Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Warning Screen
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Warning descriptions by codyfinke6, ryanasaurus0077 and Logophile
Warning captures by Gabkat2007, Logophile, and Mr.Logo
USA/CANADA WARNINGS
1st Warning
(1979-1983, April 1985, 1993, USA only)
Top: First Warning screen
Bottom: Second Warning screen
Warning: On a blue background, the words
THESE FILMS ARE SOLD
FOR HOME USE ONLY.
ANY DUPLICATION,
REPRODUCTION,
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE,
OR COMMERCIAL USE
IS STRICTLY
PROHIBITED.
scroll up and stop when they are at the screen. The words are in yellow. This fades out and goes to next screen. On a dark red background is the FBI rectangle (Black rectangle with FBI in big letters with the logo on bottom) and next to it is a white box with "WARNING" in dark red with the text below.
Variant: A black and white version exists on B&W films
FX/SFX: Scrolling of words on the first screen.
Cheesy Factor: On the first screen, the animation and graphics look very 1970s. The second screen looks like it was taped off the screen.
Music/Sounds: Usually none, but on the 1979 VHS of Shamus, if you listen really closely, you can hear the Columbia Pictures sunburst music play over the second screen.
Availability: Seen at the end of most Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment and a few RCA/Columbia tapes of the era such as the 1983 release of Hot Stuff. The B&W version appears on Gilda, and made surprise appearances at the end of The Three Stooges: A Plumbing We Will Go and Pat Benatar in Concert. Goodtimes re-releases of early Columbia videocassette releases such as Fast Break and The Owl and the Pussycat feature the warning screens in reverse order at the start of the tape.
Scare factor: Minimal.
Availability: Seen at the end of most Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment and a few RCA/Columbia tapes of the era such as the 1983 release of Hot Stuff. The B&W version appears on Gilda, and made surprise appearances at the end of The Three Stooges: A Plumbing We Will Go and Pat Benatar in Concert. Goodtimes re-releases of early Columbia videocassette releases such as Fast Break and The Owl and the Pussycat feature the warning screens in reverse order at the start of the tape.
Scare factor: Minimal.
2nd Warning
(1982-1987, USA only)
Warning: On a blue background, the words
These films are sold
for home use only.
Any duplication,
reproduction,
public performance or
commercial use is
strictly prohibited.
scroll up and rest when they are on screen. The words are in white. After a few moments, it would fade (or cut) to the next warning.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The scrolling of the words, the cut to the warning screen.
Availability: Seen on early RCA/Columbia releases. The first version can be found on Tootsie, The King of Comedy, and Christine. The later version can be seen on Ghostbusters, The Lords of Flatbush and The Evil That Men Do. This along with the next warning screen were first featured on some of the later Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment releases, such as The Batty World of Baseball from 1982.
Scare Factor: None, unless the cut to the warning gets you.
3rd Warning
(1982-2004, USA only) (1982-1987, USA only)
Warning: On a blue background, the words
These films are sold
for home use only.
Any duplication,
reproduction,
public performance or
commercial use is
strictly prohibited.
scroll up and rest when they are on screen. The words are in white. After a few moments, it would fade (or cut) to the next warning.
Variants:
- Later on in its life, there is a variant has the words already there, but it still cuts to the warning.
- For the early version of the 3rd Warning mentioned below, it fades to the warning.
- There is a variant where the background is a lighter shade of blue, and the words is in a different font.
- A black and white variant of this warning exists. This can be seen on the 1983 VHS of Dr. Strangelove.
FX/SFX: The scrolling of the words, the cut to the warning screen.
Availability: Seen on early RCA/Columbia releases. The first version can be found on Tootsie, The King of Comedy, and Christine. The later version can be seen on Ghostbusters, The Lords of Flatbush and The Evil That Men Do. This along with the next warning screen were first featured on some of the later Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment releases, such as The Batty World of Baseball from 1982.
Scare Factor: None, unless the cut to the warning gets you.
3rd Warning
Variations:
- On a few early RCA/Columbia releases, the background portion with "FBI" and the FBI logo is orchid-colored.
- On DVD, the top blue part is larger, the font became somewhat more modified, and "FBI" and the logo is larger as well.
- In 2002, the VHS FBI logo was replaced with a color version. It is similar to the one before, but the top blue part is a bit darker and the font is bolder.
- On the 1998 VHS of Godzilla, the warning screen's duration is a little more than one second.
- There is an early version of this warning, which has a bit bigger text and a little bit of space between the "WARNING" and the text.
- Some laserdisc releases, such as the 1987 release of Ishtar, feature this before the Laservision logo.
- There is a variant where the words are in a different font.
- A black and white variant of this warning exists. This can be seen on the 1983 VHS of Dr. Strangelove.
Availability: On all RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video and Columbia-TriStar Home Video/Entertainment releases of that era, as well as certain Vidmark Entertainment releases from the 1980s, AIP Home Video releases, Interglobal Video releases from the mid-1980s, and Dualstar Video releases. The early version is seen on older prints of Tootsie and Christine. The orchid-colored background portion variation can be found on the 1987 release of Armed Response. The 2002 VHS version can be seen on Spider-Man, Punch-Drunk Love, Fahrenheit 9/11, Daddy Day Care and Big Fish.Also seen on very early HBO DVD releases along with the next warning.
Scare Factor: Low.
4th Warning
(1994-1997)
Nicknames: "White FBI", "Odd FBI", "Freaky FBI"
Warning: On a white background, there is the black FBI square with a weird looking FBI logo (particularly because the "B" is rounded). On the right of it is the text in black.
FX/SFX: None.
Cheesy Factor: This warning would've been better if it had a proper FBI logo.
Availability: Seen on releases from Turner Home Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Home Video co-releases with Castle Rock Entertainment such as City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold, Forget Paris and Before Sunrise.
Scare Factor: Minimum, Some might be freaked out by the weird looking FBI logo, but it's otherwise harmless.
5th Warning
(Early 1980s-present, Canada only)/(1996-present, USA)
Warning: On a firebrick background, there is a white tube with a "WARNING" and two red dots. Below is the text in white. A few moments later, the "WARNING" turns to "ATTENTION" and the text turns to French.
Variant: In the old days, the "WARNING" tube was a bit wider and the font was different.
FX/SFX: The transition from English to French.
Music/Sounds: None
Availability: Seen on all DVD releases from Columbia Tristar Home Video/Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Canadian VHS releases from the early 1980's kept this warning intact. It also appeared on early Lionsgate releases in Canada and early HBO DVD releases in the USA (with the previous warning preceding it).
Scare Factor: None.
6th Warning
(2004-)
Warning: On a blue/white gradient textured BG, we see the colorized FBI logo, with "FBI-ANTI PIRACY WARNING" in a white rectangle next to it. Below is Warning info in white.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None
Availability: Current on 2004-2005 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment releases and all Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases.
Scare Factor: None.
INTERNATIONAL WARNING SCREENS
Scare Factor: Low.
4th Warning
(1994-1997)
Warning: On a white background, there is the black FBI square with a weird looking FBI logo (particularly because the "B" is rounded). On the right of it is the text in black.
FX/SFX: None.
Cheesy Factor: This warning would've been better if it had a proper FBI logo.
Availability: Seen on releases from Turner Home Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Home Video co-releases with Castle Rock Entertainment such as City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold, Forget Paris and Before Sunrise.
Scare Factor: Minimum, Some might be freaked out by the weird looking FBI logo, but it's otherwise harmless.
5th Warning
(Early 1980s-present, Canada only)/(1996-present, USA)
Warning: On a firebrick background, there is a white tube with a "WARNING" and two red dots. Below is the text in white. A few moments later, the "WARNING" turns to "ATTENTION" and the text turns to French.
Variant: In the old days, the "WARNING" tube was a bit wider and the font was different.
FX/SFX: The transition from English to French.
Music/Sounds: None
Availability: Seen on all DVD releases from Columbia Tristar Home Video/Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Canadian VHS releases from the early 1980's kept this warning intact. It also appeared on early Lionsgate releases in Canada and early HBO DVD releases in the USA (with the previous warning preceding it).
Scare Factor: None.
6th Warning
(2004-)
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None
Availability: Current on 2004-2005 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment releases and all Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases.
Scare Factor: None.
INTERNATIONAL WARNING SCREENS
Europe
1st Warning
(1982-1992)
Warning: On a black background, we see white generic warning text.
Variant: Some releases use a powder blue or red background, as well as black drop shadow behind the text.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video releases.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Warning
(1992-2004)
Warning: On a blue gradient background is yellow generic warning text (with "WARNING" above it) scrolling up.
FX/SFX: The scrolling of the text.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on Columbia TriStar PAL tapes.
Scare Factor: None.
Australia
1st Warning
(1980s-1992)
Warning: Same as the 1986-1988 Roadshow Home Video warning screen.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Found on RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts releases.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Warning
(1992-2004)
Warning: On a black background, a red "WARNING" fades in at the top and white text scrolls up. In the middle of the text, there's "IT IS PROHIBITED TO" in red. After it finishes scrolling, "WARNING" fades out.
FX/SFX: The fading of "WARNING" and the scrolling of the text.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Appears on Australian Columbia TriStar videocassettes.
Scare Factor: None.