Cinemassacre Productions

Background

Cinemassacre is the website and production company of James Rolfe, an indie filmmaker best known for his web series The Angry Video Game Nerd. The company was started around the mid-late 1990s and was originally called "Cinematica Productions" by Rolfe on a whim, but he changed it in 2000 when he found out there was already a TV studio with the same name. The studio's website also launched in 2000, and specializes in horror and comedy. Rolfe states that the name symbolizes the force to keep going if things look like they can't be finished, hence to "Cinemassacre" through it all. Since 2015, Cinemassacre is partnered with internet media group Screenwave Media.

Cinematica Productions

Logo (2000)

Visuals: On a white background, there is a simple drawing of a camera. Then, red lines start to come out of the camera, forming a curved "C". An "A" is drawn on the camera. Then, the words "INEMATIC" appear one by one next to the "C", forming the letters "CINEMATICA". The numbers "2000" appear below, a red line is drawn under, and a yellow starburst is drawn in the back of the logo. Later, parts of the logo crumble up to display the more colorful "CINEMATICA" text. James Rolfe's name is seen above the logo in purple, red lines are seen below (presumably depicting fire), and "2000" is left untouched.

Technique: Live-action and stop-motion. The logo was made on paper, and for each moment of the drawn (and then ripping of the paper), a photo was taken, with each photo becoming a frame of the animation.

Audio: "Welcome To This World" by Primus plays. Due to copyright issues, the music has been replaced with generic trance music on official YouTube uploads.

Availability: Seen on the fan-made music video Welcome to This World: Primus.

Cinemassacre Productions

1st Logo (2000-2002, August 10, 2021)

Visuals: On a grey background, there is a chainsaw that is protruding from a camera, which is placed on the ground via a kickstand. The words:

JAMES
ROLFE's

are above the chainsaw, and "PRODUCTIONS" is seen below it. "CINEMASSACRE" is in purple, and the chainsaw drips blood three times with a puddle underneath.

Trivia:

The logo was designed and animated in Mario Paint for the SNES.
A circulated still of the logo (capped by Cinemassacre themselves) is colored in red instead of purple, suggesting that the logo seen in ROLFE may have suffered from color distortion.

Variant:

On It Came From Beyond the Toilet, the logo is drawn on a piece of toilet paper.

Technique: 2D animation using the animation tool in Mario Paint, live-action for the variant.

Audio: Either none or James Rolfe talking over the logo.

Availability: Seen on James Rolfe's college biography documentary, ROLFE: A No-Budget Dream, as well as It Came From Beyond the Toilet. It also appeared on this Cinemassacre tweet, and again in August 10, 2021 in the first episode of Cinemassacre Podcast^[1].

2nd Logo (February 27, 2007-)

Early version
Standard logo
"Superman 64" variant
"Atari Jaguar Part 1" variant
"Star Trek" variant
Board James in-credit version
Widescreen version
The Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie trailer variant
2013 logo
With ".COM"
Logo superimposed on the AVGN intro
Wish List variant
Bad Video Game Covers variant
12 Days of Sh*tsmas variant
Board James variant
"Resident Evil Survivor" variant

You Know What's BS!? variants

The opening variant from episodes 11-25
The opening variant from episodes 37-45
The opening variant from the episode, "Vampires"
The closing variant from episodes 1-9
The closing variant from the episode, "Hotel TV's"
The closing variant from episodes 11-25
The closing variant from the episode, "Vampires"
The closing variant from episodes 27-32
The closing variant from episodes 33-36

Visuals: A much more realistic depiction of the 1st logo, there is a chainsaw protruding from a camera. A film canister is seen above the camera, and has two skull-and-crossbones symbols printed on it. CINEMASSACRE" is written across the chainsaw/camera. The chainsaw/camera zooms in.

Trivia:

The teeth on the chainsaw are backwards.
The 2013 version was designed by Marek "MaroBot" Wodziński, while two other prototypes can be seen here.
The 3D printed logo was made by Travis Womack from A Pyro Design (you can see the behind-the-scenes video here), who also made 3D printed logos for other Cinemassacre series such as James And Mike Mondays, Monster Madness, and Board James.

Variants:

A still version exists. This was seen at the end of pre-2013 AVGN episodes (sometimes it's seen at the start due to plastering the Game Trailers/ScrewAttack logo combo), pre-2013 uploads of James' 1990s 'filmography' and on other extra videos, notably "Minecraft with Gadget".
On early AVGN reviews with this logo, it is on a hellish fiery background.
On the AVGN episode "Star Trek", the logo is on a space background.
On the first trailer for Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie, the logo forms on an exploding background, and "CINEMASSACRE" forms one letter at a time in blue, then turns to red.
On the AVGN episode "Superman 64", the logo has been replaced with merely the text "CINEMASSACRE.COM" on a black background with blood splattered around it.
On the AVGN episode "Atari Jaguar Part 1", the logo is imposed over the Atari Jaguar logo, replacing the word "JAGUAR" and leaving two big ominous gold eyes (a la the Fabrica or Vadi-mon logos).
On You Know What's Bullsh*t!?, a custom variation is used. The Cinemassacre logo is present against a field with "Presents" under the logo. A bull then comes in as the logo fades out and squirts a comical amount of feces. The show's name appears in red, black outlined, Squigglevision-like animated letters as the bull walks off and James Rolfe shouts out the show's name.
- When the show was revived in 2014, a completely different variant was used, showing a cel-shaded CGI bull, again, defecating a large pile of feces, before the new logo lands on it with the Cinemassacre logo above.
- Starting with the episode, "The Word 'Bimonthly'" and ending with "Bed Sheets", a new variant was used. The logo appears on a chalkboard background, looking like as if it was drawn with chalk, with the word "PRESENTS" below it. A hand then comes in from the left with a chalkboard eraser, wiping the logo away and revealing a cartoon bull drawn with white outlines on the right. Several feces then land right next to the bull as "YKWBS" on a gray piece of feces pops up above them.
In 2013, the logo was redesigned, where the "CINE" is in black with the camera, and "MASSACRE" is in red. Also, the chainsaw has sharper edges and there isn't a skull and crossbones on it anymore.
- A still version of this redesign also exists. This can be seen on post-2013 uploads of James' 1990s 'filmography'.
The logo is superimposed on post-2013 AVGN videos, with the words "A" and "Production" sandwiching the logo.
At the end of most current Cinemassacre videos, ".COM" is placed below the redesigned logo.
On newer episodes of James And Mike Mondays, the updated logo is on a background that zooms out to show many game cartridges.
On the Board James episode "Dream Phone", the updated logo has "A" above, and "PRODUCTIONS" below.
On Board James starting with the "Omega Virus" episode, a 3D printed version of the updated logo zooms in on a dark background.
On the AVGN's 12 Days of Sh*tsmas series of reviews, the 3D printed logo is an ornament on a Christmas tree.
At the end of the AVGN episode "Alien 3", the Nerd jumps into molten lava. On the way down, the logo bursts out of his chest (a parody of the movie).
On the AVGN episode "Resident Evil Survivor", the logo is black on a white square, which turns gray and zooms out to reveal a barrel that then gets stepped on.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Depends on the video. It may use:

See the third ScrewAttack Entertainment logo for more information.
The opening theme of the game.
On You Know What's Bulls**t, a banjo tune plays, accompanied by the sounds of a bull mooing, defecating and mooing a second time before James Rolfe exclaims, "You know what's BUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLS**T?!".
On the new Board James variant, the opening theme plays, which is an ominous horror-esque tune with a choir.
On the 12 Days of S**tsmas variant, an instrumental version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" plays.

Audio Variants:

On the AVGN episode "Plumbers Don't Wear Ties", the logo has an abridged version of Kirin Entertainment's 1st jingle.
On the AVGN two-parter "Atari Jaguar", the melody from the Atari Jaguar start-up screen is used, accompanied by a synthesized whoosh (inherited from the ScrewAttack logo). On the 2nd part, the jaguar's growl is heard at the very end.

Availability:

Seen on The Angry Video Game Nerd starting with the episode "Ghostbusters", as well as most of James Rolfe's other videos. This includes James' other projects/series, such as You Know What's Bulls**t!? (now known as You Know What's BS!? following the partnership with Screenwave), Board James and Monster Madness.
Current prints of most AVGN episodes made before 2012 plaster the GameTrailers/ScrewAttack logo combo.

Legacy: A well-known logo among fans of AVGN and Cinemassacre content.

3rd Logo (December 16, 2013)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a dented clapboard with red blood splattered around it. In front of the clapboard is the text:

CINEmassacre
PRODUCTIONS

in a red, grungy font. The title for the review it appeared on is seen below.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: The title theme of the Master System game Alex Kidd in Miracle World.

Availability: Only seen on the YouTube upload of the 2006 AVGN episode "Rocky".

4th Logo (July 21, 2014)

Visuals: On a brown gradient background, a blank version of the previous logo (the pre-2013 version) is seen at an angle, as the chainsaw quickly protrudes with fire effects. The screen then pans out and the word "CINEMASSACRE" from before flies to its place, flashing when it finally does. The logo then fades out.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A chainsaw revving, and then deep whooshes. When the flash happens, a laser sound is heard.

Availability: Only seen on Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie.

↑ https://youtu.be/o34ZVRFcsDw

[1] ttps://youtu.be/o34ZVRFcsDw

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