GTO

Background

This was a film production and distribution company from the UK founded by Laurence Myers.

1st Logo (1974-November 1, 1981, 2007)

Visuals: There is what looks the side or lower outlined parts of three orange block letters streaking downwards on screen. The orange parts continue to streak outwards as white lines resembling those letters slide downwards on screen. As both parts zoom out, there is the full "GTO" in quasi-futuristic lettering with the orange streaks starting to become solid and the white lines now fixed. The logo zooms even farther back until we see only the white outline of the letters. The logo then moves forward towards the camera and the orange streaks now fill out the letters. The logo finally stops in the middle of the screen and stays there for a couple of seconds before the screen fades to black.

Variant: On some films, the word "FILMS" is place under "GTO".

Technique: Backlit cel animation.

Audio: A horn fanfare with some wah-wah chords. It has a minor riff that sounds somewhat like the Columbia Pictures Television logo of the 1980's.

Availability: Found in films that were either produced or distributed by that company such as The Last Moments. It may have also appeared on UK release prints of films like Phantasm and Dead and Buried.

2nd Logo (December 12, 1975)

Visuals: Over a vertical orange scrolling scanline background, the logo starts with "A GTO FILM" in a black outline and in orange, also with a horizontal scrolling scanline effect masked around it.

Technique: Motion-controlled animation.

Audio: The opening theme, which is "Never Too Young To Rock" by Scott Fitzgerald.

Availability: Seen only on Never Too Young To Rock.