The credits are often the first thing we see when we watch a great film or TV show, but the complexity and artistry of title design is rarely discussed. Creators of title sequences are tasked to invent concepts that evoke the core story and themes of the production, and to create a powerful visual experience that pulls the viewer into the film’s world. In this episode we hear the stories of some of the most inventive people working in the field, including the creators of the iconic Mad Men sequence, the hilarious Zombieland opening and “rules” sequences, and the stirring end credits from Blue Valentine.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2011]: David Fincher’s Commentary
So the title sequence. We had this cover of “Immigrant Song”. I was riding in a van in Sweden and had my iPhone with me…and I was listening to Led Zeppelin, and this song came on and I-I mean, aside from the incredibly, inanely obvious: “I come from the land of the ice and snow”… I just like the idea of an anthemnal, incredibly famous track that could be wailed by a woman. And I called Trent and I said: “What do you think of a cover of ‘Immigrant Song’?” I think at first he thought I was joking [laughing]. And I said, “No, imagine, you know, a woman’s voice singing this.” And he did a version just to the music and I listened to it and I thought it’s evocative of what I think Lisbeth is— Not thinking, but, you know, sort of her marrow. What’s happening down deep inside her bones. And we got Karen O. Ren Klyce gave us Karen’s e-mail address and we asked her to do this. And I think in about three or four days they had a version of this song that was— To my mind, it was undeniable. It just seemed like such a great sort of kindred spirit to what I thought Lisbeth was about. And then we needed visuals to go with it. I went to Tim Miller at Blur, and I said: “What can you do along the lines of a nightmare? What would Lisbeth’s nightmare be?” And he came back with about 50 different little scene cards and we whittled it down to about 20-25. And I turned to him and said: “That looks great. You got eight weeks. Go.”
The best damn thing you’ll see all day
Batman fan Doğan Can Gündoğdu has created an opening credits sequence for The Dark Knight Rises which the real movie will be very lucky to top. With a pounding, industrial sounding soundtrack you’ll see the standard opening credits and then flashes of ice and other items as the credit sequence takes on an unsettling tone. Just go watch it!
