Draft:The Movie Network

Credits

Descriptions by
Therealstealth and diskkihoax

Background

The Movie Network was a Canadian English-language premium movie channel. It was launched on February 1, 1983 as First Choice, and re-branded to its current moniker in 1993. On September 1, 1988, the channel and Western International Communications launched Family Channel, with WIC acquired by Corus Entertainment in 2000, and TMN's parent company Astral Media buying Corus' interest in 2001, making them sister stations. In 2003, the channel renamed its multiplex channels to MExcess, MFun, MFest, and MEscape (later MMore).

MMore was replaced by a Canadian version of HBO on October 30, 2008. On July 5, 2013, TMN's parent company Astral Media was acquired by Bell Media. In 2014, former sister channel Family and its sister networks was acquired by DHX Media after a year of being in a blind trust by Pierre Bolvin. The channel expanded into Western Canada on March 1, 2016, replacing Corus-owned Movie Central. The channel was replaced by a new service called Crave on November 1, 2018, named after the streaming service of the same name.

1st Logo (1993-1994)

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Logo: Unknown.

Variant:

• The logo may be still.
• The logo is seen in-credit on some shows.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A triumphant fanfare with opening-like sounds.

2nd Logo (1996-2000)

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Logo: We flash through a metallic background as we pan through shots of the letters "TMN" with light being cast behind. As we get thru the last shot, we zoom out to reveal the logo, which is the letters "TMN" with a filmstrip streak on the "M", with "The Movie Network" behind it.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the byline for Astral Communications is seen below.
• The logo may be still.
• The logo is seen in-credit on some shows.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A dramatic, triumphant fanfare with various whooshes.

3rd Logo (2000-2008)

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Logo: In a mystical setting, a woman touches a big blanket, then we zoom out to a big sky, where the blankets fall down, and reveal the Movie Network logo. The logo then flips to reveal the Astral Media logo.

Technique: A mix of CGI and live-action done by 3 Ring Circus.

Audio: A mystical music piece sampling "Ailein Duinn".

4th Logo (2008-October 31, 2018)

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Logo: We see the same logo as before, but is smaller and on a black background. An even smaller blue chip, slanted, appears above, and the bigger one fades out. The chips go down, until one that is not slanted appears and glows. The words “FEATURE PRESENTATION” appear in all caps and in blue.

Trivia: This variant is reused on its sister network but with different colors. The only exceptions were MExcess which used different animation, MFun! which used a white background (with the same animation intact), and Mpix which used a different concept.

Variants:

• An in-credit version exists.
• At the end of broadcasts of films, we see the signature film chip zoom out very rapidly. Then it becomes the logo.
• Another end of film variant has a thick blue line slide from the left to the center. After that, the line keeps going to the center until it had become the logo.
• From 2013-16, after the closing variants animate, they zoom out to be revealed on a TV. Holding the TV is the Bell Media logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio:

• Opening: A weird sound at the start, and an indescribable sound effect with a synthesizer at the end.
• Closing (Version 1): A four-note harp tune.
• Closing (Version 2): Unknown

Audio Variants:

• From 2013-16, the closing variants have the music accompanied by a male voice saying "You're watching The Movie Network, a division of Bell Media.".
• The in-credit version just uses the ending theme of the movie or none.

◄ First Choice (1989-1993)

The Movie Network

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