Draft:VTM

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum





Background

VTM was the very first commercial television station in the Flanders Region (the Dutch speaking region of Belgium), launched in 1989. The group would later go on to create other networks, including Kanaal 2, Vitaya, VTM Kzoom and JIM TV following the success of this channel.



1st ID (1989-1997)


Visuals: The sequence starts with a flowing body of water. Yellow, green and red stripes appear on the water's surface, dividing it into a grid, with each grid corresponding to the motion of waves. Then, three of the squares start emitting a green, yellow and red light each before rising. The letters begin growing from the bottom and horizontally turn clockwise, revealing the letters V, T and M. Once he letters arrange themselves, three diagonal light beams (green, yellow and red in that order) shoot down, placing themselves atop the M.

Variants:

  • In some variants, a singer, at the end of the song, would sing VTM, at the rhythm and moment of the three light flashes.
  • There is a closedown variant in which the stripes detach themselves from the logo, the letters put themselves back into a flat surface and reform the sea, while the camera pans up to reveal the moon. Three meteors in the colors of the stripes fall from the sky and pass by the moon one by one.

Technique: CGI animation by Match Frame Computer Graphics made with Cubicomp Vertigo software.

Audio:

  • Startup: A synthesized tune that wouldn't feel out of place in a SNES/Sega Genesis game.
  • Closedown: A trumpet theme.

2nd ID (1989-1990)


Visuals: On a very dark brown background, there are multiple translucent blue pads, which shrink and move away, aside from the middle one, which turns into a parallelogram. Three lights fly in and form the sticks as the "VTM" wordmark appears on the parallelogram.

Variant: There is a variant where the logo remains static and only shines.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A calming synth theme.

3rd ID (1990-1993)


Visuals: On a dark blue background, there are several glass-like rectangles rotating upwards. The letters appear, with V and M sliding from the left and right sides, respectively, and T zooming out, then, the aforementioned three colored lines fly from the top left corner and place themselves over the M.

Variant: Some variants depict the rectangles remaining static.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: Same as the previous logo. On occasion, the audio may use a remixed version of the music.

4th ID (1994-1995)


Visuals: This logo has 4 variants depending on the season. The VTM logo flies around inside a glass cylinder in front of a sky background with a seasonal item shown in the background and bottom left corner.

Variants: Each seasonal variation has the following:

  • Spring: White flowers in the bottom and a dog cathing one of the three flying frisbees.
  • Summer: A girl in a pink swimsuit swimming in the water (bottom left) and a person diving in the water (background).
  • Autumn: A flock of birds flying, with a closeup shot of a flying bird on the right half of the screen.
  • Winter: Snow falling with a blue aurora in the background.

Technique: A combination of CGI and live-action.

Audio: A synth theme that's arranged differently depending on the variant (jazzy in spring, light in summer and somewhat melancholic in autumn and winter).

5th ID (1996)

Visuals: Again, depends on the variant and season:

  • Winter: People are shown ice skating on an ice rink with the VTM logo on it.
  • Spring: Unknown
  • Summer: People are shown swimming in a VTM logo-shaped swimming pool.
  • Autumn: The wind is blowing while geese fly in the sky, and some people walk towards the VTM logo in the sky. A woman can be seen jumping and feeling the air.
  • Christmas: Same as the winter variant, but some ice skaters wear Christmas hats while snow falls from the sky.

Technique: A combination of CGI and live-action.

Audio: A three-note harp theme. The Christmas variant adds sleigh bells.

6th ID (1997-2000)

Visuals: Butterflies are shown flying around in a meadow, with the clouds in the shape of the logo. A woman may be seen dancing around in the background.

Variant: In the closedown, there are more views of the dancing woman separated by clips of some programmes that aired on the channel, before it fades into the final product where the VTM logo is formed by the clouds, with the final line "Kleur je dag" (color your day) being written down near the bottom right of the screen.

Technique: A combination of live-action and CGI.

Audio:

  • Normally, it's a three note harp theme.
  • During the closedown, there is a longer song, with the following lyrics:
    • Dutch: Weer een dag voorbij, voor VTM en mij. Morgen zie ik je weer, ik wil meer en meer. Je kleurt mijn dag VTM.
    • English: Again a day goes past, for VTM and me. Next morning I see you again, I want more and more. You color my day VTM.

7th ID (2000-2004)


Visuals: There are a series of short clips which are transitioned via a fade effect. Then, two transparent squares (one blue, one green) expands from the top left and bottom right corners, respectively. Once they meet, the sequence is transported to a grassy field with white ducks in the foreground and a wooden fence and horse in the background. The VTM logo is seen in the center, with a green, yellow and red line expanding underneath it, followed by "kleurt je dag" fading in underneath.

Technique: Live action and overlayed computer animation.

Audio: A short piano tune.

8th ID (2004-2008)

Visuals: Unknown.

Technique: A mix of CGI and live action by Gédéon.

Audio: Unknown.

9th ID (2008-2012)


Visuals: The sequence shows the station's logo over an orange background, which is composed of numerous squares and rectangles.

Variants: There are a collection of different idents that show a live-action scene with separate stripes blending in, with the VTM logo at the end. These incuded: Unknown.

Technique: Live action and computer animation by BDA Creative.

Audio: Unknown

10th ID (2012-2018)

Visuals: Unknown.

Technique: 2D computer animation by Gédéon.

Audio: Unknown.

11th ID (2018-2020)

Visuals: Unknown.

Technique: 2D computer animation by Gédéon.

Audio: Unknown.

12th ID (2020-)

Visuals: On an orange background, there is a 3D model of a tweaked version of the "vtm" wordmark, passing through a glowing streak, with its position starting from the left or the right. A 2D version of the wordmark then forms as the streak deforms.

Variants: There are multiple later variants which involve the logo and multiple streaks on an orange gradient background:

  • Six glowing streaks form surrounding the logo. The camera then zooms out further as the streaks deform.
  • Eight streaks form from left to right and deform one by one as the VTM logo zooms from us.
    • A reversed version of this variant exists.

Technique: CGI designed by Gédéon.

Audio:

  • The early variant has a woman singing the channel's three-note jingle, followed by a sting.
  • One of the later variants feature a guitar rendition of the jingle, accompanied by several wooshing sounds.
  • Another one of the later variants use an electronic rendition of the tune accompanied by a female singing the channel's name.
    • The reversed version of this variant uses an echoed electronic sting.
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