As Live - Analysis of the Branding, Graphics and Presentation of Methods of a Studio Production Relevant to the Commissioned Programme

 Analysis of the Branding, Graphics and Presentation of Methods of a Studio Production Relevant to the Commissioned Programme

In order to gain an insight into the branding, graphics, and presentation methods of a studio I looked into what each one meant.

I learnt that branding helps to create an identifiable show, upon which audiences can build an association (Kellison, 2008). If branding is “unique and desirable”, it can be more noticeable to the viewer and can aid in the establishment of the brand (TVTechnology, 2005). When branding our show, it will be important to ensure that our brand differs from anything else, is visually pleasing, and also relates to our demographic. With branding, you are also looking to aim your branding towards a certain demographic that your show is aimed at (TVTechnology, 2005). With this in mind, we want to ensure that our branding is relevant to the audience that we are looking to attract, which is the BBC 3 type audience of 16-34-year-olds and the LGBTQ+ community (we are not just limited to this audience, but this is the main type of audience we want to attract).

A graphics package for a television show is a package of branded graphics specifically designed for a show. A graphics package is often created according to a brief provided by the producer and/or director (Lehmann, 2017). It is important to refer back to the vision for the show and that we get this across to the graphics team to ensure that the graphics package is suited to the show. 

I looked towards the branding, graphics, structure, and presentation methods of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (2009) as I felt that the vibrancy of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) reflected what we wanted to achieve with our show to some extent. RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) also uses a similar level of ridiculousness/comedy that we want to achieve within our show. Furthermore, the audience for RuPaul’s Drag Race is of the same demographic that we are aiming for, with it being shown on BBC3 (Campbell, 2022). All of these factors will be useful when thinking about Cosmic Snatchers (2022). 

Fig. 1 RuPaul’s Drag Race Logo (2022)

The main colours used in RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) are pink, gold and blue (Color-hex, 2022).

Fig. 2 RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette (2022)

The use of vibrant colours instantly attracts the viewers’ attention (Gremillion, 2019), which is something we will be looking to do with the branding of our show. We will also aim to keep our colour palette simple so as to not make the colours of the show too overwhelming. The sets that the show is shot in often use the same and similar colour palettes, which include vibrant colours. We will attempt to keep a consistent colour palette throughout the show, which includes the graphics, the set, the VTs, the promo, and the adverts.

The type/fonts used within RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) are big, bold, colourful, and simplistic, whilst maintaining a sense of glamour. Right from the opening titles, you get an idea of this (Ru Paul’s Drag Race, 2017). Graphics “help set the style and ambience” of the show (Millerson and Owens, 2012), which is the case with RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009). The show and the talent on the programme are bold, loud, and glamorous. This is a similarity with Cosmic Snatchers (2022) with regards to the show being glamorous, bold, and colourful, and is therefore something we will take inspiration from going forward and will inform the graphics team of. We also want to include titles for each challenge within the show so that the audience is aware of the challenge name and the locations of the challenges, which isn’t usually included within RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009). 

Throughout the show, there is participation from the host, the guest hosts, the drag queen contestants, and the side characters. They all make comedic comments throughout the show, which adds to the entertainment of the show. In addition to this, the reactions to these comedic comments are also often captured, which will be an important aspect to take into account with our show as they help with the comedic delivery of our show (Deguzman, 2021). 

By analysing the graphics, branding, and presentation methods of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009), it has enabled me to gain a greater insight and understanding of particular creative and strategic decisions when it comes to creating a live TV show, which I will aim to apply to Cosmic Snatchers (2022) and help inform the graphics team of. 

Bibliography:

Campbell, F. (2022) BBC Three Commissioning. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbc-three/ (Accessed 18/02/2022)

Colour-hex. (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette. At: https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/52583 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Online Video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AtyDMj621k&ab_channel=UCATelevisionProduction (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Deguzman, K. (2021) The Reaction Shot - Much More Than Essential Film Grammar. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-reaction-shot-definition/ (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Fig.1 RuPaul’s Drag Race (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Logo. [Photograph] At: https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Fig.2 Colour-hex (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette [Screenshot] At: https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/52583 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Gremillion, A. (2019) Colours and emotions: how colours make you feel. At: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/#:~:text=Strong%2C%20bright%20colors%20and%20neon,stand%20out%20from%20their%20surroundings. (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Kellison, c. (2008) Producing for TV and New Media: A Real World Approach for Producers. (2nd edition) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=535177 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Lehmann, C. (2017) Behind the Scenes: Making a Graphics Package for Nickelodeon. At: https://blog.frame.io/2017/12/13/making-a-graphics-package/ (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Millerson, G and Owens, J. (2012) Television Production. (15th ed.) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=860639 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Ru Paul’s Drag Race (2009) [Television Programme] 

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Opening Titles (2017) [Online Video] At:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxC8gpzXaSc&ab_channel=LaudelinoFreireGavilon (Accessed 25/03/2022)

TVTechnology. (2005) The Branding of Broadcast. At: https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/the-branding-of-broadcast (Accessed 25/03/2022)