Background[]
Films Incorporated was a major distributor and rental company for educational and documentary films in the United States from the 1940s through the 1980s. It was founded in 1943 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and grew to become one of the largest educational film distributors in the country. Films Incorporated specialized in acquiring and distributing 16mm educational, instructional, and documentary films to schools, libraries, and other institutions across the US, building an extensive catalog of thousands of film titles covering subjects like science, history, geography, literature, and more, many of which were licensed from major studios and producers. In addition to distribution, the company also operated a rental program that allowed schools and other customers to temporarily borrow film prints for classroom screenings and presentations. Films Incorporated played a significant role in making educational films widely accessible to students and teachers nationwide during the mid-20th century, before the widespread adoption of video and digital media. The company continued operating until the 1980s, when changes in the educational media market led to its eventual closure and liquidation of assets.
Logos[]
1st logo (194?-1956)[]
The logo starts at a screen saying "Distributed by" then fading into a screen with text saying: "Films Incorporated" at the top left of the screen with the logo glittering everywhere on the screen, at the bottom left "New York", "Los Angeles", "Chicago", There is then a star that appears between "New York "Dallas and Atlanta" appear at the same time which forms a star between the two, finally "Portland" appears forming a star between that and "Los Angeles".
2nd logo (1956-1967)[]
On a black background, we see an outline of a white box. A comet shoots a filled in gray box on to it, which is tilted at an angle. Another comet shoots the letter "F" on to it, and another shoots the letter "I" on to it. The text "FILMS INCORPORATED" appears below the box, and "Presents" in a script font below it.
Variant[]
A sepia toned version exists.
3rd logo (1967-1970)[]
Just an abstract, bold, dark blue "f" next to a white "i" on a tan background that looks like it is cross-stitched. A line also appears below to form "films incorporated" along with "presents" wiping in, both with a indigo colored font.
Variants[]
- There's a variant were the background is not cross-stitched.
- A B&W variant was spotted on Lenin Prepares for Revolution.
4th logo (1968-1989)[]
On a blue, burgundy, or black background (it depends on the film deterioration), we see a white square zooming in. Then it spins around with a residue-trailing effect. The squares stop in the middle of the screen, changing into 2 squares, colors changing throughout. Then the 2 squares become outlined in white, and transforms into "fi", with part of the "f" red, while the rest of the lettering is white. The "f" extends as the dot of the "i". The text "A FILMS INCORPORATED PRESENTATION" in white with "FILMS INCORPORATED" bigger then the others, wipes in from the left under it.
Variants[]
- A B&W variant exists.
- On co-productions with BBC, the text says "Films Incorporated present".
- A blue variant of the BBC version exists.
- An in-credit variant was spotted at the end of The Okies: Uprooted Farmers.
- A sepia variant with green background is used on This Child Is Rated "X"
- A cyan variant was spotted on Victory at Sea.
5th logo (1971?-1984?)[]
On a different-colored background, we see "Distributed in the USA by FILMS Incorporated, a subsidiary of" with the PMI logo and "Distributed in Canada by BBC Television Distributors".
Variants[]
The background colors can range from black to different shades of blue/green. The text can be white, yellow, or orange.
Music/Sounds[]
1st logo[]
A triumphant trumpet fanfare.
2nd logo[]
A whimsical fanfare.
3rd logo[]
A rather somber fanfare tune, with a flute trill at the end.
4th logo[]
A loud, electronic warbling tune. You can also hear some chord notes while the "fi" forms.
5th logo[]
None.
Scare Factor[]
1st logo[]
None.
2nd logo[]
None, though the comets appearing could scare some.
3rd logo[]
Low, the zoom out and weird music can unnerve some, especially if the music is distorted due to deteriorated film. The scare factor may rise if it's followed by the Aquarian Productions logo. But at least it's better then the next logo below...
4th logo[]
- Original Variant: Medium to nightmare. The fast, in-your-face, seizure-inducing animation, combined with the loud and jarring electronic music will scare many unsuspecting viewers; however, the general cheesiness of the logo tame it down a bit for some people.
- B&W/Black Background Variants: High to nightmare. The logo being colorless makes it even worse, and not suitable for those viewing the logo in the dark.
- Silent Variant: Minimal to medium. The silence make this logo much tamer, but the animation is still there, making it an eyesore for quite a few of some people.
- In-credit Variant: None.
5th logo[]
None. It's much tamer than the previous logo, but people would find this boring.
Videos[]
