Film4 Productions

Background
Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4. Its first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears and released in 1982. Prior to 1998, the company was often identified as "FilmFour International". In 1996, the company changed to "Channel Four Films" for a short time. In 1998, the company permanently rebranded as FilmFour to coincide with the launch of a new digital TV channel of the same name. The company cut its budget and staff significantly, along with the FilmFour channel in 2002, due to mounting losses, and was reintegrated into the drama department of Channel 4. The name "Film4" was introduced in 2006 to tie in with the relaunch of the TV channel with the same name.

1st Logo (Early 1990's?-September 5, 1998, June 11, 2021)
Nickname: "FilmFour Shadows"

Logo: On a black background, we see "FiLMFOUR" slowly zooming in, while in the background 2 shadowy copies of it move both left and right. "FOUR" is colored white. The dot above "i" is replaced with the Channel Four logo.

Variant: A version exists with "DISTRIBUTORS" in white stacked under "FiLMFOUR".

FX/SFX: The words moving.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on some films such as Hillary and Jackie. This logo also made a special appearance on Censor, released on June 11, 2021.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1996)
Nicknames: "Boring FFd", "Filmstrip FFd"

Logo: On a black background, we see the abbreviation "Times New Roman" on a light blue broken filmstrip that zooms in, then the text "FILM FOUR DISTRIBUTORS LTD" appears.

FX/SFX: The zooming in.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availabilty: Extremely rare. This logo was spotted on the trailer for Brassed Off.

Editor's Note: This logo was thought to be lost for a long time.

(May 24-November 29, 1996, 1999)
Nickname: "The Green Halved Number"

Logo: On a dark background, filled with greenish sun blinks, we can see the white text "CHANNEL FOUR FILMS" slowly zooming in. Then, the left side of a big "4" zooms from beyond and takes "FOUR" inside, making it black. The number is made from two bars and a dot.

Variant: There is a shortened version on Brassed Off.

FX/SFX: Parts of the logo moving.

Music/Sounds: A dark but good ambient soundtrack with ascending booming near to the end.

Availability: Uncommon. It's seen on Brassed Off, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Secrets & Lies. It made a surprise appearance on an unknown film in 1999.

Editor's Note: None.

1st Logo (April 14, 2000-December 28, 2001)
Nickname: "The Flashlights"

Logo: There are light streaks, spots, and various effects appearing all over the screen, like in a police siren. They are colored and. We can see the Channel Four logo appearing inside the flashing. Suddenly it all ends, leaving a box with "FILMFOUR" inside ("FILM" in black, "FOUR" in white, and the "F" and "M" connected).

FX/SFX: The effects of light.

Music/Sounds: An industrial noise including wind-like squeal and booming sounds.

Availability: Seen on East is East, Jump Tomorrow, Sexy Beast, Charlotte Gray.

Editor's Note: This logo can give people epilepsy.

2nd Logo (2003?-October 27, 2006)
Nickname: "The Burning Firetruck"

Logo: We start in a very dark street. Suddenly a burning firetruck rolls from the left and stops. We zoom into the truck and then the logo zooms out, similar to the 1st logo box, but with bigger words inside.

Variants:
 * A short version exists starting from where the firetruck stops.
 * A long version exists, where the firetruck drives from the right, and goes offscreen to the left, then the firetruck comes in burning.

FX/SFX: This seems to be slightly edited live-action. Done by Pete&Tom.

Music/Sounds: A somber music entry with fire crackling sounds and clanging noises at the end.

Availability: Seen on Isolation, Last King of Scotland, and Death of a President. It plastered older logos too.

Editor's Note: The burning firetruck and the quite sad music may get to some people, plus the burning firetruck is a case of irony gone wrong.

3rd Logo (June 23, 2006-May 13, 2016)
Nickname: "The Film Studio"

Logo: We start in a dark room, where a bunch of lamps light on behind the screen. Then we move across the room to see the screen in front. There are many components of the logo standing in the room (in various distances). When we complete moving, they all form a logo, as it were flat. The logo shows a box with "FILM" carved out in the bottom, and it is surrounded by other boxes so the spaces between them form a stylized "4".

Trivia: The animation is similar to Channel 4's 2004-2015 channel idents, in which a set of seemingly random blocks in live-action locations form the channel's logo when the camera reaches a specific perspective.

Variants:
 * A short version exists where the lights have already been turned on.
 * A still version exists (set on a black background) with the word "FILM4" duplicated in a different font right next to the logo.

FX/SFX: Live action.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of lamps turning on, followed by the same music from the 2003 logo.

Availability: Can be seen on films from the time.

Editor's Note: This is a very creative logo. The music is much more fitting and relaxing here than it was with the previous two logos.

4th Logo (May 15, 2016- )
Nickname: "The Filmstrip"

Logo: We start in what appears to be the inside of a building, with light coming through it. We then pan down to the same scene, with a line. We keep panning down and it keeps getting faster, akin to a filmstrip. As we keep panning, the lines that make up the 4 appear, as well as the letters F, I, L, and M. Along with this, the light on the wall keeps moving. We then slow back down as we see the finished product; the Film4 logo, this time in negative space. The light is also shining on the 4.

Trivia: This logo was designed at ManvsMachine. The animation is based on Film4's current idents, in which a scene pans down in the same way as this logo, also forming the Film4 logo.

Later Variant: Since September 27, 2018, the logo that forms is different: the Film4 logo is now the Channel 4 logo with the word "FILM" put into it, with the Channel 4 logo in a deeper red than the "FILM" portion of the logo.

FX/SFX: The scene panning down repeatedly like a filmstrip, the lines and letters moving in, the light moving. Wonderful work from MvM.

Music/Sounds: Starts with violins, then moves into a single piano note which repeats every time we pan down, then ends with violins and a single, deeper piano note.

Availability: Current. The 2016 version premiered on American Honey and Free Fire, and could be seen on other movies before the rebrand. The 2018 version was first seen in the C4 Network Rebrand Reel, a video uploaded prior to the rebranding of the Channel 4 multichannel portfolio.

Editor's Note: A great logo and a suitable successor to the previous one. The 2018 variant doesn't work that well, however, and feels like a somewhat lazy revamp.