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Topic: Best/worst sounding film company logo fanfares

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-22-2011 02:32 PM

From another thread:

quote:
what the heck does Fox do to their opening logo theme? It's recorded at a totally anemic level. Sounds like the fader is at about 4, and then the feature sound is right back up there where it should be. What's THAT all about? They rerecorded it awhile back and yet for all that effort, they drop the level so that it has no punch at all. It's lame.

I notice that too. Universal's is also too soft. In fact Universal's whole opening tag needs updating -- it's vintage '97.

Disney's main logo sounds pretty good to me. My personal recent favorite is their Disney Animation logo. (The one with Steamboat Willie in it) The sound isn't so good in that one but it isn't meant to be.

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-22-2011 03:39 PM

IMO Universal has finally created some music for their logo that makes it really classy. As far as the level is concerned there is a thing called volume control. Put someone in the booth to adjust it. That's "showmanship". Automation has no showmanship capabilities. Fox has and always has had (especially during the CinemaScope years) the classiest logo.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-22-2011 04:08 PM

Robert, I don't think it should be up to the booth personnel (even if there ARE any) to adjust volume levels within a feature. Once it's set for the feature it should be just fine throughout.

With the Fox Fanfare as it is right now, it's so low that I'm sure a fair percentage of patrons, instead of thinking "Great! The movie's starting" think "Crap! The sound's gonna be too soft".

I used to programme the automation to adjust after the Fox Fanfare had played...sometimes I had to play it at 9.0 to get it right, but I grew weary of fixing their error time and time again.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-22-2011 04:29 PM

I hate Universal's logo because you are forced to watch it twice on any shitty Blu-ray they put out. Assholes.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 06-22-2011 04:44 PM

quote: Robert E. Allen
Fox has and always has had (especially during the CinemaScope years) the classiest logo.

... thanx to Alfred Newman who composed the fanfare for it in 1933 after "20th Century Pictures" bought out "Fox Pictures, and with 20th Century Pictures was a lot stronger than FOX is why "20th Century" was at the beginning of the trademark,and why of the hyphen .. "20th Century-Fox" - in the descriptive title until 1985 when the hyphen was dropped.

Interesting though, the fanfare wasn't used for "the Robe" - but then heard with the CinemaScope extention in "How to Marry a Millionaire' in 1954.

Very Art Deco .... - Monte

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Lionel Fouillen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 230
From: Belgium
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 06-22-2011 04:56 PM

My favourites...

20th Century Fox / CinemaScope 55 introduction

Universal 75th anniversary

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Victor Liorentas
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: london ontario canada
Registered: May 2009

posted 06-22-2011 06:22 PM

Fox hands down!I always crank it when possible!
I also used to love the 70s and 80s Columbia logo with zoom in and animation.

I hate having to watch anything but the actual theatrical logo when starting a dvd or bluray!

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-22-2011 06:54 PM

I always liked 20th Century-Fox (the long version) and I really loved hearing the Warner Bros. fanfare revived for the opening of "Gremlins" -- I don't recall WB using it again after that.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-22-2011 07:08 PM

Warners... I forgot about that one. Their current music ("As Time Goes By") sounds really good when cranked up. I crank that one when I get the chance, too.

I agree with Joe about Universal and their videos. You have to watch the current logo followed by the one that was on the movie originally.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-22-2011 07:10 PM

I'm a fan of the 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare, although the version with the Cinemascope extension often shows up on flat features. [Razz]

Unfortunately, the current picture for this logo has visible jagged lines, as it was clearly derived from a digital source (probably 2K).

Agreed with Robert that the Universal logo (current version) has a classy score. I like it.

I _hate_ the Focus Features logo, as it starts out of focus and annoys projectionists.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-22-2011 07:46 PM

The Fox Fanfare intro from 20th Century Fox has sort of been all over the map in terms of either being really great or crappy.

My favorite version of Fox Fanfare: the intro, with CinemaScope extension, on the front of Die Hard. It really kicked ass in 70mm 6-track Dolby mag. The same music arrangement and similar, pounding volume level has been used on the DVD and Blu-ray releases. IMHO, Fox Fanfare never sounded better than this. One really odd thing about the Die Hard prints: the 20th Century Fox logo was badly stretched, like a 1.33:1 version was stuck on a 'scope print. They kept this wierd thing intact on the Blu-ray version.

Alien has the shorter version of Fox Fanfare and it's a really old recording. I don't really care for it. These days every Fox feature has the long version of the music, probably because of the camera's flyover path in the logo's computer animation. To do a short version a static, non-moving view of the logo would have to be used.

The 70mm print I saw of The Abyss didn't have the Fox Fanfare music. And the 20th Century Fox logo was extremely cropped as if they did a 2.35:1 extraction out of a logo composed for a 1.33:1 frame.

I thought the 1994 update of the 20th Century Fox logo (unveiled with True Lies) was pretty good, although the music didn't quite have the punch of the arrangement used on Die Hard). The Lightstorm Entertainment logo that followed was louder and I loved the piano/drum tone that hit on the end of it. The version of the Fox logo now used looks very similar to the 1994 version, but has some subtle differences. I think the newest Fox logo debuted with Avatar.

The version of Fox Fanfare used on the first Star Wars movie was really good. I didn't really care for the music arrangements on the three prequels. There's something oddly off about the timing of the horns and drums.

No other movie studio has a theme remotely as familiar (or good) as Fox Fanfare. Disney runs a decent 2nd place with the Do You Wish Upon A Star medeley. And the theme in front of the Pixar movies isn't bad.

Sometimes movie logo intros from other studios can be pretty good, but it's usually a customized kind of treatment, often with music from the main feature playing.

The Paramount logo has been good on the front of Top Gun, Coming to America, Transformers and a few others. I never cared for the company's stock music theme however.

I liked the Columbia Pictures intro on Cat Ballou where the animated lady holding the torch threw off the robe and turned into a cowgirl firing pistols.

The United Artists logo on the front of Goldeneye worked; the music and visual design seemed appropriately Bond-related.

What is it with Warner Brothers and the really really loooonnnnggg amount of black ahead of the logo? I see this all the time with the studio's movies. The logo design is okay. I don't care for the stock company theme. The only times the WB logo intro is cool is when it is customized -like in The Matrix or any number of other films where it has been changed.

I like the visual design in both the Marvel and DC Comics company logos. However, I've grown pretty tired of comic book movies in general.

I think Lionsgate has a pretty good logo intro with all those computer animated gears and stuff. It's too bad too many of the studio's movies are stinky.

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-22-2011 07:53 PM

You're right John. But as long as we are stuck with the problem lets be showmen and put someone in the booth for the opening. Even an usher can turn the stupid knob. (Or is it "even a stupid usher can turn the knob?")

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-22-2011 08:23 PM

Or they could just fix the problem.

It's been going on so long now it's pretty obvious no-one at Fox cares enough about it to worry, which is a shame as the Fox Fanfare at a decent volume certainly lets the audience know...here it is.

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Brian Guckian
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 594
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 06-22-2011 08:34 PM

quote:
One really odd thing about the Die Hard prints: the 20th Century Fox logo was badly stretched, like a 1.33:1 version was stuck on a 'scope print. They kept this weird thing intact on the Blu-ray version.

The story goes that a flat version of the logo was indeed attached in error, but that director John McTiernan liked the more "cinematic" look it imparted so much he asked them to keep it on [Cool]

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-22-2011 08:35 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
One really odd thing about the Die Hard prints: the 20th Century Fox logo was badly stretched, like a 1.33:1 version was stuck on a 'scope print. They kept this wierd thing intact on the Blu-ray version.

We got to talk with Paul Schrader when we showed the restored "Taxi Driver" earlier this year. He said they were asked if they wanted the new Columbia logo instead of the REALLY GRAINY one from the original release. To which, Scorcese replied (something like), "We've lived with this logo for 30 years. It's part of the movie now." Maybe they're not the only ones who feel that way..?

quote: Robert E. Allen
Put someone in the booth to adjust it. That's "showmanship".

I was disappointed with the wimpy Fox fanfare when the new STAR WARS movies came out. I wanted it louder. I wanted it to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Even so, I'm not a fan of riding the volume for something like this. It's obviously not what they want. It's their movie and it's their logo. They get to decide how loud it ought to be.

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