Warner Reprise Video

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

Revision as of 15:26, 11 April 2024 by ILEnthusiast (talk | contribs)



Background

Warner Music Video was the direct-to-video division of WEA Records (now Warner Music Group), set up in 1984 to distribute their music catalog to home video. In 1986, it was renamed to Warner Reprise Video in order to add more music titles.

Logo (1986-Early 2000s)



Visuals: On a space background overlaid with static that flashes many colors, some pink lines, which quickly fade into white, fly onto the screen and collaborate in the center to form a dancing stick figure with a triangular head. As it continues to dance, several magenta, green, and sky blue-colored letters swirl around and form the words:

W A R N E R
R E P R I S E
V I D E O

At the same time, four orange-colored lines fly in and form a border around the stick figure, which is shaped like an elongated trapezoid. Then, the figure stops dancing, forming a "W" with its arms and an "R" with its legs. The border and text fade to white, the static dies down and the space background fades to black.

Variant: A rare still version exists, in which the logo is in color. The whole logo (save for the inside of the trapezoid, which is an orange/yellow gradient) are a shiny teal color. The logo is also in 3D and the text above appears to be thicker at the top, and thinner at the bottom.

Technique: 2D digital animation.

Audio: Starts with a reverberated timpani hit, then an energetic synthpop tune plays, with a heavy Fmaj7 chord halfway in that's followed by a 13-note arpeggiated MIDI chorus that pans from left to right, ending with a heavier drumbeat, a 7-note synth tune, and a flourishing fade-out.

Audio Variants: This logo was originally mixed in stereo. However, starting around 1988, the stereo mix was replaced with a mono mix using only the left channel audio (notably making it seem that the MIDI chorus fades out, with the 13th note unheard). The stereo mix appears on early WRV releases with this logo, such as Van Halen: Live Without a Net.

Availability:

  • Appears on many music-related videotapes and DVDs such as Madonna: The Immaculate Collection, Red Hot Chili Peppers: Off the Map and Funky Monks, Linkin Park: Frat Party at the Pankake Festival and R.E.M: Perfect Square.
  • This logo made a TV appearance at the beginning of a TCM airing of Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, and at the end of Fleetwood Mac: The Dance on some PBS stations (and Amazon Prime).
  • The rare still version can be seen on a Dire Straits tape and possibly other early Warner Reprise tapes.
Warner Music Video
Warner Reprise Video
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