Ident

  An ident is one of the first things an audience will see when watching a film. It is a short visual image that the production uses at the start of a film.  Typically, any films made by the Big Six will have an ident that is very bold and theatrical. The ident is usually linked with the ideology of the company.  For example, in the Universal ident, there is a picture of the globe which could link in with how Universal pictures have a lot of control over the media consumption of the world. Independent film companies also have idents but are usually more understated and less spectacular.

 Before creating my own ident, I had to come up with a name for my production company that would feature in the ident.  This was an important process because I wanted to create a name that would incorporate my ideas of what my production company stands for.  Therefore, I made a note of different quirky names that I might use.  Some of the ident names I came up with included: Limelight, Dollar, Falcon and Pug Productions.  In the end, I came up with the name 'British Bulldog Productions' because I thought the name represented the idea of being 'home grown' due to the reference of Britain.  Also, the reference to 'Bulldog' has connotations of being relentless and fierce. This therefore represents the ideology and ideas of the company with a clear image.  It is also very quirky and unique in contrast with the big, generic, spectacular  idents of the big six.

  The next stage of this process was to decide what software I would use in order to create the ident.  I chose this software because it is simple to use and I have used it before for other tasks. I then had to collect images from the Internet which I would use in the ident. I wanted to have a clear image of the UK portrayed through the selected images.  Therefore, I searched for the Union Jack and a Bulldog for the ident to have a clear and unique identity for the company.

Bulldog used in the "British Bulldog Production" Ident

  Once I had chosen the selected images, I then had to work out what effects I would use and what text I would use.  I had to make sure that the images and the effects along with the text all matched in order to enhance the ident.  To start with, I chose to use a black background for a few seconds at the start so that the sound effects that would be added later would come to the fore.  Then, I chose a transition of a film reel because it is traditional and sends out a message that the film company is traditional.  I then added the image of the Union Jack because it shows the British origin behind the company and how it is focused on British productions.   Already, the UK has 7% consumption, the third largest consumer in the world behind Japan and the USA.  Therefore, this ident is aiming to promote and increase the consumption in the UK.  The next transition I used was simple as the flag fades into the bulldog.  The bulldog I used in the in the ident is a quirky image because it is a bone china model of the bulldog which has the connotations of vintage British value.  Also, the Bulldog has an imprint of the Union Jack which also keeps the British theme in the foreground.  It is a quirky image to have for the ident because it is memorable and sends out a clear message of the ideology of the company.  Finally, the last transition I used was where the Bulldog flashes into darkness.  This is more effective than the image just turning black because it makes the ident look more realistic and professional. 

  Text is a very important part of the ident and I therefore had to give some consideration about what the text would be, what font I would use and what colour scheme I would use.  This is an important process because if the text doesn't match the theme and imagery of the ident, it will look disjointed and less effective.  When adding text, I wanted to make sure the text was simple but clear.  If the font was too elaborate, it would be more difficult to read and might not match the British Bulldog theme.  The first text I used overlapped the image of the Union Jack and was a simple font in white.  Although the text didn't look outstanding, it was clear and looked sophisticated with the British Background.  The next bit of text used was the same, "British Bulldog Production," but this time, although using a similarly simple font, I used the colour red for the text to stand out in the black background with the Bulldog in the foreground.  I thought this looked effective because the red font matches the colour of the flag and therefore enhances the overall effect of the ident. 

  The final process in making the ident was adding sound effects and music.  This is a very important process of the ident because it enhances the overall effect of the ident.  To start with, I chose to use sound effects of footsteps with the black background to create the illusion of a dog running.  I then changed and altered this illusion by adding audio effects so that the footsteps sound like a dog running on concrete.  Also, I added some music over the top of this sound effect and throughout the whole ident.  I chose to use music that enhances the overall effect of the ident.  As in other well-known idents such as universal, the music used is theatrical and creates a good effect.  Therefore, I tried to create a similar effect and selected a piece of music that creates some tension and drama, like the idents used by one of the Big 6.  I also chose edit the sound of the music so that it fades out at the end instead of just finishing.  This makes the sound more appealing and the ident, more professional. When the transition of the film reel is shown, I chose to use a sound effect which sounds like the clicking film reel.  This makes the ident sound more realistic.  Finally, I chose to use a sound effect of a barking dog at the end of the ident when the bulldog appears because it creates humour and also uniqueness with the dog.