Motion Graphics Deconstruction: CBBC TV Ident 2/11/2013

This week's blog is a follow on from my previous post where I deconstructed two short motion graphic examples from Bioware and EA. In this post I will be deconstructing a short TV ident from CBBC. TV idents are used to inform the viewer about which channel they are watching and are commonly used in the transition between two programs, or before the beginning of one. These motion graphics are an important part of advertising as the content they show represent the channel.

I chose the above animation as it is a good example of a motion graphic targeted to a specific audience. CBBC is well known as a children's channel, therefore the animation needed to be appropriate for the age range. If the viewer was unaware what CBBC was, the ident is able to provide an idea of the channel it represents, the most obvious indication being the green blob-like character.

The music is made up of a variety of instruments including guitars and drums, the use of sound is to accompany the movements and to create a more appealing ident. The sound isn't in synch with the animation and is also non-diegetic. The use of music within a TV ident is useful for bringing attention back to the screen. The choice of music was important as the animation itself is fast paced; opera music wouldn't have suited for that reason (it would also have proved very unappealing to children).

The colour theme of the motion graphic is kept bright and simple. The colours are very bold with the red background making the green of the character stand out. This is another way the motion graphic keeps the focus on the CBBC logo. The brightness is also visually appealing and as mentioned earlier is associated particularly with children and cartoons.

The camera stays static in the motion graphic, the background moves slowly whilst the kung-fu blob moves quickly around the screen. It is made to move from the background to the foreground and makes use of the entire screen area, again this makes the animation more interesting and creates depth.

Children's channels are frequently associated with cartoons and humour, so it makes sense for the idents to follow the same trend. The character is simple and 2D, with large cartoon eyes, this style makes it child-friendly. It has a personality which adds to comic value and keeps the children's theme present. The personality is shown through the movement and expression of the eyes (the brows are down to show determination and its serious attitude). The animation shows good examples of easing in and out with the kung-fu, this makes it appear 'true' to how it would really move and is also an example of anthropomorphism. The blob splits in two separate characters to create a miniature fight scene, again making the short clip more humorous and appealing to children.

Finally, the blob is branded with the 'CBBC' logo, the writing itself does not move, but again with the use of bold colours it stands out. Instead of just having the writing moving around the screen the blob is the main focus of the ident. This is an important and intelligent way of informing the viewer of the channel/service as children don't particularly find text interesting, therefore they associate the character with the channel instead. The most important part of motion graphics is ensuring that the product or service that is being advertised is clearly seen, this animation achieves just that.


By Kimberley Collins