STUDIOCANAL ident

[Richard Martin]

I'm finding the crass and noisy STUDIOCANAL ident at the top of every individual episode of the ABC Public Eye set really rather distracting and unneccessary. It's not as if they made the show, they just acquired an archive. If they must bung their logo on it for whatever reason, couldn't they at least do it at the end? I would probably mind less if it was a less horrible bit of sound design but it is a bloody racket.

Okay, rant over. I think. Anyone feel similarly or am I all alone in a cruel world on this one?

[Simon Coward]

I agree. I wouldn't mind so much if the sound on the ident was at a similar (or lower) level to the sound on the programme, but it's mostly very noticeably louder and to have to adjust the volume level twice - or hit the mute button twice - is a pain. If there only was a chapter point immediately after it - at least it would be one key-press fewer!

Putting it in its current form at the front of each and every episode may widen people's awareness of STUDIOCANAL as a brand, but I doubt it does anything to increase the esteem in which the company is held.

[Roll ACR]

I must agree, although we must be grateful to have the material released at all, and the ident is no more crass than any of the other countless preposterously grandiose film studio identifications, it is a right royal pain in the arse having it before every episode on releases of their material. Why does it have to be the whole bloody production every time? Show the full ident in the DVD's pre-menu legal faff and then just have a brief mute caption saying "Studio Canal presents" into each episode if you must.

I prefer the way Fremantle Media have done their material, with the cum splash tagged on after the Thames production caption. Much more sympathetic.

[Richard A]

I have to agree with all of the above. There always seems to be to be an inordinate degree of pomposity about protracted animated logos anyway (2 in a row at the start of every Doctor Who DVD), and having one forced onto you every episode, for a company that made no contribution whatsoever to the original creative content, is very galling.

I've no doubt that STUDIOCANAL have demanded this, because Network have very much an archive TV mindset and would be unlikely to have conceded to this willingly - certainly I'm not holding Network to account for this.

The joke is that every time I have to sit through this idiocy* when settling down to watch a choice piece of archive TV, my regard for STUDIOCANAL goes one notch further into the negative (I won't post what it makes me want to do to that organisation). I'm a fairly mild mannered person but some things do needle me.

* = though in truth I do use the mute button and look away nowadays.

[SDG1970]

I was thinking just the same thing a couple of evenings ago, whilst I was trundling through a few episodes of 'The New Avengers'. Hadn't watched them for a while, but this time around noted that 'ident' appears at the start of some - the latter episodes of the 1st Series at least -and is indeed somewhat irksome. That is of course, assuming it is the same logo/ident?? Some chap, sounds as if he is severely constipated as the ident appears in the clouds. . .

[Shaqui]

My first exposure to it was the monochrome version on the Pathfinders in Space trilogy. That was bad enough. Then I saw it in colour on another release. WTF! :-P

[Shaqui]

I prefer the way Fremantle Media have done their material, with the cum splash tagged on after the Thames production caption. Much more sympathetic.

*chokes on drink*

[Ross]

There always seems to be to be an inordinate degree of pomposity about protracted animated logos anyway (2 in a row at the start of every Doctor Who DVD), and having one forced onto you every episode, for a company that made no contribution whatsoever to the original creative content, is very galling.

Agree 100%. It's part of this modern belief that "brand identity" is an end in itself, but people buy Public Eye, City Beneath the Sea and Tempo because they want them, not because of who currently owns them. It doesn't sell them any more copies.

[Cheeseford]

Agree 100%. It's part of this modern belief that "brand identity" is an end in itself, but people buy Public Eye, City Beneath the Sea and Tempo because they want them, not because of who currently owns them. It doesn't sell them any more copies.

With releases like the above, the audience is going to be mostly serious enthusiasts, who are going to hate the intrusion.

[Tim D]

I feel your pain Richard and you're certainly not suffering alone. It is a horrible ident. All that tweeting and screaming means absolutely nothing at all, or if it does, it's completely lost on the audience. Even the 'orchestra' can't hold a tune. It was probably conceived by some dreadfully bland creative agency. I think it would be less offensive if it was shorter and had a softer tune, or any tune at all would help. Oh, and I agree, turn the ruddy volume down. If you're backed up to hard drive for viewing, I'd splice them back out, but it's a lot of faff and who's got the time?

[GaryA]

The Studiocanal 'jingle' on the recent Scotland Yard release is a new one.

You can see it by viewing the free episode on the Network site.


http://networkonair.com/shop/1652-scotl ... eries.html

[Tim D]

The Studiocanal 'jingle' on the recent Scotland Yard release is a new one.

That's far less offensive, but could do with being a bit shorter if it's appearing on every episode of a television series. I won't have to dive for the remote anymore now though.

[The Wooksta!]

I found it very jarring with the Undermind set. Actually, bloody annoying.

[Juswuh]

I quite like the twittering ident - it was on my first DVD (The Avengers 63-64, French release) so has a certain nostalgia.

[Mark]

Always thought it was a noisy and annoying ident, glad they have changed it.

Best one ( on the other hand) is the 'Granada Ventures' one, with the swirling white pattern forming into a G, accompanied by an echoey piece of Music, never get tired of that one.!

[brigham]

Does anyone except me read the current swirly Network one as 'Netwonk'?

[Simon Coward]

Does anyone except me read the current swirly Network one as 'Netwonk'?

'You're not alone. The way the 'r' forms - initially having two stems so that it looks more like an 'n' for much of its life. I thought I might be the only one too...

[bent_halo]

There's a whole thread in this. We should call it "Doctor Oho" or "Clit of the Unknown".

I fancy myself as someone of fairly avant garde musical tastes but even the farting orchestra of StudioCanal falls on deaf ears chez Halo.

[Simon Coward]

There's a whole thread in this. We should call it "Doctor Oho" or "Clit of the Unknown".

I fancy myself as someone of fairly avant garde musical tastes but even the farting orchestra of StudioCanal falls on deaf ears chez Halo.

To be honest, I don't mind the sound that accompanies the ident, just the volume at which it blasts forth. A significantly quieter version would be OK by me.