avm productions | sonic identity #3
cinema production. gramophones. south of india. make a connection… no? nothing?
read on!
the origin!
taking over his father’s business of selling gramophone records in the 1930’s, a certain man moved to Madras to set up Saraswathi Stores, which sold gramophone records of #music and plays. choosing to record and distribute folk-inspired plays and semi-classical music alongside traditional, classical music and plays, Saraswathi Stores soon became the go-to for all audio needs.
this was the humble beginning of a cinema production house that came to be an identity for south indian cinema, and whose location, kodambakkam, became today’s thamizh film industry… kollywood!
any guesses yet? yes! we’re talking about AVM Productions, and the man in question was AV Meiyappan!
the iconic AVM intro
no doubt, if you’ve watched south indian films from the 1950’s and onward, the clarinet and tanpura are already playing in your head! a sonic identity as iconic to us as 20th Century Fox International Corporation is to hollywood!
over the years, we’ve seen many legacy production houses adopt music from their iconic hit films. the #lakshya tune for Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd and the k3g tune for YRF-Yash Raj Films spring instantly to mind.
though AVM Productions hasn’t produced a film in recent years, this tone and identity have remained consistent and intact. 7 decades and running strong! an instant, iconic connection!
any others you identify just by their sonic identity?