Did you know that I went to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in theaters 7 times? I was a crazy middle schooler fan. My knowledge and love for the franchise have not faded so it felt like a passion project to create a title sequence for this book-to-movie adaptation. Also, this movie did not have a title sequence so it was exciting to conceptualize and design what it could have looked like.
I intended for this title sequence to be at the beginning of the movie to set the tone. Catching Fire is a slow burn filled with lots of set-up and suspense so I wanted the sequence to convey that. The story starts off in the aftermath of the first movie. Katniss unknowingly sparked a revolution from what she did to win the Hunger Games and as the movie unfolds, she finds out how big of a revolution she started. The slow burn of revolution is the main theme of this title sequence.
The 'main character' of this title sequence is the burning path that winds up forming into a clock, one of the most important pieces of symbolism from the story and an element from the logo. It slowly burns throughout the whole title sequence until it all comes together at the end, much like the way the plot is written.
The song I chose is "Fuel to the Fire (David Lynch Remix)" by Agnes Obel. This song is not part of the official movie, rather something that I found and thought was a perfect fit. I felt that the title and lyrics of the song were fitting because the story is about actions and events that add fuel to the fire of the revolution that is simmering. The song also has a slow burn quality that fits perfectly with the tone of the title sequence and movie.
Katniss's Arrows
President Snow's White Roses
Peacekeeper firing a warning shot
Mockingjay Flying
Katniss Dropping Nightlock Berries
Crowd Holding Up Three Finger Salute
There are also shadows in the firelight of the composition that show up in between burning shots. Each of the shadows are elements from the story that symbolize the revolution.
Arrows - Katniss is a skilled archer and bow and arrows are what she uses to protect herself in the Hunger Games and outside the games. Her archery has also been used to make impactful statements against the Capitol.
Roses - President Snow famously gardens his white roses and he always has one clipped to his clothes to mask the scent of blood. It symbolizes perfection, luxury, and power, and is left behind as a message to intimidate Katniss into not upsetting him and the Capitol.
Peacekeeper Shooting - The Peacekeepers are the brutal police force of the Capitol and troops are sent to each District to keep the people of Panem in line. To intimidate the Districts as their uprisings increased, President Snow sends his most unforgiving troops to silence anyone who stands up to the Capitol.
Mockingjay - Mockingjays are icons associated with rebellion. Katniss's mockingjay pin becomes the ultimate symbol of revolution. Even further back before the Hunger Games were the rule of the land, mockingjays were used by the rebels in the Dark Days to communicate signals amongst each other.
Hand Dropping Nightlock - At the end of the first book/movie, Katniss and Peeta refused to kill each other when they were the last ones standing in the Hunger Games and threatened to kill themselves by eating poisonous nightlock berries. Not wanting to be without a Victor, the Capitol quickly stopped them and declared both of them the winners. This was the main act that set off the revolution and inspired the people in the Districts to start acting out against the Capitol.
Three-Finger Salute - The three-finger salute is used as a sign of respect and admiration by the people of the Districts. Katniss has most notably saluted it during her first Hunger Games when paying respect to her fallen tribute companion Rue, which sparked an uprising in Rue's home district.
