Windfall Films

Credits

Compiled by
Camenati

Background

Windfall Films is a television production company founded in 1988 by David Dugan, Ian Duncan, and Oliver Moore. They produced many factual programmes and documentaries for various networks in the United Kingdom and the United States. The company would soon be part of the Argonon group in 2014.

1st Logo (June 6, 1990-1994)

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Visuals: On a tan wall background, there is an apple with a portion of it peeled, revealing to be a filmstrip floating upwards. To the left of the apple is the stacked text "A WINDFALL FILMS PRODUCTION". Additional in-credit notices may be shown underneath.

Variants:

• The text may read differently with the apple and background intact. For instance, Red Star in Orbit features FilmCentre Canada, the BBC, and WGBH's names.
• On Q.E.D. documentaries such as "Plastic Fantastic", the logo is superimposed into the end credits with a portion of its background slightly visible.
• On the Horizon documentary Colonizing Cyberspace, after Red Green & Blue Company's animation finishes, the apple from this logo fades in and both images zoom out together. The bottom text fades in, reading "A Windfall Films/Red Green & Blue Company Production for BBC Television".

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability:

• Most programmes from this period consist of documentaries that receive little to no home media releases and are no longer shown on television.
• Seen on episodes of documentary series, such as Q.E.D. "Plastic Fantastic", Horizon "Colonizing Cyberspace", and Equinoxe "The Elements".

2nd Logo (February 12, 1995-January 2, 2009)

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Visuals: On a black chalkboard background, the following text is shown:

A Production by

Windfall Films

for Channel 4

Fairly visible writing lines are seen within each row excluding the copyright notice underneath. To the right section of the screen, an apple with a parachute is seen falling.

Variants:

• An early version has the falling apple smaller and the text slightly thinner.
• The apple may be re-positioned to different sections of the screen, notably on the left. This is to accomodate the Channel 4 logo being on the right.
• A still version exists.
  • Likewise, a variant has the apple falling in the center.
• Sometimes, additional in-credit information will be added underneath with a different texture but having the same writing lines as the other rows. Otherwise, it is simply text in a normal style.
• Beginning around 2001, the Channel 4 notice is removed.
• Early 2000's Channel 4 co-produced programmes has the company name shrunken to make room for said company's 1999 "Square" logo.
  • On Men of Iron, the company name is slightly squished.
• On Huge Moves, the company name, alongside in-credit information, is centered with the writing lines removed.
• An in-credit variant exists, consisting of the text in the same font as the end credits but with the apple included, falling over it.
  • On 2004 episodes of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, the "Windfall Films" name is exactly the one used in the on-screen logo.
• On some programmes produced for Channel 5, the logo is boxed with the apple and parachute underneath and above "Wind" in "Windfall" respectively.
  • A variant has the right half be a portion of the on-screen logo. Windfall Film's name is not only shown, but also Channel 5, The British Museum, and The History Channel.
• On Sas: The Real Story, the logo is squished and the Channel 4 text notice reads "Channel Four".

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: None or the ending theme of the programme.

Availability:

• Seen on many documentaries from both the US and the UK produced for various networks from Channel 4 and Channel 5 to WGBH, Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channel, among others.
• The logo debuted on Reality on the Rocks and was last seen on the 2008 Royal Institution Christmas Lecture episodes.
• Speaking of the latter, it appeared on said programme from 2000 to 2008 except for 2001 and 2005, as the latter was produced by Mentorn during the programme's switch to Channel 5.
• It would also appear on Sas: The Real Story, some Equinoxe documentaries such as Meningitis: Search for a Cure, Men of Iron, among many others.
• Some of these programmes are preserved on home media such as VCI's VHS release of Escape From Colditz and some DVD releases of American co-produced documentaries.
• This logo does not appear on most NOVA or National Geographic documentaries such as Big, Bigger, Biggest and Commanders at War.

3rd Logo (June 29, 2009-)

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Visuals: There are multiple letters fading in and debluring, initially scrambled before sliding to different places to form "windfallfilms" with the last and first letter of "windfall" and "films" respectively intersecting.

Bylines:

• June 29, 2009-September 24, 2017: Bylineless
• May 27, 2014-November 25, 2015: "Argonon"
• July 16, 2014-August 2, 2017: "Part of the Argonon Group"
• April 10, 2016-April 15, 2020: "Windfall Films is part of the Argonon Group"
• September 20, 2018-February 3, 2020: WINDFALL FILMS IS PART OF THE Argonon GROUP"
• December 26, 2018-: "part of the Argonon Group"
• August 21, 2019-: "part of the Argonon group"

Variants:

• A still version exists.
• Sometimes, the text "Produced by", "Produced by Windfall Films" or other similar notices are placed above the logo.
• Sometimes, this logo also shares the screen with other logos (including the 1997 BBC and 2016 Channel 5 logos).
• On When Disaster Strikes, the logo is shown within the compressed credits of said programme.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability:

• Like the previous logo, it appeared on many British and American documentaries produced for various networks.
• Its earliest appearance was on Inside Nature's Giants and was later seen on Royal Institution Christmas Lectures since 2009, Great British Ships, Massive Moves, among many others.
• Several programmes such as Inside Nature's Giants, Sex in the Wild, and Rebuilding Notre-Dame: Inside the Great Cathedral Rescue also have this logo intact on home media releases.