Opportunities
Creation of Corporate identity
Idents allow for an opportunity for branding or Creation of Corporate Identity. Idents are a cheaper way in which the broadcaster can promote their ethos and values to their audience. An example of this would be the ITV idents, many of them denote an action by normal people, eg riding their bikes, sitting on the bus. All of the actions or camera movements are presented in slow motion, to which the camera is either still or on a slow track. Furthermore, the very fact that the girl sitting at the back of the bus wears the bunny ears at (0:14) compared with the rest of the people on the bus add to this element that ITV dont appeal to just one person but rather everyone. ITV want to connote to their audience how they broadcast to all of the UK, the people in the idents are all of different ages and race etc. But the locations as a whole which is the UK stay a constant. ITV want to brand themselves as appealing to everyone, they don't distinctively have a specific demographic but they are much broader in the whole of the UK. The rest of the idents within the suite perhaps provide a different insight onto the branding of ITV. The ident which denotes the men riding the bikes through London during the night at (0:04) whilst it doesn't brand ITV by iteself, collectively with the other idents they are continuously pushing this theme that they are for the UK and they cater to everyone.Display of text based information
The display of text is the way in which extra text is added into the ident to add more branding for the channel and connote more about the channel from the extra information. An example o f this would be Home's ident, which a camera takes us through a home, but at specific points there is extra text added. At (0:04) there is text surrounding an item on the table reading, 'looks great, never used' which is in cursive writing which is very bright almost like a light. The text almost seems like a quote that the person said when they put it on the table, which adds to the audience appeal. If the audience can read this and identify with a similar situation that they might have been in then the ident has engaged the audience and can fully promote the channels ethos and branding. Branding of content
Branding of content is the opportunity for the broadcaster to promote their new flagship programme. Comedy Central and their new show 'Friends' which was broadcasted mostly on channel 4 would be an example of this, as they payed a ,lot of money and have used a suite of idents to promote the show new to their channel. The ident denotes a simple 2D animation lasting 5 seconds, which portrays this little red box, that uncovers the Friends logo, to which a drop down slide happens where it shows the Comedy Central logo. The ident connotes simply how they have this new leading show for their channel. The fact that it is only 5 seconds long means that they can use it as often as possible, to promote the show as often as possible. Comedy want to get their return on their expenditure for buying the shows rights as quick as possible so any chance they have they can promote it with a simple 5 second animation.Creation of tone
Creation of tone is the broadcaster connoting a certain atmosphere and tone about the channel and how they want to be perceived as by the audience. An example would be Sky Atlantic, their idents have a particular feel to them which evokes a certain emotion in the audience and ultimately gives the channel a certain intended tone. Their ident denote a street, market food place where the man quickly puts the napkin which had writing on it into his bowl at (0:03) and starts looking around as the camera moves further away from him at (0:05). The action doesnt tell a story but it does still create questions within the audience. Along with the music which is very subtle and slow, it adds to this unnerving tone to the scene, which then creates a bigger tone for the channel. The channel can now be associated with this mysterious, almost sinister tone which is exactly what they want the audience to think for the programmes that they broadcast. This ident is not the conventional way to evoke anxiety or a sinister tone, but it does create the more subtle, spooky atmosphere. 
Appeal to target audience
Appealing to the target audience within an ident is perhaps a crucial opportunity for the broadcaster as if they can do this then they can really improve their viewing figures as the audience can relate on a more personal level. An example of this would be the channel Home and their ident, which denotes a slow tracking shot that either moves closer to the subject or revolves around it, but the subject is always a still image. At (0:08) which denotes the books piled on top of each other, as the camera then pans left and out to give an overview of the whole front room. The camera language really highlights the action as it tries to allow the audience to see it as their own. The home is not perfect and the books almost show some clutter which is something that everyone's home has, this again emphasises the audience identification with the ident. Also the logo Home which is denoted in a bright, cursive writing, this also adds to the themes of appealing to their target audience as it acts as a light almost and is not too bright and loud, but it is rather more elegant which is in keeping with the ident.
Encouragement of brand loyalty
Encouragement for the audience is the way in which the ident is used to keep the audience to stay for the night or a particular period of time. This can be seen in the ITV ident 'Super Saturday' this aims to keep the audience watching the channel for the entire Saturday. The ident denotes a 3D animation as the the camera follows the various letters, which all have different shows on them such as Britain's got talent at (0:05.) The fast pace screen tempo aims to keep the audience hooked and to encourage them to want to stay because these popular entertainment based programmes are being shown. The music also provides the upbeat tempo for the ident which again adds to this theme that ITV have the best content on a Saturday and thats why the audience should stay.Limitations
Typography
Typography is the chance for the broadcaster to really put emphasis on their logo and name, unfortunately some of the meaning in the typography is either too subtle for the audience to understand or it simply doesnt connote enough about the channel its self. SYFY's ident denotes a simple 3D animation where at (0:01) the camera is in a close up of these purple bubbles to which we then cut in to a birds eye view which reveals the logo. The logo denotes white, 3D animated typography, with standard sizing letters upon a white background. The lack of colour in the typography and the fact that there is no action within the logo means that the audience cant derive any information from it. The lack of colour means that there is no excitement for the audience and instead of connoting the channels ethos it rather just acts as a filler of blank space, that means nothing to the audience.Resolution
Resolution is the quality of the picture on screen, its the difference between standard definition and high definition, it is the number of pixels that make up the picture. But in STV's case their idents are only in 720p which whilst that's better then standard definition its still not the best resolution to render or exhibit idents in. At (0:09) wee see the real life actions transition into the 2D animation of the logo. Here we can really see the quality of the resolution which becomes a downfall for the channel, as the audience don't want to watch something that isn't the best quality, most younger people can now see the difference relatively well. The channel also is only small and whilst it might not have the finances that ITV have to produce the best idents, in truth that's there own weakness because if they cant produce better quality idents then no one will watch them and they wont make any money.
Colour
Colour is something that creates a lot of meaning, it makes an ident look more appealing and engaging for the audience. As we can see from the BBC idents when there was only black and white which denote their logo and then a transition of a fade into a picture of the UK which lies underneath the logo. The ident is dull and boring, it does connote that they are an English broadcaster and that they want to appeal to everyone with the circle in their logo. However aside from that the ident is not eye catching and has less of an effect in comparison with the idents that BBC have now. At (0:14)Size
The size of the ident is very important, there are many different size TV's and viewing platforms which means that if the size is not right then it will not disproportionate on some screens. An example would be the BBC 3 ident where the 3D animation is very busy. It contains many actions happening across the whole of the screen which at (0:04) denote people walking down the stairs, right in the top right hand side of the screen. Depending on the TV size and the ratios/resolutions these types of details are lost in the ident. Whilst specifically they dont carry a whole connotation by themselves, they do add to the overall idea of the ident, and when they are lost that would mean that the ident is almost broken and doesnt carry the full connotation it intended on.
Aspect-ratio
The aspect ratio is the height and width of the screen and the size of the image that it produces. Aspect ratios can vary and whilst there is a standardized ratio 4:3 for TV there are still problems when the ratio changes on different viewing platforms which would loose some of the ident. An example of this would be Sky Arts as at (0:10) we see the butterflies fly off from the women, up and away. The ident is supposed to look really exciting as there is a lot of detail, but when the ratio changes some of that detail will be lost. Now the ident doesnt connote what Sky Arts want to be represented as, it will seem more jaded and rough as opposed to this beautiful and 'perfect' ident.
Analogue and digital recording and transmission systems
The difference between analogue and digital is the quality of the picture and the clarity, analogue has a very limited quality and stretched pixels which lowers resolution. Whereas, digital provides a better quality image in a high resolution. In terms of idents it means that the BBC 3 ident for example would be hugely affected depending on what transmission it is broadcasted in. At (0:08) as the camera tracks out the picture denotes more of the background where the man bungee jumps off the cloud. As this is broadcasted in digital then the audience can see these little details that actually carry connotations to make up the whole ident. However if the ident was broadcasted in analogue then most of this background would be cut off and the ident would loose meaning. This would weaken the effect that idents have and then the channel couldn't fully portray its ethos and branding.
Creative Communications
Enhancing ideas
Enhancing ideas within an ident is a broader range of technical elements that can help illustrate the broadcasters ethos' and how they want to be represented. An example of this would be Dave their suite of idents denote an everyday situation but with a surprise ending to them. This ident denotes security checks happening, but one of the trays coming through the machine has a cat sitting in it at (0:05). The channel are trying to connote that they bring the fun and enjoyment to the audience when life is really dull and boring. The camera is in a slow tracking shot at (0:04), which doesnt build to a big reveal because we are not expecting anything, but rather Dave are trying to connote that they bring the unexpected fun. If you want just sit back and watch some entertaining TV then they are the channel for that.
Pushing the technology
Technology is constantly evolving and improving, broadcasters are now able to use special effects for their idents to perfectly frame the shot or do the impossible. There perhaps is a fine line to pushing the technology of course the audience want to see the best and the newest technology involved in the channels content, equally though if the technology is used wrongly or the employees arent very skilled in it then the ident will look bad. An example of this would be the BBC idents, which denote the dogs jumping through a ring of fire at (0:01), as well as running around in a circle at (0:05.) Whilst looking at the dogs running around from a bird eye view, this allows for the shot to be perfectly framed. However, you can still see that it is an animated picture from the action of the dogs, which then could be argued that some of the special effects is a downfall.
Communicating visual ideas to a non-visual audience
This can be achieved through the use of music and voice overs to again portray the ethos and branding of the channel. Sky sports would be a good example of this as at (0:08) we hear a very deep, loud voice over denoting, 'your watching sky sports 1 your home of football' coupled with the audio that plays which is partly of the crowd celebrating and partly the music at (0:06) which carries a more magical tone with it. Sky Sports have been able to apply the use of audio to really emphasise this tone and atmosphere that is created within the ident. The feeling that the channel allows its audience to fully immerse itself in to the sport and really escape and feel like the audience are really at the match.
Creating under pressure of time and budget
This is where we can see that the designer was pressured to create something with very little budget, which acts as a limitation for the broadcaster as the audience wont be engaged with the ident. An example of this would be Movies4Men which denotes a simple D animation of the logo with the camera just sweeping round to the left hand side at (0:06.) The colours are bland, and there is a lack of movement within the ident, which means that it doesnt really connote anything about the channel. It aesthetically looks terrible and the audience will not be engaged with it, meaning that the ident is useless as it doesnt connote anything about their ethos or branding.Appealing to a target audience
Appealing to a target audience can be achieved through the technical elements within an ident, this would allow the audience to become engaged which ultimately means the broadcaster can get across their ethos and branding better. Good Food's idents would be a good example of how to appeal to a target audience, their ident denotes a group of people all sitting, having desert, and laughing. At (0:05) we see many of the characters laughing and smiling which is captured through some fast paced editing as the the camera continuously cuts between the expressions of the people and the food itself. The ident has been able to appeal to several target audiences, the main demographic which are the everyday people that are interested in cooking and the people that perhaps are more serious about cooking. The ident allows the audience to identify with the characters which means that the audience will pay more attention and Good Food can really illustrate their ethos of food but also this sense of togetherness. Appreciation of desired tone.
For an ident to really engage the audience which in turn portrays its branding and representation of the channel it needs to carry the right tone. Sky arts ident is a good example of setting the right tone, their ident denotes the butterflies that come from the women as we follow them up to reveal the sky arts logo. At (0:13) we see the a close up in slow motion of just a couple butterflies which are blue and red in very clear detail, as the camera then cuts out to more of a long shot. The ident is really able to illustrate this calming, relaxing tone and the audience can really appreciate the creativity in the visual style. Sky arts therefore are able to brand themselves as this channel fully devoted to the art, and the true beauty that it can possess. The ident is engaging which allows for the branding to clearly come across in the ident, the technical elements of this ident from the special effects to the clarity of the resolution of the ident, means that the audience will pay attention. 
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