The Art of the Title Sequence

Fight Club


"People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden." - The Narrator

Bouncing around your head like jargon, like some synaptic pinball nebula, a blow-out of thought like "I've been holding the gun that has chipped my teeth long enough for it to be warm," the groundbreaking opening title sequence to David Fincher's Fight Club is a massively budgeted roller coaster. When will another film come along and show us our primal core through a prism of heartsick dementia?

Feature Commentary excerpt with Director David Fincher from the Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD:

“The opening title sequence was supposed to be starting inside the fear center of Edward Norton's brain. The electricity is like photo electrical stimuli that is running through his brain. These are supposed to be impulses, fear-based impulses. We are changing scale the whole time so we're starting at the size of a dendrite [and] we are pulling back through the frontal lobes, going through this black section where there are particles; we've left the brain and are going through the skull casing. This is inside the skull where Arnon's name appears, inside bone where apparently there is some fluid in, which I did not know. And then we pull out through this clogged pore. The first time we showed this to [Edward] he said, "My face is not that dirty." And I said that this was all based on actual photographs...of your skin."

Extras

Video Extra iconVisual Effects Featurette: Main Title Sequence

Visual Effects Feature: Main Title Sequence contact sheet Click to Watch with Kevin Haug audio | Click to Watch with Kevin Mack audio

Behind the Scenes featurette on the making of the title sequence with commentary by Visual Effects Supervisors Kevin Tod Haug and Kevin Mack. (From the Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD)

Image Extra iconBrain Ride Pre-Production Images - Click to Watch Slideshow

Brain Ride Pre-Production Images thumbstrip

DETAILS
  • USA
  • 1999
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • English


CREDITS

Main Title Design: Makela

Category: Film, News

Tagged: , , ,

  • dicfish

    Great CGI Effects and also a great music. Realy one of the best opening titles.

  • http://www.leomendes.net Leo Mendes

    Grande abertura para um filme perfeito na escolha do tema e na execução.

  • Mark

    Amazing titles. There’s another CG tracking shot from a wastebasket that was the most complex shot of the movie, if I remember correctly.

  • http://www.leahraeder.com/ Leah

    The CG and cinematography in this movie fascinated me when I was younger, and eventually led me into doing CG myself. This style still inspires and influences me. Amazing how well it holds up almost 10 years later.

  • http://IrisConcepts.net Rob Wallace

    You need to include the part where he talks about his life being an IKEA catalog. its really clean.

  • Nelson B

    This opening has inspired a lot of copycats. An excellent tittle sequence for a great film.

  • Daron

    How do you 1-up the titles from Se7en? With this.

  • http://merdekaataoemati.com mk2

    Yes, the music is by The Dust Brothers. This is the opening title I could watch over and over as if it’s a music video, even until now.

  • http://joedawsons.com Joe Dawson

    The movie from start to finish is so full of win..

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  • diego

    I love the type that Scott Makela created. Cool designer and an inspiration for me as a designer growing up. R.I.P.

  • davocado

    hey guys,
    i am wondering if anyone can tell me, what the END titles are all about? why this font? why this colour?
    any suggestions?

  • http://www.anthonymcgrath.co.uk anthonymcgrath

    Agreed – the IKEA catalogue bit is brilliantly executed – the lighting is amazingly accurate and the way it adjusts as each item is added.

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