A studio logo is a logo used by movies studios and television production companies to brand their productions.
Usually presented at the start of a movie “opening logo” or at the end of a TV program “closing logo”.
Some well-known production logos are: 20th Century Studios’ monument and search lights, and MGM’s Leo the Lion.
Formerly known as '20th Century Fox'
After becoming a Disney subsidiary, now known as '20th Century Studios'
At first, production logos were still and didn’t have any special effects. However, as studios grew, more effort was put in to their image which included their logo. This also evolved with the progression in technology as synchronized sound effects were introduced.
With the 1980s came a return to the older style of logos. Warner Bros was one of the first studios to switch to a cel-animated abstract logo, brought back their WB shield logo as a matte painting in 1984. This was also the time when TV logos changed from cels and 2D graphics to 3D computer graphics. Disney debuted their 3D version of the castle logo with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in 2006
A studio logo grabs attention and makes a strong first impression, it is the studio’s first introduction to the audience.
This may foster brand loyalty; fans of Universals or those who have seen and enjoyed Universals pictures have a good impression of the logo hence would likely be drawn to products which carry the logo.
It also gives the audience a general idea of the feeling and tone of the studio.When the studio logo becomes more familiar to a larger group of consumers, this familiarity creates the perception that the studio is trustworthy. A good logo tends to trigger positive recall about the studio that the name of the studio alone may not.
For example, the Disney logo is a castle with dreamy pink clouds and a beautiful twilighted sky, this creates an imagery of fantasy and dreams which generates a nice, optimistic feeling. Disney owns Marvel but they didn’t change its logo because the tones do not match; superheroes and Disney characters🤔. Also it may cause confusion for the public and since Marvel was already a very established studio and comic brand, it didn’t need the Disney logo to support it.
Another example is Blumhouse productions, the creaking sound effect with the time-worn, rather filthy walls and the aid of the fluorescent green creates an eerie, sketchy feeling and this links to their main production genres—horrors and thrillers. This also helps the audience get into the mood of the film.
Which production companies/studios, are ‘known’ for making Thriller films?
Warnerbros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company
and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment.
-Inception
-The Dark Knight
-The Shining
-Orphan
-Joker
-Insomnia
Warner Bros would occasionally adapt their original studio logo for different genres of film; usually for thrillers they would make it black and white. This creates a very heavy and sombre feeling, this is also because the clouds seem as if they are storm clouds and that there is a tempest approaching. Black and white are very simplistic and monotonous colors which create a hollow and empty feeling because the color white is a cold color and this generates a distant, chilling feeling. We tend to associate the color black with a mysterious and dark feeling, because conventionally this color represents evilness and bad omen (likely due to human’s natural fear of the unknown; in the dark we cannot see hence we are afraid). The interplay between these colors create a creepy feeling and immediately puts the audience in the mood for a thriller.
The font of this logo is serious and quite majestic which allows it to adapt to the color tones of the logo; the original logo is filled with bright, joyous colors such as blue and gold. The font foregrounds its grandness and positive power as well as integrity. With the black and white filter, the font foregrounds this idea of gravity and solemness. It even seems harsh, this may also be due to the audience acknowledging the genre of the film. Therefore, they carry this impression of thriller films and its concept. As a result, the effect of the original logo is magnified and exaggerated. This version of the logo is usually accompanied by a hollow sound effect with an echo or a “whoosh” as the WB shield spins. The simple, silent sound effects grabs the audience’s attention and creates a sense of being isolated and deserted.
Another adapted Warner Bros logo is the one for “Orphan”
-The special effect of flashes; initially the Warner Bros logo enters in a silver color however, after 2 seconds, it flashes into a rusty, old metal shield splashed with fluorescent paint of pink and blue. There is also a squeaky distorted, rising high-pitched sound that creates an unbalanced, scary feeling. As if suddenly something horrific would happen. This reinforces the genre of thriller and the flash creates an enigma: What might this represent? The flash is used to foreshadow the chaotic nature of Esther, the orphan who towards the end of the film explodes with dark ideas and means. The flash is also symbolic as it highlights the quick and unsteady changes between Esther two personalities since she suffers from DID (dissociative identity disorder).
The bright fluorescent purplish pink and blue also creates a binary opposition as blue has a cold tone and the former a warmer color tone. Not only does this symbolize that Esther has a very callous side that enables her to do immoral deeds, but also a passionate side which ignites her ambition and motivates her to act upon her outrageous thoughts. These bright colors also allows us to connect with childhood because children tend to pick bright colors to paint and draw, this also serves as a hint to Esther’s facade of being an innocent, naive child whereas in reality, she is evil and rotten.
Blumhouse
An American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum. It is known mainly for producing horror films.
-Insidious
-The purge
-Get Out
-Happy Death Day
-Halloween
-Us
-The Invisible Man
When was the logo first used?
2012- “Start the logo by a wooden floor. Then we rise up and see a chair floating along with a door open to reveal a green light. As the camera turns, the door slams shut, we see a floating book, then a little girl bearing a striking resemblance to the girl from The Grudge. Then we turn to the ceiling when it starts to crack. The crack stops by the lightbulb that’s hanging from the ceiling. Along with that, the words “BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS” fade in a green tint on the wall. The H is in a house.”
Sound: Creaking sound of wood, sound of swinging rope, heart beat speeding up, breathing, wind, girl talking= Chaotic and tense
Who designed it?
Becker Design ( Makes reference to The Grudge and Paranormal Activity)
This logo is still used until today and it hasn’t changed but it adapts to some of the films; in “Freaky”, the girl is holding a knife with blood in her hand.
In “The Gallows”, it is tinted in dark red.
It adapts to create appeal and also serves as an enigma for the audience, for example in “Freaky” the girl at the start of the logo holds a knife with a bit of blood in her hand. This foreshadows the bloody, violent scenes later on in the film and how the protagonist holds a knife to defend herself. Especially for Blumhouse fans, after seeing the original logo so many times, if they watch their new movie and they see changes, they would likely notice it immediately and start guessing its symbolism. This creates a deeper connection between the studio and the audience and makes it rather interactive. It also shows to the audience that Blumhouse is making an effort to make its productions more creative and exciting, even if it is just through the logo.
image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMtVjOR4QGQ
Based on Curran and Seaton’s media industry theory, the massive conglomerates which dominate the market by more convergence and synergy will make it harder for other competitors to enter the market, Blumhouse is one of the few successful independent studios, hence they have to follow trends and embrace popular products to stay competitive in the market. Therefore by adapting their opening logos for different productions, they are using different strategies to maintain and raise their position in the market.
Symbolisation：
The logo consists of elements from the well-known horror film ‘The Grudge’ , the girl at the start is the ghost from 'The Grudge' and it also makes reference to 'Paranormal Activity'.
This is a good branding and promoting method because these two films are very successful Blumhouse productions and so for the audience who haven’t watched these yet, they are likely to go search and watch them. The bright green color on the walls create a rather filthy, scary feeling. This is because green reminds people of sewages, molds and vomit which are all disgusting and unclean. Green can also be associated with hospitals because green is a comfortable color for the human eye which is why walls in most hospitals especially in recovery rooms are light green. As a result, this may create an imagery of sharp surgery tools and blood. The light itself is a harsh, bluish white and is given off by one single light bulb which swings. This foregrounds the dangerous, sketchy feeling and gives an impression of an abandoned, haunted house. In most horror films or thrillers, an abandoned house is rather symbolic.
If you look carefully, there are also blood prints on the walls, not just a few drops but more like a splash. This hints that murder occurred and it was violent and aggressive. The lighting of the logo is low key and the color tone is very cold, which generates a dark, evil and callous feeling. Both the use of blood as symbolism and low-key lighting conforms to the horror genre. This helps set the mood for the actual film that follows after the studio logos and opening credits. The combination of all these elements creates an overall spooky and unsafe feeling which gives people goose bumps.
My production logo: NLDB Productions
I want my production logo to be fairly neutral in style and color tone so that unlike the Disney castle logo which is immediately associated with childhood and happiness, my production logo would be able to be flexible in the mood and atmosphere it creates depending on the film genre.
My initial drafts:
I was experimenting with a simplistic style and wanted to depict a majestic, global feeling. However, the first draft in this clip seemed to be too soft due to the light color tones and the second appeared to be too simple and neither looked like a studio logo. However, I did want to stay within the purple and blue tones as a background because my unofficial name 'Noor' is Arabic for dawn and therefore I wanted to keep that symbolism in my production logo.
After trying out a few more designs, I found another image with darker tones of purple that communicated a more serious and grand feeling which matches my intended impact on the audience.
I added a shining glow to connote light and hope but also speed which is what my production company represents: hope in innovation and speed & fast pace in excitement.
There is a sound effect of a 'swoosh' that matches the shine that glides across the logo, there is another low-pitch, low tone hollow sound to create a sense of hollowness and universality.
My final studio logo:
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