Film elements used In Fight Club

Rating: Null/10 (27 September 2017)

Fight Club was used many aspects of filming in order to give the film a real life feel with you actually feeling like you were there with the characters. David Fincher was able to accomplish this while using lighting, camera movement and camera angles as well as cinematography, using closed shots and the unknown element of Tyler's character. Without these elements of filming the audience would not have been as attached or felt like they were there and the film would not be nearly as popular as it was and still is today Lighting was carefully chosen throughout the entirety of the film to give a darker feel to the shots. Most scenes were located in darker locations as well as taken after dark to help give this feel to the film. The darker lighting made it easier for the viewer to make them feel like they were there with Tyler and the Narrator. Also the lighting in the basement during the fights was focused on the characters actually fighting while the background of the people watching and rest of the room remained darker to draw your eyes to the fight itself rather than drifting off.
The movement of the camera and the angles of the camera shot during Fight Club also added an aspect to the film. During the fights the camera was constantly switching from moving like you were fighting the guy across the ring, then switching make it seem like someone was on top of you punching you in the face, to the reactions and cheering of the audience. All of these camera angles and movements like the camera shooting down on a fighter on the ground or shooting across the ring and the angle focused on the faces being emphasised added to the real life feel of the film.
On top of this cinephotography was used to add a real life feel in the film and to capture the emotions of the characters. The cinematographer choose to use close ups for many of the scenes to accomplish this. These close up shots were able to give you an up close look on the reactions and feelings of the characters. Also the closeups were used to make it feel like you were standing in front of the character being filmed and experiencing their actions first hand.
The director also used closed shots in the film because David Fincher decided to use the constant movement of the camera. Not needing everything in the shot or not seeing everything that was going on at any given time allowed the director to show only what he wanted you to see. This then allowed him to make you feel a certain way whether that be by showing just Bob dead on the kitchen table, or focussing on someone beat up after a fight with blood dripping down their face rather than showing just the room as a whole.
Having the narrator not know that he was also Tyler until the end of the film rather than using being told this when Tyler's character was introduced also added an element to the film. This made you want to know more about Tyler's character and figure out where he always is and figure out she shadowy element about him. This element draws you in and makes you feel like you're joining the narrator's search for Tyler's character.
Fight Club became such a popular movie because of the way it was chosen to be filmed. The lighting, movement and cinematography were the main elements that pushed towards this real life feeling film in which you felt like you were there as well as making you want to figure the mysteries of Tyler. David Fincher was the reason that this film became as big of a hit as it is today and would not have been as powerful if another director filmed it in a different way.