October Films (UK)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



Background

October Films is a production company that mainly produces documentary TV movies/series since the 1990's.



1st Logo (October 10, 1998-December 31, 2001)

Visuals: Just an in-credit logo where the text "OCTOBER FILMS", with "FILMS" in a tall font and "PRODUCTION" underneath, is present.

Variants:

  • On The Outsiders, "PRODUCTIONS" is replaced with "Production for Channel Four". Plus, "An" is added on top of the logo.
  • On Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot, this logo shares the screen with the 1997 BBC logo.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability:

  • Most of their programmes from this period use a simple in-credit text and only a few are known to use this logo.
  • These include The Outsiders and Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot, neither of which are available on home media but can be seen through old video recordings.

2nd Logo (May 15, 2001-2006)

Visuals: The same logo from before is now colorized with "OCTOBER" in nepal and the rest in gray. Additionally, the background is of a white-sky blue gradient.

Variants:

  • On Arnold Schwarzenegger: Made In Britain, the logo is moved to the left and is accompanied with the Special Edition Films and Channel 4 Television logos.
  • On Pilate: The Man Who Killed Christ, "PRODUCTIONS" is replaced with Lodestar Productions' text notice and the copyright notice is that of Channel 4's.
  • On True Horror with Anthony Head, the Discovery Networks Europe logo appears underneath the October Films logo with "AN" added above the latter and "FOR" with the former. Discovery Networks' copyright notice also appears on the bottom rather than October Films'.
  • On The End Of The World As We Know It, the logo without "PRODUCTIONS" is inside a box and is superimposed within the end credits.
  • On Mary Seacole: The Real Angel of the Crimea, the logo is in a split-screen format with the logo squished and "PRODUCTIONS" removed and a "for Channel 4" text notice added underneath.
  • On Warrior Women, the print logo, excluding "PRODUCTIONS", is inside a white box.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: The ending theme of the program.

Audio Variants: On True Horror with Anthony Head, a bong sound is heard.

Availability:

  • Seen on documentaries from this period.
  • The normal on-screen variant was seen on The Lost Boys of Sudan whereas the ones with co-producers was on True Horror with Anthony Head, Arnold Schwarzenegger: Made In Britain, and Pilate: The Man Who Killed Christ, among others.
  • The superimposed variant can be seen on The End of the World As We Know It.

3rd Logo (June 1, 2006-2012)

Visuals: Several letters are seen being sucked into a blue electric light with some of them forming the word "october" in white and a rounded font.

Variants:

  • Sometimes, the logo is still.
  • On Restless Flights: The Literature of JMG Le Clézio, the bottom text reads "An October Films Production for Nobel Media".
  • On Samuel Johnson: The Dictionary Man, the logo has a bottom notice reading "an October Films Production".
  • On Dirty Dali: A Private View, the logo appears within the split-screen credits of the documentary, is superimposed, and has a top text notice reading
An October Films Production
for Channel 4
  • Similarly, My Boyfriend, The Suffolk Strangler has the the text notice on the bottom, with "Production" in lowercase and on the second row rather than the first.
    • The Man Inside Dame Edna has a split-screen variant similar to said documentary except the logo is on a black screen.
    • On Ghosts of the 7th Cavalry, the logo is to the left of the Taglight Media logo.
  • On season 3 of Sun, Sea and A&E, the logo is black and appears with the 2010-2011 Bravo background.

Technique: Solid 2D animation of the letters falling and the lightning effect.

Audio: None or the ending theme of the program.

Availability:

  • Documentaries that have this logo include Restless Flights: The Literature of JMG Le Clézio, Samuel Johnson: The Dictionary Man, Ghosts of the 7th Cavalry, and many more.
  • The split-screen variants was seen on Dirty Dali: A Private View, My Boyfriend, The Suffolk Strangler, and The Man Inside Dame Edna.

4th Logo (2012-2015)

Visuals: The logo from before, now in turqoise slides in letter by letter and then shines.

Variants:

  • On Caravanner of the Year, the logo has a top text notice that reads "An October Films Production".
  • On Rude Tube, the logo is superimposed alongside the Channel 4 Television logo at the time.
  • On Tormented Lives and Caravanner of the Year, this logo appears with the 1997 BBC logo.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the program.

Availability: It was seen on Rude Tube seasons 6 to 10, which was where the superimposed variants can be seen, and several documentaries such as Tormented Lives and Caravanner of the Year.

5th Logo (2015-July 8, 2022)

Visuals: A white light flies from the left with the previous logo, now slightly altered and more spaced out, fading and zooming out by one letter.

Variants:

  • Most of the time, this logo is still.
  • As with the previous logos and many other British television logos, it can be paired with other co-producers.
  • On How the Victorians Built Britain, a bottom text notice for the company reads
AN OCTOBER FILMS LTD
PRODUCTION
FOR CHANNEL 5
___________
©OCTOBER FILMS LIMITED 2018
  • On First Ladies, the logo is superimposed within the compressed credits of the show.

Technique: 2D computer animation or a still, digital graphic.

Audio: A loud whoosh or the ending theme of the program.

Availability:

  • The animated variant can be seen on the company's 2016 showreel and The Mum Who Got Tourette's.
  • The still variant is the easiest to find and was seen on Walking The Himalayas and How the Victorians Built Britain, among others.

6th Logo (2019-2020)

Visuals: On a black background, the Brutal Media and October Films logos are revealed with an orange-tinted shine before fading in. The latter's logo can be seen sliding down. Then, the formed logos shines again.

Variant: An in-credit variant exists.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: Two dramatic whooshes.

Availability: It was seen on films and TV shows the company co-produced with Brutal Media such as The End of the Storm and This is Football.

7th Logo (October 28, 2022-)

Visuals: It consists of "october" in a normal font. The "r" is made up of a vertical bar and a floating small circle.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability: Seen on Building The Impossible: Oil Rig among more of the company's recent programmes.

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