its an evaluation mate

1. SET DESIGNS
Following the process of capturing images of cocktail sticks which are moved into the frame, I will
be attempting to create the illusion of the background behind the ‘4’ changing whilst the ‘4’
remains in the exact same place on-screen. In order to accomplish such an effect, I will be
required to arrange the cocktail sticks onto the pieces of paper in a manner which ensures that all
versions of the logo appear almost identical, specifically in regard to position, the amount of sticks
within the frame and the arrangement of sticks that comprise the rectangular shapes that make up
the overall logo. I might be required to carry out this action 4-5 times.

2. TIMING SHEETS

3. TIMING SHEETS

4. TIMING SHEETS

5. TIMING SHEETS

6. PROP/CHARACTER CREATION
Pre-Production
Prior to beginning the production of my television ident, I obtained a
series of images from the internet which were edited within
Microsoft Word; techniques such as colour correction, lighting and
alteration of contrast were used to enhance the overall quality of the
pictures. In order to make the process of arranging the cocktail
sticks into a ‘4’ easier, I placed a series of arrows and rectangles
which formed the outline of the blocks which make up the channel’s
logo (as seen within the existing idents for the channel) into the
word documents (all of which featured a different coloured
background).
Production
After purchasing two small boxes of cocktail sticks (each of which
contained 100 sticks in total), I began creating my television ident.
Throughout the course of production, I animated 128 cocktail sticks
(the same number of sticks was required to create the ‘4’ logo as
shown in the image on the right). Production encompassed more
than five hours on Day One of shooting, whereas on Day 2
production lasted almost 2 hours. I was required to arrange the
cocktail sticks into the Channel 4 logo three times on several
different pieces of coloured paper (one grey, one brown and one
black).
Post-Production
Following production, I utilized the editing program Adobe Premiere
CS6 to arrange the images together in order to create a continuous
and uninterrupted sequence. Because different backgrounds and
frames were required throughout production, I spent a fair amount of
time attempting to drag different sections of footage into different
areas of the timeline to ensure that the sequences were placed in
the correct order. I was also required to alter the Speed/Duration of
the footage (after creating a new sequence from clip) to achieve the
desired effect, as well as ensure that the cocktail sticks appeared to
arrange themselves in time with the beat of the soundtrack (Under
Control). Following the assembly edit, I added the three images I
took of the ‘4’ (comprising of cocktail sticks) to the end of the
footage and duplicated these images several times. This created the
illusion of the background changing 8 times, even though only three
images were used for this section of the ident.

7. FINAL ADVERT –
COCKTAIL STICKS IDENT

8. PRODUCTION STILLS

9. WORKING DOCS
Throughout the post-production process, I was required
to work with more than 600 images which were taken
during production (as shown in Image 1). It was quite
time-consuming to select different sections of footage
(which featured a specific background) and arrange
them into the order I initially intended (as shown in
Image 2). Due to the fact that the framing of each image
within the timeline was irregular, I was also required to
highlight every image and scale them to the intended
frame size. This proved to be beneficial as it enabled me
to view the full on-screen animation as opposed to a
section of it, thus providing me with increased flexibility
during the production of my ident.
The soundtrack used within the ident (Under Control)
was shortened to 20 seconds and a fade-out was
provided at the end of the track. The reason why I
included this technique was to provide dramatic effect.
In order to enable quick and successful alteration of
screen duration i.e. accelerated motion, I selected a new
sequence from clip which was edited (as shown in Image
3). The reason for employing accelerated motion was to
ensure that the animation taking place on-screen
matched the beat of the soundtrack, thus enabling me to
achieve the desired effect.
1
2
3

10. PERSONAL
EVALUATION
My television ident for Channel 4 appears quite visually intriguing due to the presence
of multiple fast-moving objects that arrange themselves into the centre of the screen in
time with the background music (‘Under Control’ by Calvin Harris), as well as the
various different-coloured backgrounds present. My production has clearly benefited
from the animation technique I employed (animation of found objects) because there
are aspects present within the animation that aren’t possible in real-life (cocktail sticks
manoeuvring themselves) and the action that unfolds on-screen is fluid and can be
considered aesthetically pleasing. My production has also clearly benefited from the
creative ideas that went into it, specifically in regard to an ident composed of cocktail
sticks attempting to arrange itself as depicted through a wide range of camera shots
(most notably close-ups) until the final ident is revealed through a long shot. As a
result, my ident appears unique, quite distinctive from existing television idents as of
recent times.
The production of my Channel 4 ident was not group-based; I worked independently to
construct the animation (i..e on my own). This can be considered highly beneficial
because the production process went uninterrupted and I was my own boss
throughout; I was also provided with the opportunity to expand on my own work or
make adjustments whenever I felt necessary. In essence, I had complete control over
the production of my ident and this is a positive aspect. However, working
independently could have also been a negative aspect of production because I was
required to rely solely on my own skills and I was fully responsible for ensuring the
animations were successful, therefore if anything went wrong it would have been more
difficult to rectify. Also, there was no group dynamic present whatsoever, as well as
little access to support.

11. SCREENING PLAN
In order to obtain information regarding the audience for my Channel 4
television ident, as well as their thoughts and opinions, I will be creating a
questionnaire that will be designed on the website ‘SurveyMonkey’. The sole
purpose of this questionnaire will be a statistical study of the members of
my audience, specifically in regard to their preferences regarding television
idents, as well as their personal opinions on my ident. I will insert ten
questions with a choice of answers for each one, and once I have received
responses from the members of my audience, I will analyse them and
determine whether or not people think the ident is intriguing, professional
and/or suitable for a television channel.
This survey will be created online; I consider this effective because
teenagers and young adults tend to use the internet regularly and there will
be an even greater chance of a wide range of people locating my
questionnaire. Alongside the questions, I will provide a link to my Channel 4
ident on YouTube; this will enable those responding to my questionnaire to
actually see the ident prior to completing the questionnaire. The survey I will
be creating can be considered a good example of quantitative research its
primary aim will be to obtain responses which are brief and simple and will
provide me with a conclusion. This research will also be conducted in an
objective manner because it is research which I am undertaking myself
through a questionnaire.

12. POSITIVE RESPONSES
FROM SCREENING
The responses from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey are generally positive, with many members of the
audience commending the nature of the ident and the level of anticipation and suspense that is provided
throughout the course of it. The fast-paced nature of the ident, specifically in regard to the cocktail sticks
manoeuvring themselves into position on-screen, was praised by many members of those who responded to
the survey; this was most likely influenced by the fact that all members of the audience preferred an ident that
is fast-paced as opposed to slow. This shows that people who responded to my survey were intrigued by how
rapid the animations were and that my ident did well to evoke adrenaline due to the fact that it was fast-paced.
Just over 80% of the audience thought the ident appeared visually attractive, with some referring to it as
‘energetic and fast’ as well as detailed (one member of the audience commented that a ton of work went into
the product). This further shows that the ident pleased the audience due to its fast-paced nature.
Some of the responses I received implied that members of the audience were kept hooked throughout the
course of the ident due to the presence of multiple close-up shots representing different stages of the ident
arranging itself on-screen prior to the long-shot depicting the finished product. Some members of the audience
stated that they were ‘unsure of what the sticks were going to make’ and that they ‘wanted to see the finished
product’. This can be considered quite positive because it implies that the audience did not get bored during
the ident and were hoping to see what the animations were going to produce. One member of the audience
stated that they thought a lot of work went into the creation of the ident; this does well to show that the amount
of detail was praised, as well as the nature of the production stage. This member of the audience has clearly
acknowledged the fact that the production of the ident will have been time-consuming. 81.82% of the audience
stated that the ident seemed as visually pleasing as existing ones on television, with one member even
commenting that the animations appeared a lot more fluid than those within other idents. This shows that
people considered my ident quite professional in regard to its aesthetic quality. 90% of the audience thought
the style of animation flowed well, especially along with the fast-paced soundtrack in the background. One
member of the audience stated that the animation was ‘easy to follow’, thus showing that my ident was quite
coherent. In addition, over 90% of the audience stated that a strong sense of creativity was provided in regard
to the ident. This is highly positive because it shows that the majority of my audience assume that my ident is
quite original. Just over 70% felt that the ident was an accurate representation of Channel 4.

13. NEGATIVE RESPONSES
FROM SCREENING
18.18% of those who responded to my survey stated that the ident did not appear
visually intriguing in any way, most likely due to the presence of cocktail sticks rather
than a wide range of different objects e.g. pencils or pens. One member of the audience
stated that nothing stood out to them; this implies that the ident did not appear original
or visually attractive to this particular member of the audience. Another member of the
audience commented that the presence of cocktail sticks within the ident was not very
interesting and not visually appealing to look at. These responses show that although
the majority of the audience preferred the fast-paced animations, some weren‘t pleased
with the nature of the objects depicted on-screen throughout the ident.
10% of the audience thought that the style of animation did not flow well, with one
person stating that some aspects of the ident appeared quite jarring. This can be
considered a negative response because it shows that some members of the audience
assumed that the ident was clumsily produced. Almost 10% of those who responded to
the questionnaire thought the ident was not creative, whereas almost 30% stated that it
represented Channel 4 inaccurately; these responses can be considered negative
because they create the impression that the ident fell short of a professional standard
and that it did not satisfy the audience. Nearly 55% of the audience stated that
amendments would need to be made to the ident, further implying that it did not reflect
professional standards. Some members of the audience specified that the ident itself
could have been smoother in regard to the animations, as well as more suitable to the
nature of Channel 4. One audience member stated that the final shot of the Channel 4
logo (made out of cocktail sticks) seemed very cropped and that it should have been
more zoomed out in order to enable the audience to see it clearly.

14. COMPARISON TO OWN
OPINIONS
My personal opinions regarding the television ident I have produced are that it is highly
detailed, fast-paced, tense and that the animations themselves are fluid and convincing,
especially due to the fact that they fit with the beat of the soundtrack in the background. I also
think that the choice of music was ideal because it sounded strikingly similar to some of the
most recent idents for Channel 4, particularly the ‘Clock’ ident
(https://theident.gallery/player.php?id=C4-2015-CLOCK-2100-1) which depicts coloured blocks
arranging themselves across the screen in time to the music, although my ident was a lot
more fast-paced than the ‘Clock’ ident. I feel that some of the animations for the ident could
have been done better, particularly the shots depicting cocktail sticks simply appearing one
after the other on-screen as opposed to arranging themselves (in which case 4-7 images were
taken for each cocktail stick). I also think that the overall logo could have been done better
because it is quite difficult to identify it as the number ‘4’ initially.
Those who responded to my survey stated that they liked the ident due to the fact that it built
tension, with many implying that they were kept hooked throughout the course of the ident
and wanted to see what the cocktail sticks were going to produce at the end. Others
commended its visual quality, fast-paced animations and level of detail. This does well to
reflect my own personal opinions in regard to the nature of my television ident. Some
members of the audience stated that the ident could have been improved due to the fact that
some of the animations appeared jarring and that the ident did not seem to represent Channel
4 in an accurate way; in addition, some felt that the presence of cocktail sticks animating
themselves was not visually convincing and that the ident therefore lacked a sense of
sophistication. This reflects my own personal opinion that more images could have been
taken in order to ensure that all animations within the ident appeared equally as fluid and did
not disorient the viewer(s) in any way.

15. CONCLUSION
Overall, I think that my animated Channel 4 television ident
does not quite reflect a professional level, even though it
does appear visually attractive and is somewhat adrenaline-
evoking and tense. My ident has clearly benefited from the
significant amount of images I took; the animations appear
smooth and a great level of detail is implied. The presence of
dozens of fast-moving objects manoeuvring themselves on
screen in time to the beat of the background song is quite
visually intriguing; it does well to provide the ident with an
atmosphere that is not usually present in existing television
idents as of recent times. The ident has clearly impressed my
target audience (which is 18-19 year old males), as shown by
the responses I have received from my questionnaire.