CEL Video

Credits

Descriptions by
mr3urious, Brendan Richards, TechBlitz and others

Captures by
AussieRoadshow and TrickyMario7654

Editions by
MariluHennerArtist45

Video captures courtesy of
TrickyMario7654, FilmwaysVTC, Logo Archive, and vhs vhs

Background

In 1984, Publishing and Broadcasting Video (PBV) was renamed Communications and Entertainment Limited (CEL). The company as a whole went bankrupt in subsequent years.

1st Logo (1984-1986)

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Visuals: On a background of what looks like a cartoony reenactment of the American Revolutionary War (starting at brown dust), there is an orange neon "CEL", with a sun-like image printed in the "C", wiping in. Then it cuts to a cannon turning into place, then the mahogany word "NOW" quickly zooms through as the cannon shoots out abstract circular shapes (like crosshair and rings); once they're gone, the same "CEL" zooms in. The screen then cuts to a flag reading "The CEL (on a small navy blue triangular flag) ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION" (on a larger persimmon-coloured triangular flag) that waves in the wind. The image freezes shortly after.

Variants: The only known variants of this logo can be seen on promos:

• On one promo, "HOME VIDEO" in white is added into the first few seconds of the logo.
• At the end of a promo, the print logo for the 3rd logo is seen at the bottom and the flag constantly moves.
• Sometimes, the "CEL" text coming out of the cannon is changed to "NOW" which can be seen in the normal logo, but only for a few frames.
• Another promo has the normal "ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION" flag changed to a painting of it featuring characters like Kermit the Frog and Tom from Tom and Jerry, two franchises CEL had distribution rights to back then.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: Gunshots, a synthesised trumpet fanfare, then a loud "boom" when "NOW" and the circular shapes shoots out of the cannon. An announcer then says "Another CEL Entertainment Revolution Presentation!"

Availability: Seen on early CEL releases. Some of these may have been repackaged copies of PBV movies, as this logo has PBV's warning screen coming before it.

2nd Logo (1986)

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Visuals: Over a grey background, the logo starts with pink diagonal lines. A black box wipes in, as a turquoise CEL logo flies in and settles to the top left. Then another turquoise parallelogram wipes in, and then a border fills in, with a pink line wipes in, with the text "That's ENTERTAINMENT" wipes in.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: An orchestral theme.

Availability: Seen on the Australian VHS release of A Chorus Line.

3rd Logo (1986-1990)

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Visuals: On a midnight blue background, there is a blue grid at the bottom of the screen. Three sections of "Communications and Entertainment Limited" in white rise from above the grid and zoom in towards the viewer. The "C", "E", and "L" then morph into stylised, chrome versions of the letters as they zoom in to the middle of the screen, left to right. The text vanishes, and a star travels across the outlines of the letters, making lines in the "C" in the process. The logo then "shines".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A descending synth note, followed by a synth horn fanfare, and a male announcer saying "CEL, Communications and Entertainment Limited."

Availability:

• This was the logo used throughout most of CEL's life.
• It can be found on any MGM/UA title before the distribution deal with Warner Home Video.
• It is also seen on the 1989 New Zealand Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends VHS releases of Thomas and Gordon and Other Stories, James and the Express and Other Stories, Percy Runs Away and Other Stories, Saved from Scrap and Other Stories, Percy and Harold and Other Stories and The Deputation and Other Stories, respectively.

4th Logo (1991)

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Visuals: There is the warning screen scrolling against a background of the Outback at dusk. When the screen stops scrolling, the dusk sky suddenly becomes morning, and we rise up into the sky, as the same CEL logo (metallic this time) shoots in, one letter at a time, and then "Home Video", in a Compacta font, and placed against what looks like a movie marquee sign. The logo zooms to the top left as "Entertainment Revolution" writes in a yellow cursive font below-right of the logo.

Variant: If the cassette has trailers before the program, the CEL logo will fade out to show "PREVIEW TIME" in yellow.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: A catchy synth rock-and-roll tune. When the CEL logo appears a male announcer says "CEL Home Video, bringing you the Entertainment Revolution."

Availability:

• This logo can be found on Australian PAL releases of shows created by Jim Henson during the 1980s, including Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock, just to name a few.
• The Warning screen that appeared before the logo is also oddly spotted on a Magna Pacific Video release of Young Guns.

5th Logo (1991-1999)

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Visuals: On a space background with zooming stars (a la Together Again Productions Inc.), two sets of three spheres flip together and converge to form a red circle. A red sphere appears in the middle of the circle and the whole thing rotates to form a grey crescent with five red lens shapes to the right of it. There is a big flash and the space background is now a shady sky bluish-dove gray/white gradient background as the words "CEL HOME VIDEO" fades in.

Later Variant: The symbol is shadeless against a white background, with the text now reading "CEL ENTERTAINMENT" in grey.

Technique: CGI. None for the later variant.

Audio: A majestic fanfare.

Audio Variant: None for the later variant.

Availability: Seen on VHS releases by the company from the time-period until 1999.

◄ Publishing and Broadcasting Video

CEL Video