Video Gems (UK)

1st Logo (1986?-1988)


Logo: On a red-white gradient background we see a white outline of a diamond zoom out towards the middle. Once it reaches the middle it becomes gray while the outline becomes shiny black. Then a gray rectangle with a golden outline flies in above the diamond and settles at the topmost point of the diamond. The inside of the rectangle becomes black-white, the silver text "V I D E O" fades in and flashes. Then the golden text "GEMS" zooms up to the middle of the diamond which becomes black in the process. The text "V I D E O" flashes from the remainder.

Technique: The shape movement and the text appearance, done in 2D Animation.

Music/Sounds: A serene synth fanfare.

Availability: Seen on releases by the company at this era.

2nd Logo (1987-1991)


Nicknames: "Was That An Airplane?", "Explosion Gems", "Lines of Doom"

Logo: On a black background we see multiple blue and white lines shooting towards the back of the screen. The lines are arranged in a straight line pattern which drops down from the top of the screen. The lines disappear when the silver text

VIDEO GEMS

(Where the "V" in "Video" and "G" in "Gems" appear to be larger than the other letters) slide in from the left and right sides of the screen respectively. The words disperse and flip to the top and bottom of the screen respectively.

Technique: The lines, the animation of the words, all done in scanimate.

Music/Sounds: A loud, UAV-like whoosh that sounds like a jet taking off in the beginning. This is combined with a crash later on, then a loud laser-cymbal zap when the logo "combusts".

Availability: Seen on Video Gems releases from the era, including some Select Video releases.

Legacy: The animations are abrupt and may scare quite a few, but it is a cool concept to fans or people who aren't scared by this.