HBO Feature Presentation: Difference between revisions

}}{{About|the feature presentation opens|their regular |HBO|their production logos|HBO Entertainment}}

===1st Open (May 11, 1975-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' Over a black-{{color|blue}} gradient background, the logo starts with the word "{{color|lightblue|SPECIAL}}" zooming towards the camera, leaving a few copies behind it. Then, as the word stops zooming, the copies of the text slide in various directions, towards the edge of the screen. Then, they merge back together into one text. A {{color|gold}} HBO logo then rapidly zooms in, then zooms back out inside the "C" in "SPECIAL".

===2nd Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' The sequence starts out with a space background with a light grid sheet rapidly moving across the bottom. Then, there are two triads of searchlights light up on the left and right sides, eventually crossing over each other. At the same time, {{color|blue}} lights appear and many {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} rays rapidly move towards the screen, followed by {{color|blue}} rays, {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} circles, {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} zigzags, colorful criss-cross lines, {{color|blue}} and {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} straight lines, and finally wavy {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} lines with curvy {{color|red}} lines between them. Then the camera pans up to the searchlights, which move down to reveal a box of popcorn with many kernels shooting out. The screen cuts to a scene of five {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} popcorn kernels flying around the screen and falling down with a "shadow" effect, before they draw a marquee with several neon lines and designs (looking like that of the Orpheum or Pantages theater), and the camera zooms in below it. Then, the screen cuts to a plain black screen, and the stacked words "{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}" zoom out and pan down with a "shadow" effect, flashing when they settle on the background. After the flash dies down, lines appear behind each word, and the text turns {{color|red}}. Finally, the lines shine repeatedly.

'''Availability:''' Last seen on HBO in 1982, so your best bet would be to check old VHS/Betamax recordings.

===3rd Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' The camera travels down an infinite loop of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where we see several movie-related items (i.e. a glass slipper, a box of popcorn, a soda bottle, etc.) on the left and right sides of the screen. The screen then zooms into a screen that shows a color-changing background and the aforementioned objects moving around while briefly morphing into blobs, before cutting back to the Walk of Fame where we see a box office gradually zooming in as the sky turns to a night sky and searchlights move around it. When the box office comes close to the screen, it cuts to the "{{color|red|{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}}}" text animating as usual.

=== 4th Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' On a space background with a gridded floor is several bright lights drawing in a stylized movie theater complete with a box office and a marquee with the text "'''H.B.O. FEATURE MOVIE'''" on both sides. The screen then zooms into a {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} star on the marquee, and the screen cuts to more bright lights drawing in the interior of the theater. As we slowly zoom in, a {{color|red}} curtain on the center rises to reveal a {{color|blue}} pair of curtains, which open as the camera zooms in and it fades to the "{{color|red|{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}}}" text animating as usual.

===5th Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' On a space background, the screen pans through and around many abstract shapes of various colors and sizes, some of which light up. At one point, a circle with a star passes by the shapes, with a bubble trail passing through them shortly after. After a while, a stylized {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} screen moves in from the right and the screen zooms into it as it starts showing the "{{color|red|{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}}}" text animating as usual.

===6th Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' There is a futuristic-like city at twilight, and we pan to the left where we see a neon movie theater with searchlights scanning the sky. Then the screen zooms into the entrance and see a bird's-eye view of the theater, lit in {{color|saddlebrown|brown}} and {{color|orange}}. The screen slowly zooms into the projection screen and the camera fades to the "{{color|red|{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}}}" text animating as usual.

===7th Open (1979-September 19, 1982)===

'''Open:''' On a black background, {{color|darkviolet|purple}} streaks rain down the screen diagonally as the screen fades to see a {{color|gray}} rounded rectangle with a neon {{color|hotpink|pink}} outline rotating and zooming out, with an ocean at the bottom of the screen. When it disappears, a {{color|blue}} circular flash brings forth a series of {{color|gold}} bars that fly towards the screen at an angle. They eventually form a theater hallway with the ocean turning into a black floor, and a {{color|saddlebrown|brown}} screen quickly zooms in as the "{{color|red|{{Font|Impact|HBO FEATURE MOVIE}}}}" text starts animating as usual.

===8th Open (September 20, 1982-October 31, 1997)===

'''Open:''' As we start with a man tuning the cable on a TV set for a channel (to HBO) in his apartment as he settles down on the couch with his wife. The camera pans backwards and outside the window to show a somewhat busy city intersection with figurines of vehicles and people standing on the sidewalk at twilight. The music starts, and the camera "flies" forward down the street, through several intersections. At one point, you can even see a movie theater with "HBO THEATRE" on the marquee. We fly over some buildings before going into the suburbs, with lots of trees. We fly over several houses and a clock tower. Then the camera pans up into the sky, which briefly takes sunset hues before becoming {{color|blue}} and black with a starfield. We go up into space, eventually panning up to reveal the source of the light; a star (positioned near the top center of the screen) that gets brighter and brighter, and eventually explodes in a {{color|orangered|scarlet}} and {{color|blue}} gemstone-shaped flash, leaving behind a shiny chrome model monolith. The monolith moves down and across the screen and rotates clockwise, revealing that it is the HBO logo, then turns around one more time as the camera then zooms in on the side of the "{{color|silver|'''O'''}}". The side of the "{{color|silver|'''O'''}}" disappears in a flash of light, revealing a stream of {{color|red}}, {{color|#FFD900|yellow}} and {{color|blue}} rays streaking counterclockwise around a {{color|silver|silver}} axis, and "{{color|violet|'''HBO FEATURE PRESENTATION'''}}", in a heavy, {{color|violet|lavender}} 3D "gaspipe" font and with each word stacked on top of the other (as well as a line under "{{color|violet|'''<u>PRESENTATION</u>'''}}"), appears against an array of {{color|darkviolet|purple}} lines. Some more rays sweep across the words and shine, then the background fades to black with more flashes from the surrounding rays.

'''Audio:''' The sounds of the TV in the opening scene (beginning with a TV host saying "On your big bonus question for..." before getting cut off when the man changes the channel), then some honking horns and city noises (or, in the short version, a whoosh, and the fog variant contains wind sounds) A piano/string chord is heard, which leads into a dramatic orchestral theme that gets progressively more tense. When the star explodes, phasing sounds are heard, culminating in a very loud, upbeat, almost disco-style horn-driven overture, ending with synth sweeps (representing the rays "inside" the "O"). Composed by Ferdinand J. Smith with a 65-man orchestra.

*For the first few months the open was used, a different end-tune that was similar to the "HBO Special" version played instead of the normal end.

*For the "HBO Comedy" open, a "comedic" tune would play.

'''Legacy:''' One of the most--or even arguably ''the'' most--beloved and iconic opening bumpers of the 1980s, thanks to the sheer amounts of detail and effort put into the visuals, and its iconic music, which HBO has consistently continued to use in modified forms ever since.

===9th Open (November 1, 1986-October 31, 1997)===

'''Open:''' There is a {{color|mediumorchid|heliotrope}} HBO logo across a vertical filmstrip with light rays shooting through it. The camera pans around and zooms back from several CGI squares glowing in various neon colors. Then, the lights shoot out the last square and light up a group of small dots glowing in rainbow colors, then zoom out to reveal a {{color|violet|light purple}} HBO logo with "{{color|deeppink|''Movie''}}" in a script font and in a {{color|deeppink|raspberry}}-like color with the rainbow circles on a black background behind it.

===10th Open (1986-1998)===

'''Open:''' On a {{color|blueviolet|violet}}/white CGI background with a {{color|darkblue|dark blue}} floor is many colored shapes zooming through the screen. A black rectangle zooms in slowly and settles on a stack of other rectangles on a black base, as two more rectangles fly in and stack themselves above it, and a {{color|deeppink|hot pink}} HBO logo rises up from it. As the camera starts rotating, the {{color|gold}} words "{{color|gold|'''SPECIAL PRESENTATION'''}}" zoom out with a shadow effect and plaster themselves on the front of the base, and the camera stops on a slight angle (a la 20th Century Studios).

===11th Open (1990-1993)===

'''Open:''' On a black-{{color|darkred|reddish}} gradient background, there is a translucent filmstrip that has a {{color|deepskyblue|blue}} circle with lines dividing it in four quadrants in the style of a movie countdown on its center. Squares fly through its sprocket holes, and a circular light beam shines below its center, starting a countdown of the letters "'''H'''", "'''B'''", and "'''O'''". As this happens, the camera pans to the left and slowly zooms in on the countdown with the beam of light extruding through the circle. After the "'''O'''" appears, the circle turns into an "'''O'''" and another "'''O'''" flies through the film strip and the beam of light with several "'''O'''"s appearing and flying behind it. More light beams appear on the left and right as everything turns {{color|blue}}, and the screen scrolls to a stone platform where the "'''O'''"s land, after which the screen pans out to reveal it’s part of the word "{{color|gold|'''ORIGINAL'''}}" with {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} lines above and below. As this happens, the words "{{color|violet|'''THE HBO'''}}" scroll in from the left and rest above "{{color|gold|'''ORIGINAL'''}}" and the camera zooms out to reveal the word "{{color|violet|'''MOVIE'''}}" below it. The platform has two sets of four light beams, one arranged vertically on the top left corner and the second arranged horizontally above the word "{{color|violet|'''HBO'''}}". A filmstrip scrolls up behind the logo as a spotlight passes through it twice.

===12th Open (August 1991-1993)===

'''Open:''' There is a countdown with the letters "{{color|gold|'''H'''}}", "{{color|gold|'''B'''}}", and "{{color|gold|'''O'''}}". When it stops, it starts again as a globe bounces on it and onto a round {{color|red}} layer with the word "{{color|gold|'''M'''OVIES}}" and several {{color|gold}} banners with the words "HBOmovies" on them circling it. The globe bounces into a filmstrip, imprinting bouncing globes onto it, then bounces on the "{{color|gold|'''M'''}}" and moves to another layer with the word "{{color|gold|'''B'''OXING}}" and several "HBOboxing" banners on it. The globe and the letter "{{color|gold|'''B'''}}" fight with each other, pushing the globe onto a layer with the word "{{color|gold|'''M'''USIC}}" and several "HBOmusic" banners, as a bunch of globes appear. Three of the globes turn {{color|red}} and bounce onto a new layer with "{{color|gold|'''F'''AMILY}}" and "HBOfamily" banners. The "{{color|gold|'''F'''}}" juggles them, throwing them onto a final layer with "{{color|gold|'''COMEDY'''}}" and "HBOcomedy" banners. The "{{color|gold|'''C'''}}" laughs as the countdown appears again. It turns into an "{{color|gold|'''O'''}}", which zooms out to reveal the rest of the HBO logo, and the globe bounces into the middle of the "{{color|gold|'''O'''}}".

*There were five 15-second versions of the opening where the globe bounces on one layer before the first layer returns.

===13th Open (November 1, 1997-November 4, 1999)===

'''Open:''' In a widescreen effect (with the letterbox bars having a black and {{color|blue}} background) is the white words "'''FEATURE PRESENTATION'''" appear over the HBO logo, which is in one of many situations (like the ITV "Hearts" idents from the same time). For example, one scenario involves the HBO logo inside a limo with several paparazzi stumbling to get to the limo and taking several pictures. Another features the camera panning around a skyscraper to reveal the top of the skyscraper is in the shape of the HBO logo (an influence on the next logo). Finally, another one shows the HBO logo in a fish tank.

'''Availability:''' These opens were only used for two years before the next one came along.

===14th Open (November 5, 1999-April 1, 2011)===

'''Open:''' There is a busy street intersection with a theater (a homage to the theater briefly shown in the 8th opening) displaying the HBO logo and the words "'''FEATURE PRESENTATION'''" on its marquee. The camera zooms into the theater, past the box office (a homage to the zooming box office from the 3rd opening) and into a bright light. After the light dims down, the camera starts zooming down a street in a residential neighborhood with cars driving and people walking about, and goes through a bridge superstructure shaped like an "'''H'''", after which it zooms down a rural highway, passing farms and such. After some fog obscures the screen is the camera zoom down a mountain road, flying over a pit, and heading down a "'''B'''" shaped tunnel. The tunnel leads to a desert road surrounded with gorges and cliffs at the other end, and the camera zooms into a truck with an "'''O'''"-shaped cylindrical tank, taking us through another transition. We end up zooming through a CGI rendering of the city from the 8th opening, then into a skyscraper-filled downtown. Passing through the buildings with a lens flare effect, the camera travels down a freeway as lights from behind several buildings quickly turn on, followed by more lights ahead of them. The camera pans and takes us into an aerial view above the clouds, and we see the spotlights outlining an HBO-logo shaped harbor. The 3D letters "'''FEATURE'''" fly in and come together over the HBO logo, and a flash below them brings forth a {{color|darkblue|dark blue}} rectangle with the word "PRESENTATION" appearing on it letter-by-letter as we tilt above the HBO-shaped harbor.

===15th Open (April 2, 2011-)===

'''Open:''' On a black background, a flash appears, turning into a {{color|deepskyblue|cerulean}} aurora background as the HBO logo appears on the left and the words "Feature Presentation" (in the Gotham Book font) appear on the right.

'''Audio Variant:''' An alternate version exists where the HBO fanfare sounds different and using the familiar tone from the previous opening. It was also heard on HBO Canada.

===16th Open (July 5, 2014-)===

'''Open:''' On a black background, pictures from various movies (which change frequently depending on what's being shown on HBO at the time) fade in and drop down. Then, they fade out and drop down again. Then, the HBO logo and the words "Feature Presentation" from the previous logo drop down.

*An alternate fanfare from the previous opening is used.

===17th Open (March 4, 2017-)===

'''Open:''' The screen fades in to a shot of a man holding a bowl of popcorn. As the camera pans to the right is him walking towards his wife, who's snuggling up with a blanket on a sofa. In the background we can see two sets of home plants, a desk lamp, a set of magazines, and two glasses of what seems to be wine or cola. On the wall, there is a canvas print of another apartment. Below the couch, a pair of shoes are visible. The man places the popcorn on a table, settles down with his wife, and turns on the TV. As the screen zooms out through a window, a suitcase-style turntable can be seen. Zooming further out of the apartment, there is a few more sets of apartment complexes. Two more pairs of shoes can be seen dangling from a telephone wire. Panning further to the right, there are two streetlamps. The screen then zooms out from the streets into the room of two teenage siblings; an older sister and a younger brother. The wall is covered with fan posters of various celebrities. Zooming further out is the sister on her bed, and the brother on a large cushion. The brother holds a tablet towards his sister. Zooming out even further, we reach a balcony. In it, a patio table and a bicycle can be seen. As the camera zooms further out, the screen zooms out into the living room of another apartment complex. This scene is basically a recreation of the 8th opening, with a few modern touches added (e.g. cushion couches on a rug next to a flat-screen TV, which is showing a portion of the 8th opening (the part where the screen zooms into the "'''O'''"). As the screen zooms out again, it is noticeable that the apartment complex is actually a home, nested on a floating brick lawn. More apartments and condominiums are nested next to the home. The logo zooms in to the living room of yet another apartment. The first thing shown is its flat-screen TV, which is also showing the 8th opening. In it, a group of college students are seen on a couch, with one of them serving a snack to another. As the screen zooms out yet again, a man holding a phone can be seen on the balcony of yet another apartment. After that, the camera zooms out further and further. It is then revealed that the city is inside the HBO logo, set over a dark sky background on a flat grassy plain, with a river shown beside it. The words "MOVIE PREMIERE" are seen below the logo. At this point, everything shown inside the towering logo is no longer noticeable in detail.

'''Technique:''' A blend of live-action and CGI that homages the 8th and 14th openings. It was made by Imaginary Forces.

'''Audio:''' Similar to that of the 14th opening, it's another powerful, epic orchestral fanfare that incorporates the 12-note 1982 fanfare, starting with only a piano, before progressing with some strings, and leading into a full, passionate orchestra. Plus, you can hear the city noises and river sounds. Composed by Made Music Studio.