Monday 13 October 2014

David Fincher - And the Other Way is Wrong

“There’s a million ways to do a David Fincher video." 

Tony Zhou says, "No. Just two. And the other way is wrong."
For sheer directorial craft, there are few people working today who can match David Fincher. And yet he describes his own process as “not what I do, but what I don’t do.” Join me today in answering the question: What does David Fincher not do?



1 comment:

Unknown said...

Tony Zhou makes wonderful intelligent analytical movies about movies.

Filmmakers can express themselves in the smallest details of a scene.

David Fincher cares about information. In his world, drama happens when a character learns a new piece of information.

• Does not do handheld much, and never for people with power in the scene.
• Avoids sense of human being operating camera. Camera omniscient, has no personality.
• Doesn’t cut to close up unless he needs to. Every time you go to close up, it’s telling the audience it’s important. Keeps them brief.
• Never moves camera if he can help it.

2 people in a room talking isn’t inherently cinematic, but drama is. Mr Fincher varies shot sizes, angles, looks near eye line, when characters finally face each other, and saves close up for the end. The entire talk is staged for the camera.

Also uses emptiness in frame, such as chair with no one in it.