Tartan Video (UK)

Background: Tartan Films was a UK-based film distributor, established in 1984 by Hamish McAlpine. It also had the subsidiaries Tartan USA, Tartan Video and the East Asian brand Tartan Asia Extreme. Between 1992-2003 Tartan Films operated under the name Metro-Tartan Distribution before reverting back. In June 2008, Tartan went into administration and laid off its employees, following the collapse of its US branch. The library of films was sold to the Palisades Media Group. On September 28, 2008, the newly named Palisades Tartan released its first UK DVD title, the horror-thriller P2.

1st Logo

(1993-2003)

Logo: A white background fades to yellow and this zooms out to a small yellow rectangle against the white BG. A black strip moves through the rectangle and curls up to the top of it, representing a tape spool, along with several VCR symbols (record, play, pause) which move to the corners of the screen. Various shapes quickly form the rest of the logo as the white BG shrinks slightly and becomes widescreen upon the formation of the final logo.

FX/SFX: The logo being drawn using rather simple animation.

Cheesy Factor: The DVD logo has the grainy VHS quality and black horizontal borders giving its widescreen look.

Music/Sounds: Some filming machinery noises including clicking and rewinding, followed by a choir/wind tune - which is the theme to the Kushner-Locke Pictures logo and is the theme to the Metro-Tartan logo.

Availability: Seen on most Tartan VHSs and DVDs since the beginning of the company up until 2003, including Kushner-Locke Pictures Film Library, Hard Boiled, Battle Royale, Audition, Ring, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Man Bites Dog and Funny Games

Scare Factor: Low to medium.

2nd Logo

(2003-2008)

Logo: On a black background, various white and yellow lines make ways with each other. Once they reach the point where they form the Tartan Video logo, a white flash occurs, forming the final result of the logo the the same fashion as the previous logo.

FX/SFX: The logo forms.

Music/Sounds: Hollow background ambience with the whizzing sounds of the lines drawing, followed by deep screeching.

Availability: Seen on releases of Accattone, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance & Super Size Me released in UK on video & DVD, among others.

Scare Factor: None to medium.