Warner Independent Pictures

Background

Warner Independent Pictures was the indie-movie arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment established in 2003 to produce and distribute independent film and documentary releases. After New Line Cinema became a subsidiary of Warner Bros., Time Warner was going to merge Picturehouse with WIP, but they decided to shut down both WIP and Picturehouse (the indie film divisions of WB and New Line/HBO respectively)

(July 2, 2004-September 26, 2008)

Nickname: "Abstract WI"

Logo: First, we see the WB shield logo appering on a black background. Then, after a second, the shield and the B fade out leaving the W. The W moves to the right until stopping in the middle of the screen. A red or gray light glows and forms a dot above the second stem of the W as "WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES" wipes in below with "INDEPENDENT" in red or gray. The byline "A TimeWarner Company" fades in seconds later.

FX/SFX: The fade out of the shield and the red light. Simple, but effective.

Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Common. Can be seen on a lot of indie releases from Warner including March of the Penguins and A Scanner Darkly. The last film WIP made was Towelhead, which uses this logo.

Legacy: A footnote in WB's long history. One would only wonder the end result if Picturehouse and WIP merged.