40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks

Background

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks is the production company of director Spike Lee, founded in 1979. It was named after an historical event where in 1865, General William T. Sherman ordered the distribution of 40 acres of lots to some freed African-American families on the Georgia coast, and also distributed some army mules.

1st Logo (August 8, 1986-November 18, 1992)

Logo: On a black background, we see a circle with a "4" inside, an "o" up right to the number, and an "a" down right to it. Below the logo are the words "A Forty Acres and A Mule Filmworks" and "Production".

Variants:

Later, "Production" was replaced with "YA-DIG" and "SHO-NUFF".
On Jungle Fever, the logo is absent.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on Do the Right Thing, She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, and Malcolm X, among others. The version without the logo appears on Jungle Fever.

2nd Logo (May 13, 1994-)

Logo: This is a parody/homage to the Mark VII Limited logo. On a metallic background (either gray or brown), a hand holding a stamper places it on the surface. With a hammer, it knocks the stamper and pulls it away, revealing the same design from the previous logo, here surrounded by the text "MADE IN BROOKLYN, USA" and "EST. 1979". The company name, "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY", "YA DIG" and "SHO NUFF" wipe in letter-by-letter.

Variant: A sped up version of the logo appears on the Netflix series adaptation of She's Gotta Have It. In addition, the text surrounding the logo now reads "MADE IN DA REPUBLIC OF BROOKLYN, USA".

Technique: Live-action and the animation of wiping.

Music/Sounds: Factory-like sounds, followed by a loud "CLANG!". Sometimes, the wiping of the text is accompanied by metallic whirring.

Availability: Common. Made its debut on Crooklyn and has appeared on every film since.

Legacy: This logo pays a nice homage to the Mark VII Limited logo.