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

Background

Alliance Entertainment Corporation (also known simply as Alliance) was a Canadian film distribution and television production company, founded in 1984 from a merger of RSL Entertainment Corporation and International Cinema Corporation. In 1990, it bought Montreal-based distributor Vivafilm Lteé, making it its French-Canadian division as "Alliance Vivafilm". In 1998, the company entered a joint venture with Atlantis Communications, forming Alliance Atlantis.

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

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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". The 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.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the show.

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

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

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

Variant: A warp-speed variant exists.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

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.

3rd Logo (September 1, 1991-1999)

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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 below. It's seen here.

Technique: Very good CGI animation for 1991, which 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.
• The short versions have part of the fanfare with a more powerful hit and a ding.

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 appears 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, 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 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.

Legacy: This is a beautiful, atmospheric logo with great CGI and music to boot.