Film Office Distribution

Background

Film Office was a French home video distributor. It is notable for releasing most of the Cinergi, Mutual Film, Artisan and Mandalay catalogues in France, and used to be active in theatrical distribution on rare instances. The company went bankrupt and closed in 2001, and its distribution rights now belong to M6 Vidéo.

1st Logo (Early 1980's-1989)

Logo: We only the following words floating on the screen against a white background :

FILM
_________
OFFICE

Trivia: This logo was in most cases followed with the Ciné Hachette Vidéo logo.

Technique: The logo floating.

Music/Sounds: A synth disco-like tune.

Availability: Extremely rare.

2nd Logo (1989-1995)

Logo: On a black background, we see the word "Film" being written in light blue. Soon after, "OFFICE" flips horizontally.

Technique: The logo drawing.

Music/Sounds: The sound of a storm, with blowing wind and one thunderclap as "OFFICE" appears.

Availability: Very rare. Seen on releases from the company at the time, most of them being hard to find outside of France.

3rd Logo (1995-2001)

Logo: On a blue background, a blue CGI sphere with the orange/golden words "FILM OFFICE" travelling around, come from the bottom of the screen. The words move towards us, then a film-cell shot and a grid come from the left and right of the screen. As they merge into themselves, the sphere morphs into and "O", while "FILM" and "FFICE" appear from the left and the right of the "O". A shield also stretches out behind "FILM OFFICE". Finally, a byline, "Groupe Hachette Filipacchi" appears.

Variant: Depending on the movie's aspect ratio, versions of this logo in 1,85:1 or 2,39:1 exist.

Technique: The sphere, and the logo forming, all done in CGI.

Music/Sounds: A synthesized flute/piano/horn music piece, with a 4-note leitmotif and an intensifying "drum hit".

Music/Sounds Variant: A silent variant exists.

Availability: Rare. Appears on VHS and early DVD releases of movies like 12 Monkeys, White Squall, Desperate Measures, The Fan, Tarzan and the Lost City, and many Cinergi movies like Tombstone, Nixon, Color of Night and Renaissance Man, among others. It also appeared on French movies releases like L'Aile ou la Cuisse, La Grande Vadrouille, Marche à l'ombre, Le Père Noël est une Ordure or Papy fait de la résistance. The silent variant can be found on a VHS release of Twin Sitters.