20th Century Home Entertainment (Home Video Bumpers)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


1st Bumper (1987-1990)

Visuals: On a light blue-blue gradient background, there is a clapboard with one of the following bumper texts on it:

  • Home Video Preview
  • Check Your Local Video Store for Details/Feature Presentation

At the end, the clapperboard claps.

Variants:

  • On the "Home Video Preview" bumper, the clapboard initially has the closing animation of the CBS/Fox Video logo of the era (without the word "VIDEO") in it, which later fades into the blue-light blue gradient italic words "HOME VIDEO PREVIEW".
  • On the "Check Your Local Video Store for Details/Feature Presentation" bumper, the words "CHECK YOUR LOCAL VIDEO STORE FOR DETAILS" are on the clapboard. It later then fades into the closing animation to the CBS/Fox Video logo of the era (again, without the word "VIDEO"), and then the words "FEATURE PRESENTATION".
  • There is a variant for Playhouse Video releases, which is set on a yellow-blue gradient background, the text is white, and the Playhouse Video logo is shown instead of the CBS/Fox Video logo.
  • Key Video releases have the bumper on a light blue-pink gradient background, the text in pink and without italics, and the Key Video logo instead of CBS/Fox's logo.
  • There is a short version in which "CHECK YOUR LOCAL VIDEO STORE FOR DETAILS" is missing. This version can be found on some of the CBS/Fox Video, Key Video and Playhouse Video tapes that have this bumper.
  • Some Key Video releases, such as History of the World Part I, go straight to the "FEATURE PRESENTATION" portion.
    • On later 1989 Key Video tapes such as The Charlie Chan Collection and The Betty Grable Collection, the words "FEATURE PRESENTATION WILL FOLLOW" are seen instead.
  • On the original VHS of Slam Dance, after the Key Video logo appears, it fades to "MUSIC VIDEO", before fading to "FEATURE PRESENTATION WILL FOLLOW".
  • The Playhouse Video and Key Video versions also exist in black and white.
  • A variant of the "FEATURE PRESENTATION" version has the text "CHECK YOUR LOCAL VIDEO STORE FOR DETAILS" on a dark blue background with a gray line in the center, then "Feature Presentation" wiping in word-for-word in a cursive font on the clapboard before it claps. The gray clapboard is replaced with a light blue clapboard and a purple-dark purple gradient background is used. This was exclusively seen on the original release of Predator.
    • A sub-variant with "Previews of Coming Attractions" on the clapperboard also appears on Predator.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A male announcer saying "CBS/Fox Video presents, a home video preview." or "Check your local video store for details. And now, for our feature presentation.", followed by a clap. The announcer is Bill St. James, who is also known for voicing Nick at Nite, Showtime & Adult Swim promos, as well as Rooms to Go commercials.

Audio Variants:

  • The Predator variant has St. James saying "The following films will soon be available on videocassette, from CBS/FOX Video."
  • The Key Video variant has St. James saying "Key Video presents, a home video preview."
  • The Playhouse Video variant has St. James saying "Playhouse Video presents, a home video preview."
  • On the short CBS/Fox and Key Video variants, St. James just says "And now, for our feature presentation."
  • On the Playhouse Video variant, St. James says "Check your local video store for details. And now, our feature presentation."
  • On the short Playhouse Video variant, St. James just says "And now, our feature presentation."
  • The "FEATURE PRESENTATION WILL FOLLOW" variant is completely silent.
  • The Slam Dance version has St. James say "Check your local video store for details. Key Video is proud to present the hit Slam Dance music video "High Hopes". Slam Dance the movie will follow".

Availability: It appears on certain CBS/Fox Video, Key Video and Playhouse Video releases from the 1980's such as the original 1988 VHS releases of A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, Overboard, and Oklahoma!, among others. The short CBS/Fox version can be seen on the original 1989 VHS of A Fish Called Wanda, while the short Playhouse Video version can be seen on the 1987 Playhouse Video re-release of Fairy Tale Theater: Cinderella. It also appears on an alternate VHS print of the original release of Die Hard (other prints instead use the third ID).

2nd Bumper (1987, Star Wars variant)

Visuals: The 3rd CBS/Fox Video logo animates as normal, but then once it finishes, it electrocutes, and then the viewer's screen goes to a space background. An X-Wing from the original Star Wars trilogy flies from the bottom of the screen, and centers itself on it, before doing a barrel roll and zooming off into the distance. Then, another X-Wing appears from the bottom left of the screen. It shoots at an asteroid that zooms in, also from the top right of the screen. The asteroid explodes, and then a white sphere comes in (again, from the top right) and positions itself on the center of the screen, while the Star Wars logo, in silver, zooms out and settles on it. A ring, also silver, with the text "THE FIRST TEN YEARS" appears, sparkling in the process. Then, two small rectangles (yet again silver) position themselves on both sides of the ring, with the one on the left containing the year that Star Wars was first released (1977), and the one on the right containing the year of the trilogy's 10th anniversary (1987). The completed Star Wars 10th Anniversary logo then sparkles, as the space background continues to slowly move past, before the bumper freezes, and then fades out.

Variant: There is a variant before the movie begins which just has the Star Wars 10th Anniversary logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: It begins with a few notes of the trilogy's end credits theme, and then an electrical zap sound. Then, there is a whooshing sound, followed by a note that is being held, along with other sound effects that accompany the actions. After that is an additional six notes of music, and then it ends with Bill St. James saying "CBS/Fox Video is proud to present a preview of the complete Star Wars trilogy." The variant just has St. James saying "And now, for our feature presentation."

Availability: It was seen on the 1987 re-releases of the Star Wars trilogy.

3rd Bumper (1989-March 2, 1999)

Visuals: On a black background, there is one of the following bumper texts in a white Lydian font:

  • CBS/FOX COLLECTOR'S PREVIEW
  • CBS VIDEO COLLECTOR'S PREVIEW
  • FOX VIDEO COLLECTOR'S PREVIEW
  • HOME VIDEO PREVIEW
  • THEATRICAL PREVIEW
  • CHECK FOR TITLE AVAILABILITY WHEREVER VIDEOS ARE SOLD
  • COMING TO THEATERS (this and "COMING TO VIDEO" can be found on the 1996 VHS of Strange Days)
  • COMING TO THEATRES CHRISTMAS 1989
  • COMING TO THEATERS THE SUMMER OF 1990
  • COMING TO THEATERS EARLY 1991
  • COMING TO THEATRES MARCH 1992
  • COMING TO THEATRES SUMMER 1992
  • COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU (this can be found on the 1992 VHS of The Commitments)
  • COMING TO VIDEO
  • COMING TO VIDEO NOVEMBER 1989
  • COMING TO VIDEO MAY 1990
  • COMING FROM CBS/FOX VIDEO AUGUST 1990
  • COMING FROM CBS/FOX VIDEO FALL 1990
  • COMING FROM CBS/FOX VIDEO MARCH 1991
  • COMING FROM CBS/FOX VIDEO APRIL 1991
  • Coming From CBS/Fox Video June 1991
  • COMING FROM FoxVideo JULY 1991
  • COMING FROM FOX VIDEO SEPTEMBER 1991
  • COMING FROM FOX VIDEO MARCH 1992
  • COMING FROM FOXVIDEO APRIL 1992
  • COMING FROM FOXVIDEO DECEMBER 1992
  • COMING FROM FOXVIDEO JANUARY 1993
  • COMING SOON FROM CBS/FOX VIDEO SPORTS AND NBA ENTERTAINMENT (this can be found on the 1989 VHS of Michael Jordan: Come Fly with Me)
  • SNEAK PREVIEW (FILM TITLE) (the film title varies by tape)
  • FEATURE PRESENTATION

Variants:

  • The font varies depending on the tape.
  • A variant uses the text "THE SIMPSONS' SHORT".
  • On the 1992 VHS releases of An Affair to Remember and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the full Fox Video logo is used instead, with the "Collector's Preview" voiceover being used on the logo.
  • On the 1989 VHS of Working Girl and the 1990 VHS of The Abyss, "THEATRICAL" is missing.
  • On the 1991 VHS of Predator 2, "PREVIEW" is pluralized, despite Point Break being the only movie advertised on the tape.
  • Until 1991, a bumper is shown after the "Home Video Preview" and "Theatrical Preview" bumpers, with Bill St. James narrating.
  • On the 1991 VHS of The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, a purple gradient background is used. The text is also in a bold italicised font.
  • Sometimes, the text varies in size.
  • On the 1991 VHS releases of Stars and Stripes Forever and Sun Valley Serenade, the words are in another different font.
  • On the 1992 VHS of An Affair to Remember, the bumper is superimposed on a gold gradient background and the words "FEATURE PRESENTATION" are in a different bold font.
    • The 1992 VHS release of Notorious uses a black-and-white version of this.
  • On the 1992 VHS of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the bumper is superimposed over the background of the tape's "Theatrical Trailer" bumper and the words "Feature Presentation" are in italics and in the filmstrip.
  • Collector's Preview variants:
    • Before the Dangerous Desires Collection trailer, there is text below the bumper reading "The motion pictures advertised in this trailer are rated R" with an R rating symbol as the "R" in the message.
    • Before the Gangster Collection trailer, below the bumper, there is centered text reading "All the films in this GANGSTER COLLECTION are NOT RATED except for ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, which is SUGGESTED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES". "NOT RATED" and "SUGGESTED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES" have boxes around them.
  • Sneak Preview variants:
    • On Bad Dreams and Big, the text is in a smaller font than usual.
    • On Cocoon: The Return, the text is blue and is placed over a shot from the movie.
    • On Say Anything, the entire text is pink.
    • On Predator 2, the background is a blue-black gradient from top-to-bottom, and the text is bold and italicized.
    • On Grand Canyon, the text is white and in a Arial Bold font, and the background is a teal-black gradient.
  • On some 1991 Fox Video releases, the Century Gothic Light font is used on some 1991 Fox Video releases.
    • On most 19991-1999 releases, the Helvetica font is used.
  • Depending on the release, the text can vary in font and capitalisation.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: Bill St. James reading the bumpers.

Audio Variants:

  • On 1988-1991 CBS/Fox Video releases with the "Collector's Preview" bumper, St. James says "CBS/Fox Video presents a collector's preview."
  • On some 1991-1992 CBS Video releases with the "Collector's Preview" bumper, St. James says "CBS Video presents a collector's preview."
  • On some 1991-1992 Fox Video releases with the "Collector's Preview" bumper, St. James says "Fox Video presents a collector's preview."
  • On the "Coming Soon from CBS/Fox Video Sports and NBA Entertainment", "Home Video Preview" and "Theatrical Preview" bumpers, the bumper is silent.
  • On "The Simpsons' Short" bumper, St. James says "The following Simpsons short is provided for your enjoyment."
  • On the "Sneak Preview" bumper, St. James says "And now, for a sneak preview of [FILM TITLE]." St. James often says the title in a deeper tone than the preceding statement.
    • The variants on Bad Dreams and Big are completely silent.
  • St. James uses a total of 4 tones depending on the release. A few tones use the same as the previous bumper like the VHS of The Abyss.

Availability: Seen on certain CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment releases from 1988-1999.

  • The "Theatrical Preview" version can be seen on the majority of Fox tapes from the era, such as Vital Signs, Rapid Fire, Predator 2, Young Guns II, Hot Shots!, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, Airheads, Speed, and Anastasia. The "Home Video Preview" version can be seen on the 1990 VHS of The Abyss and the 1991 VHS of Pacific Heights, among others.
  • The 'Sneak Preview" bumper appears on demo VHS tapes from 1988 to 1991.
  • The original version with the Lydian font can be seen only on the CBS/Fox Video VHS releases that have the "Check For Title Availability Wherever Videos Are Sold" screen such as the 1990 releases of Die Hard, The King and I, Patton, the James Bond film Licence to Kill, the Star Wars Trilogy, Garfield Goes Hollywood, and the 1991 VHS of Oklahoma.
  • The last tapes that used the original version of the home video bumper were the 1992 VHS tape of A Garfield Christmas and the '92 releases of the Star Wars Trilogy (Star Wars, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and From Star Wars to Jedi).
  • The last tape to use the "Feature Presentation" bumper was the 1993 VHS of Rapid Fire. The last tape to use these bumpers in general is the 1999 VHS of Ever After: A Cinderella Story.
  • The “The Simpsons’ Short” bumper only appears on the first printing of the 1989 VHS of Working Girl.
  • Some titles like Once Upon a Forest and The Pagemaster don't use any bumpers.

4th Bumper (1996-January 23, 2001)

Visuals: On a black background, there is one of the following bumper texts in a white Helvetica font:

  • Theatrical Preview
  • Theatrical Previews (This can be found on Wing Commander)
  • Now on Video
  • Coming to Video
  • Now on Television (This can be found on The Siege, Office Space, Titan A.E., Pushing Tin, and Entrapment)
  • Music CD (This can be found on Pushing Tin)
  • Soundtrack (This can be found on Big Momma's House, Anywhere But Here, and Where the Heart Is)

Widescreen Series Exclusive bumpers:

  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Original Theatrical Preview (This can be found on the Widescreen Series VHS of Speed)
  • Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Variant: On the 1999 VHS releases of Entrapment and Best Laid Plans, a different font is used.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: This was only used sparsely before being replaced with the next bumper. The first tape to feature any of the non-Widescreen Series bumpers was The Siege, and the last to have them was Me, Myself & Irene.

5th Bumper (2000)

Visuals: The screen fades in on a space background. The metallic text "FEATURE PRESENTATION" (with a slight blue tint on the bottom) quickly zooms in, and light shines off it.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A five-note horn fanfare, with a clanking sound on the fifth note, followed by a seven-note drumbeat.

Availability: Only seen on the 2000 VHS of Power Rangers in 3-D: Power Rangers Triple Force. This was the last FP bumper to be used by TCFHE. Tapes from 1993 to the end of 2005 use no FP bumper at all, and begin with the main features.

6th Bumper (2000)

Visuals: On a black background, there is the text "Stay tuned after the feature for "Kids in America" music video by Len", in an Arial font.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on the VHS release of Digimon: The Movie.

7th Bumper (March 20, 2001-December 13, 2005)

Visuals: On a black background, there is one of the following bumper texts in a white Compacta font:

  • COMING SOON TO THEATERS
  • COMING TO THEATERS
  • NOW IN THEATERS (This can be found on Shallow Hal)
  • COMING TO VIDEO & DVD
  • COMING SOON TO VIDEO & DVD
  • NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEO & DVD
  • AVAILABLE TO OWN ON VIDEO & DVD
  • NOW ON TELEVISION (This can be found on Dude, Where’s My Car?, Phonebooth, Down With Love, and Life or Something Like It)
  • NOW ON FOX (This can be found on Ice Age, Joe Somebody and Kung Pow! Enter the Fist)
  • NOW ON FOX TV (This can be found on One Hour Photo)
  • MUSIC VIDEO (This can be found on Like Mike and Daredevil)
  • NOW AVAILABLE ON CD (This can be found on Like Mike)
  • SOUNDTRACK
  • SOUNDTRACK NOW AVAILABLE (This can be found on Super Troopers)
  • PSA (This can be found on Cheaper by the Dozen)

Variants:

  • In late 2003, three of the bumpers were changed to "NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD & VIDEO", "COMING SOON TO DVD & VIDEO" and "AVAILABLE TO OWN ON DVD & VIDEO".
  • On the 2001 VHS releases of Bedazzled (2000) and Bootmen, the bumpers are in a thinner font and in lowercase.
  • On the 2003 VHS of X2: X-Men United, the bumpers are in a metallic font.
  • Releases from 2005 have a slightly different font.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability:

  • Appears on many 2001-05 Fox VHS releases, such as Bedazzled (2000), Bootmen, Shallow Hal, Planet of the Apes (2001), Joe Somebody, Ice Age, Like Mike, Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Super Troopers, Garfield: The Movie, I, Robot, Fat Albert, Fever Pitch, Bratz: Rock Angelz, Robots, Fantastic Four (2005), Millions (2004), and Rebound.
  • The standard variant was first used on Men of Honor.
  • The bumpers in general made their final appearance on the 2005 VHS of Roll Bounce, which is also the last Fox VHS ever released.

Final Note

DVDs and Blu-Rays of Fox material contained different trailers. This continued until Ferdinand on March 13, 2018, which was the last regular Fox release to do so. The only Fox releases with previews after the Disney acquisition were Stuber, Missing Link (an Annapurna Pictures/United Artists Releasing film), Ready or Not, and The Call of the Wild (2020), as most others post-2018 like Ad Astra, Spies in Disguise, Free Guy, Ron's Gone Wrong, and The Bob's Burgers Movie did not have any previews.

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