AS2:Task 1/2: Ideas Generation and designing the suite

Brainstorming

When deciding what theme a suite of idents is going to be, it's important to look at all theme options and take into consideration the programmes aired on the channel. Also, a range of ages need to be considered, for example CBBC is for 6-13 year olds, similarly to Cartoon Network, whereas channels like Cbeebies cater for 6 years and under. When choosing themes, it's important not to jus consider 'childish' themes, such as nature, the alphabet and animals etc, but it is important to broaden those ideas further to topics such as space, adventure and the ocean. As a task , we were asked to first choose a children's channel to create an ident for as it meant we were all looking for a likeminded audience together to share ideas. As well as a theme, it is also important to look for the purpose of an ident. This could mean what time of day or year it is going to be used, and what it is trying to teach the child. With this taken into consideration, the ident cannot contain anything that may influence poor behaviour, and it must allow some kind of topic to be explored.

I chose Cartoon Network, as after looking at the selection of programmes on the channel I noticed that they contained humour and subjects that can appeal to a very large audience, from younger children to teenagers. This is interesting to me, so I decided that I would use this channel so that my options for themes were not limited. My first stimulus was a picture of Adventure Time character Jake the Dog dancing to music, and I decided to use him as my main character in the suite of idents.

Proposal 

The theme for my suite of idents is characters with superpowers. This will involve popular characters from CN displaying different powers over a few different idents, including flying, telekinesis and invisibility. With this suite, it is easy to add seasonal themes such as Christmas, Easter and Halloween. I have chosen this theme as I think it is fitting for CN with a slightly more mature and humorous theme for an audience that is aged approximately 6-13 years old. These ages would'nt appreciate themes such as numbers and the alphabet, as that is a learning curve they have already passed. Also, the idea of super powers is intriguing and easy to work with, as there are lots to choose from and some can be used in different scenarios and for different times of day, such as bed time and night time so it serves the purpose of a flexible ident.

• Flying: This ident will start with the character flying through the sky surrounded by clouds. They will then fly through a cloud and grab the 'C' and fly down with it. After flying for a couple of seconds, they will put the 'C' with the 'N', which will now be sat on top of a cloud. This creates the CN logo. The storyboard is shown below.

• Invisibility: The character will be wearing a jacket and boots standing still in the shot. The characters body will then disappear leaving only the face and clothing. The face will then completely disappear, and the 'C' and 'N' will appear as it fades. While the character is 'invisible', the coat and boots will move around and the letters will move as though someone is shaking them. The character will then re-appear. The storyboard is shown below.

• Telekinesis: The character will start by moving the 'C' around the screen without touching it physically. Once it has travelled around the screen in a semi circle, the character will then move the 'N' across the screen without touching it. Once that has done the same, and the letters form the CN logo, the character will then push both of the letters off the screen to end the ident. This is shown in a storyboard and animatic below. 

The animatic should not be so blurry, however due to technical difficulties with a camera and lack of time to improve, this is the only outcome I got for now. Once i have finished more key elements of this task, i will re-upload a more clearer version.