BMG Independents

Background

BMG Independents was a subsidiary of BMG Video that acquired and distributed low-budget indie movies on video. It was formed by Susan Jackson, who later co-founded Freestyle Releasing.

1st Logo (1995-1997)

Visuals: On a black background, several gray beams appear before a red light briefly emits. A faded "B" flies onto the screen, then a series of faded "M"s before zooming out to reveal the "G" already placed in its position to form "BMG". The same triangle from before but without being segmented flies down above the "M". A line in the triangle's color fades in below "BMG", while the cursive word "independents" zooms out beneath the same color as "BMG".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A quiet fanfare followed by high-pitched metallic synth sounds the letters for "BMG" make when zooming. The fanfare then escalates loudly as this happens before it ends with a single drum note.

Availability: Found on early releases of movies distributed by this company.

2nd Logo (1997-1999)

Visuals: On a navy blue/sky blue gradient background, a red triangle with silver edges comes spinning to the middle of the screen from the top left. Then, the text "BMG" in its corporate font, and a red line fly in underneath the triangle, forming the BMG logo. A shiny silver background flips in behind the logo, and after that, the "independents" text from before in black writes itself underneath. The logo shines.

Technique: CGI made by Flip Your Lid Animation.

Audio: A synth brass theme combined with a brief THX-like whirr, ending in 3 synth-piano notes.

Availability: Can be found on VHS and maybe some DVD releases of the company's films, such as the 1998 VHS of Clockwatchers.