Starz Encore Feature Presentation

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



1st Open (1991-1994)


Visuals: Against a space background, the screen pans across a golden corridor which zooms out to reveal itself as the Encore logo in all capitals with a six-sided star inside the "O". The "O" separates itself as the rest of the logo flies out, zooming back in to a multi-colored series of shapes. The Encore logo slides down while the word "FEATURE" slides in from the left, placing itself within a purple rectangle. The words "FEATURE PRESENTATION" then fade in. A gray circle then wipes away the completed logo to show the film rating.

Variant: Occasionally the slogan "Hit Movies of the 60s, 70s, and 80s" will appear underneath the logo.

Technique: CGI

Audio: An ambient synth-bells fanfare.

Audio Variant: A triumphant brass fanfare for the slogan version.

Availability: Check old tapes for this.

2nd Open (1994-1999)


Visuals: Inside a 3D object that looks like a "sunburst" are various sunburst outlines with the "encore" texts below each one, then what looks like a countdown timer and another "sunburst" outline. All the "sunburst" outlines are black. The "sunburst" zooms out as a red-purple gradient background fades in and a rainbow rectangle reading "encore" flies to the bottom of the "sunburst" before it transforms into a rainbow box with a "sunburst" outline, revealing that it is a rainbow Encore logo from that period. As this happens, the word "Feature" in uppercase letters zooms to above the Encore logo, with "Presentation" also in uppercase letters appearing below it.

Variants:

  • A premiere airing of a movie has "Premiere" in place of "Feature".
  • An airing of a movie exclusive to Encore has "Exclusive" in place of "Feature".

Technique: CGI by Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: A keyboard/flute sounder, usually with an eleven-note keyboard sounder followed by two more keyboard notes on the last two drumbeats at the end of the standard "Feature Presentation" variant.

Audio Variants: There are two additional variants of the music depending on the program Encore aired during the period, each variation with a different ending.

  • The "Premiere Presentation" variant has a six-note horn sounder and two string notes overlapping the last horn note.
  • The "Exclusive Presentation" variant has a different ten-note keyboard sounder.

Availability: Same as the previous bumper.

3rd Open (1999-2005)


Visuals: The screen cuts across various gold-tinted shots of camera lenses (some of which have countdown screens, which go from "5" to "3"). A star appears to be writing itself in early in this montage, but then cuts out. After the countdown disappears, the full star writes itself in. After finishing the star, the line writes “movies” in an abstract cursive text, followed by a squiggle that forms the Encore starburst (in this time, the lenses fade out). "encore" fades in underneath it, and the starburst shines. As the whole logo shines, "Feature Presentation," in black zooms out towards the light.

Variants: Depending upon the type of movie, the background will be different. Examples include a vortex against a green background, dynamite with a bomb timer against a red background, and a family holding hands against a sky background.

Technique: CGI by Telezign.

Audio: Encore's 1999 jingle (a nice pop-rock tune) with variations across the different versions, then a short piano stinger at the end (which also varies in sound between films).

Availability: Same as the previous bumper.

4th Open (2005-2011)


Visuals: There is a shot of a forest tinted in yellow, followed by a shot of a hubcap, then the 2005-13 Encore logo drawing itself through a shot of some buildings. Two different shots of palm trees follow, and then cut to a panning shot of a yellowish-blue beach with the text reading "FEATURE PRESENTATION" below the Encore logo. It then fades to the film's rating with the icons for "Closed Captioning" and "En Español" below, followed by content descriptors for the film.

Variants:

  • In the last years of the ID's life, "The following is rated" was added above the rating.
  • During their 2008 Big '80s Weekend event, an entirely different set of graphics was used, but the concept remained the same. This version uses shots of people dressed in 1980s-era fashions, and for the rating screen, a man with a Mohawk raising his head up is used.

Technique: A mix of live-action and CGI from PMcD Design and Landor Associates.

Audio: A small choir note, then a majestic fanfare and a whoosh. The announcer (Fred Harrison, who had previously done announcements for USA Network in the 1990s) later says "The following feature is rated *Rating*."

Audio Variant: On the Big '80s Weekend variant, a pop rock tune is heard.

Availability: Same as the previous bumper.

5th Open (2011-2013)


Visuals: As the Encore starburst in yellow moves through is the following shots: A plane landing, a man playing with his dog, a clock ticking, another man saying something in ASL, a woman, and a time-lapse shot of a city skyline. Over this last shot, a lens flare occurs and forms a white tilted rectangle with "FEATURE PRESENTATION" in it. Next to it, the starburst appears and "encore" spells itself out. The logo and rectangle then disappear as "FEATURE PRESENTATION" zooms towards the camera, and the rating information appears.

Variants:

  • A variant exists for Encore HD, with the size of the movie rating and descriptors decreased.
  • A short version was used for Encore On Demand. Here, only the first few images were shown, then it cuts to the final part, with the rating information being shifted up to the top-middle and nothing below it.

Technique: All live-action, complete with the black bars from the last logo and the CGI at the end.

Audio: A majestic orchestral fanfare coupled with light guitar notes, followed by a voiceover recycled from the last ID.

Audio Variant: At the start of an August 17, 2013 Encore HD airing of Lethal Weapon, there was a brief audio dropout early in the theme, due to a broadcast error.

Availability: Same as the previous bumper.

Final Note

When Encore adopted a modified look on December 2, 2013, they abandoned the use of Feature Presentation bumpers, instead resorting to "Next on" bumpers.

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