NFL Films
Background
NFL Films is an American film production company and a division of the National Football League that was originally formed in 1962 by Ed Sabol as Blair Motion Pictures to produce documentaries, and once the NFL took over, it was renamed to its current moniker in 1965. It also had its own spin-off subsidiary AFL Films in 1968 to produce AFL moments, the division was eventually dissolved once the NFL finalized its AFL merger in 1970.
1st Logo (1965)
Logo: Superimposed in the credits, we see the football piece of the NFL logo zooming in. More stars draw in, and then fades to the half of the NFL logo, and then the bottom of the shield draws in. Then the white NFL shield, complete with red lines and the red "NFL text. Then a blue rectangle with the words "FILMS" is shown on the bottom.
FX/SFX: The drawing of the logo.
Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show.
Availability: Seen on various NFL Game of the Week episodes from the era.
2nd Logo (1965)
Logo: On a brown wooden background, we see the white football and then it moves over to form the NFL Films logo from the previous logo on a white box and settle on the top left. The credits appear on the bottom right.
FX/SFX: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show.
Availability: Seen on most 1965 episodes of NFL Game of the Week.
3rd Logo (1966)
Logo: We see various closeups of the then-current NFL logo from the era, starting with the star and then it zooms out, and then the football moves, and the pieces of the NFL text and the NFL logo zooms in and then we cut to the NFL logo on a black background, with the text "A NFL FILMS, INC. PRODUCTION" below the logo.
FX/SFX: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A triumphant theme.
Availability: Seen on 1966 episodes of NFL Game of the Week.
4th Logo (1967)
Logo: On a blue background, we see the text "PRODUCED BY" and the red NFL text. The pieces shifted together, and the NFL text became the NFL logo. Then the text "NFL" appearing letter by letter, and then the text "FILMS wipe it on the right side.
FX/SFX: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A bombastic triumphant theme.
Availability: Seen on 1967 episodes of NFL Game of the Week.
5th Logo (1968)
Logo: On a blue marble background, we see a black rectangle zooming out. Then it rotates to reveal the then-current NFL logo from the era. Then it zooms out, and then the word "FILMS" fades below the logo.
FX/SFX: Cel animation.
Music/Sounds: A orchestral theme with some beeping sounds
Availability: Seen on 1968 episodes of NFL Game of the Week and This Week in Pro Football.
6th Logo (1969-1970)
Logo: Over multicolored clips of football footage, pieces of the letter "N" appear, followed by the yellow letter "F" and then the letter "L" appear. More letter appear in succession, followed by the text "NFL FILMS" quickly appear until the logo ends.
Variant: On 1969 episodes of This Week in Pro Football, the text says "NFL AFL FILMS" instead.
FX/SFX: A mix of live-action and 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A timpani drum theme.
Availability: Seen on 1969-1970 episodes of This Week in Pro Football and NFL Game of the Week. The NFL regularly stopped using these logos in 1971, using an in-credit notice instead.
7th Logo (1987-1989)
Logo: Over a pink marble background, we see a blue circle on the top left. Then another red circle fades in, and four dark turquoise lines slide, followed by a blue parallelogram, with the text "NFL" in its corporate font and the word "FILMS" sliding in from the pieces. Then the word "P R E S E N T A T I O N" fading in below with another dark turquoise line on the bottom.
Variant: Sometimes, a copyright date fades in below the logo.
FX/SFX: Early computer animation.
Music/Sounds: A dreamy theme.
Availability: Seen on VHS releases of NFL documentaries from the era.
8th Logo (1989-1993)
Logo: An in-credit logo, consisting of the NFL logo on a blue parallelogram, with the word "NFL FILMS on the right. The word "AN" and "PRODUCTION" appear above and below the logo.
Variants:
- On the Silver Anniversary special, the logo is inside a red oval.
- Sometimes, the word "NFL" is in blue
- Sometimes, a copyright date appears below the logo.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show.
Availability: Seen on NFL documentaries from the era.
9th Logo (1998-2004)
Logo: On a blue background, we see closeups of the NFL logo from the era, starting with the stars. Then we see a close-up of the text, and the players move. Then from a light effect, the then-current NFL Films logo, consisting of the NFL logo with blue and red diamond fields, with the word "FILMS shown on the banner with a star at the bottom, rotates to a center, with a red filmstrip, which later disappears.
Variants:
- Short versions of the logo exist.
- Starting in 2000, the URL "www.nfl.com" is shown below the logo.
FX/SFX: 3D animation.
Music/Sounds: A majestic theme, with the announcer saying "This NFL presentation is brought to you by the National Football League."
Music/Sounds Variants:
- On The History of the NFL on TV, its the end theme.
- On The 1999 NFL Quarterback Skills Challenge, we hear an ABC Sports voiceover.
- Starting in 2000, the voiceover also adds "The NFL is online at www.nfl.com" is heard.
Availability: Seen on NFL Films documentaries from the era.
10th Logo (2004-2008)
Logo: On a blue tinted background of the stars, we see footage of NFL from the era on TV tubes sliding in. The NFL logo rotates and then the stars of the NFL logo zooms out, and it rotates, revealing the NFL Films logo from the previous logo, and another star appears. The word "WWW.NFL.COM" types in below the logo.
FX/SFX: A mix of CGI and live-action.
Music/Sounds: A majestic theme with the same spiel from before.
Availability: Seen on later NFL Films documentaries from the era. As of 2008, all NFL Films documentaries used an in-credit text.
