Amazon Originals

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Amazon Prime (Prime Video in some countries) is Amazon's streaming video service which was started in 2006 as Amazon Unbox. Shows and films released exclusively on Prime are titled Amazon Originals.



1st Logo (2013-2018)


Visuals: The Amazon smile logo swings in from an anti-clockwise direction along with a green vertical line to the left of the logo. The logo then rapidly spins the rest of the way around to reveal the Amazon logo (with the "O" replaced by a green play button) with "originals" below in a stacked format and the green line now to the right of the logo.

Variants:

  • On kids shows, the play button and the vertical line are yellow, and "kids" slides out from behind the bar once the logo finishes animating.
  • For comedy shows, the play button and the vertical line are orange, and "comedy" slides out from behind the bar once the logo finishes animating.

Technique: CGI. Done by Eyeball Studios, who also did the Amazon Studios logo.

Audio: A held-out synth string note, then a 3-note tune.

Audio Variants:

  • The jingle was slightly rearranged around 2015.
  • Early season 2 episodes of The Grand Tour have the jingle in high tone.

Availability: Seen on older Amazon Prime shows, such as the 1st season of The Expanse. On Season 1 of The Grand Tour this is plastered with the next logo, though it is retained on some early season 2 episodes.

2nd Logo (2017-2021)


Visuals: On a blue-black gradient background, the silver, 3D words "PRIME ORIGINAL" in the Amazon Ember font fade in. The letters in "PRIME ORIGINAL" are spaced out at first but join together. The Amazon smile symbol draws itself in below in light blue as the letters turn white. Finally, the smile zooms into the camera as the logo fades to black.

Variants:

  • Starting in late 2019, the logo reads "AMAZON ORIGINAL".
  • Another version exists where the logo reads "AMAZON EXCLUSIVE"
  • On The Tomorrow War, the logo is slowed down.

Technique: Same as the previous logo.

Audio: Same as the previous logo.

Availability:

  • Seen on Amazon Prime shows starting in 2017 such as seasons 2-4 of The Expanse, Dino Dana, Britannia, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, Homecoming, the first two seasons of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Hanna, Modern Love and is now even plastering the previous logo on some shows.
  • Also seen on some Amazon Prime original movies.
  • It also plasters the Paramount+ and the CBS All Access logos at the beginning of international prints of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks which is shown in other countries.
  • The "EXCLUSIVE" variant replaced the Hulu Originals at the beginning of Nine Perfect Strangers where this show is also shown in other countries.
  • Used in tandem with the 4th logo until 2021.

3rd Logo (July 2020-2021)


Visuals: Through streaks of light, à la the 2011 StudioCanal logo, there is a metallic Amazon smile. The words "AMAZON ORIGINAL" in the same style as before zoom out from beyond the camera as the streaks fade away. The smile and the words glow in time with the 4-note jingle.

Variants:

  • Scope and widescreen 18:9 versions of this logo exist.
  • On Coming 2 America, the colors are slightly different.

Technique: CGI done by Panoply.

Audio: A dramatic re-orchestration of the 4-note jingle from previous two logos. Done by Human.

Availability: Seen on Amazon Prime shows from July 2020 to 2021, such as The Expanse starting with the 5th season, season 6 of Vikings, Truth Seekers, Upload, Alex Rider, Utopia, Hunters, Zero Zero Zero, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, Breathe: Into the Shadows, Bandish Bandits and Paatal Lok. Used in tandem with the previous logo until 2021.

4th Logo (September 12, 2021-2022)


Visuals: On a navy-blue background, a light blue Amazon smile draws itself in and shines. The smile then zooms out to make room for the words "AMAZON ORIGINAL". The logo zooms out for a few seconds, Finally, it ends the way the 2nd logo did: the smile zooms into the camera as the logo fades to black.

Technique: Same as the first two logos.

Audio: Same as the first two logos, but the last note is extended.

Availability: First debuted on The Mad Woman's Ball and was later seen on Hotel Transylvania: Transformania and other Amazon Original movies.

5th Logo (August 12, 2022-)


Visuals: On a black background, several rounded metallic dodger blue squares rise up from the ground, then they go back in reverse order. It then cuts to a close-up shot of it doing so as we see the Amazon smile engraved in it. It then cuts to a black background, as a dodger blue Prime Video logo fades in from a spotlight with part of the squares obscured in the darkness to the right, which then fades away.

Trivia: This logo was made to fit with Amazon Prime's July 2022 refresh.

Variants:

  • Sometimes, the logo only reads "prime".
  • On trailers and promos, it's shortened to when the logo appears. A portion of the squares can also be seen, sometimes absent.
    • On a Filipino TV spot for Ten Little Mistresses, the 16:9 variant of the logo is stretched to anamorphic widescreen, and "Distributions apply" and the website's URL appear below. The online version of the spot uses the correct aspect ratio.
  • On the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the logo is made of ice.
  • On The Three Wise Kings vs. Santa, the print logo is used. On international prints, it is slightly shorter to make room from the Film Factory logo.
  • On Indian films, the logo animates differently. A flat dodger blue background is revealed in a black background in the same shape as the 3D squares, with the Amazon and Prime Video logos beside each other being seen. "EXCLUSIVE STREAMING PARTNER" could be seen under the logo.

Technique: CGI by FutureDeluxe.

Audio: A rising synth theme as the squares rise, followed by a dramatic thud when the logo appears. Done by Zelig Sound.

Audio Trivia: The music of this logo is officially known internally as "The Ripple".

Audio Variant: On the shortened version, it uses the soundtrack of the trailers/promos.

Availability: First debuted on a promotional spot for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, while the full version later made its debut at the start of the aforementioned show and then on all shows following it. However, it does not appear at the start of their original films, which use the Amazon Studios logo instead.

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