The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Title Sequence

        Often one of the prime uses of animation, particularly in film, is to show things which it may not always be possible to capture in live action. The title sequence for David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, created by Blur Studios, comprises of a sequence of such vignettes which are intended to provide a peek into Lisbet Salander's troubled psyche.

 

        From the eponymous tattoo bursting to life to a brain made of wires and cables, all consumed by a layer of cloying black fluid, the sequence is full of images which would have been impossible to create without the use of animation but maintain a photorealistic look thanks to the use of digital scanning. Director David Fincher recognized the difficulties posed by his vision, and that CG would give ultimate control. Luckily, this approach is the studio's strength.

        An animation, visual effects and design company, Blur Studios specialise in highly realistic effects shots for films such as Avatar as well as stunning animation for games such as Batman: Arkham Origins/City/Asylum.

 

        As a piece intended to mentally prepare the audience for the feature film, as well as incorporate key elements from all three of Stieg Larsson's source novels, the sequence races through a variety of shots which build from the smoothly hypnotic into a frenzied crescendo which mirrors the instability and trauma hidden beneath Lisbeth's impersonal exterior.