HA1 Task 2 - Uses

Animated Captions  -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMKq2y5aQos

The purpose of the animated captions is so viewers of the television show can see what questions the contestants are being asked and can play along at home. The captions need to be bright and clear so there are no problems for the viewer in trying to read it. The question appears via merging after a sliding transition of light, along with a 'whoosh' sound effect. This is for creativity as opposed to a standard pop-up question on older TV shows. It is a vast improvement as some older shows didn't have motion graphics like this, showing how used they are on TV now.
Once the contestant on the television has selected their answer, the answer turns blue, when the correct answer is revealed it turns green and when the choice selected by the chaser is shown the answer is bordered by red lines. The use of colour coding on the answers makes it easy for the viewer to follow the game and know whether they are right or not. This will make it easier for people with disabilities such as deafness, to understand.




Idents - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WikK3JCjH7M

The use of an ident is to literally give the identification of the channel to the viewer. More often than not the ident will be accompanied by a voice over such as "You are watching..." or "Coming up next on...". Television idents are usually creative and unique to capture the attention of a viewer so they don't change channel or lose interest during the intervals between programming. Idents may also be used to symbolize the channel. 
This means that some idents may be calm and non-flashy to represent the programming it shows while other may be explosive and fast-paced. For example BBC 3 idents are wacky and feature strange visual imagery, such as animated characters dancing next to a huge BBC 3 logo. On the other hand BBC 1 and 2 idents are more relaxed and not complicated, such as the ones above.






Stings - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cluf9TF6JsM

This clip is from E4's E-Sting competition, where people take part to win a prize of £5000, with their pieces being judged on creativity and originality. This example is an interesting, unique animation that is strange but also eye-catching. While the e4 logo is prominently displayed on the horse the focal point of the video is the half man-half horse who is singing a very catchy and creative song.
The point of the sting is too capture the attention of the audience during an advertisement break (when they are shown) so they do not change to another channel. Another reason for the sting is for the entertainment value. E4 specializes in entertainment programming their clips are usually fun and quirky. The E-Stings website describes the reason of the stings to "make our lovely channel look even lovelier".
Other examples of stings include small basic animations before things such as games, TV shows and films. They are usually created to show who has created it.



Title and Credit Sequences - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOZ0kmgU39U

A title sequence must be both unique and attracting, so returning viewers will instantly recognize the music and images on screen while a first time viewer should be attracted for the same reason. The who wants to be a millionaire opening sequence attracts through its loud, recognizable theme tune and its focus on the million pounds 'step' (from the game). The large amount of money at stake may excite a viewer into watching the outcome of the game shown.

Web Banners/Attractors

The point of the web banner/attractor is to literally attract attention from people on the site. The page, unlike the other motion graphics, doesn't feature much movement such as sliding captions or any moving sequences. However the sign (meant to imitate a 50's style drive in sign) has bright lights and is flashing towards a link to further information on the burger. The arrow is brightly illuminated in stark contrast to the darkness which surrounds it. This further promotes the link. Overall the banner is unique, creative and this makes me want to look more into what is being advertised.

Web banners may differentiate in terms of what is being shown as some sites may advertise their own content while others may be advertising others.




Interactive menus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Z3FNLaOeg

Interactive menus are used to benefit the viewers/users and make it easier for them to use something through creative and simple methods.They are there to make people find what they are looking for faster, so they then can select what they want quickly and efficiently. This particular example is from the DVD Goldeneye. Each selection has a quirky name to match the film, for example 'initiate mission' for 'play movie' and 'mission selection' for 'scene selection'. This adds to the fun and interactivity of the menu and to make it seem people are controlling an MI6 computer. 
The selection light up when the viewer navigates the menu so they can easily know that they can then select the option. The background is to enhance the viewing pleasure of the audience, with pictures and short 1-2 second clips from the film moving by on metallic discs as well as James-Bond style women with guns posing. This is more enthusiastic than a clear background, as it opens up the DVD more and gets the viewer straight into the movie before they have begun watching it.