Background[]
Focus Features is the current indie/art house film subsidiary of Universal Pictures, which was formed in 2002 by the merging of USA Films, Universal Focus and Good Machine, and specializes in independent and foreign films.
1st Logo (August 16-November 27, 2002)[]
Logo: One by one, there is a light revealing each of the five letters of the text "F O C U S", with the "O" is slightly out-of-focus, and under it is "FEATURES", all in white. The light emits a shadow behind the logo of what it just revealed.
FX/SFX: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Can be seen on very early Focus movies like the subtitled print of the French film 8 Women.
2nd Logo (December 25, 2002- present)[]
Nickname: "The Particles", "Focus Zoom"
Logo: There are various yellow, green, and blue circular bokeh (blurry images caused by the shallow focus technique) moving around in the background, then the text from before (in yellow) fades in.
Variants:
- For international releases, "INTERNATIONAL" would be shown underneath.
- At the end of some movies (and on the start of The Northman), the print logo is used. It looks rather similar to the last logo.
- On YouTube prints of The Man Who Wasn't There, the logo is in black and white (followed by the USA Films logo).
- On the American release of The World's End, the animation is slowed down in order to plaster the Universal Pictures logo.
- Starting in 2015 with the trailer for Suffragette, the Comcast byline was added underneath. This also applies to the ending print logo.
- In 2022, when Focus Features celebrated its 20th anniversary, the logo (set in a different font) was moved down to make room for a big number "20" with "YEARS" inside the 0.
FX/SFX: 2D animation by DevaStudios.
Music/Sounds: A calm 2-note string theme composed by Gregory Hainer and Michael A. Reagan. On some of their early films, this theme is accompanied by the nature sounds and car noises, as well as children laughing and birds twittering. Otherwise, it's either silence or the opening theme of the movie.
Availability:
- This was first seen on the American release of The Pianist and can be seen on films from the company ever since, such as Brokeback Mountain, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Somewhere, 9, and Blockparty.
- The 20th Anniversary variant only appeared on an anniversary reel and did not appear on any movie.
- It also plasters the Gramercy Pictures logo on newer prints of their films (ie. Mallrats), and it plastered the Savoy Pictures logo on an AMC airing of A Bronx Tale.