Idents research

Within todays lesson we learnt the meaning and purpose of an ident, which is short for identification. According to online sources (www.dictionary.com) idents can be defined as: 'Broadcasting a short visual image employed between television programmes that works as a logo to locate the viewer to the channel'. In terms of films we learnt that an ident can help the audience to recognise and identify, the company behind it who worked to produce it. Idents can evolve over time, and alternative idents can also be used for certain films with a specific theme or genre. The purpose of this could be to set or create the mood for the audience, through various visual displays such as choice of colour. I have researched into particular idents via www.theidentgallery.com. This will help in the making of my ident for my horror opening (with team member Chloe Connell), as I will be able to explore conventional aspects of idents and mimic them onto my own.

Walt Disney:
Walt Disney s responsible for producing countlessly extremely iconin and popular films e.g 'Cinderella', 'Toy Story' trilogy and 'Tron: Legacy'. The legendary Walt Disney castle ident has evolved over time, as Disney have opted to continuously modify it. Walt Disney has alternative idents which are used for specific films. I have chosen to explore the Walt Disney ident as it is very known, and has aspects many are familiar with. Below is the link to a modern Walt Disney Pictures ident (2006), which is then followed by an alternative ident used for film 'Tron: Legacy' (2010).
 (I have used links of idents from www.theidentgallery.com)




This ident is one of Diney's most recognisable, and lasts for 31 seconds. The video begins with a close up shot of various twinkling stars in a blue sky with faint clouds. The camera then moves down by the use of a crane shot through the clouds, which gives an overview of a blue lit setting. The setting has things such as a train, river, boat and lit up houses in the distance. The camera then moves backwards to reveal the top of the Disney castle flag, as well as fireworks. The camera pans around the top of the castle slightly, and then moves further back whilst fireworks are still denoted. A long shot is then given of the castle as the fireworks stop; a river and the blue sky streaked with pink can also be seen. A small twinkling light moves over the castle in an oval formation, as finally the slightly twinkling but large 'Walt Disney Pictures' captions the castle. The colour of the caption is denoted as a translucent silver.

The stars at the beginning of the clip could connote a sense of peacefulness, this could have been done by the company to make the audience feel relaxed and at ease. The stars could also connote the heavens, which would make the company seem powerful. The landscape shows things such as houses, which can connote a feel of community. This could have been done to show the company's intention of bringing individuals together, to watch their films. The large castle could represent the company as grand, great and extremely powerful. Not only this but the lit up blue landscape as well as the castle could connote magic, and conduct an image of a fantasy dream land where anything is possible. This links in with the theme of many Disney movies such as 'Toy Story', where toys can talk and lead their own lives. Adding to this the image of the magical castle appeals to a young audience, and also references the Disneyland park (where the castle can be viewed in person). This research will help in creating my own ident, as I will steer away from the use of bright colours. This is as my ident should represent a horror genre; so I should use darker colours which give a sense of tension.




This alternative Walt Disney ident was used specifically for the film 'Tron: Legacy' (2010), and is 24 seconds long. Below is a trailer for film 'Tron: Legacy' (uploaded from www.youtube.com):

There are obvious major changes from the first Walt Disney ident, to the alternative one. In complete contrast to the first ident, the alternative ident begins with a close up of beams emitting light; this then heightens as more beams appear and lights are shone in all directions. The camera then begins to move back slowly, which reveals a long shot of a blackened sky with very faint midnight blue clouds. The classic Disney castle is denoted with a change of colour and design, as it is black with various fluorescent blue lines and shapes. The ground is denoted to have the same design, and the castle is denoted as being lit up from the back with bright beams.

The connotations of the dark colour scheme and design is that it mimics the sci-fi theme of the film 'Tron: Legacy'. The trailer of the film shows the virtual reality 'Grid' which holds the same look as the designs used within the ident. The ident indicates the science fiction genre of the film to the audience, whilst the dark castle and colours create a tense atmosphere. This is as the audience are familiar with the bright colours that are usually seen in the Walt Disney Pictures ident, however the change of image creates a dramatic effect. This will help when creating my ident, as I am now more aware of what aspects can create tension and how atmospheres can be altered to suit specific genres.

Below are two images (taken from google images), which show the deliberate similarities in design of the alternative ident and 'Tron: Legacy':

Lionsgate:
I have also chosen to research the idents of Lionsgate as they are also extremely well known. They have produced popular movies such as 'The Hunger Games', 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn' and 'Kick Ass'. Lionsgate have also produced various horror films such as 'Saw'. This will help in creating my horror movie ident, as I could apply some of the techniques used to my own. The first clip below is of the classic Lionsgate ident, while the second is an alternative one used specifically for the opening of horror films. (Both clips are uploaded from www.youtube.com)

This Lionsgate ident is 22 seconds long. The beginning of the clip is denoted as the camera moving across various grey bolts and gears moving around. A pan shot denotes all them all working together. The camera then zooms out in a backward motion, displaying more bolts on the side whilst offering a quick long shot of the and gears. It then moves back through a gold key hole of two grand and detailed double doors. The doors are denoted as opening swiftly to reveal a flash of bright light. This then shows the bold and dark sanS serife caption 'LIONSGATE'', which rests on a background of clouds. The caption is made to stand out, as behind it there is a patch of bright light. Around the caption however dark grey/black clouds are denoted.

The gears working together could connote the hard work and dedication that the company put into creating films. Also the fact that all the gears and bolts work together in unison, could connote that Lionsgate films are perfectly executed. The colours used throughout the ident such as metallic gold, could show Lionsgate to be a grand and powerful company. This is further reinforced through the two detailed doors, which have a grand appearance. The use of the clouds and bright lighting gives connotations of God and the heavens; this as a result makes the company seem important and respected. In addition to this the gears from the beginning of the ident transforms into the heavenly image with the caption. This could connote how the hard work from  the producers of the film transforms into a beautiful piece of work.



This alternative Lionsgate ident can be found at the beginning of horror films such as 'Saw'. The camera work and visual imagery remains the same; however the obvious difference is colour scheme. Within the beginning of the ident, the gears and bolts are a lot rustier with a dominant colour spectrum of brown. They are also dirtier compared to the slick and shinier ones in the original. Another change could be when the two grand doors open, the colour and lighting differ to the original ident. When they open there is no bright flash of light, and the Lionsgate caption does not rest against a patch of bright clouds whilst being surrounded by darker clouds on the outer layer. Instead the capitalised 'LIONSGATE' caption is a transluscent but dark grey, whilst the background consists of deep red clouds with black clouds on the outer layer.

The deep red clouds contrast the heavenly bright clouds in the original; hence why they may connote imagery of hell. The red could also connote evil as well as a sense of being sinister. This could hold reference to the film holding spooky and mysterious content. Adding to this the overall dark colour scheme (including that of the gears), could create an intense atmosphere for the audience. It also foreshadows that what they are about to watch has the intention of being scary, as well as reinforcing the horror genre. Researching this ident will be helpful when I create my own, as I am now more aware of what potential colours will promote a horror genre.



Below are two images (both taken from google images), which show the deliberate and clear differences in design of the original ident and the alternative ident:

From this activity I learnt that idents  can appear to hold simple imagery, but have deeper underlying messages an connotations. When creating my own ident it does not have to complex; it can be simple yet effective. Adding to this I have also learnt how idents can set the tone through the use of colour schemes and images. When creating my own, I will ensure that Chloe Connell and I use colour and images which reinforce the genre of horror.