Channel 4’s Japanese Ident
While watching Japanese TV I’ve noticed that it’s extremely difficult to distinguish one channel from another. OK, so it’s easy enough to spot public broadcaster NHK’s two channels from their programming (boring!), but the commercial networks all seem the same to me. For one thing, they all offer the same mix of light entertainment programmes (mostly wide shows=variety shows) featuring the same TV stars on every channel. More significantly though, Japanese TV channels rarely feature any previews/trailers of forthcoming programmes, schedules telling you what’s going to be on the channel later that night, or information about which channel you’re watching.
Things are very different on British TV, where channels are constantly striving for strong brand identity. There’s a greater mix of programme styles (although admittedly often too much reality TV) and more innovation; British stars are often contracted to appear only on one channel, and they appear on TV less frequently than their Japanese counterparts; and programme schedules and/or previews of forthcoming programmes are usually featured between programmes, as are idents informing the viewer which channel they’re watching.
These idents are like TV commercials advertising the channel and creating brand identity. The best examples are those found on BBC2 and Channel 4. Both channels have a history of making innovative idents, although Channel 4’s are better than BBC2’s at the moment. In particular, I like this new one that uses CGI to manipulate a shot of street signs in the Kabuki-cho area of Shinjuku in Tokyo and create a 4 shape.
My other favourite ident is the Dubai construction one, while somebody has edited the rest of Channel 4’s recent idents together in one video and posted it on YouTube.