Thank You For Smoking

2005 • Fox Searchlight Pictures
Main Title Sequence
Directed by Jason Reitman

Our first main title sequence—a satirical homage to vintage cigarette packaging—set the tone for Jason Reitman’s debut feature, Thank You for Smoking.

Jason approached us with the concept of using cigarette package designs for the opening titles. He had created a rough sample by superimposing basic text titles onto images of cigarette packages, capturing the desired tone and providing a great starting point.

Jason encouraged us to develop package designs that visually represented the characters they listed. For instance:

• Aaron Eckhart’s character, the “King of Spin,” received the most elaborate design.

• Robert Duvall’s old-school, authoritative character was represented with a spare, elegant design featuring a single crown.

• Maria Bello’s alcohol/spirits lobbyist character’s card had a red-wine color and featured grapes.

• Rob Lowe’s character, obsessed with Japanese culture, had a design including a rising sun.

A fun detail: the “Established 1977” on Reitman’s first title card references his birth year.

This project marked the beginning of our journey into title design, stemming from a chance meeting with Jason at Sundance, where we both had short films in competition. That encounter led to a creative partnership that continues to this day.

For more information, check out Gareth’s interview on Watch the Titles!.