Al-Jazeera launches new sport channel

‘Al-Jazeera Sport Idents’ for Al-Jazeera
Production: Fi Lambie @ Markell Associates
Executive Producer: Richard Markell
Creative Director:Yann Secouet
Design: Bob Cosford, Louisa Fitch, Pavel Ivanov & Phil Wiles
Director of Photography:Tim Green
DS Artist: Dan Andrew
3D Artist: Hayden Jones
Rushes Producer: Louise Hussey

Renowned international news channel Al-Jazeera is launching its new channel Al-Jazeera Sport on October 1st, with an extensive branding package won against stiff competition from top German design agency Velvet.

The identity package comprises a new Logo, a series of specially filmed Idents for six different sports, plus Stings, On-Screen Styling, Break Bumpers, as well as Title Sequences for The News and their exclusive Spanish football programme La Liga.
Working with a design and direction team of Yann Secouet, Bob Cosford, Louisa Fitch, Pavel Ivanov and Phil Wiles, Markell Associates completed the project in 4 months.

The Idents, directed by Secouet, were shot with a hi-speed camera on 35mm film, with sports specialist Tim Green as Director of Photography and Fi Lambie as Producer. Tennis players, Footballers, Athletes, Golfers and Basketball players were all filmed in a chromakey set over two days, and were composited by DS artist Dan Andrew at post house Red Square, with special 3-D backgrounds created by Hayden Jones @ Rushes.

In the Idents, the sportsmen and women interact with animating typography from the Al-Jazeera Sport logo, so that a hurdler jumps over a letterform, a golfer tees off from one, and a basketball player slam-dunks into the top of one.

Al-Jazeera Sport are hoping to build a worldwide reputation, and with the impressive track record of the original News channel, they are more than likely to succeed, especially with a new image courtesy of British design.