MTV Films

Main Logo Variations

Credits

Captures by
HockeyFan, LMgamer36 and NewAccountLOL

Video captures courtesy of
ifrequire, Logo Archive, logosandopenings, Carmen Ciotti, Other Files:The Final Season, Broken Saw, Mr. Gann, LogicSmash, IXN Music, marvel capcom and Austin Alexander

Background

MTV Films was the film production arm of American cable network MTV. The studio's origins can be traced back around 1993, when the network signed a two-film deal with Geffen Pictures, from which only one film (Joe's Apartment) was released due to the 1994 acquisition of Paramount Pictures by MTV's parent company Viacom (Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, while released by Paramount, was co-produced by Geffen Pictures as it was the second film in the deal). The studio is best known for films such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America, Coach Carter, Election, the Jackass movies, and Napoleon Dynamite.

In 2020, MTV Films was merged into MTV Studios, which became MTV Entertainment Studios in 2021, encompassing content for and based on all of MTV's brands.

1st Logo (1996)

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Visuals: On a black background, there is a small MTV logo on the left and the word "PRODUCTIONS" on the right.

Technique: A still graphic.

Audio: The opening theme of the trailer.

Availability: Only seen on the teaser trailer for Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.

2nd Logo (July 26, 1996)

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Visuals: Over a black background, the logo starts with the MTV logo (with "MUSIC TELEVISION" underneath), with animated static inside the "M". When the static disappears, the "M" in the logo turns white.

Technique: Simple 2D animation.

Audio: The cockroaches singing the "Charge" fanfare and shouting "JOE!"

Availability: Only seen at the end of Joe's Apartment.

3rd Logo (December 20, 1996-August 27, 2004)

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Visuals: The screen fades into space as we see an astronaut floating around from right to left. The astronaut suddenly comes close to the camera, and we see that the MTV logo is reflected backwards onto his helmet. The logo zooms into the reflection and out again to reveal the MTV logo (with "MUSIC TELEVISION" intact under it) with the word "PRODUCTIONS" below it. The logo has a faint blue aura behind it.

Variants:

• Starting with Crossroads in 2002, the word "PRODUCTIONS" is replaced by "FILMS" in spaced-out letters. Orange County was the last film to use the "PRODUCTIONS" variant, but only on theatrical prints.
• On TV shows from the company, it just shows the logo zooming out.
• On Jenny, the logo is still. The text "In Association With" fades in below.
• At the end of Jackass films from the period, the logo scrolls up with the credits alongside the Dickhouse logo.

Technique: Live-action footage directed at Pentagram.

Audio: None, a whoosh sound or the movie's opening theme.

Audio Variants:

• On Jackass: The Movie, there is breathing followed by a laugh provided by Chris Pontius.
• There is an unused variant with ambient space sounds, radio chatter, and the sound of a rocket taking off when the astronaut reaches the screen.

Availability: Can be seen on all MTV films and some TV shows from the era. It first appeared on Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and last appeared on Napoleon Dynamite.

4th Logo (January 12, 2002)

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Visuals: On a black background with orange bars on each side of the screen, several dark green shapes (which resemble tiles) appear one-by-one, completely covering the black background. While this happens, white tile-like shapes form in the center and round outlines appear in a ripple effect. Six white rectangles emerge from the center and form a big "M". The word "FILMS" fades in underneath, while "TV" is drawn on the right-hand side of the "M".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Only seen on Better Luck Tomorrow.

5th Logo (January 14, 2005-October 23, 2009)

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Visuals: There is an overhead view of Earth, which turns out to be a reflection on the helmet of an astronaut. The astronaut is sitting in a movie theater along with many others, as popcorn flies around in zero-gravity. The screen then zooms out of a hole in the shape of the MTV logo (with "MUSIC TELEVISION" intact underneath) as "FILMS" in spaced-out letters zooms in underneath it, with a faint light behind all.

Variant: There is a prototype version of the logo where it has a slower zoom-out, the astronauts are in different positions and are all wearing white spacesuits. The word "FILMS" appears letter-by-letter.

Technique: A mix of live-action (directed by Narrativum Design in Croatia) and CGI by Luminus, with post-production handled by BLT & Associates.

Audio: The opening theme of the movie.

Audio Variants:

• On Blades of Glory, space ambience is heard, along with a section of Neil Armstrong's famous "That's one small step for man..." statement from the Apollo 11 mission. The quote is heard very faintly (best heard with headphones, it's mixed into the left channel), but it's there.
• On Jackass Number Two, we can hear the astronauts laughing and chuckling (provided by Steve-O and Chris Pontius), then a metal slam.
• On the prototype version of the logo, it starts off with an engine huffing, followed by a note sounding similar to the THX Deep Note when the screen zooms out of the astronaut's helmet. As the screen zooms out, a calm piano tune plays, accompanied by sounds of beeping. When the company name forms, a rock guitar chord is heard.

Availability: Can be seen on movies starting with Coach Carter and ending with Dance Flick. The prototype variant was only used as a test logo, and was not seen on any movie.

6th Logo (May 23, 2006-July 8, 2007)

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Visuals: There is the same overhead view of Earth from the previous logo, only this time a meteor shower is taking place. A passing comet fills the screen and the scene changes to the surface of the moon (The Earth is still seen in the background). As the camera pulls back, there is a lunar rover, and like the previous logo, this turns out to be a reflection on the helmet of an astronaut. The astronaut is sitting on top of the MTV logo while holding a bucket of popcorn. Everything fades out, leaving just the logo, with "STUDIOS" fading in afterwards.

Technique: CGI by Luminus and BLT & Associates.

Audio: The opening theme of the film.

Availability: It was seen on All You've Got, Save the Last Dance 2 and Super Sweet 16: The Movie.

7th Logo (September 22, 2006)

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Visuals: The logo starts with electronic components surrounded by blue lights, which then zoom out to the MTV logo placed inside a circle. The name "MTV FILMS EUROPE" appears below the circle.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only seen on Dirty Sanchez: The Movie.

8th Logo (December 26, 2007)

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Visuals: Over a white background is the MTV logo (with "MUSIC TELEVISION" intact underneath).

Technique: A still graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only seen on Jackass 2.5.

9th Logo (October 15, 2010-June 15, 2014; February 4-May 20, 2022)

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Visuals: There is an astronaut standing on the Moon's surface, near a flag with the MTV logo. The shot of the astronaut repeats three times from various directions, but it finally zooms into the flag, which constantly changes its texture and colors.

Trivia: This logo is based on the very first MTV bumper from 1981, only with much cleaner graphics (as well as the use of the post-2010 MTV logo with "FILMS" appearing underneath).

Variantː At the end of Jackass 3D and Jackass 3.5, the print logo, along with the Dickhouse logo, scrolls upwards with the credits.

Technique: 2D animation by Pixel Party, who also worked on the MTV network rebrand earlier in 2010.

Audio: A slightly rearranged version of the track from the 1981 bumper. It was also extended alongside a variant of the 2002 Paramount Pictures logo.

Audio Variant: In some cases, such as Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, the opening theme of the movie plays over the logo.

Availability: The logo first appeared on Jackass 3D and is seen on movies by MTV Films up to Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa 5. It also appeared on both Jackass Forever and Jackass 4.5 despite the company by then being part of MTV Entertainment Studios.

10th Logo (July 31, 2013-January 30, 2015)

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Visuals: There are several flashing shots of multicultural and multicolored eyes. When we get to the last shot, the screen zooms in onto the iris and several flashing lights are seen before the MTV logo slides up on a box with the word "Films" in it. A live-action shot of a cheering audience, possibly taken from an EDM concert, is superimposed inside the logo.

Variants:

• There was an extended version of the logo. After the logo is shown, more shots of eyes are seen, with the last consisting of one of the eyes closing.
• On the Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa trailer, the logo is shortened.

Technique: Live-action and computer animation.

Audio: None.

Audio Variants:

• On the Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa trailer, it's the opening theme.
• On the extended version, a brief synth tune plays, followed by sounds of a crowd cheering, microphone and wind that gets higher. It abruptly stops when it zooms into the iris, followed by more crowd cheering when the logo appears. It all ends in a strange reverse sound. Near the end of the logo, if you listen closely, you can hear a sound of what seems to be an opera singer.

Availability: Seen only on the Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa trailer and Project Almanac. The extended variant is unused and it's seen only online.

MTV Films

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