The Spotlight Thread

Yeah, this look was good but the one after it was better. Can't find any pics of it, but it was a shame because it was only around for a short while before the corporate look took over. Maybe this is an indication of Plymouth's unwillingness to adopt the corporate image - introducing a whole new look of their own almost at the same time as other regions were getting their yellow walls and map titles.

I think Spotlight do the corporate look well though.

Plymouth have a very good creative director who makes a lot out of a little in terms of resources.
And yes the second lighthouse was good - especially the way the titles merged into the studio shot - very classy ... never got to present using that lot.

Agreed, the second look lighthouse look was better. The graphics of the first version were fine (I was never to keen on the way they modified them for the new BBC logo though - the Spotlight logo was glassy and transparent but the new BBC logo was opaque and pure white - just looked very odd), but the music was still a bit too 'cheesy early 90's BBC regional news theme' for my liking. Don't get my wrong, it's still not a bad theme tune, but the majestic orchestral theme from 1999 just blows the original out of the water (along with the lottery guy's 'Now, from the BBC studios in Plymouth, Spotlight with Teresa Driscoll and Russell Labbey' voiceover - tremendous stuff)

And I love the way the titles don't end as such but just pan back to reveal the studio - very creative.

I think the reason the second look was so shortlived was just unfortunate timing on Plymouth's part. At the time they introduced it, the corporate look had yet to be introduced at all, and it had probably not yet filtered down to regional level that they intended it to encompass everything that BBC News did (certainly when it was introduced on screen, it was implied that it was purely a corporate look for BBC National News, rather than a corporate look for the whole of the BBC's news output).

London probably wouldn't have considered the timing poor - whilst Spotlight had only recently taken on a new look everyone else's had been in use for years - I think the next newest one was BBC Wales Today's look which had been in use since early 1997, and some other programmes had a look which was much older than that.

I remember being amazed though when I saw the corporate look on Spotlight for the first time. I had only just got used to the second lighthouse look, and suddenly without warning the lighthouse was replaced with a bizarre rotating map of the region which morphed out of all proportion along with an unbelievably dire remix of the news theme. At one point the map looked like this:
[IMG]members.tripod.co.uk/skyanalogue/spotlightmap.jpg[/IMG]
EDIT - you'll have to follow that link because I'm banned from having images because my signature was 3 pixels too high.

Call it what you like, but it sure ain't the south west of England - infact it looks more like Wales.

And ISTR that Teresa and Russell also looked a bit startled that this had actually happened - the obligitory acknowledgement that the programme had a new look followed by the customary enthusiasm for it was quite clearly being said through gritted teeth.

I think they felt that the giant BBC logo which appeared in the titles (I've never seen anything so prominently BBC branded in my life - it takes up almost the whole screen) would secure them enough from loosing their identity. Sadly, it didn't.

The pre-current look to Wales Today was there in Christmas 1995, probably a bit before too. It was around for about as long as the current one has been -- roughly four years.

The Welsh don't do change. In some parts of the west it's still 1972. But the old looks of both WT and Spotlight, much superior to the insipid ones now.

But hey, at least we kept our dragon.

[/mean comment]

All this Spotlight talk, don't get me wrong it's great but isn't everyone forgetting about the other Spotlight........the one from BBC Channel Islands!

Ok it is only around 10 minutes at 18.30 and another 5 or so at 22.25 but it is also an important part of Spotlight and if the rumours are true the 18.30 programme will come live from Jersey and take up the entire 30 minutes!

Dave
Jersey, Channel Islands

This is long overdue. For far too many years the BBC have been trying to tack the Channel Islands onto the end of the south west, which it isn't. I see little point in a programme going out to the Channel Islands every evening detailing the opening of some new factory in Plymouth, or covering the Royal Cornwall Show, or some other such south west bound event. The 10 minute opt is something, but it's not nearly enough.

With the BBC launching so many new services in recent years, splitting the Channel Islands away (totally, if possible) from the south west region should be way up there on the priority list.

Talking of the Channel Islands opt what time during the programme does it opt out?? Is it like ST pre recorded headlines and opening and the presenters hand staright over to Fiona/Jenny in Jersey?

thanks

Just like South Today - Justin and Teresa with headlines then a hand to the CI presenter for 6 mins on CI news. They do their own headline opt and bulletin during the 10.

So they join the main programme at the sting at 6:35pm?

Anyone know if the Spotlight set is due for a revamp (maybe in the style of South Today, which I think is great) any time soon? Because of course, the "corporate" look that Spotlight and other regions have at the moment is not actually the corporate look anymore.

The pre-corporate Spotlight look was absolutely amazing. I've said it before and I'll say it again - almost too good to be a regional news package as it had the class and production of something a national programme would use.

Everything worked - the music, the graphics, the excellent use of the green CSO screen behind the presenters - integrating it into the titles was genius! I think the studio was also excellent - even though it was only introduced in 1999 it didn't feel that regional news...whilst others were stuck on the kind of sets that said "We're a regional news programme" - Spotlight was out there with a modern and stylish set. The fact they dared to use a completely glassed topped desk with a CSO screen was also a brave move but payed off - you never saw any issues with CSO reflection (and you still don't for that matter!)

Overall it was just an excellent look - supported by the excellent presenters and production team...probably the only reason the programme is still half decent these days. You cannot beat a nice beefy theme with a few shots of the region - no not like now where you get "people in familiar places" - people just want to see landmarks and things they associate with the region. I felt Spotlight and Newsline (same designers surely!? Certainly the same composer) did this well - mixing local images with their identity (the lighthouse and the 'N' respectively)

An excellent look cut short by suits in London...but I have always had the firm belief that no regional news programme should have been made corporate. The BBC went mad with their corporate look, and thankfully their politics unit has bailed out and has gone for a unique and upbeat image which works in its own right.

Anyway, I don't want to invade your thread with my anti-BBC corporate ramblings.

Feel free to invade the thread with ramblings like that, because I agree with them 100%. To be honest I think the corporate idea is a good one in theory - all the BBC's regional news output looks the same, so wherever you are in the UK you know it's regional news.

In practice however, it took away a look that worked perfectly and represented everything that is good about the South West region. I wish they would bring it back - especially the music, which was utterly brilliant.

I also think the old Spotlight studio looked far more modern than the new corporately branded one. After three years of use (including a change of wall colour in that time) the studio looks tired - I doubt the old one would have looked tired even by now. I think the CSO screen worked better in the old set too.

All in all, a complete waste of a brilliantly designed programme. Just goes to show how little understanding London have of Plymouth/South West issues.