Universal/DreamWorks Rent It Bumper

(1999-2005)
Bumper: On a black background, the word "Times New Roman" in a brown marble Times New Roman font zooms in with a light blue border, which quickly disappears once the word zooms in a comfortable position. We then cut to an antenna on grey/white gradient background, with wavelengths spiralling around the antenna. It is soon revealed that the antenna is on a dark grey brick tower with "2 YEARS" in a Helvetica font. Two other towers, one with a satellite dish on top and "1 YEAR" and the other with 3 £ signs in a fancy serif font and "6 MONTHS", are next to it. The three towers eventually rotate with each other before settling in a comfortable distance. Suddenly, a giant VHS cassette inside a transparent case zooms in, which gleams and turns glossy. After that, "RENT IT" in a light silver font appears and a filmstrip fades in over the lower part of the text.

Technique: Very cheap and blocky CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A Cockney-sounding announcer says "Listen! If you want to see the latest movie releases, why wait up to 2 years for TV? Up to 1 year for cable and satellite? Up to 6 months for pay per view? Get down to your local video store. The best place to watch movies is your place. Rent a video now!" with a punk guitar solo playing in the background, complete with a few whooshes when the giant VHS cassette zooms in.

Availability: Seen on Universal and DreamWorks rental releases in the UK from 1999-2005, including Babe: Pig in the City, Shaun of the Dead, Pitch Black, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Thunderbirds, Slap Her...She's French! (known in the U.S. as She Gets What She Wants), The Bourne Supremacy, The Ring, The Terminal, Cast Away, 8 Mile, American Pie, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Watcher, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas and Dudley Do Right. For some reason, it appears both at the start and at the end of About a Boy.