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Minerva Movietone
From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum
Background
Minerva Movietone was the film studio created by director Sohrab Modi. He is most famous for his historical dramas with bombastic battle scenes such as Sikander, a film about Alexander The Great. He is also notable for creating India's first technicolor film; Jhansi ki Rani.
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| 1st Logo (31 January 1939-12 December 1943) | 2nd Logo (19 February 1941-14 March 1946) | 3rd Logo (3 March 1950) | 4th Logo (10 December 1954-9 November 1957) | 5th Logo (20 September 1958) |
1st Logo (31 January 1939-12 December 1943)
Visuals: On a black background, a bright circle fades in. The circle shows a statue of a lion perched on a different sphere with one hollow capital M. Underneath the circle, the words MINERVA MOVIETONE fade in. The words are white, and are arranged to wrap around the underside of the circle. The letters have an effect which make them seem 3D and trailing.
Technique: Live-action.
Audio: A somber woodwind tune.
Availability: Seen on films such as Pukar and Prithvi Vallabh.
2nd Logo (19 February 1941-14 March 1946)
Visuals: Against a partly cloudy background, there's a silhouette of a lion statue perched atop half a spheroid object. A light shines on the silhouette to reveal the lion. The sphere has two capital M's, one bigger than the other, overlapping each other. At the bottom of the sphere is the words "MINERVA MOVIETONE" in an art-deco font.
Technique: Live-action.
Audio: The same music in logo 1 but played on a horn.
Availability: Seen on most of Modi's movies of the time. Such as Sikander, Ek Din Ka Sultan and Shama.
3rd Logo (3 March 1950)
Visuals: Against a dark background, a statue of a lion is perched on a blue sphere with two Ms on it. One is red, the other is white/gold. The Ms are arranged in a similar manner to the first logo. The statue and sphere become a silhouette and a bright light shines behind the model, looking like a sunburst. Text fades in over the silhouette in an old-Hollywood style font reading as follows:
Minerva Movietone
Presents
Variant: A black and white version exists.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: A more bombastic version of the first logos music.
Availability: Seen before films such as Sheesh Mahal, Jhansi Ki Rani,
4th Logo (10 December 1954-9 November 1957)
Visuals: The same lion statue on a sphere is seen with the same Ms and company name and fades in against a sunburst background. It stays static for a period of time before it crossfades to black.
Technique: Practical effects.
Audio: Another orchestral rendition of the first logo's music.
Audio Variant: The opening theme of the film may also be heard.
Availability: Seen on Mirza Ghalib, Kundan, Waris, and Nausherwan-E-Adil.
5th Logo (20 September 1958)
Visuals: A circle with a white border is against a grey background. Inside the circle is a silhouette of a lion perched atop a globe. The lion appears to be growling at the moon (or sun) right behind it. Overlaying the circle are the words MINERVA MOVIETONE PRESENTS in a basic, bold, Bollywood-type font.
Technique: A painting filmed by a cameraman.
Audio: The same as in previous logos.
Availability: Seen before some of Modi's final films, such as Jailor.
