Music and Text Research

Channel 4

Text and TitlesHere are some examples of text which have been used on channel 4 documentaries.

White text

Bolder font for main title

Titles positioned to the left not central

Plain background with larger amounts of text.

Channel 4 have a particular way in which they use text, they follow the same rules for different genres in order to keep an identity. For factual programmes and documentaries Channel 4 use Arial Narrow text style and font size 30 and they use a ghost box to enclose each line of text separately but with no outline. There is a limit to 42 characters per line. There is a maximum allowance of 2 lines per subtitle and you should allow 2 seconds per line of text for reading time. We have also noticed that any text used is white this is probably so it stands out against any background.

Our documentaryThroughout our documentary we will use the same font for the text and titles apart from the main title. This will be different as we want it to be able to stand out so it is clear what our documentary is about. We will use white text because this will be the clearest option for which ever background it is appears on and it also follows the channel 4 style.For our double page spread we have chosen to use the tag line ‘ In search of community’ as it summarises what our documentary about. The way in which it is presented represents taking steps in order to fit in with the community which is what our presenter is trying to do.