Corporation Pop helps Channel 4 with Ramadan call to prayer

As part of the season, Channel 4 will broadcast the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) live each morning. Ramadan will start on either 9 or 10 July, depending on the first sight of the new moon.

The broadcaster is also launching a website, created by Corporation Pop, which will broadcast the call to prayer five times a day, with TV viewers being directed to the site at the times set out by the unified prayer timetable.

The specially shot call to prayer is produced by Watershed, directed by Trunk Films and is delivered by muezzin Hassen Rasool.

The site will also host a countdown to the calls to prayer, while TV viewers will see on-screen alerts as prayer time approaches.

Corporation Pop has also created a ‘sentiment gauger’, which encourages visitors to the site to tweet a word after the hashtag #ramadanmeans and displays the most popular Tweets.

Words are displayed against a backdrop of the moon, which animates over the course of the month to reflect the current stage of the moon.

Overlaying the Tweets will be the word Ramadan written in Arabic calligraphy, hand-drawn by Ruh Al-Alam from Make Me Believe.

The consultancy has also created an infographic highlighting dos and don’ts for practising Muslims during Ramadan.

Corporation Pop says it has used Islamic-inspired geometric patterns and a strong colour palette and tested the designs with a group of young British Muslims before finalising them.

The graphics are also being used by 4Creative to develop the on-air branding for the season.

Lizzy Keene, senior online producer at Channel 4, says, ‘[The] attention to detail and stunning design, in collaboration with Muslim designers and consultants, brings authenticity to the online experience, reflecting contemporary Muslim life in Britain.’

The site is set to go live at http://www.channel4.com/ramadan on 4 July.