Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)

Editions by mr3urious and Brendan Richards

Logo captures by AustralianRoadshow and EnormousRat

Video captures courtesy of AustralianTVClassics, MarleyAndFriends, EnormousRat, OldVideoLover, FilmwaysVTC, thelogoarchive, and bigdanisstillalive

Background : Roadshow Entertainment (formerly "Roadshow Home Video") was formed by a merger with Australian film distributor Roadshow Films (Australia) and Australian cinema chain Village Cinemas. Roadshow Entertainment is currently one of the biggest home entertainment distributors in Australia, currently releasing content from Village Roadshow Pictures, BBC, ABC, Lionsgate Films, and the Weinstein Company as well as Australian TV content.

1st Logo (1982-October 1985)
Nicknames : "Welcome to Roadshow Home Video", "Australian Outline", "Aussie Light Trails" "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR CATOLOGUE"

Logo : It's only an updated variant of the 1979 Roadshow theatrical logo with "HOME VIDEO", in yellow, zooming out below "Roadshow".

Variants : There are a lot of variants for this logo:


 * After the 1982 Roadshow Home Video logo completes, the text "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR CATALOGUE", in yellow, appears and zooms out into the Australia as an announcer says, "Welcome to Roadshow Home Video. Before the movie, we'd like to show you previews of some of our films.".
 * Same as the above variant, but no announcer. "HOME VIDEO" and "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR CATALOGUE" are also in red instead of yellow.
 * There would be just "Roadshow" and no "HOME VIDEO", announcer, or "SNEAK PREVIEWS".
 * There would be no announcer or "SNEAK PREVIEWS". This was used as a closing variant on some of the last tapes with this logo, such as Defiance.
 * On very early tapes, such as The Fifth Musketeer and the very first release of Mad Max, the 1979 Roadshow Films logo animates as normal. Basically, "HOME VIDEO" is in red (like variant 2), ("Roadshow" reverses on to Australia, "The Australian Company" appears), and "HOME VIDEO" zooms out. After an introductory scroll, the opening animation from the 1979 Roadshow Films logo is repeated, but it freeze-frames when Australia hits the usual position. "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR CATALOGUE" in red zooms out just as the freeze frame begins, and later, it zooms out.

FX/SFX : Same as the theatrical logo, but with "HOME VIDEO" zooming out.

Music/Sounds : The 1979 Roadshow Films fanfare with the added announcement.

Music/Sounds Variants :
 * A variant of the yellow text version of the Roadshow Home Video logo had no male announcer (much like the version with the red text), this is only known to have appeared on the original 1982 VHS & Betamax release of Gallipoli.
 * On the 1982 VHS of Scanners, it's silent.
 * On the 1985 VHS of The Terminator, it uses the music from the next logo.

Availability : Rare. It premiered on Scanners, and can also be seen on such releases as First Blood, Mad Max, Gallipoli, and The Terminator. It can also be found on Walt Disney Home Video releases distributed by Roadshow.

2nd Logo (November 1985-1993)
Nickname : "The Australian V of Doom", "The Roadshow V", "Golden Roadshow V"

Logo : On a black background, three stylized, separate, golden "V"s are formed by yellow flashing effects from the right side. Three more are formed, filling the gaps. The result is a giant "V", or a triangle comprised of six progressively smaller "V"s. The giant "V" zooms out a little, and "ROADSHOW HOME VIDEO", in a white ITC Avant Garde Gothic font, zooms in below the "V". The "V" shines, and yellow "lasers" appear from the left and right sides of the screen. The lasers overlap under "ROADSHOW HOME VIDEO" and turn into "VILLAGE ROADSHOW CORPORATION", also in ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

Promo Variants :


 * Sometimes, the message "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR MOVIES" appears in brown and white.
 * On some videos released in 1988 (Australia's bicentennial year), the logo starts out like the 1st logo, with the Australia outline, but then fades into this logo as an announcer says, "In the Australian tradition, Roadshow Home Video brings you a 6-pack, the Aussie 6-pack. In this, our bicentennial year, for only $19.88 each, you can have in your home library six of the all-time greatest Australian movies."
 * Sometimes, it would turn over to "SNEAK PREVIEWS FROM OUR MOVIES".

FX/SFX : The yellow flashes, lasers, and shining.

Cheesy Factor : See above.

Music/Sounds : A very loud, dramatic synth stinger, basically.

Availability : Rare. Seen on Australian tapes released in the late 1980s-early 1990s. It Was often followed by the Video Selection Australia logo.

3rd Logo (1993-2011)
Logo : Same as the theatrical version, except the segments move from front to back rather than the other way around (at a faster speed), and "ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT" appears in its place with the byline "A VILLAGE ROADSHOW COMPANY" below, underneath a line.

Variants:


 * On some of the first releases with this logo (such as Babar: Elephant Express), the words "HOME VIDEO" replace "ENTERTAINMENT".
 * On some early releases (with the "ENTERTAINMENT" text), the logo has a greyish tint.
 * At the start of most rental tapes until 1995, when the logo is finished, the words "COMING SOON" appear, the "HOME VIDEO" version of this logo has a different version of this. There is also a "MORE PREVIEWS TO FOLLOW" variant of this.
 * On some releases like The Dish, Space Cowboys and Looking for Alibrandi, the text is smaller and the word "HOME" is added. The byline is not italicised.
 * There is a special promo variant in which there is a smaller logo at the top of the screen, and "Power to the People at Home" (with an announcer repeating the line) in silver script is wiped in below, then it flashes (it could also be seen as a print logo on some of their releases such as Gallipoli, Pulp Fiction and Mad Max).
 * From January 4, 1996 onwards, the company name just zooms out with the "V".
 * On the 1994 VHS release of Sonic The Hedgehog: Lovesick Sonic, the logo appears via an wipe-up transition, and the music is slightly cut-short.
 * On some releases, such as the 1994 re-issue of ABC For Kids: Live in Concert, Babar: School Days, and Bananas In Pyjamas: Show Business, The transition between the rating screen and this logo is abrupt.
 * On Peter Ustinov Reads the Orchestra, this logo ends abruptly in the opening.
 * On Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers, this logo appears after the 2nd ABC For Kids logo.

FX/SFX : The "V" segments moving into place.

Music/Sounds :


 * 1993-1995 : A low-pitched calm synth tune with 4 chime sounds with a low synth sound at the end.
 * 1996-2011 : A 5-note synth chime arrangement, based on the Roadshow Films theme.

Music/Sounds Variants :


 * On the DVD releases of Happy Feet, Ocean's Twelve and Thirteen, and I Am Legend, the Village Roadshow Pictures music is heard.
 * On Blu-ray releases, the music is in a lower tone due to PAL to NTSC sound conversion.
 * On the video board game Nightmare IV: Vampire (aka Atmosfear IV), a different sounder consisting of some spooky sounds and a few whooshes is heard.
 * On the "Power To The People At Home" Promo variant, we hear a funky tune with the announcer saying "Roadshow Entertainment, Power to the People at Home!"
 * On the 1993-1995 Coming Soon variant, once the Roadshow logo finishes, the 1993-1995 music is still heard, but slightly extended.
 * On the 1998 VHS of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the 1979 Roadshow Films fanfare from the 1st Roadshow Home Video logo is heard.

Availability : Common. Appears on all Roadshow material before mid-2011. It was also seen on all 1993-2005 ABC Video and 1996-2005 BBC VHS releases they distributed, but it doesn't appear on the DVD's, even though the logo could be seen on the back and on the disc, however, early ABC DVD's such as Wiggly TV feature this logo. The 1993 music variation can be seen on every release with this logo until 1995, such as Pulp Fiction, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the 1994 reprint of Postman Pat Takes the Bus, and The Mask. The 1993 music variant oddly appears on the 1996 retail release of Die Hard with a Vengeance. It also appears at the end of the 1998 reprint VHS of Fireman Sam: A Spot Of Bother, despite the opening being recycled from it's 1992 VHS release. The 1993-1995 music variant also appears on locally-made New Zealand Roadshow tapes. This logo was absent at the end of some early VHS releases such as the 1993 reprint of ABC For Kids: Video Hits, Don Spencer's Thumbs Up Australia!, Lift Off: EC and the Lift Off Kids, the 1993 reprint of Play School: All Together Show & At the Zoo, Peter Ustinov Reads the Orchestra ''Spider! Listen To the Spider's Song, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends: Thomas, Percy And the Coal and the 1993 print of Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers''.

===4th Logo (2011- )===

Logo : The same animation as the 1992 Roadshow Films logo, except it is slightly more orange-tinted and the text "ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT", with its byline, zooms out with it to end up with the same result as the last logo.

FX/SFX : A combination of the Roadshow Films animation and the zooming out of the company name.

Music/Sounds : The last 8 notes of the Roadshow Films theme.

Availability : Seen on all material from Roadshow starting with the 2011 DVD release of Red Dog. Notable titles include Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World and The Artist.