MTV Entertainment Studios

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



Background

MTV Studios was founded in 2018 as a restructure of MTV's previous TV production arm, MTV Production Development. In 2020, MTV Films was merged into MTV Studios, which became MTV Entertainment Studios in 2021, encompassing content for and based on all of MTV's brands.


MTV Studios

1st Logo (placeholder logo) (2018-June 13, 2019)


Visuals: Same as the 1996 MTV Films logo, but the reflected part is replaced with the 2010 MTV logo. A rectangle is seen next to it with the word "S T U D I O S" inside of it.

Technique: Same as the 1996 MTV Films logo.

Audio: A descending synth sound, followed by a remade version of the 1981 "One Small Step" theme.

Availability: This is a placeholder logo. Only seen on Viacom's Vimeo account.

2nd Logo (June 13, 2019-March 4, 2021)

Visuals:

  • Opening: There is a spaceman holding a flagpole (an homage to the very first MTV ID from 1981), then it cuts to the MTV logo waving as the flag. The spaceman thrusts the flagpole to the ground, then the MTV logo flickers to white and "STUDIOS" appears spaced out below, which then moves up to the logo and boldens.
  • Closing: The second half of the opening, with "STUDIOS" spacing out at the bottom. Copyright information appears below.

Variants:

  • There is a long version where the spaceman looks at a static screen opening up with vibrating and melting colors, with references to the animated shows Æon Flux, Beavis and Butt-Head and Clone High seen inside. The spaceman then enters the screen and starts falling in it, feeling like sliding in paint. As he falls, he grabs part of the static in the shape of a flagpole, and falls out of the static. The same scene from the opening proceeds, only this time, as the spaceman thrusts the flagpole to the ground, the screen flashes to black with the MTV logo and "STUDIOS" appearing.
    • A scene of the long version, along with the spaceman landing down and placing the flag, the MTV logo changing into the yellow "M" with blue edges and the red "TV" being sprayed to make the 2021 MTV logo, much like the MTV Entertainment Studios logo, then changing into M-Frames, is seen in Loyalkaspar's MTV rebrand case study, as shown here. In 2018, a special presentation variant of the logo, which is animated at 30fps, was used, replacing "STUDIOS" with "special presentation".
  • An alternate variant exists where the final part of the long version is showing, sometimes it can be shortened.

Technique: A creative mix of live-action and 2D-3D animation by Antibody.

Audio: A dreamy five-note jingle based on MTV's first ident from 1981.

Audio Variants:

  • The long version has a synthesized fanfare.
  • On Emily in Paris, the jingle is sped-up.
  • The special presentation variant and an alternate variant have an ascending sound, followed by a five-note jingle.

Availability: Seen on the Facebook Watch iteration of The Real World, including the Mexico and Bangkok versions. It also appeared on the first season of Emily in Paris and 17 Blocks. The full version was uploaded to Vimeo by Patrick Clair.

MTV Entertainment Studios

Logo (March 4, 2021-)

Visuals: Same as the 2nd MTV Studios logo, but with a brand new look of the MTV logo, with the letters being slightly redrawn. The logo also remains colored throughout instead of fading to a white print version at the end. "STUDIOS" is also replaced with "Entertainment S T U D I O S" both written in MTV's custom typeface (named Gravity Grotesk Condensed). The byline fades in below.

Bylines:

  • March 4, 2021-November 24, 2022?: "A ViacomCBS Company" set in ViacomCBS Raisonné.
  • October 27, 2022-: "A PARAMOUNT COMPANY" set in the Paramount Peak Sans typeface.
  • October 27, 2023-: The Paramount corporate wordmark.

Variants:

  • A shorter, more common version of the main logo exists, which starts when the flag is about to hit the ground. This version is sometimes used as a closing variant.
  • There is a more common closing variant, where the whole logo is fading in. The bylines are also higher up and right underneath the word "S T U D I O S", and the ViacomCBS byline is brighter. This does not apply with the 2023 variant however.
  • A still variant exists.
  • At the end of Jackass Forever and Jackass 4.5, an in-credit variant is seen. The beginning however doesn't use this logo, instead it uses the 2010 MTV Films logo.
  • A special presentation variant of the logo, which is animated at 30fps, replaces "Entertainment Studios" with "special presentation". It has been used since 2021.
    • In 2023, it was changed to "Special Presentation", along with the Paramount corporate wordmark shown at the bottom.

Technique: Same as before. The branding was done by Loyalkaspar.

Audio: An excerpt of the intro to the Dire Straits' song "Money for Nothing" with a sound bite of the "I want my MTV" chorus, sung by Sting.

Audio Variants:

  • The more common closing variant of the logo has a shorter version of the main theme, minus the chorus.
  • Sometimes, the closing theme is heard, or no theme at all.
  • On the Paramount+ print of Season 8 Episode 16 of Bar Rescue, the audio from the 2018 Paramount Network Originals logo is heard instead, most likely from an editing error.

Availability:

  • Currently seen on new seasons of returning shows airing on Paramount Media Networks (except for Showtime and Nickelodeon).
  • It also appears in the credits of recent episodes of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
  • It also appears on new and upcoming shows such as Fairview, Mayor of Kingstown, All Star Shore, and The Real World Homecoming, among others.
  • This logo also appears on movies, streaming movies and specials starting in 2021 beginning with Pink Skies Ahead.
  • This plays twice in Beavis and Butt-Head do the Universe and South Park, with the common short version playing first and then the long version. However, Canadian prints of the former only use the long version.
  • Episodes of South Park on Max since Season 25 remove the logo from the beginning and instead move straight to the intro, but the logo is still retained at the end.
  • The Paramount byline variant debuted on season 5 of Siesta Key and later appeared on Tulsa King.
  • The version with the Paramount script on the bottom first made its debut on the Paramount+ special South Park: Joining the Panderverse, which released on October 27, 2023.
  • It can also be seen on MTV Unplugged episodes after 2021, mainly MTV Unplugged: Twenty One Pilots.
MTV Production Development
MTV Films
MTV Entertainment Studios
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