British Film Institute

Background
British Film Institute was established by Royal Charter in 1933 to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom. UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by Labour Government as a public fund to promote and develop the film industry in UK. It was funded from various sources, including the National Lottery (which was pointed in the logo). In 2010 the government coalition announced the Council to be closed, taking place on 31st March 2011. The funding control was transferred to British Film Institute (BFI).

1st Logo (1966)
Logo: Simply the following text on a black background: THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE PRESENTS A BBC PRODUCTION

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Ultra rare. Was spotted on The War Game.

2nd Logo (1991-????, June 11, 2021)
Logo: On a black background, a triangular pattern of violet streaks wipe from the bottom of the screen to the top left. Another pattern with right triangles would then wipe from the top left. After this, a film camera is seen moving from the left with its lens spinning. Shortly after, we zoom into the inside of the camera where we see filmstrips, spinning film reels, and a small projector light in the center. "Times New Roman" would wipe in in the center, followed by "Times New Roman" arched over the letters. The film reels fade out, followed by both the arched text and the projector light, and finally the letters.

Technique: The streaks wiping, the camera and reels moving, and the text fading in.

Music/Sounds: A drum tune with cymbals. On Censor, the opening theme of the movie is used.

Availability: Rare. It made appearances on British films such as Eleyna. This logo made a special appearance on Censor, released in June 11, 2021.

(2001-2003)
Logo: The vertical crack opens in the screen, and the name slides out in both directions, surrounded by blue rays. The "FILM" goes left and "COUNCIL" slides right. Then the glow fades.

Technique: The logo slides out. Sometimes nothing.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Was seen on Bodysong and Intermission.

1st Logo (2003-2011, 2012)
Logo: First, the National Lottery "Awarding funds from" sign appears on the bottom of the screen. Then the vertical crack opens in the middle and blue rays beam to the sides. The name slides from the crack like in the previous logo, only "UK" part is added. After this, the blue glow fades and the crack closes to the small mark.

Variants:
 * On some trailers, the lottery mark appears next to the logo (as seen on the third picture).
 * During the first year, the Awarding funds from The National Lottery disclaimer was not seen.

Technique: The blue glow and words slide.

Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme to the movie.

Availability: Common, and no more current. Seen on some movies from this era. All future films now have the British Film Institute logo since 2011.

2nd Logo (May 21, 2010-July 29, 2011)
Logo: Same as the previous logo, but with improved effects and the letters is in 3D now. The blue flash do not disappear but retain until the logo fades.

Technique: Same as the previous logo, but in CGI.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme to the movie.

Availability: Rare. Only seen on two films Streetdance 3D and Horrid Henry: The Movie.

Legacy: A sadly wasted logo that only appeared on two films.

1st Logo (2011-2012)
Logo: On a black background, a lens flare as well as a purple ring is seen slowly moving from the top left to the center with it aligning with three big, transparent blue circles. When they overlap each other, the blue circles reveal "BFI" with the lens flare resting at the lower right of the "I". The Awarding funds from The National Lottery disclaimer then fades in on the bottom right.

Variant: On one movie, the disclaimer was omitted.

Technique: The lens flare moving.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare, due to its short lifespan. Seen on COI Collection Volume Six: Worth the Risk?.

2nd Logo (2012-2014)
Logo: On a space background, we start with a close shot of the moon which moves to the bottom center and then to the center of the screen. The sun can be seen flying from the right behind the moon as well as the Earth from the bottom right. Once they have properly aligned, each of the planets transform into the three letters from before except with a distinct color: "B" is in a red circle, "F" in gray, and "I" in blue. "Film Forever" fades in zooms in underneath and finally, the background fades to black.

Variants:
 * A shortened version exists.
 * A variant where the logo is in full-screen exists.
 * Sometimes, "Film Forever" is removed.

Technique: CGI animation of the planets, space, and transformations.

Music/Sounds: High-pitched ambience noises throughout the logo, and three hits when the planets transform. None for the short variant.

Availability: Can be seen on various films from this period such as Comfort and Joy and Saints and Sinners.

3rd Logo (2014-2022)
Logo: We see a yellow lens flare flash with it emitting a curved rainbow line at the top left. The logo from before is revealed with the National Lottery disclaimer appearing below and slowly zooming in before fading. "Film Forever" then appears with a burst effect with the same zoom animation as before.

Technique: The lens flare and the text fading and zooming in.

Music/Sounds: The opening of the movie.

Availability: No longer current, but still common. It can be seen on Mr. Turner, Brooklyn, The Lovers and the Despot, among others.

4th Logo (April 11, 2022-)
Logo: On a black background, the letters from before glow from the bottom right to top left from letter to letter with each of them in a different gradient. "B" has a mixture of green, yellow, and orange, "F" has more warmer colors, and "I" appears to have pink and blue colors. After each of their light has died out, they all glow at once, revealing their circles to have the same white color.

Variant: There is a restoration variant on older movies where the logo is still and "Arial" is seen underneath.

Technique: The logo glowing.

Music/Sounds: So far, none.

Availability: Brand new. It made one of its first appearances on a 4K DVD release of The Proposition and is expected to appear on newer films from the company.