M6 (France)

Background: M6 is one of France's most important channels, broadcasting since the 1970s.

1st logo (1987-199?)


Logo: We see a grey "M" with a red "6" in the middle of it, the letters and numbers move and do other random things.

Variants:
 * The random things could depend on the variant.
 * On a variant from the 2000s features several "6" numbers doing yoga.
 * Usually, the word "Publicité" in white inside a black rectangle appears.
 * On TV shows and films, an in-credit version is used.

FX/SFX: Some early computer effects, which are very advanced for the time. On the yoga variant, CGI is used, once again very advanced for the time.

Music/Sounds: It could be some random sound effects, a girl singing "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si-Do" or a re-interpretation of a piece of classic music.

Availability: Seen on bumpers on the channel. The in-credit version is seen at the end of television series and made-for-TV movies produced by the channel.

2nd Logo (1987)
Logo: Starting off inside a grey tube, it starts to move and zoom away from us, before rotating to near the bottom of the screen. A bluish-grey "V" shape is drawn above the line, with 2 lines coming down from the sides of it as the "V" wipes in again, forming a "M". It zooms out to the top half of the screen, gaining a reflection, as "METROPOLE TELEVISION" types out below. A hand-drawn red 6 draws on the right side of the "M" and the text below fades out, leaving the logo.

Variant: The ID had the logo modified, with a bigger, tube-like 6 and brighter colors, spinning around once. The reflection may not be there, and the speed does vary.

FX/SFX: The tube zooming out and rotating, the M and 6 forming, the text appearing. The logo spinning for the main ID.

Music/Sounds: A synthesized marching band fanfare for the main launch. The ID had either the same jingle for RTL, but with a chorus singing "M6!", or a synthesized jazz tune.

Availability: Extinct. The normal variant was only seen at launch.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd logo (1987-2003)
Nicknames: "The Abstract M6", "Fresh Rat!"

Logo: Fading in to a white background, a gray "M", being far more angular than before, zooms in sync to the music. As it takes up the whole screen, a black 6 zooms in from the middle, while a red 6 zooms out from the edges as the "M" begins to rotate a bit. The numbers disappear as a blue 6 and the black 6 try to come together, followed by a green and black 6 through the left and right sides of the screen, then a yellow 6 zooming out, and finally the red 6 from the top and 3 black 6's from the remaining screens. In the background, the "M" is shown doing similar things. When the "M" does the 4 copies, the same 6 formation from the beginning appears, but this time, it actually all comes together to form the current M6 logo.

Variants:
 * On the end of television shows, the M rotates counterclockwise to the beat of the music, with the red 6 zooming in. When the "M" goes back to its original position, the 6 appears on it.
 * For the closedown variant, the logo ran in reverse.
 * Different variants also exists for this logo typically at the end of TV programs including specials and made-for-television films.

FX/SFX: The "M" rotating, the 6 zooming in. Early two-dimensional CGI. A making of featurette can be seen here.

Music/Sounds: A catchy and soothing synth orchestra tune (ident version), which is rearranged to a more rhythmic rendition on the production/closing logo variant with female singers whispering (sounding like they're saying "fresh rat").

Availability: Seen on animated TV programs produced by the channel. The normal version is seen on shows such as Gadget Boy's Adventures in History. The short version was seen on The Wacky World of Tex Avery. The ident variants are extinct and only surfaced on VHS tapes from the country.

Editor's Note: The zooming "6" and strange music might disturb a few, but it's pretty much harmless. How sneaky and crazy the jingle sounds could give you a bit of the creep, but the singing female whispering is a bit funny because it sounds like they're saying "Fresh rat!", which makes no sense. This is a favorite both inside and outside of France.

4th logo (1999-)
Logo: On a black background, we see a 3D transparent crystal model of the "M6", with different lights moving, the camera rotates, moving through the logo. The camera zooms backwards until we see the full logo, which slowly regains it's normal colors.

Variants:
 * On some movies, the logo is standing over a grey platform with the word "Studio" on it.
 * On the 2015 movie adaptation of "The Little Prince", the logo has the word "Aime" on the right and the opening theme is heard.

FX/SFX: Amazing CGI Animation!

Music/Sounds: A beautiful peace composed by Gregory Tanielian.

Availability: Seen on recent movies produced by the M6 group.

5th Logo(2002-2007)
Logo: Just a still version of the logo, either the 1987 or 1999 variations on a black or white background respectively.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on various M6 productions at the time, like Mission Odyssey and Seasons 1-2 of Atomic Betty. The logo will be preserved on current 16:9 HD remastered releases of Atomic Betty with the logo being cropped and upscaled to 1080p during current digital prints in the future.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (2007-2010)
Logo: The M6 logo is in the air, while stuff around it happens that it reflects.

Variants: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Editor's Note: None.

7th (known) Logo (2015-present)
Logo: Out of thin air, the logo is becoming bigger while spinning. Below flies in the slogan "continuons a vibrer ensemble" (Translated: Let us continue vibrating together).

FX/SFX: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA

Editor's Note: TBA

8th Logo (2016-present)
Logo: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA

Editor's Note: TBA