IDEAS AND PLANNINGSTOP MOTION ASSIGNMENT 2ROBBIE HICKMAN

RESEARCH• Channel 4 is a public service television broadcaster that first started to broadcast programmes in late

1982. Commercially self-funded, it was initially established with the primary purpose of providing a fourth television service within the United Kingdom, thus explaining the reason for the channel’s name. The channel was also meant to provide programming for groups of minority interests as opposed to being catered for by its competitors. The other three channels available at the time were BBC One, BBC Two and ITV. Originally, funding for the channel was provided by ITV companies; the channel was only able to fund itself when the Broadcasting Act 1990 was established. In the year 2007, Channel 4 encountered a wide range of issues in regard to funding, thus the channel sought assistance from the U.K. government. However, the Office of Communications (OFCOM) denied this and instead stated that Channel 4 ‘would preferably be funded by partnerships, joint ventures or mergers’.

• Channel 4 was the first channel to employ ‘stranded programming’ which refers to programmes that follow a common theme being aired together. Specific idents would also be employed to reflect the themes present within the programmes. In the year 2004, the ‘blocks’ ident for Channel 4 was launched for the first time; this type of ident possessed a unique style and featured the channel’s logo (which was disguised as different objects) in a brief manner. In 2015, Channel 4’s idents were altered drastically; as opposed to featuring a clear image of the logo for the channel (the ‘4’), the idents depicted a series of dismantled coloured blocks which clearly represent the ‘4’. The audience is likely to recognize the idents due to the presence of coloured blocks and should automatically assume that the blocks are attempting to arrange themselves into a ‘4’ when an animation is present within the ident.

AUDIENCEThe primary target audience for the television ident I will produce will be young adults aged 17-24 years, as well as people in their 30s and 40s. Based on the brand research I undertook, young adults are most likely to be intrigued by an ident which represents Channel 4 in a manner strikingly similar to existing idents, most notably the ‘coloured blocks method’ because the idents for Channel 4 are quite entertaining in nature. This would do well to reflect the entertainment factor of the programmes broadcast on the channel. The majority of programmes on Channel 4 appeal mainly to young adults due to themes such as marriage, employment issues etc. most notably ‘A Woman of Substance’ and ‘Gregory’s Girl’, the latter of which revolves primarily around ‘coming-of-age romance’. Producing an ident which employs a specific animation technique in order to provide exaggeration regarding what is actually possible in reality could benefit the audience because it provides a strong sense of familiarity; the viewers are likely to immediately recognize the representation for Channel 4 due to the presence of similar coloured objects along with animation. My ident should also apply to both males and females because there will be no action-based or horror elements present whatsoever. Instead, the ident will have a positive atmosphere which will be provided by bright tones (through usage of high-key lighting during the editing process in order to ensure that bright tones predominate throughout the ident) along with a soundtrack that will match the action that will take place on screen. My ident will not appeal to a specific group of people residing within a geographical location such as the countryside because there will be no elements of nature e.g. trees, animals or lakes present in the ident whatsoever. My ident will simply utilize coloured blocks that will attempt to arrange themselves into a ‘4’. The ident should appeal to Achievers, mainly because people who fit into this category (psychographics) tend to set themselves apart from other groups and be unique; my ident will possess a unique style that will differentiate it from other styles of ident. Achievers also tend to be intrigued by technological advancement; my ident will utilize special effects in order to intrigue the viewer and it should strongly represent the nature of idents today; the effects which are present in television idents are made possible due to advancements in technology in regard to computer-generated imagery.

CHOSEN FORMATTo produce my television ident, I will be employing clay animation (or claymation) along with animation of found objects such as paper, pencils etc. The main reason why I am utilizing these formats is because I consider them the easiest way to create a somewhat distorted version of reality which is quite prominent in most Channel 4 idents, including the latest suite of idents that only depict the channel’s logo dismantled and attempting to rearrange itself. I intend to exploit this animation technique by creating the illusion of multiple frames in the background during the first few seconds of the ident (using coloured paper). In the final seconds of the video, I will be arranging the pencils, pens etc. into a ‘4’ on multiple pieces of paper in a manner that is almost exactly the same. This should help to establish that the background of the ident is changing whilst the ident remains exactly the same, thus my overall ident could mirror professional standards whilst appearing visually intriguing throughout. In order to differentiate my ident from other types, I will be employing close-up shots of pencils, pens etc. arranging themselves on coloured paper so that a sense of ambiguity can be provided; the viewers might not immediately get the impression of what the objects are trying to arrange themselves into until the overall ‘4’ is shown on-screen in a long-shot. Multiple close-up shots of different pieces of paper (which will be coloured) will be employed whilst multiple images will be taken of pencils, pens etc. arranging themselves on the paper.

FINAL CONCEPTSUMMARYI will be producing an animated television ident for Channel 4. The ident will incorporate animation of objects such as pens, pencils or cocktail sticks that will arrange themselves into a series of blocks; these will serve as the pieces of the ‘4’. An implication will be created of the channel’s logo rearranging itself after falling apart within the first 13 seconds of the ident; the logo for the channel will eventually appear on-screen, at which point it will be clearly visible to the audience. This technique will ensure that my ident is not obscure throughout its duration; my ident will differ from those featured on Channel 4 as of recent times which feature a dismantled version of the channel’s logo which is constantly attempting to rearrange itself to no avail throughout the video. However, my ident will possess a style which is similar to existing idents for Channel 4; the appearance of objects appearing move by themselves would potentially create a warped version of reality which seems common in idents for Channel 4, although these also tend to depict a location such as a city, a field or a gas station. At the 14 second mark, the ‘4’ will persist on-screen for 6 seconds (until the end of the video), thus providing a fair amount of time for the audience to study the logo. However, my logo might appear quite obscure i.e. the blocks which make up the ‘4’ might not be arranged accurately, thus the ‘4’ might be difficult to see. However, the viewer(s) might understand which channel is being represented due to the animation style present, as well as the soundtrack. The pens/pencils/cocktail sticks etc. will arrange themselves into a straight horizontal line (vertical lines in different frames) in time with the music that will be present throughout the ident. I will be attempting to create the illusion of the objects appearing on-screen in time with the beat of the soundtrack. Because the soundtrack is quite fast and there are hundreds of beats present, the objects will need to be moved on the paper in rapid succession and a high amount of pictures will be required in order to ensure that the desired effect is achieved. I will not be using Claymation during the production of my ident because I will be attempting to create blocks out of pencils, pens etc. as opposed to using the pencils and pens as outlines for a series of objects constructed from a malleable material. The reason why I will not be using clay in this manner is because I think that the ‘4’ would look drastically different from existing idents, therefore my ident would not adhere to a channel in particular.

MOOD BOARD

BACKDROPS

During the production of my television ident, I will be utilizing coloured pieces of paper which will serve as backgrounds throughout the course of the animation. The backdrops will provide a positive atmosphere to the ident because they will feature multiple colours that possess a positive connotation, particularly blue which is considered a loyal and truthful colour. I will be using a blue background for my ident because the colour helps to produce a calming effect and also suggests a great deal of precision which would be quite advantageous when it comes to promoting things like television channels and programmes. The colour is also associated mainly with stability and this would create a positive tone in regard to the ident.

In order to enhance the visual quality of my ident, I might also employ pieces of paper with patterns on them. The presence of patterned images within my ident could increase the level of enjoyment for the viewer(s) as it would provide additional aspects for them to focus on. Patterns within the animation could also imply sophistication, mainly due to the repetitive decorative design which appears aesthetically pleasing.

In order to provide contrasting elements within my animation, I will be employing backdrops that possess mysterious colours such as black, grey etc. Grey seems to combine the calmness of white and the elegance of black, thus a strong sense of ambiguity is provided by the colour. The presence of contrasting colours within my ident could do well to provide juxtaposition throughout.

STORYBOARD/SEQUENCE PLANNING

STORYBOARD/SEQUENCE PLANNING

STORYBOARD/SEQUENCE PLANNING

SOUND PLANNINGFL Studio Mobile: Alesso & Calvin Harris – Under Control (Instrumental Remake) My Channel 4 ident will feature the first 20 seconds of the 2013 song ‘Under Control’, which was recorded by Calvin Harris and Alesso (both of whom are well-known record producers and DJs) and features vocals from English synthpop duo ‘Hurts’. The song is quite popular, having debuted at number one on the U.K. singles chart. I will be employing an extended instrumental version of the song within my ident; and I desire to ensure that the animation taking place within my ident fits with the beat exactly. This could enhance the aesthetic quality of my ident and also increase the level of enjoyment for the audience who would be kept intrigued throughout. The objects depicted within my ident should arrange themselves on-screen in time with the music. If I am able to accomplish this, I will be able to create an animation that flows easily. No additional sound effects such as paper rustling, pens scraping on papee etc. should be necessary for my ident.

SET DESIGNS

During the production of my television ident, the only things I will require are coloured paper, along with paper which has repetitive patterns, and multiple cocktail sticks. I intend to place the coloured paper onto a table and stabilize it using a book, tape etc. The paper will serve as a backdrop for the animation that will take place on-screen. In order to accomplish a fluid animation, I will be capturing 4-5 images of a single cocktail stick, which will be moved across the paper in small increments so that when the images are played on an editing program, the illusion that the cocktail stick is moving on its own will be established successfully. This process will be repeated 128 times, at which point the ‘4’ (which represents Channel 4) will be visible on-screen as the cocktail sticks arrange themselves into a series of rectangular shapes, all of which will comprise the ‘4’. The number of cocktail sticks that will be used (128) is also the exact number of beats present within the first 13 seconds of the soundtrack. Each stick will be moved 4-7 times depending on the manner in which it arranges itself into the frame e.g. by spinning into the frame or simply appearing on-screen. Therefore, a significant amount of shots will be needed to ensure that the animation is successful.