Alliance Entertainment Corporation

Background
Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec and also known simply as Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distribution and production company

1st Logo (January 31, 1985-January 7, 1988)
Nickname: "The Shining Text"

Logo: On a shady blue gridlined background, the metallic stylized text:

New Zelek

set in New Zelek, appears in the center of the screen, and the underlined text " ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION " uncovers below it. The "ALLIANCE" shines.

Variants:
 * During 1985-1986, the logo had the joint byline "An RSL • ICC Company" written below " ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION ". Dropped in 1986 as the merger between two of producer Robert Lantos’ movie companies, RSL • ICC and French-Canadian film distributor Vivafilm Ltée., was completed. The RSL • ICC byline slides down as well as "Entertainment Corporation" from "ALLIANCE" meanwhile the name is shining on this variant.
 * In Diamonds, the logo already has " ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION " below the initial logo, as it only shows the logo shining.
 * A still variant has the logo on a blue background, with the text chromed and the "E" being slightly altered.

FX/SFX: The shining.

Music/Sounds: Played over the ending theme of a show.

Availability: Seen on the earliest episodes of Night Heat from the 1980s as well as other shows of that time.

2nd Logo (September 22, 1987-July 25, 1991)
Nicknames: "The Shining Text II"

Logo: We see a bright iris, then we see on a black- gradient background, is the word "ALLIANCE" is in the same style as before. Then the word " ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION " fades in below. Afterwards the logo started shining.

Variant: A warp-speed variant exists.

FX/SFX: The iris, the shining.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme.

Availability: Uncommon, at least in America. Seen on reruns of Night Heat on DejaView, and should be intact on all other Alliance shows of the period whenever reran.

3rd Logo (September 1, 1991-1999)
Nickname: "The Metallic A", "The Frontier of the Australian Logo", "The Alliance A", "The Alliance Boomerang"

Logo: We see a dark night sky with mountains of metallic silver gemstones below, one of which streaks brightly. The screen cuts to a bird’s eye view of the gemstones. One of the pyramid-shaped gemstones rises into the air. We cut to a side view of the gemstone turning in the sky, then a facing view of the gemstone turning up on its side until it shapes a long isosceles triangle. A spark flies from the bottom left of the triangle. When the spark reaches the top, it brightens and the triangle turns into a boomerang-shaped metallic A with the text "Times New Roman" written below in Wide Latin. The spark reaches the top and streaks again.

Variants:
 * On French-language theatrical films and VHS tapes, the text "Times New Roman" appears under the Alliance logo.
 * There exists a short version that starts when the "ALLIANCE" text appears.
 * Another short version exists that starts when the gemstone is turning up.
 * A filmed variant exists.
 * A still variant also exists.
 * A later variant exists where "Times New Roman" appears below. It's seen here.

FX/SFX: Very good CGI animation for 1991! It still holds up great today.

Music/Sounds: Wind blowing, followed by a ding alongside a humming sound effect. Then, as the gemstone rises in the air, we hear a lush fanfare with synth string notes and a hit at the end with a ding.

Music/Sounds Variants: There is an alternate mix of the fanfare where the electric piano has more presence.

Availability: In Canada, this logo is somewhat common, while in the United States, it is uncommon bordering on rare.
 * The short version appears on TV shows such as Beast Wars: Transformers, Due South, Once a Thief, ReBoot, and many other shows from the era. The short version also appears at the end and (sometimes) the beginning of films aired on Canadian TV.
 * The long version appears on theatrical and some TV movies, like Crash, The Sweet Hereafter, the Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD of Curtains (part of The Midnight Horror Collection: Bloody Slashers), and is used as a de-facto home video logo on many Canadian VHS releases of U.S. films (mainly New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, Dimension, and Miramax titles, among possible others).
 * The version with the "Vivafilm" name is very rare and is only seen on French language versions of films and VHS releases distributed in the Quebec market.
 * It also appeared a 1990s CKCO-TV airing of DeepStar Six (plastering the Carolco logo) and was found on an Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD release of No Contest as part of Abraxas: 4 Bonus Movies.
 * Appearances on current prints is extremely rare due to chronic plastering by other logos.
 * It was also spotted on an AT&T U-Verse Screen Pack print of Chili's Blues.
 * This logo is retained on reruns on Due South on CMT Canada. However, DejaView reruns plaster it with the 1999 Alliance Atlantis logo.

Legacy: This is a beautiful, atmospheric logo with great CGI and music to boot.