Skip to main content

Metamorphosis: Sci Fi Transforms to Syfy Today

Imagine Greater.

Cabler Sci Fi has rebranded itself as Syfy as of 6 am ET this morning and has unveiled a new moniker, new branding, new on-air spots, and a tweaked identity, and a two-minute brand film that showcases the channel's series talent. The changes coincide with the launch this evening of Syfy's newest drama series Warehouse 13. (An advance review of the two-hour opener can be found here.)

"Coming off the most successful year in our 16-year history, we wanted to create a brand film that both celebrates the genre and also feels human, relatable, and wildly creative, highlighting the wide array of casts and character who inhabit Syfy’s ever broadening programming landscape," said Michael Engleman, Vice President, Creative, Syfy. "Through this unique creative collaboration, we’re honoring and embracing a powerful global brand with deep roots in the popular culture."

The two-minute brand film, which displays Syfy's new rebranding and identity, along with the press release from the network announcing the film, can be found below.



SCI FI TO UNVEIL FULLY IMMERSIVE AND INTERACTIVE “HOUSE OF IMAGINATION” BRAND FILM MARKING SYFY EVOLUTION

CELEBRATORY HOMAGE TO IMAGINATION SHOWCASES TOP CHANNEL TALENT

PRODUCED BY AWARD-WINNING UK 4CREATIVE TEAM


As part of SCI FI’s brand evolution to Syfy on July 7, a refresh of the look and feel of Syfy will be reflected in a ground-breaking two-minute brand film, “House of Imagination,” that celebrates Syfy’s unique spin on imagination. Stars from Warehouse 13, Eureka, Ghost Hunters, Caprica, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, and Destination Truth are featured.

Talent participating, in order of appearance, are: Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne (Sanctuary); Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton, Neil Grayston, (Eureka); Lou Diamond Phillips (Stargate Universe); Josh Gates (Destination Truth); Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson (Ghost Hunters); Tracy Morgan (Scare Tactics), Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek (Warehouse 13), and Alessandra Torresani (Caprica).

The look and feel of Syfy will be reflected in a groundbreaking two-minute brand film, “House of Imagination,” that celebrates Syfy’s unique spin on imagination, starring talent from Warehouse 13, Eureka, Ghost Hunters, Caprica, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, and Destination Truth. The film invites viewers into a celebratory house party populated with rooms inspired by the Channel’s original programs and characters. Goldfrapp’s “Happiness” provides the soundtrack for the trip through the never-ending house where anything can and does happen in each one-of-a-kind room. Through high concept visual storytelling, each scene fuses a bold complement of visual effects with practical set design. “House of Imagination” was designed to be modularly deconstructed into a dynamic, long-running campaign of 10 and 5-second network identifications.

The experience will extend digitally into Syfy.com/ImagineGreater beginning July 7, where visitors will have a rich, fully interactive and immersive experience as guests at the house party. Visitors will be able to explore parallax rooms and to discover exclusive content including games, behind-the-scenes and making-of footage, cast interviews, downloadable wallpaper and much more.

Said Michael Engleman, Vice President, Creative, Syfy, the key architect behind the brand film: “Coming off the most successful year in our 16-year history, we wanted to create a brand film that both celebrates the genre and also feels human, relatable, and wildly creative, highlighting the wide array of casts and character who inhabit Syfy’s ever broadening programming landscape. Through this unique creative collaboration, we’re honoring and embracing a powerful global brand with deep roots in the popular culture.”

”House of Imagination” is produced and directed by the award-winning 4Creative (UK-based) team led by director Brett Foraker, who was joined, specifically for this project, by Larry Fong (Director of Photography, Watchmen, 300) and Tino Schaedler (Production Designer, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, V For Vendetta, The Golden Compass) with visual effects by MPC (Watchmen, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Syfy -- unlike the generic entertainment category “sci-fi” – firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes. Syfy also creates an umbrella brand name that can extend into new adjacent businesses under the Syfy Ventures banner, such as Syfy Games, Syfy Films and Syfy Kids.

As the Channel’s footprint expands rapidly around the globe, aiming to reach more than 50 international channels by the end of next year, Syfy meets the need of a globally relevant, trademarkable brand that stands for something unique to the brand in each territory.

What do you think of the brand film? And of the Syfy rebrand as a whole? Does it match your expectations of what the channel should look/feel like? Discuss.

Comments

joy said…
The brand film itself stays true to the little SciFi/otherworldly network idents they were doing before.

But, it's still the oddest and softest brand launch I've ever seen, to be sure.
Eric said…
Wow that's lame. Not sure what they were going for but it looked like something my 5 year old sister would watch. A sad day.
Simon said…
Michael Engleman's blowing smoke (and mirrors.) Pretty young things at a party doesn't exactly say "celebrates the genre" -- it says you scifi geeks and geezers are unwelcome.

Paper unicorns, toy dinosaurs and carousels may appeal to tweens, but notice what the "brand film" doesn't have? Anything to actually do with science fiction.

The "powerful global brand" has no clothes.
Mazza said…
I think they are grasping at straws at this point. It's so cutesy that it's off putting. I'm not a hard Sci Fi fan but even I thought it was WAY off the mark for what they should be doing. Appreciate they want to lure some females into the mix but I found it really soft. Weird.
susie que said…
"Wildly creative?" Maybe for a kindergartner.

Popular posts from this blog

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

The Daily Beast: "How The Killing Went Wrong"

While the uproar over the U.S. version of The Killing has quieted, the show is still a pale imitation of the Danish series on which it is based. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "How The Killing Went Wrong," in which I look at how The Killing has handled itself during its second season, and compare it to the stunning and electrifying original Danish series, Forbrydelsen , on which it is based. (I recently watched all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen over a few evenings.) The original is a mind-blowing and gut-wrenching work of genius. It’s not necessary to rehash the anger that followed in the wake of the conclusion last June of the first season of AMC’s mystery drama The Killing, based on Søren Sveistrup’s landmark Danish show Forbrydelsen, which follows the murder of a schoolgirl and its impact on the people whose lives the investigation touches upon. What followed were irate reviews, burnished with the “burning intensity of 10,000 white-hot suns