Fight Club Film Analysis

Rating: 10/10 (27 September 2017)

One of the most noticeable elements that was employed in the film Fight Club was the use of production design. The entire film had a dark feel to it, and the production design was composed in such a way that the darkness of the film progressed throughout its length. In the beginning of the film, the costume and set were selected in a way that seemed realistic, as though to appeal to our sense of connection to the character in the film. Despite this, the lighting, and of course the narration from the main character led us to notice something was clearly amiss. The main character was certainly not the average person.
After having watched the film, one subtle, yet extremely powerful instance of foreshadowing happens when the main character narrates: "If you wake up in a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?" The camera then pans to centre the motion around Tyler, as if to show that maybe the main character could wake up as Tyler. The irony of this is, of course, that the main character really does wake up as Tyler, but the element is subtle because, at this point in the film, the viewer has yet to be formally exposed to Tyler.
Throughout the film, Tyler's and the main character's are always in contrast. Through his costume, Tyler is portrayed as laid back, care- free, and dare I say it, cool. On the other hand, the main character generally tries to dress more formally, depending on the occasion. However, as the film progresses, the main character seems to become increasingly like Tyler. The main character shows up to work in tattered clothes, a sharp contrast to the suit and tie that he always wore for the first 40 or so minutes of the film. It gets to the point where the only difference in Tyler and the main character's outfit is an undone bow-tie, seen in the scene where they coerce the mayor. The bond that the main character feels toward Tyler and his ideas quickly dissipates when Bob is killed, and their outfits return to being highly contrasting, to show that the main character is no longer on Tyler's 'side'.
After the main character, and the audience, realise that he is really Tyler Durden, the film switches between realistic and formalistic shots. When the main character is getting beat up by Tyler in the garage, the main action is more formalistic, as it is known that what we are seeing is just happening in the main character's head. However, the camera frequently switches to security cameras, which is fitting being that they are in a car garage. This different photography shows what is happening in the 'real world' as it shows the main character just throwing himself around, and causing severe injury to himself in the process. By adding this to the film, some context is brought into how the main character could have actually believed that Tyler was a separate person. His mind is so warped, that he can seriously injure himself just from his mind playing tricks on him. Despite the physical location of the shots being completely different (one being in the garage, and the other in the security room) the film is edited so the transition is seamless and continuity is preserved completely. This makes the transition between the formalistic and realistic shots fluid with the action and not seem jarring or out of place. The music in this scene also assists the director in getting his point across. The music is like what would be played in a horror film, with high- pitched, fast violins, and strange sounds. This helps to build an almost nightmarish atmosphere in the film as it seems like what the main character is experiencing is something most people only ever face in a bad dream. He is utterly helpless to the wrath of Tyler and the thrilling music makes the audience feel some of the terror that the main character is feeling in this scene.