FilmFour prior to going FTA

[Brekkie]

With Film4 IMO having one of the best ident sets around at the moment, even though trimmed down from those with the original logo, I've been looking around for idents from before it went FTA, which seem few and far between - so what was initially going to be a request has turned into a bit of a nostalgia fest after a hunt around found some idents and presentation which isn't on the main presentation sites.

TV Ark has a collection of the initial launch and branding but not much around beyond that. Always thought the glass 4 was rather nice, although I think the original idents here were quite understated compared to what followed.

I have found though a case study on Behance of the rebrand which took place in the later days of it's subcription phase, with different idents for 6pm/8/10/midnight - including a blue version used at 8pm. Not to sure on the slot motif used on the promos but I think the idents still stand up today.
https://vimeo.com/129207794

I've also found some FilmFour Extreme idents on Vimeo as well, which was one of two spin-off channels launched initially along with FilmFour World, which it timeshared with. Interestingly they carry no FilmFour branding - just the word Extreme, but with a strong link through the colour scheme.
https://vimeo.com/40715007

I can't find any presentation at all though for FilmFour World, and the only thing I've found for FilmFour Weekly is a promo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8yzgX_d38Q

I think it is fair to say FilmFour the subscription channel was a very different channel to what the free to air Film4 became, but no doubt IMO it was right for them to make the switch when they did as I don't think it would have survived the move to streaming. Would be nice to see a bit more of the presentation from the pre-Freeview years if anyone has anything.


(All credit to original uploaders)

[JetixFann450]

https://youtu.be/ldEQJBTg5sc

There is continuity of FilmFour Weekly from 2004...

[Neil Jones]

Here's FilmFour "turning off" its analogue signal in 2000:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAxrlo-0RG0

[nwtv2003]

I don’t recall knowing anyone that subscribed to FilmFour when it was behind a paywall. Put their motto put it bead, great films you know, and great films you don’t. It was a risk putting it free to air, but one that has paid off massively, and in all fairness they do still show some films you’ve not heard of.

My memory of FilmFour behind a paywall was then it was used as an overflow for Cricket when it clashed with the Racing. Having watched on analogue cable, they lifted the block from the channel in its daytime hours.

[London Lite]

I don’t recall knowing anyone that subscribed to FilmFour when it was behind a paywall.

I had it as an addon on On/ITV Digital.

[AllWillBeWell]

I recall this era and I didn't know anyone who was subscribed to it back then. One time somebody phoned up (I assume from Channel 4 sales) and persuaded my father to subscribe, telling him the channel had a load of new movies every month. Unfortunately FilmFour broadcast very err "selected" type films more so than it does now. And none of these films were to my father's liking. After many arguments on the phone the subscription was cancelled!

[James2001]

Unfortunately FilmFour broadcast very err "selected" type films more so than it does now.

[London Lite]

FilmFour were always offering free trials or reduced priced deals before it went FTA. I miss the old paywall channel, the films weren't as mainstream as they are now, obviously now the channel is funded by advertising, you're not going to get the very niche films it used to schedule.

[James Martin]

I remember it being one of the "anchor" channels the SkyDigital promo loop pushed as one of the channels you could subscribe to. We never had it.

I remember the switch to FTA as I bought myself my first Freeview box in Summer 2006; having a free movie channel was great - and to be honest you could live with ads during films if you weren't shelling out for it.

[Brekkie]

Looks like there was another look between the first set of idents and the last - quite similar to the later look but with the original logo.

https://youtu.be/PHV84nz01aU
https://youtu.be/XLNgSNVoKv8

[FanOfTV99]

I seem to remember that I think it was FilmFour Weekly or World use to show extra coverage of the Racing when Channel 4 had it. I dont know if it was on those Channel or the main channel but I think they started doing that before it went FTA.

[Brekkie]

It was on FilmFour, initially rebranded as 4Extra in such cases but that was soon changed to promoting it as simply being on FilmFour which would be unencrypted for those hours. Would have occurred from 1999 to 2005, the duration that C4 had the contract.

[Steve Williams]

I don’t recall knowing anyone that subscribed to FilmFour when it was behind a paywall. Put their motto put it bead, great films you know, and great films you don’t. It was a risk putting it free to air, but one that has paid off massively, and in all fairness they do still show some films you’ve not heard of.

I remember someone complaining on Right to Reply when it began that they couldn't just get Film Four on its own and they had to get some other channels as well, which on the face of it made some sense but the idea that you'd get a full satellite set-up just to get Film Four seemed totally illogical. Of course the opening night was simulcast on C4, with one difference - the films had adverts on C4, with Film Four showing a few short films in between so C4 could "catch up". In fact they "simulcast" - ie started a film at the same time - a few times over the first year or so.

[Neil Jones]

I don’t recall knowing anyone that subscribed to FilmFour when it was behind a paywall. Put their motto put it bead, great films you know, and great films you don’t. It was a risk putting it free to air, but one that has paid off massively, and in all fairness they do still show some films you’ve not heard of.

I remember someone complaining on Right to Reply when it began that they couldn't just get Film Four on its own and they had to get some other channels as well, which on the face of it made some sense but the idea that you'd get a full satellite set-up just to get Film Four seemed totally illogical. Of course the opening night was simulcast on C4, with one difference - the films had adverts on C4, with Film Four showing a few short films in between so C4 could "catch up". In fact they "simulcast" - ie started a film at the same time - a few times over the first year or so.

I presume FilmFour wasn't part of any Sky bundles/packs/whatever (or Virgin) at the time and had (at that time prior to the Film4 relaunch) always been a "premium" channel at an extra cost so you didn't need anything beyond whatever the then equivalent was of a basic Sky/Virgin package to get it?

Was it not on On-Digital/ITV Digital?

[James Martin]

It was on DTT, but was FTA by the time Virgin became a thing.