Lightstorm Entertainment

Background

Lightstorm Entertainment is an American independent production company founded in 1990 by filmmaker James Cameron and producer Lawrence Kasanoff. The majority of its films have been distributed and owned by 20th Century Studios. Its productions include Cameron's films Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, and Avatar; Cameron has employed other filmmakers to produce and direct films under the Lightstorm banner. In 1995, the company had a first look deal with 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios). The company's logo depicts a bowman using a lightning bolt as an arrow.

Logos

1st logo (1993, 2009)

Scrolling in the credits, we see the letter "A" above a stylized drawing of a man with a bow and a lightning bolt as an arrow. Below it is the stacked text "LIGHTSTORM", "ENTERTAINMENT" and "PRODUCTION" and the copyright disclaimer "© 1993 Carolco Pictures Inc./Pioneer LDC, Inc.".

Variant

A still version of the logo appears on the Nintendo DS port of James Cameron's Avatar: The Game.

2nd logo (1994)

On a black background, we see the stylized bowman from the previous logo flash in, now in steel. As the bowman slowly zooms back, the words "LIGHTSTORM ENTERTAINMENT" flash in below.

3rd logo (July 15, 1994-)

On a black background, several lasers, lights and firework-esque explosions shoot upwards towards the camera above a steel structure. The structure zooms back slightly to reveal that it is the stylized bowman from before, then upwards and to the left. It eases out and as it shines, "LIGHTSTORM" flashes below the bowman, and "ENTERTAINMENT" appears below.

Variants

• The logo is still on Solaris and Alita: Battle Angel.
• There's a short version that features only the name flashing below.

Music/Sounds

1st logo

Just the closing theme of the movie.

2nd logo

The opening theme of the trailer.

3rd logo

A quiet, but powerful orchestrated fanfare. There are violin sounds throughout. When "ENTERTAINMENT" appears, there is a chime that reverberates for the duration. A portion of the theme shows up in the climax of True Lies (the movie on which this logo made its debut, along with the 1994 20th Century Fox logo). The music was composed by Brad Fiedel, best known for composing the music for the first two Terminator movies.

Scare Factor

1st logo

None.

2nd logo

Low.

3rd logo

Low to medium. It may surprise you at first, especially since this logo is on a black background which can increase the scare factor. However, it is a really well-made logo and is a favorite of many, especially fans of the Terminator and Avatar series.

Trivia

The bowman logo appears in the Entourage episode "The Boys are Back in Town", in which a plot point is Emily being hired by the Lightstorm company.

Gallery

Video

Lightstorm Entertainment logo