Fight Club's Cinematography

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2017)

Fight Club, a confrontational, fierce, often ruthless parody is a mental thriller that follows the life of two apparent antagonists which almost fully echoes the narrative of the respectable Dr. Jekyll and the formidable Mr. Hyde, being that they are the same person, David Fincher externalizes an alter ego in a unique filmmaking style. The setup of the scenes also accommodated the emotions of the actors. Fight Club employs numerous styles of lighting that are used throughout the film depending on the mood and emotions felt at the time. By using low-key lighting, the scenes that are filmed in the basement emphasize the vibe that's felt in the room. This is also used when Tyler is alone, or Tyler and Jack together to portray an overall darkness, by creating higher saturation, a higher contrast, and heavier shadows. This helps characterize Tyler as highly masculine and having a perilous personality. Conversely, with Jack, we noticed the lighting is more high-key, often with low contrast and little to no shadows. This helps describe the narrator's consumeristic personality and mundane life. However, it is evident that Finch chose to utilize the tone and mood of low-key lighting more throughout the film, while both types of lighting appeared throughout. Nonetheless, on the off chance that the unmistakable difference in lighting was not used, the emotional distinction amongst Tyler and Jack's identities would not have been as apparent. Despite the fact that it is an extremely stylized approach, the lighting of the film, still somewhat seems sensible. The locations chosen accompanied their own inherent lightning. Examples include streetlights for backlighting, and fluorescents, which illuminated an off-color hue, that was cold and suits the tone. This is what created the realistic effect of the differentiating miss en scène used amongst character's and settings, and emerged as clues for the narrator's different identities. The placement and angle of the camera also played a critical role in the cinematography and guided the perception of the audience. The filmmaker chose to shoot most of the scenes in which the actors in close proximity of each other. This includes shots that were intimate, personal, and social. Fincher also utilizes camera angles to differentiate the contrasting personalities. When Tyler and the members of fight club are in the basement, Tyler is in the middle of a low angle shot. This type of camera angle is used to show us that he is the authoritative member in which everyone admires. Another scene in which Tyler, with his abettors behind him, is in a close-up after they jump an official. This suggests power and dominance over the audience while allowing us to feel how threatened and scared the official must be. Another brilliant example of the cinematography and editing coming intertwined with each other was when jack brutally beats up a member during a fight. Again, this was another low angle shot chosen by the filmmakers. The placement of the camera forces us to look upwards at him, all the while making him seem more capable and deliberating. The filmmakers chose this angle to make the viewer cringe at this intense moment. We also notice that the camera is often stationary during many of the scenes in the first half of the film. But as we go on, the camera starts to position itself as a first-person view of the character. This is another clue given to us that Tyler and Jack are the same person. David Fincher chose these various camera angles, lighting, and colors as a technique to deliver the audience clues, crucial information, and hidden motives throughout the film.