TCM rebranding in the works?

[Paul Murray]

Every time that Time Warner changes hands, I hold my breath about Turner Classic Movies -- or as I call it, The Single Best Reason to Have Cable. (Okay, I don't have it, but my significant other does.) TCM is pretty close to perfect, in my eyes.

So when I got "An Important Email" today from TCM talking about "while classic is forever, we here at TCM are thinking it’s time for a refresh" and linking to this very short promo ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5OLMOjQ4CU

... I get a bit nervous.

Watch closely at the video's end and the TCM logo does a slot machine transition to a pair of Cs, one inside the other. (Cinema Classics? Classic Cinema?)

I'm not alone. The YouTube comments are full of angst.

I hope it's nothing more than cosmetic rebranding and getting "Turner" out of the name.  We shall find out at noon next Wednesday. 

[Jim Ellwanger]

That reminds me of the current Comedy Central logo, which is also a C-inside-a-C (although in that case, the outer C is backwards).

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[M-D November]

Let's not panic just yet - as you said, this may simply be a rebrand to excise the lingering spirit of Ted Turner.

[Ben Combee]

CC also matches with the Criterion Channel, the streaming service that
focuses on classic and arthouse cinema, in conjunction with the
Criterion Collection, publishers of DVD/Blue-Ray version of many great
films.

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[Mark Jeffries]

And content provider to the TCM hub on HBO Max.

Mark Jeffries
Saints Spotlight Editor
spotl...@gmail.com

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[Dave Sikula]

True, but Criterion's logo is different from the one at the end of the video, and they have no reason to change their identity for TCM's benefit.

My guess is that it involves a combination of things, including locating a lot of production to Los Angeles (all the hosts live in Los Angeles or the Bay Area and Warners has been consolidating a lot of things in Burbank), new fonts and identities, possibly bringing in some new hosts (probably part-timers representing a younger and more diverse demo), and possibly even a stand-alone service. Some of the folks of FB speculated a greater presence on HBO Max (which I think is possible), but given how many of the hardcore fans would pay, say, $10 a month (or more) for a dedicated app that would allow them to cut the cable cord, Warnermedia is leaving a lot of money on that particular table.

I think the likeliest outcome is that they finally give Ted the heave-ho and rename the service. Now, if they could just do that to Ben Mankiewicz ...

--Dave Sikula

[Bob Jersey]

Sorry Dake, you don't lose Benski, but what you will get, sounds a lot like what you guessed, and here's the logo (at https://www.tcm.com/, natch):

B

Dave Sikula, to Ben Combee, M-D November, and Paul Murray, August 28th:

[Bob Jersey]

https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/turner-classic-movies-brand-refresh/ (link; watch for paywall)    B

[daves...@gmail.com]

Well, now that all the sound and fury is over (for now), I think it mostly stinks, somehow managing to combine both blandness and trying too hard. I like the new set for Ben (well, except for him ...) and I expect I'll like the others, but the logo and typefaces are too generic and too overdone. Even the app, which used to just open, now forces users to wait through an intro.

De gustibus ...

--Dake Sikula

[David Bruggeman]

If anything screamed for stealing from/paying homage to Saul Bass, this does.

David

[Paul Murray]

Yeah, I went to the website yesterday afternoon and thought, "You made a big deal -- and gave a lot of loyal viewers panic attacks -- over *this*?"

Insert your favorite eyeroll gif here.

[Paul Murray]

Mankiewicz and the General Manager discuss in EW today:

https://ew.com/movies/tcm-brand-refresh-new-look/

I actually like the new set. The logo, meh.

[daves...@gmail.com]

People in Hardcore TCM Land seem to enjoy the set, but are complaining about the constant panning left and right, as though the network keeps saying "Look! We got a new set!"

--Dave Sikula

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[Bob Jersey]

It's a common practice when the subject is static, and the stuff going around it is as well. I see it on, f'rexample, "The Dan Patrick Show" on Peacock when the boss is previewing the guests that day, while a Steadicam operator is hovering around a flat-screen monitor depicting them.   B

Dave Sikula, to Paul Murray, David Bruggeman and moi, September 8th:

[Kevin M.]

I once heard someone in the industry refer to this idea of showcasing a thing or a location to the point of absurdity as “Enterprising,” in reference to that ridiculously long moment in the first Star Trek movie when we first see the retrofitted NCC-1701. I don’t believe that is actual industry jargon, but I still call such takes Enterprising. 

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[Mark Jeffries]

And some article I've seen says that there has been a predictable response of "WOKE!" from the audience that TCM shares with Fox News.  Somebody want to tell them about Robert Osborne?

Mark Jeffries
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[Paul Murray]

I'm one who watched the video of Mankiewicz and found the constant back-and-forth slightly annoying. A long, slow movement in one direction I understand and like. Going back and forth repeatedly? No, please. It's just a distraction. It's like slow-motion shaky cam.

(On a related note ... it's not a TCM thing, but I'm not a fan of cutting to a side angle while a presenter keeps addressing the main camera. How did that lazy technique become acceptable/fashionable? Ecchhh.)

Kevin, I remember seeing that in the movie theatre at age 16 and thinking, "Ugh, enough already. You're excited to be on the big screen, we get it, now move on." I don't recall hearing that term, but it makes perfect sense the way you explain it.

[daves...@gmail.com]

I can't stand that side camera thing; I think the "psychology" is that the viewer is supposed to feel like they're on the inside and watching the sausage being made rather than being just a passive consumer.

In my mind, it's right up there with cutaway reaction shots that let the viewer know either what kind of emotions they're supposed to be having or tell them that the people on screen are enjoying this, so they should be, too.

Bah.

--Dave Sikula

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[Kevin M.]

On Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 5:21 PM daves...@gmail.com <daves...@gmail.com> wrote:

I can't stand that side camera thing; I think the "psychology" is that the viewer is supposed to feel like they're on the inside and watching the sausage being made rather than being just a passive consumer.

In my mind, it's right up there with cutaway reaction shots that let the viewer know either what kind of emotions they're supposed to be having or tell them that the people on screen are enjoying this, so they should be, too.

Those cutaway shots used to serve as easy and (according to some) stylized ways to edit a lengthy speech or monologue (oftentimes to make it look like it wasn’t edited). I want to say it started on MTV, but that might not be true, though they certainly embraced it.

Bah.

--Dave Sikula

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, 12:54:50 PM PDT, Paul Murray <pmur...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

I'm one who watched the video of Mankiewicz and found the constant back-and-forth slightly annoying. A long, slow movement in one direction I understand and like. Going back and forth repeatedly? No, please. It's just a distraction. It's like slow-motion shaky cam.

(On a related note ... it's not a TCM thing, but I'm not a fan of cutting to a side angle while a presenter keeps addressing the main camera. How did that lazy technique become acceptable/fashionable? Ecchhh.)

Kevin, I remember seeing that in the movie theatre at age 16 and thinking, "Ugh, enough already. You're excited to be on the big screen, we get it, now move on." I don't recall hearing that term, but it makes perfect sense the way you explain it.

On Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 9:28:47 AM UTC-4 Bob Jersey wrote:

It's a common practice when the subject is static, and the stuff going around it is as well. I see it on, f'rexample, "The Dan Patrick Show" on Peacock when the boss is previewing the guests that day, while a Steadicam operator is hovering around a flat-screen monitor depicting them.   B

Dave Sikula, to Paul Murray, David Bruggeman and moi, September 8th:

People in Hardcore TCM Land seem to enjoy the set, but are complaining about the constant panning left and right, as though the network keeps saying "Look! We got a new set!"

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