Scott Free Productions

Background
Scott Free Productions was founded in 1995 in the UK by Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott (1944-2012).

1st Logo (February 2, 1996-March 5, 2000)
Nickname: "Scott Text"

Logo: On a black background, we see the text "SCOTT FREE", with the lower part of the letter "R" stretched a little longer and the whole text underlined.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None or the ending theme of the TV show.

Availability: Rare. The only film to use this logo was White Squall. It also appeared on the Showtime series The Hunger.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (September 25, 1998- )
Note: This Open-Matte variant can be seen here.

Nicknames: "The Bird", "Man Into Bird", "Shapeshifting Bird"

Logo: On a black background, we see a man clad in monk-style clothing walking as a white light illuminates him. He lights up a cigar, and a burst of light appears next to him. We then cut to another shot of the man smoking the cigar, as he runs away against a yellow spotlight. His arms transform into wings, and he turns into a bird that flies across a multicolored background. The text "SCOTT FREE", in the same font as before, slide in underneath the bird before transforming into a weird font. The bird becomes a blue silhouette version, and the logo becomes still on a black background.

Trivia: This animation was made by Italian animator Gianluigi Toccafondo. He also did the logo for the Italian film distributor Fandango and the end credits animation for the Scott Free film Robin Hood.

Variants:
 * On TV shows, the logo is cut to the last few seconds.
 * Some films starting with A Good Year in 2006, the "SCOTT FREE" text is absent.
 * An in-credit version exists on The Pillars of the Earth.
 * On Taboo, the logo is next to Hardy Son and Baker, Sonar Entertainment, and BBC logo.
 * On Life in a Day 2020, the logo is still, has a white background, and the text instead reads "RSA FILMS", Scott Free's parent company.

FX/SFX: The animation, which appears to be done in oil paints or pastels. All of the animation is beautiful.

Music/Sounds: The logo begins with dark whooshing sounds and deep drums, as well as a match-striking sound. A Native American-sounding wind instrument piece is then heard as the man turns into a bird. Otherwise, it's the opening theme of the movie, or, in the case of Black Hawk Down, none.

Music/Sounds Variant: A high-toned version exists usually for PAL prints.

Availability: Common. It was first seen on Clay Pigeons and has appeared on the majority of the company's films since then. However, it does not appear on Gladiator, Hannibal, or The A-Team. The short version can be seen on The Company, The Good Wife and Numb3rs. The print logo for the company is a regular bird with "SCOTT FREE" in the same font as the last logo.

Editor's Note: This might be one of the most amazing logos ever made, mainly due to its fantastic animation.