Action International Pictures
Eric S.
Background
Action International Pictures was founded by David Winters, and brothers Ted and David A. Prior in 1986. They did not release videos or films until not too long afterwards. The company closed its doors in 1994. Currently, with some exceptions, most of the company's film and home video output is owned by Altitude Film Sales, with FilmRise holding some streaming rights.
1st Logo (1987-1989)
Visuals: On a shooting starfield, two bright lines, possibly representing shooting stars, appear. The long lines cross with a laser and a picture bulges in, which is a beige floor lit by a spotlight in the darkness with the AIP logo, which is an arrow pentagon shape pointing to the right made out of thin black bars with "AIP" in a blocky font, with the midsection cut off and replaced with "HOME VIDEO, INC.", standing on the floor. The rest of the logo is still.
Technique: Computer effects, with what appears to be a model for the logo.
Audio: Silent on the first seconds, then laser sounds, and then a small portion of Escape Club's "Wild Wild West" with a male announcer (presumably Brian Cummings) saying "AIP Home Video".
Availability: Found on some video releases from the time like Dead End City and Shooters.
2nd Logo (1989-1994?)
Visuals: On a black background, several red bars scroll in from the left side of the screen, with a large gap in the middle of them. The bars then rotate 90 degrees to the right as translucent white streaks emerge from the front of the screen, and the bars zoom out. The trails are then revealed to be the large text "AIP", and the red bars form an arrow shape similar to the previous logo. The entire logo then tilts to a higher angle, predominantly showing the trails, as "STUDIOS" rises up from the bottom of the screen, also at an angle.
Variants:
- Starting in 1991, the logo is shown in a letterbox format.
- Around 1989, a prototype version was used. The animation is similar, but the end result has the "AIP" significantly larger than usual and the trails skewed inwards towards the bottom. "STUDIOS" is nowhere to be seen as well.
- There's a dark variant with slightly slower animation, used around 1990.
- There's also a variant where the logo is seen on a close-up.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A haunting synth chord accompanied by the drum fill (two claps, tom-toms and a clap), followed by a synth bass note, accompanied by a whoosh when "AIP" appears. On a few occasions, the whoosh isn't heard.
Audio Variants: In most trailers, an announcer, often the one from the previous logo, would say the following:
- "AIP Studios presents..." This was heard in the trailers for Alien Space Avenger, Armed for Action, Cold Heat, Dark Rider, Escape from Survival Zone, Firehead, Homeboys, In Gold We Trust, Kick or Die, Lock 'n' Load, Lust for Freedom, Maximum Breakout, Savage Instinct and White Fury.
- "Coming soon from AIP Home Video." This was heard in the trailers for Black Snow, Blood on the Badge, Bounty Hunter 2002, Death House, Demon Possessed, Desperate Crimes, Dirty Games, Ex-Cop, Extreme Vengeance, Fist of Steel, Gang Justice, Hellmaster, In the Eye of the Snake, The Satan Killer, Street Hitz, Sudden Thunder, Taxi Dancers, Teenage Exorcist, Trapped Alive and Triple Impact.
- "Coming soon from AIP Studios." This was heard in the trailers for Enemy Unseen, Lethal Games and Night of the Kickfighters (AKA: Night Raiders).
- "AIP Home Video presents..." This was heard in the trailer for Wilding: The Children of Violence.
- "Coming soon from AIP." This was heard in the trailer for Rapid Fire.
- "Direct from theatrical release, coming late summer from AIP Home Video." This was heard in the trailer for Center of the Web.
- "Direct from theatrical release, AIP Studios is proud to present..." This was heard in the trailer for Double Threat.
