Rank Screen Advertising

Credits

Descriptions by
It'sATrap

Captures by
2K-tan

Editions by
2K-tan, TheBigLogoFan2, rj4712 and Dison

Background

Rank Screen Advertising (RSA) was a prolific UK cinema advertising company operated by The Rank Organisation, which supplied adverts for Rank and Odeon cinemas. In 1996, Carlton Communications bought the company and rebranded it to Carlton Screen Advertising.

Rank Advertising Films

Contents 1st Logo (1960s-1969?) 2nd Logo (1969?-1971) 3rd Logo (1971-1973)

Rank Screen Advertising

Contents 1st Logo (1973-1977) 2nd Logo (1977-1988) 3rd Logo (1988-Fall 1992)

RSA Advertising

Contents   Trailer (Fall 1992-September 1995)

Rank Advertising Films

1st Logo (1960s-1969?)

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Visuals: Over a blue gradient background are nine signs of varying shape, none illuminated except for a top-left red sign displaying a Rank logo. Six signs reveal white or gray backsides and the Rank sign flips over to an image of a hand, pointing towards a red square displaying "RANK ADVERTISING FILMS DIVISION", after which the other signs flip to images of human eyes. The text fades into a red background with three camouflaged signs, that reveal more eye imagery. The text moves downward and to the left above the signs, which flip to "PRESENTS" spread across them on black. A square eye image slides downward above the Rank name.

Technique: Stop-motion and cel animation.

Audio: A soft keyboard and bass tune.

2nd Logo (1969?-1971)

Visuals:

• Opening: On a black background, a bunch of green squares inside of each other are seen in the center of the screen. The squares then roll to the left, revealing it's a cube with that pattern on it. The cube then rolls more in sync with the music until it turns to reveal "Rank Advertising Films presents" in an abstract font dead centre of the screen.
• Closing: On the same background, a pyramid with a spiral pattern on it rolls until it shows the address off-center.

Technique: Stop-motion animation.

Audio: A dark piano and cello tune that plays in sync with the animation.

3rd Logo (1971-1973)

Visuals:

• Opening: On a moving cloudy sky background, the huge white outlined letters of "RANK" slide in from the right and shrinks (With the ghosting effect) into the random position letter-by-letter. The words "ADVERTISING FILMS" slides up from the bottom, in a different font, placed below "RANK" and "present" slides down from the top to the bottom-right with the same effect.
• Closing: Similar to the opening variant with the same background (but shortened) and without "present", and the text already formed. The address slides up from the bottom and placed below "ADVERTISING FILMS".

Technique: Hand-drawn ghosting effects with live-action for the background.

Audio: An early 1970s funky groovy theme. Each one is composed differently.

Rank Screen Advertising

1st Logo (1973-1977)

Visuals:

• Opening: On a space background that the camera slowly zooms into, there is a rectangular "10" with clips in it in the middle of the screen. The clips then start playing as the countdown starts. When it reaches "0", it cuts to black.
• Closing: On the same background, "RANK SCREEN ADVERTISING", in the same font as the countdown numbers, appears one-by-one with the address, in a box of clips like in the opening.

Trivia: The footage of space used in this logo (as well as the next) was actually taken from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death, which J. Arthur Rank's Eagle-Lion Films worked on.

Technique: Cel animation with live action clips.

Audio: A funky disco tune with "space"-like effects. The music is timed to sync with the countdown, each measure lasting approximately one second.

2nd Logo (1977-1988)

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Visuals:

• Opening: On the same background as before, a huge letter "R" (in white) slides in from the left side of the screen, and (with a kind of "ghosting" effect) shrinks to the top. Then the letters "A", "N" and "K" do exactly the same, and they spell the word "RANK". When they are in place, the words "screen" and "advertising" slide up from the bottom of the screen one-by-one with the same ghosting effect, and then a smaller "present" flies in from the top of the screen in the same fashion.
• Closing: The text is already formed and the address trails up under it.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: A "space" synth tune.

3rd Logo (1988-Fall 1992)

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Visuals:

• Opening: On a metallic background, there are two projector sprocket wheels with film going through them. The screen zooms onto the film and a light shines through the sprockets. It cuts to two film reels each with film coming on and off of them. It zooms again onto the film, and a light shines through the sprockets like before. The screen then cuts to a close up of the side of some shiny object, which then spins around and is revealed to be a projector lens. Light shines through the lens and then the words "RANK SCREEN ADVERTISING" appear on the lens.
• Closing: The projector lens is already revealed and the light wipes the name and the address in.
  • A later variant of the closing sting, used as late as 1995, features a different address and a phone number.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synth tune, with a "whoosh" sound whenever light shines.

RSA Advertising

Trailer (Fall 1992-September 1995)

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Visuals:

• Opening: On a city background, there is a strip of film flying past from the left of the screen, led by a star. The film/star flies down close to the screen, and the letter "R" flies down from the top of the screen to the left. The same happens again, but from the right of the screen and the letter "A" flies down from the top to the right. That leaves a gap, and the film flies around in an "S" shape through that gap left by the "R" and the "A" . An "S" is formed from that movement (with the star at the top of it) and the star shines, after which the word "ADVERTISING" fades in at the bottom right.
• Closing: The animation starts where the "S" is formed, and the rest of the logo and the address appears.

Trivia: It is most likely that the footage of the city used in this logo is filmed near the RSA headquarters in London.

Technique: CGI over a live action background.

Audio: An eight-note synthesized fanfare.

Rank Screen Advertising

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