Opening Credits / Opening Theme Discussion

[James Martin]

That video (

) is really interesting. Love the "vocal" ending - I'd love to hear that as a 30s theme tune.

The argument clearly is the Americans do it this way now and so must Home & Away. I thought it was wrong to ditch the theme in 2006 and I stand by that six years on.

[cadyctslover]

I think it was a mistake to ditch it all that time ago, but it's not such a big deal for the show as it stands currently. It is forging a new identity for itself, and they don't need to hark back to earlier times.

I think at the time they needed to do something, as modern viewers have very short attention-spans and see opening sequences like an ad break, and probably choose that moment to see what else is on. So I believe it was a good idea at the time (2006) to move with the times and open most episodes without titles. The opening credits of that era also possibly set the most inappropriate tone considering how dark the show could be at that time! The problem came with how inconsistently the titles were actually shown between 2006-8.

Therefore I think they should have re-filmed the titles to follow a more moody, 1996-1999 style and shown them at a 50 second length once a week on a Monday before the recap. Then the Tuesday-Friday episodes could have followed a similar format to what we get today.

[beau_t]

Therefore I think they should have re-filmed the titles to follow a more moody, 1996-1999 style and shown them at a 50 second length once a week on a Monday before the recap. Then the Tuesday-Friday episodes could have followed a similar format to what we get today.

That's an excellent idea.

[pluto]

Therefore I think they should have re-filmed the titles to follow a more moody, 1996-1999 style and shown them at a 50 second length once a week on a Monday before the recap. Then the Tuesday-Friday episodes could have followed a similar format to what we get today.

That's an excellent idea.

I agree, I think that would be a good compromise although I didnt particularly like the 'moody' credits of the late 90's.. I still personally think the show could do with having a decent set of credits every day, but thats probably bvecause I grew up watching them and enjoying them. If Neighbours can do it why not H&A?

However many of the H&A credit attempts over the last 10 years or so (style and music wise) have left alot to be desired. With the current design ideas I think they could do a decent job if they tried, but as it stands all we get, I think, is a mish mash of various music styles, most of which bear little relation to the Home and Away theme tune, inconsistent title cards and a lack of identity. Aswell as those silly black widescreen bars hanging over from 2009! *sighs* At least in the UK we get some form of theme as the end credits, although again they are the same as when introduced and don't match the new music directions of the opening lol.

[James Martin]

But that's a core problem with the whole show. Dan Bennett decided in the mid-00's to turn the show into a Cop Drama on acid and it's never properly recovered from that. Apart from the short Bevan Lee era in 2008 for the 20th, we've never really had our show back since.

I'm the first to admit that things need to change and move on. Certainly the status quo with society in general, at least here in the United Kingdom over the last 6/7 years has, infact, become constant Madonna-style reinvention. Anyone who's from the UK and reads the Radio section of DigitalSpy knows my feelings on how necessary the revolution the British commercial radio industry is going through since around 2008 is.

But all that aside - just because the Americans do it doesn't mean the Australians should.

As everyone points out, Neighbours still has their title sequence. Neighbours also significantly outperforms Home & Away in the United Kingdom. Given the small population of Australia, surely the International market is just as important? I guess Seven don't get paid for bums on seats but it's really concerning just how much it's getting mullered by Neighbours. When Neighbours was still on BBC1, I could excuse it. But they're on the same network in the UK now. There really is no excuse.

And all I can think is that Home & Away is now packaged in this horrible faux-American style, and British audiences just find it offputting.

[pluto]

But that's a core problem with the whole show. Dan Bennett decided in the mid-00's to turn the show into a Cop Drama on acid and it's never properly recovered from that. Apart from the short Bevan Lee era in 2008 for the 20th, we've never really had our show back since.

I'm the first to admit that things need to change and move on. Certainly the status quo with society in general, at least here in the United Kingdom over the last 6/7 years has, infact, become constant Madonna-style reinvention. Anyone who's from the UK and reads the Radio section of DigitalSpy knows my feelings on how necessary the revolution the British commercial radio industry is going through since around 2008 is.

But all that aside - just because the Americans do it doesn't mean the Australians should.

As everyone points out, Neighbours still has their title sequence. Neighbours also significantly outperforms Home & Away in the United Kingdom. Given the small population of Australia, surely the International market is just as important? I guess Seven don't get paid for bums on seats but it's really concerning just how much it's getting mullered by Neighbours. When Neighbours was still on BBC1, I could excuse it. But they're on the same network in the UK now. There really is no excuse.

And all I can think is that Home & Away is now packaged in this horrible faux-American style, and British audiences just find it offputting.

I agree wholeheartedly. It seems like Seven is totally ignoring it's markets in a way that Neighbours has done the opposite. Neighbours has reinvented itself several times over the last few years in relation to what viewers have wanted to see (new music/credits/logo/more character based stories etc). They learnt their lesson after going all dark and dramatic around 2005 with plane crashes and such like. Theyve spent money building new sets to expand the show out. They even include references to British events. Home and Away seems to be doing the opposite with many disparate characters, few real family groups, rehashed stories on drugs and gangs and when once you had the Fletcher's/Ross's, the Stewarts and so on you now have the ..er.. Braxton's and their ilk -the interminable River Boys which is reflected in the bland souless non-titles It's no wonder Neighbours has the much better ratings. It's more in touch with it's roots.

British viewers want the sunny fun openings and warm humourous characters that the show was always famous for. I think so anyway!

[dublinfan]

But that's a core problem with the whole show. Dan Bennett decided in the mid-00's to turn the show into a Cop Drama on acid and it's never properly recovered from that. Apart from the short Bevan Lee era in 2008 for the 20th, we've never really had our show back since.

I'm the first to admit that things need to change and move on. Certainly the status quo with society in general, at least here in the United Kingdom over the last 6/7 years has, infact, become constant Madonna-style reinvention. Anyone who's from the UK and reads the Radio section of DigitalSpy knows my feelings on how necessary the revolution the British commercial radio industry is going through since around 2008 is.

But all that aside - just because the Americans do it doesn't mean the Australians should.

As everyone points out, Neighbours still has their title sequence. Neighbours also significantly outperforms Home & Away in the United Kingdom. Given the small population of Australia, surely the International market is just as important? I guess Seven don't get paid for bums on seats but it's really concerning just how much it's getting mullered by Neighbours. When Neighbours was still on BBC1, I could excuse it. But they're on the same network in the UK now. There really is no excuse.

And all I can think is that Home & Away is now packaged in this horrible faux-American style, and British audiences just find it offputting.

I agree wholeheartedly. It seems like Seven is totally ignoring it's markets in a way that Neighbours has done the opposite. Neighbours has reinvented itself several times over the last few years in relation to what viewers have wanted to see (new music/credits/logo/more character based stories etc). They learnt their lesson after going all dark and dramatic around 2005 with plane crashes and such like. Theyve spent money building new sets to expand the show out. They even include references to British events. Home and Away seems to be doing the opposite with many disparate characters, few real family groups, rehashed stories on drugs and gangs and when once you had the Fletcher's/Ross's, the Stewarts and so on you now have the ..er.. Braxton's and their ilk -the interminable River Boys which is reflected in the bland souless non-titles It's no wonder Neighbours has the much better ratings. It's more in touch with it's roots.

British viewers want the sunny fun openings and warm humourous characters that the show was always famous for. I think so anyway!

You're right. Cameron Welsh never listened to the fans. All Home and Away's roots seem to be gone now, without Miles, Sally, the Hunter's, Holden's - the core families which held Summer Bay together. If Lucy has some sense she'll bring back some past characters.

[-Andrew-]

Bringing back past characters is the last thing they should be doing right now. Returnees only ever work when there is a strong 'modern' cast to support them (1995 & 2000 being prime examples). What they have at the at the moment is 20 or so 'pawns' in a never ending game of tragedy-chess.

Likewise, bringing back the classic titles/ theme would only be like slathering icing on a very stale cake. They should divert their attention onto drastically improving all the modern elements of 'Home and Away', before bringing ANYTHING back.

[dublinfan]

Brand new recap image today as the camera pans over the bay then zooms to a 3D image of the Home and Away logo.

[James Martin]

I agree with Andrew. As Pippa says in the pilot (it's been on UK television tonight so forgive the indulgence) "Who cares what the figures were? It's what they're GOING to be that matters." You can't drive a show forward by harking back to the good old days.

We also have to remember that, say, an 18 year old fan in 1988 will be 42 now. They've gone through the emotional mill, loved and lost, met someone, married them and had a kid who's probably watching the show now. Teens especially today consume their media so differently to even how people like me in my late 20s did.

As I said earlier, the pilot was on TV here tonight. Despite the lower-budget production values, the obviously dated cinematography equipment and the 80s fashions and even despite some slightly dodgy acting from the kids (it was day one, remember) it stood up 24 years on because it was timeless. Character driven writing won't age. The event/sensation driven stuff we're seeing now will look SO horrifically dated in 10 years from now.

But there's no point asking for the early years back. Today's Home & Away needs to be improved, so it's a good show in its' own right. At the moment it isn't. I appreciate the River Boys are loved by the girls - I put a Facebook status update earlier saying the pilot was on if anyone was bored of the River Boys and my friend Lois replied "The River Boys make it!" - but that needs to be broken up with some interesting stuff. The best stuff I've seen, recently, was Rebecca Breeds' performance after Charlie died. It was raw, it was emotional, it was character-driven. You felt so sorry for her. WHY can't we have more of that?!

The other issues relate to the show's identity crisis. First, get some decent, 30s credits with the cast in them and the theme tune. It's what the Swoosh is to Nike, the building blocks are to Channel 4, chimneys are to Corrie, the aerial shot of London and the dum-dums are to EastEnders. Secondly, what's with the mass refurbishment of every property in Summer Bay? That should have been done more gradually methinks.