Art of the Title

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Zodiac (2007)

Zodiac
I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him.
—Robert Graysmith
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In the opening title sequence of the 2007 mystery-thriller Zodiac, we get an endearing glimpse into the morning routine of a father and son in late ’60s San Francisco. Through cinematography by Harris Savides, we are presented with the bones of the story: large city, single dad, young child, bustling newsroom. A golden hue permeates throughout, oscillating between sickly jaundice and warm glow, but always there. After all, this is a turn on the true crime story of the Zodiac Killer, and so a subtle sense of sepia is practically mandatory. You can almost smell the coffee, feel the texture of the pages, faded and dusty.

Added to this is the nuanced and delicate title design by Bruce Schluter and Eric Ladd which converts the letters of the credits into a cipher. Already, the viewer is being invited into a codified world, concealed beneath the presentation of fact.

  • Summary
  • Credits

Director DAVID FINCHER speaks about the Zodiac title sequence in this excerpt from our feature article David Fincher: A Film Title Retrospective.

DF: [Zodiac] was much more in the vein of Social Network. We had a job to do: we had to send this guy off to work, he’s got to drop his kid off, we’ve got to set up San Francisco in 1969, so its function is primarily narrative and then the titles just need to be included.

IMAGE: David Fincher feature contact sheet

Read more about David Fincher's filmmaking and title sequences in our feature article David Fincher: A Film Title Retrospective.

View the credits for this sequence

Title Designer: Bruce Schluter
Additional Title Design: Eric Ladd

Music: David Shire

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Title sequence

  • Director

    David Fincher
  • Category

    Film
  • Styles

    2000s, main title, opening scene, type over scene
Zodiac
  • Film Director

    David Fincher
  • Release Date

    March 2, 2007
  • Aspect Ratio

    2.35:1
  • Studios

    Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Phoenix Pictures
  • Country

    USA
  • Language

    English
  • Reviews

    Reviews on Letterboxd
  • IMDb has full details

Article

  • Writer

    Lola Landekic
  • Published

    June 11, 2015

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