David Fincher - 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?

For educational purposes only.
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Hi, my name is Tony and
this is Every Frame a Painting.

One thing I find interesting about
filmmakers is that the more they direct,

the more they can express themselves in
the smallest details of a scene.

--What is it you want?

A lot of people think directors are distinguished by how they
shoot the big set pieces, the crazy oners, the really stylish stuff.

And yeah, these are the shots that get copied, and they
do give you a strong indication of someone’s vision.

But sooner or later, every filmmaker
goes back to scenes like this:

Two people in a room talking. Just about
the least cinematic thing there is.

And it’s scenes like this that tell
you what they really care about.

If I didn't need a medical officer, I would
let you within light years of this operation.

--I'm eternally grateful.
--Keep your sarcasm to yourself.

And David Fincher?
He cares about information.

Unlike many filmmakers,who try to avoid
exposition, sometimes Fincher does nothing but.

--The salt balance has to be just right,

so the best fat for making soap
comes from humans.

--Wait, what is this place?
--A liposuction clinic.

In his world, drama happens when a
character learns a new piece of information.

--Just down in the basement.

How does it fit with everything
they already know?

--Not many people have
basements in California.

And how do they react to learning
a little bit more of the truth?

--I do.

Fincher’s style is an extension of this idea and
it's interesting to hear him describe his process.

They know you can do
anything, so the question is:

What DON'T you do,
not what do you do.

So, what does David Fincher NOT do?

For one thing, handheld. Fincher is a
locked-down put-it-on-a-tripod filmmaker.

He hates handheld and
does it maybe once per film.

Dragon Tattoo has two scenes,
while Zodiac has one,

and The Social Network
has only this shot.

Se7en has the most handheld
of any Fincher film: five scenes.

-- Phone. Phone. Phone? Phone?

But even when he uses it,
notice how he designs around it.

The camerawork on the detectives
is shaky, while John Doe,

who has all the power in the scene,
is shot on a tripod, rock-solid.

--WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOOX?
--Not till you give me the gun.

--WHAT'S IN THE FUCKING BOX!
--Give me the gun.

--He just told you.

Another thing Fincher avoids is the sense
of a human being operating the camera.

At a time when many filmmakers are
deliberately adding camera shake

or mistakes to their shots to make it
seem like there was a person there,

Fincher is doing the opposite.

--I just love the idea of omniscience
the camera goes over here perfectly,

and it goes over there kinda perfectly

and it doesn’t have any personality
to it, it's very much like

what’s happening was doomed to happen.

Sometimes you can't tell whether a shot was
human-controlled, motion-controlled or CGI.

The final effect is ominous, like something
out of the Overlook Hotel.

He also doesn't cut to a
close-up unless he needs to.

Even though Fincher's close-ups and
inserts are really distinctive,

he rarely cuts in because...
--Every time you go to a close-up...

... the audience knows: "Look at this, this
is important." You have to be very, very

cautious and careful about when you
choose to do it.

In any given scene, he’ll only go to
the close-up for one or two moments.

And the more he’s directed,
the less often he’s done it.

--You'd have made a great
Secretary of State.

These moments gain power precisely
because he withholds the shot elsewhere.

And lastly, he never moves
the camera if he can help it.

--I wanted to present,
in as wide a frame,

and in as unloaded a
situation as possible,

as much of a kinda
simple proscenium way,

this is what’s going on,
this is what this guy sees.

--You don't pay attention.
--What is this?

So consider all these
restrictions he gives himself.

No handheld, no human operating, no unnecessary
close-ups, no unmotivated camera moves.

Now let’s give him a scene of just people
talking. Can he make it cinematic?

--Killer put a bucket beneath him,
kept on serving.

Coroner said this could have
gone on for more than 12 hours.

Oh yeah. Talking isn’t
cinematic but drama is.

This scene is about three people,
one standing, two sitting.

The first thing Fincher does is bring us
over here to listen to these two.

Just from shot sizes we can tell this is more important
to Somerset than to the chief, but neither will budge.

When the detective tries to drop the case...
--I’d like to be reassigned.

... we shift to a different angle
of the chief and of Somerset.

This is our clue that Mills
is trying to work his way in.

But Somerset, who’s looking nowhere
near the eyeline, ignores him.

When the younger detective cuts in:
--Hey man, you know, I'm right here,

--you can say that shit to my face.

We go back to this angle,
with Somerset finally facing him.

This puts the chief in a tough spot,
and he has to put his foot down.

--Give it to me.
--No I’m putting you on something else.

This is the only close-up of the chief in this scene and
Fincher saves it for the moment Mills gets totally dismissed.

So even without sound, you understand
the purpose of this scene.

Fincher has taken your eyes and brought
them here to see this drama,

here to see this one, and then
here for the final shutdown.

Three characters, three relationships,
all staged for the camera to see.

--I'm sorry, old buddy.

The next time these characters are together,
look how far away Mills is sitting.

But once Somerset starts
to explain his theory:

--Gluttony, greed

Fincher brings us over here to show them
looking at each other in the same frame.

Even though they don’t work
together for another 10 minutes,

it’s here that they begin
to respect each other.

You can actually watch Se7en and see
the progression of this relationship

in any shot that has
the two of them together,

ending with this one.
THAT is good directing.

And as Fincher has gotten older,
he’s actually gotten more subtle.

For instance, now he’s really good
at using emptiness in the frame.

So he’ll cut to a chair
with no one in it.

--Eduardo was the president of the Harvard Investors
Association and he was also my best friend.

or an empty space for an absent husband.

--That's too bad,
we're gonna talk about this.

And when is it gonna be finished?

He’ll build an entire scene to a moment
when someone looks into the lens, happy.

--I'm very glad to be here,
thank you for having me.

or terrified.
--Take care of yourself, Sam.

And he'll show us the inside
of someone's fridge.

It's true that Fincher has a reputation for being
uncompromising, shooting 50 or 60 or 99 takes of a scene.

--Double rainbow? Oh my God,
what does it mean?

At the same time, it’s great to watch
someone who’s actually good at their job.

Someone who can show the power
relationship change with a single cut.

--Kill the phones.

Someone who’s willing to let
this moment play in full...

... or just let us watch the characters
walk from point A to point B.

Even if you don't like Fincher, this is someof the best craft
in directing right now and it is absolutely worth studying.

--I'm not the Zodiac, and if I was,
I certainly wouldn't tell you.

And if you do like him,
here is what he thinks of you.

--I think people are perverts.

I've maintained that,
that's been..

that's the foundation of my career.