Draft:Rai (Break Bumpers)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum




1st ID (1976?-1979?)

Visuals: On a black and white striped background, a white streak comes in and turns into four (five in the first variant) different objects, before exiting. Starting in 1978, the background is white, the streak and objects it turns into are colored and the objects are only animals.

Variants:

  • Black and White:
    • Beginning: Flower, lion, cat, dice, letter "P" (short for "pubblicità"). Ending: Wind-up chicken, boat, toucan, peacock.
    • Beginning: Moose, flower pot with a face, rocking horse, letter "P". Ending: Hedgehog, iron, donkey, ball.
    • Beginning: Camel, kettle, rooster, letter "P". Ending: Drum, train, whale, ball.
  • Color:
    • Beginning: Rooster, fox, black swan, bee (on a flower). Ending: Squirrel, toucan, tiger, duck.
    • Beginning: Armadillo, elephant, penguin, ostrich. Ending: Parakeet, snail, mandrill, dove.

Technique: Stop-motion.

Audio: A string theme with four harp notes, which segue into an arpeggio. The theme was later shortened to the first four notes.

2nd ID (January 4, 1977-May 7, 1979)


Visuals: On a black background, a white line circles around. One second later, the line cuts to a pinwheel shape in a circle which spins (similar to API's logo), then zooms in and leaves the screen.

Closing Variant: The same animation from the opening plays in reverse.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A weird sound is heard at the beginning, which segues into a four-note tune.

3rd ID (1977-1978?)


Visuals: Unknown

Closing Variant: Unknown

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Unknown

4th ID (1978-October 1986)


Visuals: On a dark blue background, there is a spinning shape consisting of multiple rectangles with an open end attached to one point zoom and spin in from the right side of the screen while cycling through different colors. This animation repeats with a similar shape that has fewer rectangles that flies in from the left side of the screen and once more with the same shape but this time zooming in from the center of the screen. After this shape disappears, a yellow spiral symbol with a "p"-like shape embedded inside quickly zooms in from the center of the screen.

Variant: A break variant has only the spinning shape zooming in from either the left or right of the screen. Four different versions were made.

Technique: 2D animation possibly done by a computer.

Audio: A classical 29-note synth fanfare. On the break variants, only the first part of the theme plays, which is played differently depending on the variant.

5th ID (July 1st, 1978-1988)


Visuals: The screen fades in from black to show the screen covered in squares, colored in various shades of blue, green and yellow, which then shuffle to form a vertically-rotating cube with faces that rotate to reveal that they make up a picture of a flowering tree with a warmly-colored bird of paradise perched on top of it near a small hill. The bird then flies away off the tree before the cube splits into the small squares from the start, which then scramble to fill the screen again.

Variant: There is a break variant that starts off with the squares shuffling to briefly form the cube, which shows a blue and pink flower with a yellow outline on a blue and green background. Then the cube splits back into the squares.

Technique: Cutout animation.

Audio: An approximately 23-note pizzicato tune, which is shortened to the first seven notes on the break variant.

6th ID (October 4, 1979-December 26, 1983)


Visuals: On a white background, a pomegranate swings from right to left, revealing a picture of a pomegranate tree that gradually zooms in the next two times the pomegranate swings by until there is a close-up of one of the pomegranates on the tree. The camera then zooms in the pomegranate.

Closing Variant: The pomegranate swings three times before stopping in the middle of the screen and splitting in two, with a seed falling in front of the right half.

Variant: A break variant has two pomegranates swinging twice simultaneously from either side of the screen.

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A light four-note synth ditty, with an arpeggio at the end. The closing variant has it play in a different pitch.

7th ID (September 17, 1979-October 31, 1986)


Visuals: On a white background, a walnut zooms in. When it stops, it opens and releases various shapes of different colors.

Closing Variant: There is the walnut already open. Then, the shapes come back inside the walnut, which zooms out.

Variants:

  • Depending on the variant, the shapes are either butterflies, flowers or balloons.
  • A break variant has the walnut turning around to show a green leaf, and then zooms out.

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A twelve-note synth flute-like theme, with a lighter flute glissando when the walnut opens. On the break variant, only the first four notes are heard.

8th ID (November 11, 1979-December 28, 1988)


Visuals: On a black background, a blue-white circular, kaleidoscope-like pattern with a red circle in its center draws itself outwards, starting from the center of the screen. After it covers the screen, it disappears via a wiping effect starting from the center.

Closing Variant: The same animation from the opening plays again, but with a different pattern that lacks the red circle.

Variant: A break variant has a completely different pattern without the red circle in the center that quickly draws in and wipes out afterwards.

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A drumbeat accompanied by a 17-note flute theme playing throughout. The second half of the theme plays on the break variant.

9th ID (November 1979-July 1986)


Visuals: On a black background, there is a colorful, abstract stained glass pattern change into different shapes and getting smaller before revealing that it was made from a single illustration of a butterfly. Multiple glowing copies of the butterfly then fly out from it.

Variant: A break variant shows a differently-colored butterfly and pattern, and only the copies of the butterfly appear at the end, though they do not glow.

Technique: Likely 2D computer animation.

Audio: A synthesized bell and synthesizer tune.

10th ID (November 30, 1979-June 4, 1983)


Visuals: On a black background, two dark blue cubes with colorful patterns zoom in. They hopscotch together, and then transform into pyramids, which tip-toe in a fast way before turning into cylinders. The cylinders then jump and transform into colorful, eyeball-like creatures with yellow and red wings, which fly into the screen, while their blue circles become bigger.

Variants:

  • A short version exists, featuring the same animation, but the cubes don't turn into pyramids after hopscotching, then fade into the cylinders as the animation continues as normal.
    • Another short version features only one cube, which fades into the cylinder.
  • Another variant has the same animation, but features an additional third cube.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A whimsical, cartoonish-sounding ditty with a dinging sound at the end. For the short variants, the theme starts either halfway through (on the first variant) or ¾ in (on the second variant).

11th ID (1981-1987)

Visuals: On a dark, blue-gray background with ripples is what appears to be an embroidery pattern of flowers that come in red and white inside of a black and gold vase being formed by a wiping effect from bottom to top.

Closing Variant: The closing variant combines the opening ID and the break variant.

Variant: There is a break variant that shows two red, drooping flowers being formed in the same manner from top to bottom.

Technique: Stop-motion.

Audio: A mellow clarinet and oboe tune accompanied by a harp.

12th ID (November 23, 1978-July 19, 1986)


Visuals: On a pink-black gradient background, there is a red book with white pages opening up to reveal bushes, various flowers and an amanita mushroom that pop up like a pop-up book. A pink butterfly and a blue dragonfly then fly out of the book before the screen fades to black.

Closing Variant: The book closes and all the foliage inside flattens down as it does so, and the same butterfly from earlier lands on the edge of the book. The background is also orange instead of pink.

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A clarinet and oboe tune accompanied by a synth harpsichord.

13th ID (May 1981-September 1984)


Visuals: A paint-like transition occurs and reveals a coral on a blue gradient background, which has a school of fish resting over it. A red fish (presumably a goldfish) swims from left to right, and the other fishes swim away from the coral to follow it. Another paint-like transition then occurs, changing the screen to black.

Closing Variant: The coral from before is shown. The goldfish then swims to the right, and the other fishes return to the coral. The paint-like transition from the opening is intact here.

Variant: A break variant exists, where the coral is shown and the goldfish swims from left to right with the other fishes following it. The picture also fades in and out instead of using the transition from the opening and closing variants.

Technique: Stop-motion.

Audio: A calm 10-note theme. The break variant only has the last four notes.

14th ID (1981-1987?)


Visuals: On a black background, a glowing kite colored red on one side and teal on the other, with a white outline and orange gradient strings appears and flies around. It then zooms into the screen, revealing a red diamond-shaped tunnel, which turns light blue and zooms in quickly.

Variant: A short version introduced in 1982 exists.

Technique: Likely a mix of cel-animation and scanimate animation.

Audio: A rising six-note synthetized electric guitar theme. On the short version, the tune sounds different and the first note is cut off.

15th ID (October 28, 1981-December 1st, 1984)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Early CGI, though the droplets are 2D.

Audio: Unknown

16th ID (1982-mid/late 1980s)


Visuals: On a black background, a rainbow zooms down from the right to the middle of the screen. It then zooms up to the left.

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A fast-paced, whimsical synth ditty.

17th ID (1982-August 13, 1986)


Visuals: On a black background, there is a green spade in the center of the screen. It splits into multiple spades arranged in a "X" pattern, before they form back into one. The spade then morphs into a four-leaf clover which zooms closer to the camera.

Closing Variant: Similar to the opening, but the spade is replaced by a red diamond, which splits into multiple diamonds arranged in a diamond-like pattern. At the end, the diamond turns green and transforms into the four-leaf clover.

Variant: A break variant only has the last part of the animation (the four-leaf clover zooming in).

Technique: Stop-motion.

Audio: A 6-note piano tune.

Audio Variants:

  • On the closing, the theme is played differently.
  • The break variant has only the last note of the theme playing.

18th ID (July 1982-May 1987)



Visuals: Unknown

Variant: An alternate version of this ident was introduced in March 1984.

Technique: Likely stop-motion.

Audio: A whimsical, synthesized pizzicato and triangle tune.

19th ID (1982-1988?)


Visuals: On a black background, the silhouette of a peacock is shown as it unfolds its rainbow-colored feathers (similar to the NBC Color Presentation "Laramie Peacock" logo). Once the feathers are spread out, they flash, and the peacock appears in color on a dark blue gradient background.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: Same as the short version of the 13th ID.

20th ID (October 10, 1983-1987?)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: A synthetized "ping" sound.

21st ID (1983-1986)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Likely 2D computer animation.

Audio: A short fanfare, which depends on the variant.

22nd ID (April 23, 1984-January 2, 1986)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: A synth harp theme.

23rd ID (1984-1988?)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: Unknown

24th ID (1986-1989?)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Unknown

25th ID (March 22, 1986-December 31, 1989)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Cel-animation.

Audio: Unknown

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