Tenth Planet Productions

Credits

Captures by
Camenati

Editions by
Dison

Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw

Background

Tenth Planet is a Los Angeles-based production company founded in 1993 by director/producer Joel Gallen, after several years serving as head of production at MTV. The company's name refers to a classic astronomical term describing possible planets beyond Neptune and Pluto near the Solar System.

Tenth Planet’s highly-acclaimed work includes 19 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies for HBO, 16 MTV Movie Awards, 14 Comedy Central Roasts, and 8 Independent Spirit Awards for IFC. Gallen has also produced and directed several award-winning live aid specials, as well as theatrical movies of his own.

1st Logo (December 13, 1993-1999)

Visuals: On a black background, a white picture depicting a Medieval astronomer touching upon the stars and a comet, and putting his right arm down the table draws in. The company name with "TENTH" above and "PLANET" below zooms out, while the whole logo inverts colors. "PRODUCTIONS" then appears underneath in small.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on early shows and specials produced by the company, such as Rolling Stone '93, Saturday Night Special and The Jenny McCarthy Show. It also appeared on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies from the time period.

2nd Logo (December 14, 1999-2002)

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Visuals: As a stone planet spins in, the screen zooms onto its surface to see a rectangular board with the picture from before, and the company name in a different font, bulging out. The logo hangs above the surface, casting shadows as a purple light moves across.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The ending theme of the show, or a generic network theme.

Availability: It was spotted on the original airings of Mariah Carey's Homecoming Special and Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning.

3rd Logo (2002-September 27, 2009)

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Visuals: On a dark teal segmented and star-filled background, there is a tilted golden panel which contains the picture from before, and the name in the same fashion, dark teal-colored. The company name and parts of the picture (some of the stars, the moon crescent, and the comet) land on the panel, which slowly moves back and light shines over it.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The ending theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on Comedy Central Roasts and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies from the time period, as well as other specials such as Chris Rock: Never Scarred. It also appeared on seasons 1-4 of America's Best Dance Crew and the 2007 TV movie Not Another High School Show.

4th Logo (December 14, 2009-December 17, 2014)

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Visuals: On a grained paper backdrop, a sketched sepia-toned model of a gyroscope-like object swirls and rotates its arcs around a central core, while the company name is seen slowly spreading out below it. What seems to be a view of the gyroscope from inside is also seen faintly in the background.

Variants:

• A slightly longer version exists, showing the central core from a close-up along with the company name's letters, before one of the arcs transitions to the normal animation.
  • An extended version of this exists with the normal animation lengthened. It's only seen on Framework Studio's Vimeo account.
• A superimposed variant exists.

Technique: Cel-shaded CGI by Framework Studio.

Audio: Flipping and humming sounds, usually heard over the ending theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on specials produced by the company from the time period. It also appeared on seasons 5-7 of America's Best Dance Crew and The Sing-Off.

5th Logo (2014-)

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Visuals: Same as the previous logo, but redone in metal on a misty gray backdrop. The company name ("PRODUCTIONS" omitted) also flips in below the gyroscope.

Technique: Same as the 4th logo.

Audio: A slight rearrangement of the previous logo's theme, again usually heard over the ending theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on specials produced by the company since 2014.