Korean Film Studio

Background

North Korea's principal producer of feature films is the Korean Film Studio, a state-run studio of about 10 million square feet (930,000 m²) founded in 1947 and located outside of Pyongyang. It has been said that the studio produced about 40 films a year (almost 4 films a month). Perhaps Korean Film's most notable release is Pulgasari, a North Korean kaiju film directed by South Korean director Shin Sang-ok (see also: Shin Films (South Korea)), one of the most renowned Korean directors of the time who was kidnapped by then-future North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Shin also directed several other films under Korean Film Studio and the North Korean branch of Shin Films.

1st Logo (1950s-1961?)

Logo: On a cloud background, we see a statue depicting a peasant-soldier-worker trio turning (in a similar way to the third logo and early Chinese People's Republic logos), with the worker holding a North Korean flag and the company name "조선화인" being in a white, blocky font.

FX/SFX: Live action and rostrum camera.

Music/Sounds: Opening theme of the film.

Availability: Near extinction. Seen on their earlier films, such as 신혼부부.

2nd Logo (1961?-present)

Logo: On a sky background with some clouds below, we see a drawing of the Paektu Mountain on the top left corner. Peaking out of the clouds is the Chollima Statue (located in Pyongyang) making a turn of about 60 degrees (like the logo of Mosfilm), and we see 조 선 화 인 appearing below the statue.

Variants:

Early appearences had the company name slightly transparent with a white outlined.
On 조국으로 돌아오다 (Return to Homeland), the brighter version of the early logo fades in with Chollima Statue plays at normal and Korean company name fades in at the beginning.
In widescreen films, the characters are more spaced.
Starting in the 2010s, the logo is enhanced, and the logo variations may vary from bright to dark.
On the North Korean release of Eternal Comrades, a Soviet-North Korean film produced by Korean Film and Mosfilm, a special variant was created. On a background which is Mosfilm's red sky and Korean Film's blue sky combined, the Paektu Mountain and Spasskaya Tower can be seen, as well as both the Chollima Statue and the Worker and Kolhoz Woman monument on the sides of the screen. Both of the company names are shown. The Russian release of the film had a completely different variant that can be seen here.

Trivia: Both the Chollima Statue and the Paektu Mountain are very important in North Korea due to the prominence of state propaganda, in this case, relating to the North Korean properity and the "mystical" segment of the cult of personality surrounding Kim Il-sung and his successors.

FX/SFX: Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Probably common in North Korea.

It is hard to acquire accurate information on when this logo is first used, knowing the nature of its country of origin.
Seen on their films such as Flower Girl, Urban Girl Goes to Get Married, and so on. Its most notable use is probably on Pulgasari.
The early appearances of the logo is rare, bordering from very rare to extinct. Such titles like 조국으로 돌아오다 (Return to Homeland) and 로동자대학생 (The Student of Labor University) are examples.
The logo is still in use today and appears on recent films such as The Story of Our Home.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (1968?-present)

Logo: The same as before, only this time it has a sunset background and a different statue depicting a worker-soldier-peasant trio. The mountain drawing is also slightly different.

Variants:

On very early films in B&W, the statue is different, featuring a more different worker-soldier-peasant trio, appears on a different background and the slightly different mountain on the very early logo. At first, we see a sky background with sun rising (a la Mosfilm), then turns into a afternoon sky after the statue is turning. Also, the Korean name is replaced with "2.8" in a transparent font with white outlined. Sometimes, there is a different version of this very early logo, but 2 Korean name is written on left and right, meaning "Korean 2.8 Film Studio" and the text are in all plain white.
On early films in B&W that used tandem with the previous variant, the mountain drawing is also slightly different, and the sky background maybe vary on some films. Also, the worker-soldier-peasant trio monument and the company name animates at normal.
In The Fate of Kum Hui and Un Hui, the background is purely red and the statue is off-centered.
Depending from the widescreen film, the characters can be more spaced or maintain their original spacing.

FX/SFX: Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds: Once again; it has the opening theme, or silent (including the very early ones).

Availability: Again, it may be still used today, and in tandem with the previous logo. You can find it on A Traffic Controller on Crossroads, Wolmi Island, Order No. 027, and a few more. Like before, information on when this logo is first used is scarce.

Editor's Note: None.