True Detective Opening Sequences (First Four Seasons)

Led by creative director Patrick Clair, True Detective's title sequences were developed by a collaborative team consisting of three motion-design studios: Santa Monica-based Elastic, Antibody and Breeder, both based in Australia. For the first season, Clair and his team took a variety of photos of the Louisiana scenery, which became the sequence's backbone. They superimposed these images onto low poly meshes, thanks to the use of various animation and special effects techniques. This was a meticulous process for production, since they wanted to avoid creating a digitized look for the sequence. Once its final cut took form, the team polished it by employing optical glitching and motion distortion technique. The Sydney Morning Herald included season one's opening sequence in their list of the "Ten of the Best" title sequences on television. Clair took a similar approach to creating the title sequence for True Detective's second season. Production used material from a number of photographers, including aerial shots captured by David Maisel. However, unlike season one, season two's title sequence incorporates deep, vivid gold and red color, thereby presenting "that more complicated view of California". Season three of HBO’s True Detective returns to its roots, telling a story that takes place in the small-town South after season two existed in the grimy urban sprawl of Southern California. As a result, creative director Patrick Clair also takes this season’s main-title sequence closer to home, harking back to season one’s innovative opening sequence, which turned Clair into a sensation and won him an Emmy.
True Detective's season one opening theme is "Far from Any Road", an alternative country song originally composed by The Handsome Family for their 2003 album Singing Bones.
/ the handsome family - ...
Leonard Cohen's "Nevermind" is the season two opening theme, which is a song from Cohen's 2014 album Popular Problems. The theme song's lyrics change with every episode, incorporating different verses from Cohen's song.
/ @leonardcohen
The opening theme of the third season is the song "Death Letter" written by Son House and performed by Cassandra Wilson from her 1995 album New Moon Daughter. “Death Letter” (sometimes called “Death Letter Blues”) features a speaker mourning the death of a woman he loves that he learns about via letter. The song is one of the most covered folk songs ever. Modern listeners may be most familiar with The White Stripes’ rendition.
/ @ojahmediagroup
While the pop artist recently won a Golden Globe alongside her brother FINNEAS for the Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?”, her single “Bury A Friend” seems to have been made perfectly for the anthology crime drama, according to showrunner Issa López.
While speaking with IndieWire, López said the 2019 song - which was released as part of Eilish’s album WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? - is “such a dark, moody, fun, sinister little song that [she] thought it could absolutely work” as the musical backdrop for the show’s Season 4 intro.
• Billie Eilish - bury a...