I'm sure this has been discussed before, so forgive me if I have not replied to the correct thread....
But, last night I was doing a bit of channel surfing, and the thought occured to me that the presentation for ITV2 is actually technically and cosmetically much more appealing than ITV1.
I don't mind the idents on ITV1, the new bright bold set looks very contemporary, but the trailers and ecp graphics look like something out of the late 1990's. Very bland, very cheesey animation.
The generic ITV1 ident is also very poor. It looks like it was knocked up in an afternoon.
On the other hand, the dynamic and multiple formations and incarnation of the ITV2 logo are much more original. The previous set [2 scream] [2 play] etc, were also very original.
I preferred the previous ITV generic - I just think they are so much nicer and smoother. Actually, I don't like much about the September revamp at all - they put those horrible blue glass squares on everything, the generic idents are rubbish and I dislike the new music. However, I do like the sets better. Oh, and the new ECP is awful too.
In regards to ITV2, I much preferred the '2Relax' series of idents.
I liked the original set of generics from 2002 because they were classier and more mysterious. The ident used before shocking news coverage was also brilliant - it reminded me of early morning - just before the sun rises at dawn. It was good for the breaking news because it sort of said "life goes on" and I like that.
The 2002 version of the ITV generics was better, the revamped versions look like the sort of thing that was knocked out when computer animation first became prevalent. The new music isn't distinctive enough between versions, and the fact that they always seem to use the short version now just makes it worse.
In 2002 the only really bad element in the presentation were the idents, they are still there, and the rest of the package which wasn't too bad at all has been replaced. Silly move.
If you asked me a year ago I'd have said the ITV2 idents were better. Now of course they've gone Sky-esque and have lost any traditional ident properties.
As for ITV1's current look; I'm in two minds. The original music was better; the remix sounds cheap and hastily recorded. Having said that the visuals succeed far more in achieving the original aim - showing celebs "relaxing in off-duty moments". Before they just stared inanely.
Any lip-readers here? What are the celebs saying?
Carlton's new regional idents are good and I'd like to see the entire network adopt these. One improvement would be to drop the "ITV1 for" straight underneath the ITV1 logo and perhaps add a filmic look.
As for ITV1's current look; I'm in two minds. The original music was better; the remix sounds cheap and hastily recorded. Having said that the visuals succeed far more in achieving the original aim - showing celebs "relaxing in off-duty moments". Before they just stared inanely.
If you really want to show celebs relaxing in off duty moments, then shouldn't they be put in off duty settings, such as showing them in the pub having a drink or at home eating their dinner. Or does the average ITV celebrity really like to relax by prancing around on half finished yellow and blue stages at the NPU?
Good point, but then we might see something the celebs would rather we didn't! Perhaps they should be shown on set of whatever programme they appear in - it might help answer that common question "what's he/she in?"
I don't mind the celebrity idents at all, I quite like them. They are the best part of the ITV1 on screen branding at the moment. I also quite like the way that they have idents relating to programmes later in the evening. It works really well and I hope the celebrity idents last through the next revamp... but the rest of the branding is pretty drab.
In my opinion compared to the 2002 set of celebrity idents, the 2003 ones are far superior. The sets on the current show the colours of itv1, are actual sets that have been created and look far better to the old lot.
The music is ok. I prefer the three of these to the old four of old. I liked the musicof the old davina/ant & dec ident, but not keen on the others. The music for these are different with the rocky version with the cubes, the violin classical version with the catwalk, and the mellow brass version with the lights.
The old generics were great with the music and style. The glass type squares look good on endboards and breakbumpers, but the generics could be a lot better, compared with the former.
The ECP. I like the darker look that they have now, as the light blue was a bit basic for my liking. Though I would drop them, let programmes do their own credits and just settle for a voiceover. What they could do is add there own subtitles as part of the programme on the end for deaf viewers or cierers with hearing problems.
I also like the idea of a startup, shame it only lasted for the first day this year. And this years was superior, musically, graphically and editingly.
With the way that they have changed the idents this year and effort that has gone into everything, I hope that they will do something really special this christmas.
Has anyone seen the UTV trailers this past week with glassy (square like) snowflakes on trailer endboards, they look great, I hope they are an itv thing that UTV have started to use early!
It would be nice if they created special idents, generic and celebrity for christmas. With a celebrity start up each morning (including pre CiTV) and in random places through the day with clips from celebrity christmas idents to different christmas music each day. Like on the first day 'Santa Claus is coming to town', then 'All I Want for Christmas is You', etc. through the fortnight, each ending with Merry Christmas from itv1.
This would be great especially if bbc one, two, channel 4 and five have the same presentation as last year!