Year: 2008

Categories
Channel 4 Videos: TV

Channel 4’s truly alternative Christmas message.

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Since 1993 Channel 4 has been offering viewers an alternative to the Queen’s Christmas message. With the likes of Ali G, Jamie Oliver and even Marge Simpson delivering a speech it’s generally been a rather tongue-in-cheek event.

This year however Channel 4 decided to court controversy with their decision to approach Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (who was so beautifully satirised by SNL here) to deliver the address.

Categories
Videos: Idents

Norway’s TV2 gets festive with folklore.

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Norway’s TV2 embraces the Scandinavian creature of folklore Tomte for these Christmas idents, wishing us all a very god jul.

– Thanks to Hans for the videos.

Categories
BBC One Videos: Idents

Wallace and Gromit get idents’d for BBC One.

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Wallace and Gromit are the stars of the BBC’s festive look this year, with the claymation duo featuring in their very own ident.

Sticking to the ‘circle’ theme, the Aardman creations are a slightly different take on the usual Christmas branding for BBC One which has previously featured ice skating penguins, and giant balls of snow.

And what would December be without some Christmas specials, including among other things the return of Gavin & Stacey, featured in the two trailers after the jump.

Continue reading “Wallace and Gromit get idents’d for BBC One.”
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European TV Videos: Idents

The strange flip book world of Cult.

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Based on a music video for Dutch group Kraak & Smaak, the same directors have repurposed the flip-book-meets-real-world concept for this series of idents for Fox owned Italian channel Cult.

According the channel, the idents are “an intriguing game of perspectives in which the protagonist is the claim of the channel: TV or not TV?.”

For a channel which describes itself as “curious, nonconformist and irreverent”, this trippy collection of mildy confusing idents, and an equally strange slogan all somehow works perfectly.

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Nine Network Videos: Idents

Baz Luhrmann’s Australia.. the ident.

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As part of the massive marketing effort to promote to Baz Luhrmann’s new flick Australia, the Nine Network has been running a series of line-ups and idents themed around the movie. The odd combination of an epic film, and a line up featuring Two and a Half Men doesn’t exactly make sense, but very little does on Nine.

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Web Asides

The Panics get Ugly.

The Panics featured on Ugly Betty.

Categories
Videos: TV

Freeview’s simultaneous Australian launch.

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At 6:29pm tonight Freeview came to Australia. The new digital platform (aka marketing ploy) launched across the five free to air networks in an effort to band together and promote the benefits of digital terrestrial television.

The Freeview concept has been a strong part of the digital take up in the UK since its launch in 2002, with New Zealand following with a similar campaign in 2007.

I’m sure Australia’s equivalent of Penelope Keith will be spruiking set top boxes and multi channel goodness to a confused public in no time.

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BBC One Videos: Promos

One day like this, on the BBC.

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Ninety second promo for the BBC’s latest batch of new drama. Featuring the likes of Survivors, Little Dorrit, Spooks, Einstein and Eddington, Consuming Passion, Apparitions, Wallander and In Love with Barbara.

All set to the Elbow’s tune “One Day Like This”.

Categories
Videos: TV

Toshiba use 200 cameras to try and sell you a TV.

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Shot using 200 cameras, and costing £3 million, this new commercial from Toshiba employs a new filming technique dubbed “timesculpture“, an evolution of the “bullet time” method made famous by The Matrix.

Like any good ident, I like a commercial to be elaborate, ambitious, and just a little bit pointless. Toshiba ticks all the boxes with this new ad, and while clearly a play to get the kind of buzz generated by the brilliant Sony Bravia commercials, this spot is a notable effort, and reminded me that Toshiba actually made televisions.

And although I’ve suddenly find myself in the market for a TV, I’m not sure it will be a Toshiba yet. That said, I started drinking Schweppes after this amazing commercial, so maybe I’m more susceptible to advertising then I thought.

Categories
Web Asides

ABC in 2009

The ABC announces its line up for 2009, including a new season of the Chaser.