Spentzos Film

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



Background

Spentzos Film is a Greek film production company that was founded by Greek director Christos Spentzos in 1940. The company is also known for distributing various films worldwide in Greece and Cyprus, making it one of the major film distribution companies in the state.



1st Logo (January 3, 1949)

Visuals: On a grey background, there is a giant eagle holding a prophecy on a piece of paper that says the company's name and "ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ" in Greek, with some filmstrips on a weird line scheme bordering both of its sides.

Technique: A painting filmed by a cameraman.

Audio: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Only seen on Ο Κόκκινος Βράχος.

2nd Logo (March 6, 1950-February 22, 1954)


Visuals: Essentially a less detailed version of the eagle holding the paper icon but within a vintage pattern and against a white background. The filmstrip is also in a different arrangement. "ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ" in a script font can also be seen underneath the paper.

Variants:

  • An alternate variant exists on Οι παπατζήδες where the logo is revealed via two white boxes wiping away to reveal the logo.
  • On Έτσι έσβυσε η ζωή μου, the logo has been colorized.

Technique: A painting filmed by a cameraman.

Audio: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Can be seen on a fair amount of Greek films during the time, such as Αμαρτίσα για το παιδί μου, Το παιδί μου πρέπει να ζήσει, Το στραβόξυλο, Ο φαταούλας, Έτσι έσβυσε η ζωή μου, and Οι παπατζήδες.

3rd Logo (November 22, 1954-September 12, 1987)

Visuals: The logo starts with black background that suddenly fades into blue-cyan shadowish. Then, a black, big and flat hexagon appears, which turns into gray. Then, fading in gold lining and brown coloring, there is a simplified golden render of the same icon from the previous logo inside the flat hexagon. The sequence then fades to black.

Variant:

  • A black and white variant also exists.
  • In-credit variants exist where the logo is fully white and superimposed against the film's opening scene.
    • On Ρόδα, τσάντα και κοπάνα and Αχτύπητα... καμάκια, The logo is placed on the top-right of an opened white rectangle containing the set of text:
Η ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ
ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ

sitting underneath the logo.

    • On Ρόδα, τσάντα και κοπάνα No 2 and Σερίφης ο ‘Μηχανοφάγος, there is the text notice "Η ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ" with the logo pushing the first three sets of text towards the left.
    • On Παπαδίστικη κομπανία, the same "Η ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ" is displayed underneath the logo.
    • On Τα τούβλα, two sets of text reading "Η ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ" on top and "ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ ΤΟΥΣ" on the bottom are displayed around the logo.

Technique: Live action light effects.

Audio: A heavily dramatic, dissonant-sounding fanfare with flutes and drums, followed by a crashing ending.

Audio Variant: On its first appearance, it is silent.

Availability: Seen in some Greek films during the logo's timespan. Examples are Παπαδιστική Κομπανία and Oi Φτωχοδιαβολοι. It made its debut appearance on Νύχτες της Αθήνας, and made its last appearance on Παπα-Turbo: Μας πήραν και τα... ράσα.

4th Logo (May 4, 1963)

Visuals: Yet another version of the eagle holding the paper icon which is placed against a cloudy background. After a few seconds, "ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ" in a white, handwritten font fades in the bottom-right corner.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Probably used as a temporary logo, as it was only known to appear on Ο αδελφός μου ο τροχονόμος.

5th Logo (October 1987)

Visuals: On a black background, the yellow bird and rolling paper flies like animation, then flashes and the rolling paper opens and drawing, and the text "ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ" are writing in the paper, and the ribbon is also drawing, then inside the flat hexagon is zooming out.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: A bombastic synth and drum piece.

Availability: Only seen on και δυο αυγά Τουρκίας and Πατρίς, ληστεία, οικογένεια.

6th Logo (November 12, 1993)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a different sketch of the eagle but this time carrying the company's name in a spaced and stacked format and a filmstrip in a diagonal position. Underneath the logo is the distribution notice saying "ΔΙΑΝΟΜΙΚΗ ΑΠΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΚΥΠΡΟ: ΣΠΕΝΤΖΟΣ ΦΙΛΜ".

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only known to appear on Γυναίκες δηλητήριο.

7th Logo (October 13, 2011)

Visuals: In a lit-up yellow room with stickers of people doing a traditional dance, there is a bright yellow canary constantly moving and twisting its head for a couple of seconds. A bunch of cyan dots then emerge from all sides of the screen and form a 2D dot render of the eagle from the previous logo, where we can also see a thin, cyan crescent facing downwards and "SPENTZOSFILM" to fade in underneath, forming the modern Spentzos Film logo. It then shrinks to give space for "Η" on the left and "ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ:" on the right to fade in both ends of said text once it stops zooming. It all eventually fades out to black.

Technique: Live action and computer animation.

Audio: A Greek-style string piece, which is possibly the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Only seen in the infamous low-budget Greek film Πόντιοι: New Generation.

8th Logo (December 12, 2022-)

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Visuals: On a white background, numerous cyan and black pieces varying in size, shape, and design slowly appear around the screen, flying and spinning and slowly repairing themselves piece by piece. When the logo is getting closer and closer to being properly revealed, it appears that several white shard-like pieces are scattered in front of the logo, partially obscuring the logo's transformation. While this is happening, however, the pieces make up two parts: the same cyan eagle design from the previous logo, now in a dotted pattern, and the same "SPENTZOS FILM" with a shadow behind it, all while still spinning around the screen, the white objects gradually disappearing, and a spinning grey filmstrip suddenly flying into view and starts spinning behind the two objects. Eventually, the eagle (now with a black curvy/bulging line with a blue tail below it) and text stop spinning and face upright, and the filmstrip stops behind the eagle, scrolling downwards, and remains stagnant for the last few seconds.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A dramatic instrumental track composed of timpanis and some computer-generated sound effects that ends with a thud and a droning sound effect when the objects stop rotating altogether.

Availability: Currently seen in its newer output. was so far spotted in Karagiozis: The Movie.

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