Alliance Entertainment Corporation

Credits

Descriptions by
Nicholas Aczel and Sean Beard

Captures by
Eric S., V of Doom, Subzero917, Dean Stewart Rumsey, and snelfu

Editions by
V of Doom and Eric S.

Video captures courtesy of
Eric S., Subzero917, and File Preserver

1st Logo (January 31, 1985-January 7, 1988)

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Nickname: "The Shining Text"

Logo: On a shady blue gridlined background, the metallic stylized text:

ALLIANCE

set in New Zelek, appears in the center of the screen, and the underlined text "ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION" uncovers below it. The "ALLIANCE" shines.

Variants:

• During 1985-1986, the logo had the joint byline "An RSL • ICC Company" written below "ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION". Dropped in 1986 as the merger between two of producer Robert Lantos’ movie companies, RSL • ICC and French-Canadian film distributor Vivafilm Ltée., was completed. The RSL • ICC byline slides down as well as "Entertainment Corporation" from "ALLIANCE" meanwhile the name is shining on this variant.
• In Diamonds, the logo already has "ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION" below the initial logo, as it only shows the logo shining.
• A still variant has the logo on a blue background, with the text chromed and the "E" being slightly altered.

FX/SFX: The shining.

Music/Sounds: Played over the ending theme of a show.

Availability: Seen on the earliest episodes of Night Heat from the 1980s as well as other shows of that time.

Editor's Note: The graphics look quite ugly, and the light effects look cheesy.

2nd Logo (September 22, 1987-July 25, 1991)

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Nicknames: "The Shining Text II"

Logo: We see a bright iris, then we see on a black-blue gradient background, is the word "ALLIANCE" is in the same style as before. The word "ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION" fades in below. The logo shines.

Variant: A warp-speed variant exists.

FX/SFX: The iris, the shining.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme.

Availability: Uncommon, at least in America. Seen on reruns of Night Heat on DejaView, and should be intact on all other Alliance shows of the period whenever reran.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (September 1, 1991-1999)

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Nickname: "The Metallic A", "The Frontier of the Australian Logo", "The Alliance A", "The Alliance Boomerang"

Logo: We see a dark night sky with mountains of metallic silver gemstones below, one of which streaks brightly. The screen cuts to a bird’s eye view of the gemstones. One of the pyramid-shaped gemstones rises into the air. We cut to a side view of the gemstone turning in the sky, then a facing view of the gemstone turning up on its side until it shapes a long isosceles triangle. A spark flies from the bottom left of the triangle. When the spark reaches the top, it brightens and the triangle turns into a boomerang-shaped metallic A with the text "ALLIANCE" written below in Wide Latin. The spark reaches the top and streaks again.

Variants:

• On French-language theatrical films and VHS tapes, the text "VIVAFILM" appears under the Alliance logo.
• There exists a short version that starts when the "ALLIANCE" text appears.
• Another short version exists that starts when the gemstone is turning up.
• A filmed variant exists.
• A still variant also exists.
• A later variant exists where "ATLANTIS" appears bellow

FX/SFX: Very good CGI animation for 1991! It still holds up great today.

Music/Sounds: Wind blowing, followed by a ding alongside a humming sound effect. Then, as the gemstone rises in the air, we hear a lush fanfare with synth string notes and a hit at the end with a ding.

Music/Sounds Variants: There is an alternate mix of the fanfare where the electric piano has more presence.

Availability: In Canada, this logo is somewhat common, while in the United States, it is uncommon bordering on rare.

• The short version appears on TV shows such as Beast Wars: Transformers, Due South, Once a Thief, ReBoot, and many other shows from the era. The short version also appears at the end and (sometimes) the beginning of films aired on Canadian TV.
• The long version pops up on theatrical and some TV movies, like Crash, The Sweet Hereafter, the Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD of Curtains (part of "The Midnight Horror Collection: Bloody Slashers"), and is used as a de-facto home video logo on many Canadian VHS releases of U.S. films (mainly New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, Dimension, and Miramax titles, among possible others).
• The version with the "Vivafilm" name is very rare and is only seen on French language versions of films and VHS releases distributed in the Quebec market.
• It also appeared a 1990s CKCO-TV airing to DeepStar Six (plastering the Carolco logo) and was found on an Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD release of No Contest as part of Abraxas: 4 Bonus Movies.
• Appearances on current prints is extremely rare due to chronic plastering by other logos.
• It was also spotted on an AT&T U-Verse Screen Pack print of Chili's Blues.
• This logo is retained on reruns on Due South on CMT Canada. However, DejaView reruns plaster it with the 1999 Alliance Atlantis logo.

Editor's Note: This is a beautiful, atmospheric logo with great CGI and music to boot.