Silver Pictures

Background
Silver Pictures is the film production company of Joel Silver founded in 1985. However, it did not have a logo until 1990 (introduced as a static logo for "Silver Pictures Television" on the 1990 TV movie Parker Kane), and their logo did not appear on a theatrical film until 1991 (introduced on the film Ricochet).

1st Logo (October 4, 1991-November 5, 2003)
Nicknames: "The Square", "The CGI Chip", "The Chip"

Logo: On a black background with sliver "water" below, a 3D silver object emerges from the "water", slowly, with the "water" rippling as it rises. After it's uncovered, the camera zooms back quickly, revealing that the 3D object is a chip with "SILVER PICTURES" coming from below, the letters separated from each other.

Trivia: The "chip" is based on a block pattern that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the exteriors of the legendary Storer House in Los Angeles. Joel Silver, a Wright enthusiast, restored the Storer House in the 1980s.

Variant: On widescreen prints of the film Ricochet, a gray spotlight is seen shining on the bottom right corner of the screen. The shining radius takes up almost half of the background. Pan and scan prints of the film would have a flash appear as the chip places itself in its intended position, giving it an appearance of a blue spotlight on the background for a brief second. This is presumably due to film damage.

FX/SFX: The chip rising, the camera zooming so fast, the letters appearing. Early CGI.

Music/Sounds: An orchestral fanfare composed by Michael Kamen (who also did the music for the 1991 Morgan Creek and 1994 New Line Cinema logos) that ends with 9 orchestral hits.

Music/Sounds Variants:


 * On Ricochet, the theme is more frenetic.
 * On the soundtrack of Ricochet composed by Alan Silvestri, an unused fanfare with harps and pounding timpani drums used throughout is one of the tracks. This was intended to be the standard fanfare for the logo.
 * On a French VHS of The Last Boy Scout, translated Le Dernier Samaritain, the theme begins at the tail end of the credits before the logo appears.
 * On some movies, the opening or end theme is used.

Availability: Can be seen on films from Silver Pictures of that period, such as Swordfish, The Matrix trilogy, Demolition Man, The Last Boy Scout, Ricochet, Richie Rich, and Executive Decision. Oddly, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4, and Assassins do not have this logo.

Editor's Note: None

2nd Logo (2003)
Nicknames: "The S", "Gears"

Logo: On a black background, gears turn and are held up by strings. The camera zooms-out and scrolls down. After a bit, it stops and eases back to reveal a bordered rectangle with an "S" (also bordered) with: S I L V E R PICTURES

below. After a moment, the gears fade away.

FX/SFX: The gears and the scrolling of the screen.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of a metallic beeping-like sound and the sound of machinery turning on when the logo is revealed.

Availability: Just one of two experimental logos for Silver Pictures. They might be circulating around online.

Editor's Note: None

3rd Logo (2003)
Nicknames: "Gears II", "The Chip II", "The CGI Chip II", "The Chip with Gears"

Logo: On a black background are gears in half a square with a metal prong protruding to the bottom. The camera eases back on top with:Silver Pictures (Prototype #2)

S I L V E R PICTURES

(which is at the bottom) on the top of the screen seen backwards. It then eases into the logo and goes front. The logo eases back and rests in the middle. The square turns into the chip from the 1991 logo. It shimmers around the chip.

FX/SFX: Again, the gears and the camera.

Music/Sounds: A machinery-like humming with the sound of gears.

Availability: Was not used in any films, only a prototype.

Editor's Note: None

4th Logo (October 21, 2005-)
Nickname: "The CGI Brick"

Logo: We start by seeing silver angles, light and a small square. The camera then zooms out a little and goes down from the gap of a new, CGI-stylized brick. The brick turn towards the black background and the words "SILVER PICTURES" zoom from down to below the brick.

Variant: The logo is usually seen without the words "SILVER PICTURES". This is seen on later films from 2007 onward.

FX/SFX: Various lighting effects and the positioning of the cubes. Awesome CGI from Prologue.

Music/Sounds: None, or the opening theme from the movie.

Availability: Appears on films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Invasion, and V for Vendetta among others.

Editor's Note: None