Phoenix Pictures

Background

Phoenix Pictures is a production company that was founded in 1995 by Mike Medavoy, who was formerly the CEO of TriStar Pictures; before that, he worked at United Artists, and was one of the UA defectors that helped launch Orion Pictures.

Logo (November 15, 1996-)

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Visuals: On a black background, a hand holds up a lit match, which brings forth a morning skyline background. The screen fades to a black screen with two flames which resemble a phoenix, as "PHOENIX PICTURES" forms below with "PICTURES" in spaced-out letters inside an orange rectangle under "PHOENIX". A light shines behind the logo as it fades out (except for the bird, which turns into an outline before fading away).

Trivia: The logo is a homage to the famous "match cut" transition from David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia.

Variants:

• A still version exists.
• On The Thin Red Line, the logo fades out early.
• On season 1 of Altered Carbon, the logo is next to the Mythology Entertainment logo.
  • On season 2, it shares the screen with the aforementioned logo and that of Virago Productions.
• At the end of Miss Potter, the print logo is seen. Here, the phoenix is moved to the right of the name and "PICTURES" is also not in the rectangle.
• When The 33 debuted in North America, the logo was enhanced to include a desert with fast moving clouds and a bright sun instead of the skyline. Additionally, lens flares are added to the symbol and the aura is brighter and more colorful.

Technique: Live-action and CGI, created by Rainmaker Digital Effects and Picturemill.

Audio: The striking of a match followed by a majestic French horn-led fanfare composed and conducted by John Williams.

Audio Variants:

• On Basic, Miss Potter, and The 33, a different arrangement of the fanfare with softer instrumentation is heard.
• Apt Pupil has an entirely different fanfare composed by John Ottman. This is the first track of the film's soundtrack, entitled "Phoenix Pictures Presents".
• On Lake Placid, a dramatic rendition of the fanfare, also composed by Ottman, is heard after a more realistic match-striking sound.
• On Urban Legend, a synth choir is heard after the match-striking sound.
• Sometimes, it uses the opening theme of the movie accompanied by the match-striking sound.
• On The Thin Red Line, the logo is completely silent.

Availability:

• Seen on films from the company such as The Mirror Has Two Faces (the first film to use this logo), Dick, The People vs. Larry Flynt, U-Turn, Apt Pupil, Urban Legend and its sequel Urban Legends: Final Cut, The Thin Red Line, The 6th Day, Lake Placid, Basic, Miss Potter, All The King's Men, and What to Expect When You're Expecting.
• The still version appears at the end of License to Wed, Shutter Island, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
  • It was also seen on television programs such as The Long Road Home and Altered Carbon.
• This logo does not appear on Holes, Stealth, Black Swan, or Zodiac (however, movie posters and DVD covers for the latter have the print logo).
• The original version was last spotted on the Chilean release of The 33 while the 2015 update debuted on its domestic release.