TELEVISION is here again...
November 20, 2020 12:42 AM Subscribe
The BBC Motion Graphics Archive is a showcase of the history and development of motion graphics across the BBC and includes examples of opening titles, promotion trailers, stings, idents and programme content sequences.
From 1946 to the present day. Includes famous title sequences, and award-winning (and iconic) idents.
From 1946 to the present day. Includes famous title sequences, and award-winning (and iconic) idents.
If you visit BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, there's a glass case in the foyer with mechanical “idents”, i.e., devices which when scanned by a camera, would produce abstract graphics such as rotating/transforming logotypes, clocks or a mirrored globe, in a world without practical computer graphics. These are mostly matt-black metal objects with some moving parts, and some areas painted or reflective.
posted by acb at 5:11 AM on November 20, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by acb at 5:11 AM on November 20, 2020 [5 favorites]
Here's the BBC-1 globe in action.
I'll warn ya: BBC stuff, especially the idents, is huge rabbit hole! Save an afternoon for this.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:20 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'll warn ya: BBC stuff, especially the idents, is huge rabbit hole! Save an afternoon for this.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:20 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
My claim-to-fame(adjacency) is that I worked with Liz Friedman in BBC Resources in the early 2000s, she being the master-mind behind the classic '78 Grange Hill titles.
posted by tomp at 7:46 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by tomp at 7:46 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
The Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country
In the US; got around this by setting my Mullvad VPN to the UK.
posted by bassomatic at 8:53 AM on November 20, 2020
In the US; got around this by setting my Mullvad VPN to the UK.
posted by bassomatic at 8:53 AM on November 20, 2020
Their servers don't appear to be working, or are serving video formats I've got no hope of seeing.
But, wow — Going To Work (1976), The Great Egg Race (1979) bring the feels. Missing is BBC Schools Countdown Clock with the disappearing dots.
The BBC2 first computer generated clock (1979) is an interesting one. It seems the version highlighted wasn't quite all digital: former BBC engineer (and BBC BASIC guru) Richard Russell ended up designing some all-electronic Clocks and Logos in his long career.
posted by scruss at 9:03 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
But, wow — Going To Work (1976), The Great Egg Race (1979) bring the feels. Missing is BBC Schools Countdown Clock with the disappearing dots.
The BBC2 first computer generated clock (1979) is an interesting one. It seems the version highlighted wasn't quite all digital: former BBC engineer (and BBC BASIC guru) Richard Russell ended up designing some all-electronic Clocks and Logos in his long career.
posted by scruss at 9:03 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
Thanks for the link, scruss. It's fascinating stuff; I wasn't aware of the BBC's ZELDA platform, or that there existed a Z80 and CP/M-based internal analogue of the BBC Micro. (Which makes me wonder why they went with a novel 6502-based design for the public version, and/or how much the BBC Micro shared with ZELDA in terms of design.)
posted by acb at 9:53 AM on November 20, 2020
posted by acb at 9:53 AM on November 20, 2020
"Their servers don't appear to be working, or are serving video formats I've got no hope of seeing."
None of my devices or desktops can play any of these. I haven't encountered anything like this for a long time.
posted by bz at 11:21 AM on November 20, 2020
None of my devices or desktops can play any of these. I haven't encountered anything like this for a long time.
posted by bz at 11:21 AM on November 20, 2020
→
I think that Richard has one in his attic, but he's not convinced how legendary it could be. He's massively self-effacing: it turns out he wrote an entire maths package for the Cambridge Z88 that was fully re-entrant and shared amongst BASIC (which he wrote), PipeDream (a sort of WP/spreadsheet thing, which he didn't write) and the rest of the Z88's multitasking apps that was less than 3K of Z80 assembly language. His response was that it might've been a bit clever but it was a long time ago so it doesn't matter now. He may not be in the best of health, but that doesn't stop him updating BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 every couple of weeks and holding forth regularly on StarDot and that Raspberry Pi forums.
posted by scruss at 12:57 PM on November 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
the BBC's ZELDA platform
I think that Richard has one in his attic, but he's not convinced how legendary it could be. He's massively self-effacing: it turns out he wrote an entire maths package for the Cambridge Z88 that was fully re-entrant and shared amongst BASIC (which he wrote), PipeDream (a sort of WP/spreadsheet thing, which he didn't write) and the rest of the Z88's multitasking apps that was less than 3K of Z80 assembly language. His response was that it might've been a bit clever but it was a long time ago so it doesn't matter now. He may not be in the best of health, but that doesn't stop him updating BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 every couple of weeks and holding forth regularly on StarDot and that Raspberry Pi forums.
posted by scruss at 12:57 PM on November 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
None of my devices or desktops can play any of these. I haven't encountered anything like this for a long time.
The weird thing is, if you look at the page code, they’re serving-up run-of-the-mill mp4 files.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:00 PM on November 20, 2020
The weird thing is, if you look at the page code, they’re serving-up run-of-the-mill mp4 files.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:00 PM on November 20, 2020
I have always adored the somersaulting furry "2", it was often the best thing on all night. Jumping dog? I don't think so.
posted by epo at 7:53 AM on November 21, 2020
posted by epo at 7:53 AM on November 21, 2020
(sort of) self link - I shot and cut this mini-doc on the creation of the titles for "Arena" a good few years back...
posted by peterkins at 10:49 AM on November 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by peterkins at 10:49 AM on November 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Thorzdad at 4:49 AM on November 20, 2020 [3 favorites]