BBC4 Research

BBC4 was the one company that I was least interested in for this ident brief, mainly because I had instant associations with it that the channel was boring and something I never watched. I watch BBC1 more than any of the other channels, but not BBC4. But after a bit of research I found out it wasn't as boring as I initially thought.

BBC4 broadcasts shows such as documentaries, music international films and current affairs.... as well as a bit of comedy. However BBC4 seems a bit more strict than the other channels I have researched. By that I mean, the channel is under a specific license to show certain shows every year. They are under requirement to show 20 international films every year, 100 hours of art entertainment and 110 hours of factual programmes, like documentaries therefore there hypothetically, there would be limitations as to what they can involve in their idents. Something that would be a challenge.

         

From what I have gathered, the idents shown on BBC4 are for the most part or from what I have witnessed, as all live action. They involve a four split screen of the same clip but in four different parts and at different times, with their logo in the middle, like the one shown above. I have yet to come across one that is animated, which is not a bad thing, I actually see it as a great opportunity as a big gap in the market.

Because the idents are so simplistic, it gives the impression that the channel do not put too much effort into their idents, which is alright and could be down to its license in theory, which is understandable and not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps they don't do animated idents because of the versatility in their channel and what they show is so broad in topic, that sometimes animation can be too specific and have a narrative, therefore may be a bit of an issue for the company. It is also hard to have an ident that is good for comedy and also a documentary, as they are different ends of the spectrum. Though making several unique idents would solve this issue.

I also found out that BBC4 used to have a slogan named 'Everyone needs a place to think' which I think would be nice to focus on if I made an ident in relation to this company. The slongan is no longer mentioned, however is stamped on benches around London.