10 November 2008

sound + motion: tv opener research

• your chosen project and why. how will this project work better in your portfolio than the other option?

I am choosing to do the tv opener because I've never explored that kind of media before. I think it has a lot more potential to be captivating for the audience, and informative for myself, and I've always thought it would be fun to design/plan out a tv show or radio program as a kid. I think the tv opener will work better in my portfolio rather than the data option because I really can't see myself working with and designing just logical data everyday of my life. I am a lot more interested in entertainment design, whether it be for tv, movies, concerts, or fun designs on something random like kitchen appliances... but not organizing data in logical ways. I think I've already explored that aspect to an extent, and I'm ready to move on.

• written component described above: purpose, context, audience.

The purpose of television openers, or title sequences are to give a welcoming sense to the show- to really draw the viewer in and tell them about what the show will soon be about. It should be able to encompass the essence of the show, as in, giving necessary background information, establishing context and the tone of the tv program, and making it memorable. Generally when something is made memorable, it somehow interacts with the viewer, drawing some emotional reaction out of them. Creating a narrative scene is a good way to 'embody the soul of the show', to create an emotional appeal, and let the viewer understand what's happening. As far as specifically pertaining to a tv program about fast food, I think it serves a purpose of informing the general public of what a lot of them may eat everyday- the positives and negatives of the menu that these corporations offer.

The context of television openers would be the tv show that had just previously aired, the show that it is opening for, and commercials. It generally appears after the end credits of the previous show, after a slew of ads. Sometimes there is an intro by the broadcast station presenting the tv program, and then the actual tv opener that is part of the show. But really, the actual opener does not require a presenter, it should be doing all the work for the actual show. Outside the television realm, there is also going to be background noise in the home or environment that the home is in, that will be effecting the level of interest with the opener. What else is on the channel? Other programs about food, respectively, since my topic is fast food.

My audience will be those who enjoy food, and those who want to learn more about all the aspects of fast food, positive and negative. I'm thinking that the title of my show is going to be called "Grease Factories" with a sub-head, "The Great Escapes of America", poking fun at the popularity of fast food, and how these companies advertise their product to make it seem almost godly.


research:

an article on the best tv show openers and what makes them so great.

"lost" opener

drew carey opener

get smart opener

nip/tuck opener

the dick van dyke show opener

brady bunch opener

dexter opener

desperate housewives opener

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