China Film Group Corporation

Note: This page will include the predecessors: China Film Corporation and Beijing Film Studio and the subsidiary: China Film Co-Production Corporation, because they were created prior to this company was created and one of them was now a subsidiary to this company and two of them closed down. Strangely, one of them didn't have a on-screen logo, sadly.

Background
Beijing Film Studio is a Chinese film studio that was founded in 1949 as Peking Film Studio, and got its current name in October that year. From 1956 to 1959, the studio made 50 films, including Song of Youth and New Year Sacrifice. In the 1970s, it produced the film What a Family and a 1975 film called Hai Xia. From the 1980s up to 2000, the modern era of Chinese film began to produce hit films such as Rickshaw Boy from 1982. It is the oldest movie studio in China since the Chinese film industry began to make films in Shanghai. In 2005, it was folded and merged into China Film Group Corporation.

1st Logo (1949?-1953)
Logo: On a sky background, we see a worker-soldier-peasant-type statue rotating on the background, and we see "Central Film Administration - Beijing Film Studio" in Mandarin fades in below. The statue then stops. This logo is nearly identical with the Northeast Film Studio and the first Shanghai Film Studio logos, with the only difference being the addition of the view of Beijing behind the statue.

Variant: The position of the logo may vary.

Technique: The statue rotating.

Music/Sounds: A proud-sounding fanfare.

Availability: Uncommon.

2nd Logo (1956-1957)
Logo: Similar to the last logo, but  the statue is different, the side view of the Beijing city is slightly different, the Chinese name is now simplified, and the sky is now in blue (possibly green due to the film quality).

Variants:
 * The black and white version of this variant has been spotted.
 * One variant has the name in traditional Chinese, the logo is entirely cyan-green tinted, and the clouds were added.

Technique: The statue turning, the text appearing.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme.

Availability: Rare. Seen on New Year Sacrifice, The Girl from Shanghai and many others.

3rd Logo (1957-1965?)
Logo: Same as before, but the statue is still. A light illuminates the statue as the Chinese text and the English pronunciation appears below.

Variants:
 * A black and white version has been spotted.
 * A rare variant lacks the English pronunciation, the sky is now blue, the city background is shifted up, and the Chinese characters are in gold.

Technique: The statue being illuminated, the text fading in.

Music/Sounds: The generic theme.

Availability: Seen on some films from the era. One example is Song of Youth. Also appeared on the beginning of the movie Kuang Deng and The Lin Family Shop.

4th Logo (1965-1980)
vtvfZmg5WTc Logo: On a red sunburst background, we see a gold model of the Tiananmen Square with some street lights. On the bottom of the screen is "BEIJING FILM STUDIO" in Chinese.

Variants:
 * A early/still variant has a red background with sun rays and the Chinese text is in a slightly different font. The variant also has the model zoomed out.
 * A CinemaScope version exists.
 * Depending to the film quality, the logo might be tinted yellow or white.

Technique: The sunburst moving. None for the early variant.

Music/Sounds: A majestic triumphant fanfare.

Availability: Possibly uncommon. It's seen on Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and Hai Xia. The early variant is ultra rare and probably appeared on two example of movies including Ode to the Dragon River and On the Delivery Road.

5th Logo (1980-2005?)
Eis-2BwVJJc rc6Z1gqdP4I aqmEZjpCxvk Logo: On a marble background, we see a golden sticker-like model of the Tiananmen Square carved on a marble tip. The Chinese text from the previous logos and the pronunciation like the 3rd logo appears below. The logo stands for 4 to 12 seconds.

Variants:
 * A green marble background version exists. For the CinemaScope green marble variant, it's used like the previous logo than before.
 * A CinemaScope version also exists, like the previous logo.
 * From the later years, a marble background is different, the model of the Tiananmen Square is slightly improved, and the English text is in a Arial font.
 * The 2001 variant is different. The variant lacks the English text, the model looks slightly different, and the background is now light orange. The Chinese text that reads "BEIJING FILM STUDIO" fades to another Chinese text that reads "CHINA FILM CORPORATION", followed by "CHINA MOVIE CHANNEL".
 * Starting in the early 2000's, the company name is now "CHINA FILM GROUP CORPORATION/BEIJING FILM STUDIO" with Chinese characters below. The prototype variant has a English name in Times New Roman-like font.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the film or silent.

Music/Sounds Variant: A fanfare version of this logo is also heard.

Availability: Common.
 * Seen on some 1980-2005 films, like Golden Dart Hero, Woman Taxi Woman, Bi xue bao dao, Zu Mao and his Daughters, Intimate Friends, The Go Masters, and Rickshaw Boy.
 * The 2001 variant is rare as a placeholder logo and it was seen on Legend of Ghost Xi Fangping.
 * The China Film Group Corporation/Beijing Film Studio variant is rare and it was seen on some movies such as Fight for Justice before its closure.

6th Logo (1992)
TBA.

Background
Founded in August 1979, China Film Co-Production Corporation (CFCC) is a special organization solely authorized by China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television to administer affairs relating to Chinese-foreign film co-productions. CFCC has established trade relations with more than 50 countries and regions, including the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. CFCC didn't use logos until early 80s.

1st Logo (1983-1985)


Logo: Over a red backdrop, two yellow lines connect, flashing and forming an interlocked design. The arched Chinese text "中國電影合作製片公司" appears above the design via sparkling effect, and the words "CFCC" appears to the left.

Technique: The connecting lines, the Chinese characters sparkling.

Music/Sounds: Suspenseful sounds followed by gong crash when the lines connect, then a happy-sounding fanfare (which continues into the New Kwun Lun logo). On The Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple (after the Fujian Film Studio and Golden Principal logos), the fanfare is shortened, cutting into opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Rare. The New Kwun Lun variant appears on Reign Behind a Curtain, while the standalone variant appears on The Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple.

2nd Logo (1988-1993)


Logo: On a black-blue gradient background, the golden logotype "cfcc" (the "f" being a filmstrip with a film reel above the second "c") rotates and zooms out with a trail, which zooms back and flashes, turning metallic gold. Two yellow lines then wipe in below the logotype, animating like the previous logo and flashing into the interlocked design. The design then flashes into the red Chinese text "中國電影合作製片公司". "CHINA FILM CO-PRODUCTION CORPORATION" in white fades in below.

Technique: The logotype zooming out, the connecting lines, the company names appearing.

Music/Sounds: A gong crash in the beginning, followed by bell chimes for each flash of light in the logo (which is three).

Availability: Rare.

Background
China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), is the largest, most influential film enterprise in the People's Republic of China. According to Forbes, it is a state monopoly that all imported films have to work with. It also runs theaters and finances, produces, and distributes films. In 2014, the company was the largest film distributor in China, with 32.8% of the market.

1st Logo (2000s?-2013?)
Logo: On a black background, we see four blue arcs arranged in a ring with a waving blue filmstrip. "CHINA FILM GROUP" and its Chinese translation can be seen below.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon.

2nd Logo (2013?-2020)
TBA. No longer current, but it's still common. Seen on most films during that time such as the Chinese release of Nine Lives.

3rd Logo (2020- )
TBA.