Turner Classic Movies Feature Presentation
1st Open (April 14, 1994-2009)
Visuals: The bumper opens with the camera panning down from a night sky filled with light from searchlights; the camera passes by the front of a building with a drawing of Humphrey Bogart etched into it before revealing the word "TURNER" next to it. The scene then dissolves into another panning shot, this time going upward to reveal the word "CLASSIC" on the opposite side. Another dissolve reveals this to be the top of a skyscraper with the Turner Classic Movies logo built into it. Then, we dissolve to a closeup of the silver letters "FEATURE" passing by the camera before dissolving into another wider shot, revealing the words "FEATURE PRESENTATION" moving aboard a ring circling the skyscraper, below the TCM logo. Finally, we dissolve to a wide shot of the entire building, with the words "WITH ROBERT OSBORNE" visible on a marquee right above the entrance.
Variants:
- There is an extended version that's 15 seconds longer than the standard version, where some shots are a little longer and slower. In addition, there are two extra shots: one of a downward pan of the side of the building, and a closeup of the word "MOVIES" in the TCM logo.
- On VHS releases, the text "WITH ROBERT OSBORNE" is removed from the marquee.
Trivia: This bumper was created by A.J. Ross Creative Associates.
Technique: Live action model work and CGI.
Audio: An orchestral fanfare that starts off low and then builds into a triumphant finish. The extended version features a longer version of the fanfare.
Availability: it was seen before primetime movie presentations on TCM. The VHS variant can be seen on various TCM-branded video releases, such as Bringing Up Baby, Swing Time, Citizen Kane and Fort Apache. The extended version can be seen on A.J. Ross' official YouTube channel, but it's unknown if it ever aired on TCM.
2nd Open (2009-2014)
Visuals: The sequence starts with a closeup of a projector lens that suddenly emits a blue/white beam of light. We then view a montage of people in a city being drawn toward the light; during the montage, there is a vertical theater sign reading "TURNER", a storefront sign reading "CLASSIC", and torn-up posters that form the word "MOVIES". As more people look at the beam from the street, the tops of buildings and their apartment windows, we see that the beam is projecting the TCM logo on a blue background with clouds onto a billboard. Afterward, the TCM logo fades out, and in fade the words "FEATURE PRESENTATION WITH ROBERT OSBORNE", with a smaller TCM logo above it.
Technique: A mix of live actors with computer-generated sets and effects.
Audio: A modern-sounding orchestral theme.
Availability: it was seen before primetime movie presentations on TCM.
