Artisan Entertainment/Summary

Artisan EntertainmentThis is a featured page

Logo descriptions by Matt Williams Logo captures and editions by Eric S., Logophile, and EnormousRat Video captures courtesy of MachineryNoise, DudeThatLogo, osdatabase, Joseph Sobora (TheRedBaron1985), FanCentralNetwork, and laughingduck1000

Background: U.S.A. Home Video was established in 1982 by Noel C. Bloom's Family Home Entertainment to produce and distribute all non-kids and family releases on video. The division was renamed as "International Video Entertainment (IVE)" (or "I'VE") in 1986, then as "Live Entertainment" (or "LIVE Entertainment") in 1990 as Family Home Entertainment became an imprint of the company. Live Entertainment by then went into the movie production and distribution business. In 1998, Live Entertainment was renamed as "Artisan Entertainment", and it was acquired by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation on December 15, 2003 and Artisan was renamed to "Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc.". Throughout the years, they had other labels such as an adult label called Caballero Control Corporation Home Video (their former parent company, which was divested from the company in 1986 as Carolco Pictures purchased Caballero's remaining stocks in the company), Carolco Home Video (operated by Carolco Pictures), Monterey Home Video (a collaboration between founder Noel C. Bloom and Deadly Games director Scott Mansfield), Thriller Video (many releases which were hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), Adventure Video (hosted by Sybil Danning), sports label U.S.A. Sports Video, budget label Avid Home Entertainment, nostalgia labels The Video Late Show and King Bee Video, the music label RadioVision Video, and the genre and budget distributor Celebrity Home Entertainment and its kids label Just for Kids.

U.S.A. Home Video

Note: Not to be confused with USA Home Entertainment.

(May 1983-May 1987)

U.S.A. Home Video (1983)U.S.A. Home Video

Nicknames: "U.S.A.", "The Cheesy Laserwriter"

Logo: On a black background, a laser light draws "U.S.A." on a white grid. "U.S.A." is in blue, and after the laser light finishes its work, the grid disappears and "HOME VIDEO" appears, sandwiched between two lines. Below all that is the byline "EXCLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED BY F.H.E." in italics.

Variants: •There is a variation where the FBI warning divides into 4 boxes which exit to all 4 corners of the screen. When this happens, a blaring synthesizer sounds, then the logo animates as normal. •Another version has primitive-looking computerized red text on the screen; it reads: "ALSO FROM (U.S.A. logo) TO BE RE-RELEASED IN NOVEMBER AT A NEW LOW PRICE: $39.95".

FX/SFX: Very primitive computer animation; the animation of the laser light, and appearance of "HOME VIDEO" and the FHE byline.

Cheesy Factor: Like its cousin, the 1982 FHE logo, the animation is reminiscent of an Apple II computer.

Music/Sounds: 3 synth tones for the drawing of "U.S.A.", followed by a 5-note synth stinger and 2 low, descending synth notes.

Availability: Rare, though much more common than its cousin; just find an oversized box (for 1983-1986 releases) or anything with the U.S.A. Home Video print logo on the front. Note that from 1986-1987, this logo was used in tandem with IVE's 1st logo, with this logo appearing at the beginning of such tapes. Notable releases include the uncut release of Ms. 45, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Supergirl, and 1984. The last releases to use this logo include Eye of the Tiger, One Cooks, the Other Doesn't, In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro, and Carry Me Back.

Scare Factor: Low to medium, probably because of the scary FBI warning cutting straight to this logo combined with the synth music. Medium for the splitting screen variant, as the beginning sound is very loud. _______________________________________________________________

International Video Entertainment

1st Logo (November 1986-September 15, 1988)

International Video Entertainment (1986)

Nicknames: "IVE Grid", "Clapping"

Logo: On a white background, black lines begin to draw a rectangle, and then crisscross to form a grid. Below the grid, the words "INTERNATIONAL VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT" in black are "typed" in, letter-by-letter. After the words make their appearance, the letters "IVE", in a tall, thin, italic font, zoom in from one of the lower-left squares of the grid, nearly covering it. The "I" is red, the "V" is green, and the "E" is blue.

FX/SFX: Computer animation, animation of the lines and seemingly "typing in" of the letters.

Cheesy Factor: Off the charts. Like its cousin, the 1985 FHE logo, it uses very primitive computer graphics, probably on an Apple II. The logo looks crude, and the grid animation is low-quality. The music is also cheesy, but catchy.

Music/Sounds: A synth theme combined with clapping and FHE 2-like whining sounds. The Sybil Danning's Adventure Video series from U.S.A. Home Video, though, uses the end music, while at the end of When the Wind Blows, this logo was silent. Breaker Morant cuts off the jingle as the whoosh sounds.

Availability: Rare. Many IVE releases were B-movies (that is putting it "very" nicely), and a few higher-quality releases (mostly Carolco flicks) have been released under Live/Artisan or other labels. From 1986 to 1987, this logo was used in tandem with U.S.A.'s logo, appearing at the end of film releases such as on the Sybil Danning Adventure Video tapes that have the USA logo at the beginning (don't expect to see this on TV releases by U.S.A., those will use the U.S.A. logo at the end). Notable releases with this logo include Angel Heart, Extreme Prejudice, When the Wind Blows, Maid to Order, Free Ride, Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (As well as a reprint of the first film), The Outing, Nightflyers, and The Puppetoon Movie. This also appears on tapes from Thriller Video, mainly the ones hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and on music cassettes on its RadioVision Video label. Tapes with this logo tend to use white labels with the IVE logo in a corner and spaced out, though the logo has been seen on early tapes with the next logo's associated label, including Trading Hearts, Pass the Ammo, Dudes, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Breaker Morant. Also appears at the end of later U.S.A. Home Video tapes such as Red Skelton's Christmas Dinner.

Scare Factor: Low. The primitive animation might scare some people, but this is a fave, mostly due to the musical score.

2nd Logo (October 6, 1988-1991)

International Video Entertainment (1988)

Nicknames: "IVE Grid II", "IVE Box", "Star Tiles"

Logo: We fade in on a gray marble grid background with stars in the squares that scroll to the left. A denim-colored rectangle comes from the upper-right and positions itself in the center of the screen, whilst a sky blue "IVE", in the same font as before, comes from the upper-left. The whole thing shines. Sometimes, only the "shining" part plays.

FX/SFX: The animation, the grid background.

Music/Sounds: •October 6, 1988-February 9, 1989: A six-note synthesized ditty, followed by two pairs of synthesized drumbeats and an orchestral hit. A warbling synth flourish plays behind the whole thing. On Rambo III, this can be heard at both the start of the tape and at the end. •December 8, 1988-October 4, 1990: A different synthesized theme that sounds more orchestral in nature and includes warbling toward the end. Debuted at the start of Howling IV: The Original Nightmare. First appeared at the end of the tape on Iron Eagle II and The Year My Voice Broke. A version of this music was used on the MGM logo parody at the beginning of late 2000's episodes of Dave Mercer's Facts of Fishing: The Show.

•Sometimes there is no music in the logo at all.

Availability: Uncommon. A bit wider in distribution than the previous one. This sometimes turns up on older full-screen TV prints of films from Carolco or Vestron Pictures, such as Cat Chaser, Iron Eagle II (The regular IVE logo makes a surprise appearance on the 2002 Artisan DVD), and Howling IV: The Original Nightmare. Notable releases with this logo include Red Heat, Rambo III, Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out, Pascali's Island, Breaker Morant, the uncut version of Prom Night III: The Last Kiss, DeepStar Six, Rooftops, Millennium, The Brain, Dudes, Rented Lips, Hostile Takeover, First Blood, Iron Eagle II, Ground Zero, and Weekend at Bernie's, among others. On the Artisan DVD of Johnny Handsome, the silent variant makes a surprise appearance at the end. The labels on tapes with this logo are similar to those used on the previous logo, except the IVE logo's smaller and spaced closer together. The last tape to use this logo was Martians Go Home. The original music can be heard on Rambo III, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare, Red Heat, The Brain, Pascali's Island, and Cry from the Mountain, but was used into the Live Home Video days on Laserdisc on releases such as Jacob's Ladder.

Scare Factor: None.

3rd Logo (June 21-August 30, 1990)

Logo: On a sepia background, the words "Exclusively Distributed By" are shown on the top. Below that is the IVE logo (which looks the same as in the IVEprevious logo, only without the rectangle) with the words next to it "INTERNATIONAL VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT, INC." Below that is the byline, "A LIVE Entertainment Company" with "LIVE" in its corporate font.

Variant: Music Box has this with a black background at the end.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Ultra rare. This follows the Carolco Home Video logo on Music Box and Mountains of the Moon.

Scare Factor: None. _______________________________________________________________

Live Entertainment

1st Logo (August 16, 1990-1994)

Live Home VideoAppeared on Carolco or FHE Releases.

Nickname: "The L-Pyramid"

Logo: On a black background, a gray segmented triangle (almost like the "Cheesy V" Vestron logo) appears, with another triangle cut out of it so that it looks like a stylized "L". Below it, the word "LIVE" appears in blue, with "HOME VIDEO" under it.

Variant: On mainly Carolco Home Video releases, this logo appears with "Exclusively Distributed By" above it. "A Division of LIVE Entertainment" or "A LIVE Entertainment Company" (with "LIVE" in its usual font) can be seen below.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon. The "Exclusively Distributed By" variation can be seen on mainly Carolco releases, while the normal version is on regular Live Home Video releases. Makes surprise appearances at both the beginning and end of the Lionsgate DVD of Raise the Titanic (double feature with Man Friday), and Hulu viewings of Frauds. This has been known to plaster the IVE logos on post-1990 prints of some tapes, including Rambo III and Drugstore Cowboy, though a 1991 printing of First Blood preserves the 2nd IVE logo. The "Exclusively Distributed By" variant, along with the Carolco Home Video logo, can be found on the promotional trailer for Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition, which in turn, can be found on the Ultimate Edition DVD of T2. The logo debuted on the summer 1990 markdowns of DeepStar Six, The Iron Triangle, Lock-Up, Rooftops, Weekend at Bernie's, and Food of the Gods II; its first appearance on a new release was History of the PGA Tour, and its first appearance on a new motion picture was Total Recall.

Scare Factor: None.

2nd Logo (1994-1998)

Live Home Video logo (1994)Live EntertainmentLive Entertainment (1997)Live International (1995) Live International (1997)Live DVD (1997)

Nicknames: "The L-Pyramid II", "Rotating (CGI) L-Pyramid"

Logo: On a black background, several sets of triangles, laid at a 90-degree angle, come onto the screen from opposite directions. They then spin around a few times, as the camera pulls back, revealing more sets of triangles spinning, and the words "LIVE ENTERTAINMENT" at a 90-degree angle. The text then does a 90-degree turn to face us, while the triangles form the Live logo (segmented triangle with a smaller one cut out on the upper-right). All are light steel blue, until two searchlights crisscross the logo, making the triangle logo brighter, turning "LIVE" blue, and "ENTERTAINMENT" white. "LIVE" shines, and a white sparkle appears on the side of the "E".

Variants: •Up until summer 1995, the text HOME VIDEO was used. This can be seen on Wagons East! and Pumpkinhead II. •Earlier variants used brighter colors. •In 1996, a registered trademark symbol "®" was added. •Sometimes, "INTERNATIONAL" (in white) would appear below the "L" (which is also white). This is silent and uses the tail end of the normal logo (the "searchlights" part); a variant of the normal logo has also been seen similarly shortened. •On Live DVD releases, the normal Live Entertainment logo would play, then a purple spark flashes, "ENTERTAINMENT" disappears, the logo would zoom in as the spark moves through it, then the spark is in the middle, flashing, then turns into the logo with the L spinning, and the sides would have "LIVE" on one side, and "DVD" on the other.

FX/SFX: Excellent CGI. IVE/Live/Artisan alternated between good logos and bad ones. This one is a great effort. The next one (for Artisan)... well...

Music/Sounds: A semi-ominous synth theme that turns more triumphant at the end. This was replaced in 1997 by a more uplifting orchestral fanfare. The early variant of this logo, as well as some videos with the "ENTERTAINMENT" version (including Baywatch the Movie: Forbidden Paradise), were silent.

Availability: Uncommon. It was on all Live releases from 1994 to 1998, when the company became Artisan. However, like Live before it, Artisan pulled a Columbia TriStar, re-releasing Live/F.H.E. videos in their original packaging, but with all evidence of Live and F.H.E. logos edited out and Artisan logos edited in in their place! Also seen on films from 1994-1998, with its final use on Wishmaster (1997). It is preserved on the DVD release of South Beach Academy, which was released as a double feature with Rock 'N' Roll High School Forever. Can also be found on Hulu prints of Only You (1992) and Night Train to Venice.

Scare Factor: Low. This is a nice logo. _______________________________________________________________

Artisan Entertainment

(1998-2004)

Artisan Entertainment (1998)Artisan Entertainment (1999)Artisan EntertainmentArtisan WebsiteArtisan Pictures Artisan Home EntertainmentArtisan Home Entertainment (2001)Artisan Entertainment - Silver

Nicknames: "The Box", "The Zooming Box", "The Artisan Box", "Artisan of Boredom", "Artisan Box of Boredom"

Logo: On a black background, the word "ARTISAN", in a rectangular box with the leg of the "R" extended, fades in while it is zooming towards the screen. It stops at a distance and the word "ENTERTAINMENT" all in Trajan Pro appears underneath.

Variants: •In Artisan's very early days, a simpler version of this logo was used, with just the word "ARTISAN" in a box, with a very small "ENTERTAINMENT" underneath, zooming up quickly without a fancy "R". •On Artisan prints of Suicide Kings, the early version is gold.

•A version with the logo done in a "chrome" effect exists. This was probably only used on 1999-era trailers, and to date has not been spotted on Artisan films. Trailers later used the standard Artisan logo. •For home entertainment releases, the logo was shown before Artisan's trailers with a "www.artisanent.com" web address underneath; the logo itself would have "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" underneath. •For the later version, the web address appeared underneath the logo occasionally. •In 2002, the word "PICTURES" or "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" was in place of "ENTERTAINMENT" inside a smaller box attached to the rectangle, and has the company byline "AN ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" underneath that. •On films that had other companies' logos plastered over, the logo's animation would be slowed down, or looped at its still place, to match the length of the original logos' duration.

FX/SFX: The zooming up of the box, the fading in of "ENTERTAINMENT".

Cheesy Factor: Oddly, this looks sort of dated - as well as a bit derivative of the famous Warner Bros. "\\'" logo. The "chrome" version looks even worse. As for the early variant, this logo could get the award for the cheesiest logo of the 90s, because the logo is extremely simple, almost as simple as the Windy City Productions, Inc. logo. This logo was probably made in 5 minutes.

Music/Sounds: Usually silent. Some films would have their respective opening theme heard over the logo.

Music/Sounds Variants: Sometimes, the outcome of Artisan's plastering attempts would leave odd results with the original distributors' logo themes left intact. Examples are the DVD releases of Cadence (with the Movie Group fanfare), Bad Lieutenant (with the Live Entertainment theme), and Stargate (with the 1994 MGM roar).

Availability: Common. Seen on all Artisan releases of the era. Appears on some theatrical releases such as The Blair Witch Project, Wishmaster II, and the U.S version of Black Mask. On most Artisan VHS and DVD releases, the original distributor's logos and credit mentions were left intact and sometimes, have Artisan's logo preceding them. Some releases of films from lesser known companies (The Movie Group and Kings Road), and former productions released by Live Entertainment, Warner Bros., MGM, TriStar Pictures, Carolco, Vestron Pictures, and others would be plastered over or removed.

Scare Factor: None, it's very boring.