Jess 1115 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 We have a thread for the worst opens, why not the best? Moreover, why not a thread for the best opens and promos we all can think of? The Classic Video thread is over 300 pages long at this point and it's easy for people to get lost in there. So any reposts are fine here. I'll start with the obvious one: WPVI's Action News in its purest form, from 1991. Then, the great WUSA "Death Star" open from Pacific Data Images, probably the best of the CGI flyovers of the 80s: And to note that not all of the best stuff is old, here's the current NBC Nightly News open: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journalist 894 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 The original gangster promo of CityNews Toronto of the 80's ...and the evolution that continued through the 90's. So any reposts are fine here. Sure: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180578 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I'm not a fan of the current Nightly News open. Obviously it was inspired by ITV News at Ten's open from about a decade ago, which was also created under the watch of Deborah Turness. But it's too much animation to shoehorn under that brisk cut of the Mission, and it veers on looking like a cartoon. I also think it looks really odd on nights when the show doesn't come from New York. If I were to pick one Nightly open as the best, I'd pick this one from the early 2000s. Vibrant yet restrained graphics that reveal a nice pan up of Rock Center: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180579 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journalist 894 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 If I were to pick one Nightly open as the best, I'd pick this one from the early 2000s. Vibrant yet restrained graphics that reveal a nice pan up of Rock Center: More of a late 2004 guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=G6BC4sq3Qcc;t=41 (warning: video contains Brian Williams) Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180581 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 More of a late 2004 guy. Oh I liked that one too, as well as the ones that followed. It's really just the current one that I think is a little over the top. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180582 Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5586 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 More of a late 2004 guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=G6BC4sq3Qcc;t=41 (warning: video contains Brian Williams) I'll see your late 2004 and raise you a late 2007, because high def (sorta). +2 for no BriWi. -1 for John Seigenthaler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=Mv2sNrkROQA;t=42 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180583 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journalist 894 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I'll see your late 2004 and raise you a late 2007, because high def (sorta). +2 for no BriWi. -1 for John Seigenthaler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=Mv2sNrkROQA;t=42 -0.5 for HD plug, aha! Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180584 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 ^^ How long did that one last? I honestly do not have much recollection of that one in the early HD era. Here's January 2008. +2 for Lester Holt, +1 for the better voiceover than whoever they used after this period, -1.5 for the closet studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=UmD_GDJlRfM;t=30 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180585 Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5586 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 ^^ How long did that one last? I honestly do not have much recollection of that one in the early HD era. Here's January 2008. +2 for Lester Holt, +1 for the better voiceover than whoever they used after this period, -1.5 for the closet studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=UmD_GDJlRfM;t=30 That crooked logo on the main title KILLLLLLLLLED me. It had no depth to look good on an angle like that. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180586 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 That crooked logo on the main title KILLLLLLLLLED me. It had no depth to look good on an angle like that. I can see what look they were trying to go for, but I can understand that. For me, what I didn't like about those late 2000s graphics were that they were just way too busy. There was so much going on, and they kept that bright animation loop going even in the HD wings. So distracting. As for CBS, I think it's no contest (unless if you have an affinity for the really old stuff). The CBS Evening News hasn't had a great open since the waning years of the Dan Rather era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=FT9BcuDsPyo;t=37 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180588 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journalist 894 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 That crooked logo on the main title KILLLLLLLLLED me. It had no depth to look good on an angle like that. I personally didn't like how the colour scheme was executed in the intro and its graphical elements at the time. Orange? Red orange? Beige? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180589 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesapeakeTV 311 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Any set of local open essentials can't forget the one and only Television by Design. These are just a few of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=TDAqdT8zbqU;m=1;s=10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=rd46vulypIo;m=9;s=43 You can definitely see how the fine folks in Atlanta are by far the main influence for my own experiments in graphics work. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180591 Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthesea 292 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 WCVB 1990-93 open: WBZ 2000-03 open: WSVN opens from the late 1990s and early 2000s: WLEX's current open: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180598 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2896 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 I've picked 10 opens, all from a different year in the 90s... 1990 - Crime! The 90s! Tabloid news! WSVN had already rolled out its tabloid-ification, but their competitor WTVJ joined them that year, resulting in a punchy, oh-so-early 90s open: 1991 - The early 90s, with the Gulf War, were the era of the 24 Hour News Source. Ticking rhythms, frenetic music, and a fast pace: the classic ingredients of "news for the '90s". The original WBFF 10pm open executed that well. 1992 - Polarizing? Yes. Straight out of 1992? Also yes. 1993 - It didn't last long. But "news out of the box" was a format so far ahead of its time not even Seattle could handle it. Today, we'd just call it news. 1994 - A wolf howling in your 10pm open? So 90s, but this was a very good look. It was absolutely nailed, then torn apart not long after. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180646 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2896 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 1995 - Some of the most majestic orchestral music ever used for TV news. This has long been in my TV news pantheon, so to speak. 1996 - Opens were getting shorter as the 90s went on, but this glassy 3D animation from WBNS still holds up today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=9aZpvc14DbQ;t=24 1997 - Since the Fox-ification of the recently acquired New World stations was in full swing, this open is a perfect fit. 1998 - The tightly executed opens and leads reinforced a slogan fitting for a sprawling DMA: "Eyewitness News is Everywhere". (Also, this cut of Battery is badass!) 1999 - A decent turn of the millennium open — lighter music, not as tight-feeling as in the mid-90s, and reflective of trends in TV news branding. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180647 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneManHerd 554 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 No list of best news opens would be complete without this... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180650 Share on other sites More sharing options...
10Viewer 335 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Tampa/St. Petersburg has had some pretty outstanding opens. This WTVT open from 1992 really stands out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=E995_PjHbUM;t=9 I have to say that I think WTVT had the best promotions department I've ever seen. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180651 Share on other sites More sharing options...
10Viewer 335 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 WFLA in Tampa made great use of "Power News" from 1985-92. This is the best example. Love the '80s freeze frames: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180653 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1115 Posted August 10, 2017 Author Share Posted August 10, 2017 Three from KYW spanning about an entire decade, each good in its own right. I'm going to go in order of preference, from #3 to #1: Everyone likes this glossy number from the rebranded "KYW-3" in 1991. I'm less of a fan but I can see why it gets so much praise. Great music and voiceover, a step above the somewhat cheesier stuff they were using. That being said, I love cheese, so I personally prefer its predecessor. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in spontaneity. I mean, the weekend opens have Ukee Washington and Tom Lamaine doing a fist bump. That alone elevates it over the 1991 set. Plus the music is awesome. That said, neither compares to the opens used during the spring and summer of 1999. Soaring music, fast-paced visuals, top-notch Al Vanik voiceover. It was a sad day when they shortened these opens and changed the voiceover to Bill Ratner in the fall. If you'd ask me to rank the three best Philadelphia opens, this would at the very minimum be number two. Maybe number one depending on how I feel. ....and since I said three best, I gotta post number three, don't I? It's the 1990 WTXF 10pm news open. I know, I know, another CGI flyover, and yes it was probably dated the day it was introduced. I still really like it though! I think the music is what does it for me. The way it swells to the conclusion just as the camera zooms in on the Independence Hall clock tower and the text comes flying in. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180660 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 No list of best news opens would be complete without this... I think that one takes the cake. Here's one that probably wouldn't make most peoples' lists. KCNC's 2003-2008 open: Why? Because it's probably one of the few instances where corporate and local come together in a really good way. It was much better than what it replaced, and while KCNC's look obviously took a lot of inspiration from KCBS/KCAL's from a few months prior, it is uniquely Colorado and a little less ostentatious than the LA stations. The open is also short, to the point, and was able to be used for all dayparts. KCNC is one of the few cases where the much maligned (on here) and reputed "CBS Mandate" was a significant improvement for the station. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180661 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Info Junkie 1286 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 John Christopher Burns' 1992 work for Today's TMJ4 has a good use of color throughout. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180665 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1931 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 I still think the original opens from WTMJ's first Renderon package were the best opens they've ever had. It was all down hill from there until Scripps came in, sadly. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180666 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daybreak 288 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Anything from KABC I like. Their graphics were always better executed than WABC's. KABC 2000: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180674 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaskanews 113 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 WTVF's opens pre-Scripps are some of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=8Xs-0G2KEgk And since the thread includes promos... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180690 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Info Junkie 1286 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Similar to what Raymie did, I've counted the '80s with news opens that I personally think defined each respective year. 1980: WFAA went head-to-head with KXAS' MCTYW open showing tons of action shots including their newscopter, and then their news logo animating on screen (made by Klein&). Action shots were pretty common at that time. 1981: Who couldn't forget the lightning bolt that struck the "4" at the beginning of each WNBC newscast? 1982: KTRK unveils a new, virtual set for its newscasts, and thus begins the longtime use of Newsmat graphics for Cap Cities/ABC stations. Also features the well-known Houston Eyewitness News team and "The star Sequence." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39wD6SUfeuM 1983: Whoosh!!! And after that we see an Atlanta skyline flash into view with news vehicles moving by. 1984: Television by Design became increasingly popular around the mid '80s. WDIV takes the cake for that -- plus the music fits the '80s completely. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/15855-the-essentials-the-best-opens-and-promos/#findComment-180693 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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