Sony Pictures Special Program Bumpers

1st Bumper (October 21, 1985-1987) RCA/Columbia Preview Screen (1) RCA/Columbia Preview Screen (2) RCA/Columbia Preview Screen (3)

Bumper: On a black background is a blue gradient rectangle with two white outlines of rectangles behind it (possibly representing a doorway). In front of it is black stripes with red bordering and yellow words with black lining inside them. The first screen would have:

PREVIEWS OF OTHER

then:

RCA/COLUMBIA PICTURES HOME VIDEO RELEASES

and finally:

FOLLOW THIS FEATURE PRESENTATION

It would just fade to these screens.

Technique: Just simple fading to the screens.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Can be found on the beginning of RCA/Columbia tapes from the time. The ones that would have this are the tapes with the black boxes with the red bordering. Titles include Ghostbusters (rental copies only), Quiet Cool and About Last Night....

Legacy: The sizing of the rectangles could had been adjusted to look less wonky, which isevident when each screen transitions to another.

2nd Bumper (1995)

Bumper: Over the tossing clouds animation from the 1993 Columbia TriStar Home Video logo, the gold text "ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE" in Bank Gothic zooms into the center of the screen.

Technique: The clouds tossing and text zooming. Simple but effective.

Music/Sound: A hoarse-sounding announcer says "Columbia TriStar Home Video proudly presents, exciting behind-the-scenes footage, immediately following this feature."

Availability: Ultra rare. Only seen on certain copies (without previews) of the 1995 release of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

3rd Bumper (1996)

Bumper: We see some footage of the main menu to the CD-ROM program Othello: The Interactive Guide.

Technique: Unknown

Music/Sounds: A male voiceover says "Stay tuned for information about the interactive guide to Othello, following the feature presentation." In the background, an excerpt of the soundtrack piece "Burial" (composed by Charlie Mole) is heard.

Availability: Only seen on the VHS release of the 1995 adaptation of Othello.

4th Bumper (1997, 2000)

Bumper: Transitioning in from the preceding promo for the Men in Black soundtrack (which ended with Will Smith neuralizing the viewer), a white flash dies down to reveal a space background. We see the text saying "Men in Black" in a tall white font zooming in, then fades away as the words "Music Video" appear in the same fashion, before the bumper fades out.

Variation: On the 2000 Special Edition VHS of Men in Black, we start with footage of the alien saucer crashing into a truck, before cross-fading to the MIB logo as seen in the movie's trailers, with the text "STAY TUNED AFTER THE FEATURE FOR" and "ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE" displayed above and below the MIB logo, respectively in a blue and white font. Technique: The text zooming in (1997), the animation from the end of the trailers (2000).

Music/Sound: No music in the original, just Greg O'Neill saying "Stay tuned for the 'Men in Black' music video staring Will Smith immediately following this feature.", and the MIB theme for the new one.

Availability: The original is common and can be seen on the 1997 VHS of Men In Black. The new one on the other hand is really rare to find and can only (just ONLY) can be seen on the 2000 special edition of Men In Black.

5th Bumper (2002)

Bumper: We see footage from the 2002 Spider-Man movie, and the text "Stay tuned after the movie for the Spider-Man music video" appears with a very quick ripple effect.

Technique: Just the text appearing

Music/Sound: The music from the TV spots of the said movie.

Availability: Rare, only seen on the 2002 VHS of Spider-Man.