Astro Records & Filmworks

Background

Astro Records & Filmworks is a German distributor established in 1985 by Oliver Krekel, initially as a music label. From the mid-1990s, the company entered the home video market by releasing laserdiscs and videos. The company specialized in the release of action, cult and horror films, some of which were and are indexed and a few of which were even confiscated. At the end of 2002, Astro was discontinued as a label and from then on only continued to exist in the form of a "GmbH". Krekel then bought the rights to the names of the 80's video labels Marketing-Film and Starlight and founded the new label Labyrinth-Entertainment. In 2009, Astro Distribution GmbH was filed for insolvency, but the application was rejected due to a lack of assets. He still owns the naming rights to the Astro Records & Filmworks and Labyrinth Entertainment labels, while Krekel sold the naming rights to the Marketing-Film and Starlight DVD labels to film businessman Thomas Buresch (owner of Laser Paradise). Krekel revived the Astro brand in 2010 and continues to release films on all kinds of media, which he still edits, restores and remasters himself.

1st Logo (1997-1999)

Visuals: On a black space background, there is a spinning light blue vortex which sucks 5 meteors in. The screen then zooms inside the vortex to then see a cyan Saturn-shaped planet in view, while a light passes by. Then, the screen zooms in on the planet to see a spaceship that shoots the planet. The screen then zooms in on the planet and inside the surface to see a walking tank. The tank then shoots white lights that form the letters "ASTRO" one by one. The tank then shoots a single light that reveals the words "FILMS RECORDS & FILMWORKS". The word "PRESENTS" fades in below, and then the camera zooms in on the text. The wordmark then gets shot, causing the words to explode. Then, the screen zooms in on the back of the tank, which has a red square with German text reading:

Freigegeben
ab 18 Jahren
gemäß §7
JÖSchG
FSK

The robot then flies away, causing a red-orangish light to obscure the screen.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: First, there is a bell theme with swooshing sounds. This is followed by an upbeat synth theme.

Availability: Seen on some of their earlier horror releases. ^[Examples?]

Legacy: This is the longest home entertainment logo on this wiki, clocking in at 2 minutes and 4 seconds long.

2nd Logo (1999)

Visuals: There are two small submarines and a larger submarine. The two smaller submarines comes in on the larger one. Once in vision they each shoot on the larger submarine with a missile. The larger submarine homes its missiles on them, destroying the missiles. It then homes in two missiles of its own onto the two smaller ones; the submarines explode to reveal the texts "ASTRO" and "Records & Filmworks". Then, the word "PRESENTS" fades in in black.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A very threatening fanfare.

Availability: Seen on the 1999 German VHS of Cannibal Holocaust among others.

3rd Logo (2000-2002)

Visuals: There is two branches holding a shining orb. The screen then zooms in to the orb, revealing a full moon and the words "ASTRO RECORDS + FILMWORKS" in a futuristic font. The moon moves away from the screen, and wipes in the words "presents" in the process.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Synth, swooshing sounds and some background noise.

Availability: Seen on a release of Plankton.

External Link

• Official website for Astro Records & Filmworks