Management Company Entertainment Group

Background
Management Company Entertainment Group, often known as MCEG, was a film studio founded in 1983 by Jonathan D. Krane. In July 1989, the company acquired Virgin Films and they renamed it to M.C.E.G. Virgin Vision. However, in 1990, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, they sold 85% of Virgin Vision to GE Capital with the remaining 15% being sold back to the Virgin Group and in 1992 it was renamed to MCEG/Sterling Entertainment by John Kluge. In 1995 this company, Orion Pictures and two other companies were merged by Kluge to form the Metromedia International Group which later sold its film business along with Orion Pictures in 1997 to MGM.

1st Logo (November 18, 1988-October 9, 1992)
Logo: On a space background, three white flashing spheres fly in "drawing" three lines that form a triangle. Then bold, bronze letters "M", "C", "E" and "G" fly in and settle on the triangle which becomes bronze with the red interior. After that, the space background gather and merge into a gray/green (varying due to film deterioration) marble background and the company name "MANAGEMENT COMPANY ENTERTAINMENT GROUP" fades in below the logo.

Technique: The space background, the spheres, the M.C.E.G. letters, the triangle, the company name fading in.

Music/Sounds: A calm synth theme, followed by an orchestral celeste-backed four-note tune (F-A♭-D♭-E♭) leading into a triumphant finale with drums. There are three whooshes when the triangle was being "drawn".

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On non-domestic releases, the logo plays high-pitched and before the animation in a hasty attempt to sync with the end.
 * On The Chocolate War, the tune is a completely synthesized and different rendition of the logo theme (D♭-C-A♭-B♭).
 * The VUDU print of the 1992 movie Breaking the Rules (filmed in 1989 as Sketches, but not released until 1992) has a low-toned version of the Miramax Films music playing over this logo. This is most likely due to a reverse plastering error.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on films such as Boris and Natasha: The Movie, Convicts, and Limit Up. As MGM owns this company's output by the way of Orion Pictures, some of these have fallen to plastering with MGM or Orion's logos, or is removed entirely. Most recently seen on VUDU's prints of Breaking the Rules, Without You I'm Nothing, Chains of Gold and Catch Me If You Can (1989).

2nd Logo (May 5, 1989)


Logo: On a black background, we see the same M.C.E.G triangle logo from the previous logo complete with registered mark(®), but the text is a bit smaller. A light passes through the letters, and then the light shines.

Technique: The shining.

Music/Sounds: The music variation from the previous logo used in The Chocolate War. It starts a bit later when the logo fades in

Availability: So far, only and most recently discovered on Getting it Right.