Columbia Pictures: Difference between revisions
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imported>MirahezeGDPR 6d7f69a46245b700bcf9cb5c609cc3ee (→6th Logo (June 13, 1993- ): i happen to have the reprint of the 2000 DVD release of Erin Brockovich, and the logo's theme is low toned (alongside the 1997 Universal theme)) |
imported>MirahezeGDPR b51743e23ae5338df4b23e5c709738fa No edit summary |
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'''Nicknames:''' "Classic Torch Lady", "'30s Torch Lady", | '''Nicknames:''' "Classic Torch Lady", "'30s Torch Lady", "Torch Lady II''"'' | ||
'''Logo:''' We see the lady, this time standing on top of a pedestal with a backdrop of clouds over her, while she is holding her light torch. Much more refined, ethereal and goddess-like, her facial features became less pronounced and she looked away (up and to the right) instead of straight ahead. Her headdress was removed and her hair swept back instead of hanging by the sides of her face. The drape over her shoulder became less-obviously an American flag, the stars on the left shoulder having been toned down in a shadow, and the stripes visible only on the portion of the drape hanging down her right side. "A COLUMBIA PRODUCTION" was replaced with the tall chiseled letters of "COLUMBIA" (which fades in a second afterward) running straight across the top section of the screen, with the lady's torch glowing in front of the "U". A new form of animation was used on the logo as well, with a torch that radiates light instead of flickers. Until the mid-1960s, this logo would also appear at the end of films, sometimes with the words "The End" in a script font. | '''Logo:''' We see the lady, this time standing on top of a pedestal with a backdrop of clouds over her, while she is holding her light torch. Much more refined, ethereal and goddess-like, her facial features became less pronounced and she looked away (up and to the right) instead of straight ahead. Her headdress was removed and her hair swept back instead of hanging by the sides of her face. The drape over her shoulder became less-obviously an American flag, the stars on the left shoulder having been toned down in a shadow, and the stripes visible only on the portion of the drape hanging down her right side. "A COLUMBIA PRODUCTION" was replaced with the tall chiseled letters of "COLUMBIA" (which fades in a second afterward) running straight across the top section of the screen, with the lady's torch glowing in front of the "U". A new form of animation was used on the logo as well, with a torch that radiates light instead of flickers. Until the mid-1960s, this logo would also appear at the end of films, sometimes with the words "The End" in a script font. | ||
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*The last films to feature this logo were ''Taxi Driver'', ''Drive-In'', ''Harry and Walter Go to New York'', ''Obsession'' (at least on U.S. prints), and Peter Bogdanovich's ''Nickelodeon''. | *The last films to feature this logo were ''Taxi Driver'', ''Drive-In'', ''Harry and Walter Go to New York'', ''Obsession'' (at least on U.S. prints), and Peter Bogdanovich's ''Nickelodeon''. | ||
*The 1973 variation was also seen on some later struck 16mm prints of some Three Stooges shorts, sometimes plastering the Screen Gems logo with the latter logo's music sometimes preserved, with ''Tricky Dicks'' and ''Three Pests in a Mess'' being common examples. | *The 1973 variation was also seen on some later struck 16mm prints of some ''Three Stooges'' shorts, sometimes plastering the Screen Gems logo with the latter logo's music sometimes preserved, with ''Tricky Dicks'' and ''Three Pests in a Mess'' being common examples. | ||
*''Tommy'' originally featured the 1968-75 variation of the logo, but was plastered with the next logo below on all later prints and home video releases of the film. ''Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different'' suffered the same fate as ''Tommy'' on the video releases, but has been restored on the DVD releases. | *''Tommy'' originally featured the 1968-75 variation of the logo, but was plastered with the next logo below on all later prints and home video releases of the film. ''Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different'' suffered the same fate as ''Tommy'' on the video releases, but has been restored on the DVD releases. | ||
*This was seen on early releases of the 1975 version of ''The Stepford Wives'', but when [[ViacomCBS|Viacom]] bought the rights to the film, along with the rest of the Palomar Pictures catalog in the mid-'80s, the logo was deleted. However, following the release of the 2004 remake, [[Paramount Pictures]] gained rights to the original film through Viacom (owner of the former company), and added their 2002 logo at the beginning of all current prints. | *This was seen on early releases of the 1975 version of ''The Stepford Wives'', but when [[ViacomCBS|Viacom]] bought the rights to the film, along with the rest of the Palomar Pictures catalog in the mid-'80s, the logo was deleted. However, following the release of the 2004 remake, [[Paramount Pictures]] gained rights to the original film through Viacom (owner of the former company), and added their 2002 logo at the beginning of all current prints. | ||
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*The "A Columbia Serial" variant can be seen on the old ''Batman'' serials when aired on TCM. | *The "A Columbia Serial" variant can be seen on the old ''Batman'' serials when aired on TCM. | ||
*The 3D version appears on the company's Golden Age 3D features, including ''Man in the Dark'', ''Miss Sadie Thompson'', and ''The Mad Magician''. | *The 3D version appears on the company's Golden Age 3D features, including ''Man in the Dark'', ''Miss Sadie Thompson'', and ''The Mad Magician''. | ||
*The Three Stooges shorts that include the "Short Subject" variants will likely be retained, being followed by the [[Sony Pictures Television]] logo. | *The ''Three'' ''Stooges'' shorts that include the "Short Subject" variants will likely be retained, being followed by the [[Sony Pictures Television]] logo. | ||
'''Editor's Note:''' It's held up remarkably over the 40 years it's been used. It served as the basis for the 1955 [[Screen Gems Television]] logo. | '''Editor's Note:''' It's held up remarkably over the 40 years it's been used. It served as the basis for the 1955 [[Screen Gems Television]] logo. | ||
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'''Nicknames:''' "'70s Torch Lady", "The Abstract Torch", "The Sunburst", | '''Nicknames:''' "'70s Torch Lady", "The Abstract Torch", "The Sunburst", "Torch Lady III''"'' | ||
'''Logo:''' It begins with the familiar Columbia Torch Lady (a less-detailed yellow-toned 1942 Torch Lady), standing on the pedestal holding her light torch against the backdrop of clouds. Then, the picture moves upward and towards the torch as the rays pull in, which shines even more as the picture blurs around it. It then emits a flash that fills the screen. When the flash dissolves, the light torch itself appears, as if in sunburst, against a black screen and as it shrinks, it changes into a more "abstract" torch: a blue half circle, or a semicircle, with thirteen white light rays in the center and the words "Columbia Pictures" in Souvenir medium font under it. The entire logo then slowly backs away as it fades out. | '''Logo:''' It begins with the familiar Columbia Torch Lady (a less-detailed yellow-toned 1942 Torch Lady), standing on the pedestal holding her light torch against the backdrop of clouds. Then, the picture moves upward and towards the torch as the rays pull in, which shines even more as the picture blurs around it. It then emits a flash that fills the screen. When the flash dissolves, the light torch itself appears, as if in sunburst, against a black screen and as it shrinks, it changes into a more "abstract" torch: a blue half circle, or a semicircle, with thirteen white light rays in the center and the words "Columbia Pictures" in Souvenir medium font under it. The entire logo then slowly backs away as it fades out. | ||
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*The Sunburst logo originally came out in 1975, but first appeared only on posters. | *The Sunburst logo originally came out in 1975, but first appeared only on posters. | ||
*The "flickers" that came out of the torch toward the viewer (while the camera was in "Torch Lady" position) would go back into the torch as the camera moved toward it and approached it (this was changed/abolished for the "80s Torch Lady," because the camera would no longer move towards the torch). | *The "flickers" that came out of the torch toward the viewer (while the camera was in "Torch Lady" position) would go back into the torch as the camera moved toward it and approached it (this was changed/abolished for the "80s Torch Lady," because the camera would no longer move towards the torch). | ||
*Also, as the camera approached the torch, a blue/orange halo appeared around the torch (blue outside, orange inside), sort of a brief 3- or 4-second "preview" of the Sunburst, which would have the same colors in the same positions | *Also, as the camera approached the torch, a blue/orange halo appeared around the torch (blue outside, orange inside), sort of a brief 3- or 4-second "preview" of the Sunburst, which would have the same colors in the same positions. | ||
*The animation for the Sunburst logo was provided by Robert Abel and Associates, who specialized in elaborate, motion-controlled animation and lighting effects, and also did work on commercials (early 1970s 7-Up ads among many others) and ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''. | *The animation for the Sunburst logo was provided by Robert Abel and Associates, who specialized in elaborate, motion-controlled animation and lighting effects, and also did work on commercials (early 1970s 7-Up ads among many others) and ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''. | ||
*The main instruments appearing on the soundtrack were a small horn section, Suzanne Ciani's Buchla modular (for the "popping" effects) and an ARP string synth (the same model Gary Wright used for his song "Dream Weaver" around the same time). | *The main instruments appearing on the soundtrack were a small horn section, Suzanne Ciani's Buchla modular (for the "popping" effects) and an ARP string synth (the same model Gary Wright used for his song "Dream Weaver" around the same time). | ||
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</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
Nicknames: "'80s Torch Lady", | '''Nicknames''': "'80s Torch Lady", "Torch Lady IV", "Coke Bottle Torch Lady" | ||
'''Logo:''' We see the standard Columbia Torch Lady (a somewhat less detailed version of the '70s Torch Lady) standing on a pedestal with her torch against the backdrop of clouds. The torch then shines into a bright abstract shape, as if in sunburst, then dims back in place. The words "Columbia Pictures" (appearing in the same font from the last logo) fade to the left and right of the Torch Lady. Her torch "shines". | '''Logo:''' We see the standard Columbia Torch Lady (a somewhat less detailed version of the '70s Torch Lady) standing on a pedestal with her torch against the backdrop of clouds. The torch then shines into a bright abstract shape, as if in sunburst, then dims back in place. The words "Columbia Pictures" (appearing in the same font from the last logo) fade to the left and right of the Torch Lady. Her torch "shines". | ||
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'''Nicknames:''' "'90s Torch Lady", | '''Nicknames:''' "'90s Torch Lady", "Torch Lady V", "Majestic Torch Lady", "The Jenny Joseph Logo" | ||
'''Logo:''' | '''Logo:''' | ||
*1993-2006: This logo has a face lifted Torch Lady from 1936-1976 on her pedestal on a sky background filled with cumulonimbus clouds, giving more detail to the drawing. First, we see a bright light, as if in sunburst, with the cloud background fading in a brief second later. The light is coming from a torch, which zooms out to reveal the lady who's holding it. After the lady, along with the cloud background, are fully zoomed out, on the top "COLUMBIA", seen in a bold, silver chiseled font, fades in afterwards as a ring of light shimmers around the lady, while the cloud background very slowly moves to the right. | *1993-2006: This logo has a face lifted Torch Lady from 1936-1976 on her pedestal on a sky background filled with cumulonimbus clouds, giving more detail to the drawing. First, we see a bright light, as if in sunburst, with the cloud background fading in a brief second later. The light is coming from a torch, which zooms out to reveal the lady who's holding it. After the lady, along with the cloud background, are fully zoomed out, on the top "COLUMBIA", seen in a bold, silver chiseled font, fades in afterwards as a ring of light shimmers around the lady, while the cloud background very slowly moves to the right. | ||
*2006-2014: Starting with The Holiday, released on December 8, 2006, the logo was given a more "enhanced" look, similar to the 2001 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment logo and Michael J. Deas' original artwork of the logo, which can be seen here. The hand is in a different pose in which the finger is at the tip of the torch. The sky is also darker and the "COLUMBIA" text has more silver in it and is slightly off-center. Trailers and TV spots, however, continued to use the 1993 version of the logo until 2008. On The Holiday, it shows the logo already formed; the fully animated variant debuted on Ghost Rider, as between those two films, the 1993 version was still used until The Messengers. | *2006-2014: Starting with ''The Holiday'', released on December 8, 2006, the logo was given a more "enhanced" look, similar to the 2001 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment logo and Michael J. Deas' original artwork of the logo, which can be seen here. The hand is in a different pose in which the finger is at the tip of the torch. The sky is also darker and the "COLUMBIA" text has more silver in it and is slightly off-center. Trailers and TV spots, however, continued to use the 1993 version of the logo until 2008. On The Holiday, it shows the logo already formed; the fully animated variant debuted on ''Ghost Rider'', as between those two films, the 1993 version was still used until ''The Messengers''. | ||
*2014-: Starting with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, released on May 2, 2014, the logo is preceded by the Sony Corporation logo. This involves the addition of blurry parting clouds with a very bright light between them. The light gets brighter until the clouds are apart and then it fades to the traditional zoom out from the torch. | *2014-: Starting with ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', released on May 2, 2014, the logo is preceded by the Sony Corporation logo. This involves the addition of blurry parting clouds with a very bright light between them. The light gets brighter until the clouds are apart and then it fades to the traditional zoom out from the torch. | ||
'''Trivia:''' | '''Trivia:''' | ||
*The logo's most recent overhaul was undertaken during this era when Sony Corporation of Japan (which bought Columbia on November 8, 1989) commissioned illustrator Michael J. Deas to redesign the lady and return her to her "classic" look. The result, based on Deas' sessions with Mandeville, Louisiana homemaker Jenny Joseph, who posed for him with a makeshift robe and torch, was a taller, slimmer Columbia Torch Lady with lighter, curlier hair and a dimmer torch. Rather than use Joseph's face however, Deas constructed a composite face made up of a couple of computer-generated features. Deas' artwork, created in 1992, was featured in the Columbia Pictures Television and Columbia TriStar Home Video identities prior to this logo's appearance. The logo was animated at Synthespian Studios by Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak. The duo used 2D elements from Deas' painting and converted them to 3D. The clouds were divided up to 66 image maps and Walczak mapped every cloud onto a 3D object and twist-distorted and translated on Wavefront animation software. | *The logo's most recent overhaul was undertaken during this era when Sony Corporation of Japan (which bought Columbia on November 8, 1989) commissioned illustrator Michael J. Deas to redesign the lady and return her to her "classic" look. The result, based on Deas' sessions with Mandeville, Louisiana homemaker Jenny Joseph, who posed for him with a makeshift robe and torch, was a taller, slimmer Columbia Torch Lady with lighter, curlier hair and a dimmer torch. Rather than use Joseph's face however, Deas constructed a composite face made up of a couple of computer-generated features. Deas' artwork, created in 1992, was featured in the Columbia Pictures Television and Columbia TriStar Home Video identities prior to this logo's appearance. The logo was animated at Synthespian Studios by Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak. The duo used 2D elements from Deas' painting and converted them to 3D. The clouds were divided up to 66 image maps and Walczak mapped every cloud onto a 3D object and twist-distorted and translated on Wavefront animation software. | ||
*The then-current Torch Lady has pale skin, short curly auburn hair, wears a silky light cream/light beige gown going straight down to the ground, and is also wearing a teal veil wrapped all over and around on her left arm. Her appearance looks similar to NYC's landmark, | *The then-current Torch Lady has pale skin, short curly auburn hair, wears a silky light cream/light beige gown going straight down to the ground, and is also wearing a teal veil wrapped all over and around on her left arm. Her appearance looks similar to NYC's landmark, The Statue of Liberty. | ||
*The identity of the Torch Lady's model wasn't divulged until 2004; prior rumors persisted that Annette Bening was the model. | *The identity of the Torch Lady's model wasn't divulged until 2004; prior rumors persisted that Annette Bening was the model. | ||
*A face hidden within the clouds can be seen to the left of the Torch Lady as the camera is zooming out of the torch. It is very hard to distinguish in the original 1993 variant, whereas the 2006 version makes it a lot more noticeable. | *A face hidden within the clouds can be seen to the left of the Torch Lady as the camera is zooming out of the torch. It is very hard to distinguish in the original 1993 variant, whereas the 2006 version makes it a lot more noticeable. | ||
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*Some cable prints and New Line Home Video releases of Castle Rock films such as ''Needful Things'', ''Malice'', ''Josh and S.A.M.'', and ''North'' actually keep this logo (though don't expect to see it on MGM releases of the former three films, although the Kino Lorber Blu-Rays of ''Needful Things'' and ''Malice'' have it, the latter after MGM). | *Some cable prints and New Line Home Video releases of Castle Rock films such as ''Needful Things'', ''Malice'', ''Josh and S.A.M.'', and ''North'' actually keep this logo (though don't expect to see it on MGM releases of the former three films, although the Kino Lorber Blu-Rays of ''Needful Things'' and ''Malice'' have it, the latter after MGM). | ||
*On current prints of ''City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold'', this is replaced by the 2001 Warner Bros. Pictures logo (though the 1989 Castle Rock logo is kept). | *On current prints of ''City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold'', this is replaced by the 2001 Warner Bros. Pictures logo (though the 1989 Castle Rock logo is kept). | ||
*Current prints of 1994-1998 Castle Rock films distributed by Columbia have the logo either plastered by a Warner Bros. logo or edited out, altogether. Even the end in-credit notices aren't safe as they're either blacked out or replaced by a WB logo (though it is retained on the 1999 DVD release of City Hall). The 1998 Warner Home Video VHS release of ''The American President'' retains this, however. | *Current prints of 1994-1998 Castle Rock films distributed by Columbia have the logo either plastered by a Warner Bros. logo or edited out, altogether. Even the end in-credit notices aren't safe as they're either blacked out or replaced by a WB logo (though it is retained on the 1999 DVD release of ''City Hall''). The 1998 Warner Home Video VHS release of ''The American President'' retains this, however. | ||
*Interestingly, the print logo made its first appearance in early 1993 on posters for ''The Pickle'' and ''Lost in Yonkers'' as well as newspaper ads for ''Groundhog Day''; however, those aforementioned titles use the previous logo. | *Interestingly, the print logo made its first appearance in early 1993 on posters for ''The Pickle'' and ''Lost in Yonkers'' as well as newspaper ads for ''Groundhog Day''; however, those aforementioned titles use the previous logo. | ||
*This also appears on the 1997 Director's Cut version of ''Das Boot''. Also, the 2006 version plasters the original 1993 logo on the Blu-ray of ''Muppets from Space''. | *This also appears on the 1997 Director's Cut version of ''Das Boot''. Also, the 2006 version plasters the original 1993 logo on the Blu-ray of ''Muppets from Space''. | ||