4producers/visual/visual_index.html

On the subject of ITV credits / EOP captions etc, waht is the usual procedure for a programme which is subsequently sold for overseas broadcast? I've seen recent eps of The Bill from ABCtv, Australia - the contain the recaps and previews with the ITV-branded captions, but I can't remember off-hand if the website address appeared on the closing credits.

Take a programme like Coronation Street, with BOP music which overlaps into the narrative/action. Would ITV produce a 'clean' version of the show, ie without EOP/BOP captions/music, or is it up to the purchaser to edit the show, disguising ad-breaks the best they can (assuming they don't take the same breaks)? Anyone know?

Some producers (mainly Carlton), if they think the programme has a realistic chance of being shown outside of ITV, do bother to make two edits of the programme, one with ITV credits (and 'last time', 'next week' straps etc) and one with their own designs. Crossroads is an example of a programme which did this. Other producers don't, the ITV edit is all that exists (even programmes like Bad Girls, where each season has an imminent Video and DVD release, still doesn't do this; from season 3 onwards when BG first had generic credits, even the video release still has them).

If it's sold on in that form, then it's a local decision as to what the broadcaster will do. TV4 in Sweden (imo the best commecial channel I've ever watched; until 2002 there were only commercials between programmes, not during them, they always showed credits in full and without talking over them, they had in vision continuity in primetime, they had proper startups and closedowns -and afaik it's still largely the same now) never cover ITV generic presentation, with Emmerdale coming with smokey heart generic credits, and even plugging itv.com if it was on the original edit, whilst I'm sure other broadcasters will make their own credits to cover them up.

It's worth remembering also that many European countries either don't generally show credits or have their own ECP design and so the programme won't be shown with the credits that came on the tape, regardless of whether or not they are generic.