David Fincher is a cinematic obsessive. His films are executed with aesthetic precision, and his characters are detectives, calculated killers, and geniuses doggedly pursuing their goals with a relentlessness that matches the filmmaker himself.
Known for utilizing multiple takes until he gets the right one, Fincher is a detail-oriented creator and has devoted his craft to seamlessness and perfection. In a video essay by kaptainkristian, the focus on Fincher’s work is scrutinized to the last drop of blood, literally. Lifting the CGI vale over films like “Zodiac” and “The Social Network,” lies a greater appreciation for the scrutiny with which Fincher treats his own work.
“The Social Network” alone has 1,000 visual effects shots, more than Gareth Edwards 2014 “Godzilla.” This is all in order to get the best quality final cut, with Fincher finding room for visual effects where audiences may least expect. In “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” the video essay delineates how the director super-imposes Rooney Mara‘s face as Lisbeth Salander onto the helmet/face of the motorcycle stunt driver. Fincher could have easily allowed the stunt driver to act in the place of Lisbeth; wearing the helmet and concealing their face saving time and money. But the narrative suggests Lisbeth is in a hurry; she’s impulsive and precarious. The hyper-detailed, visually oriented image serves the breathless story Fincher is trying to tell.
Fincher’s latest project, “Mindhunter” hits Netflix on Friday and we’ll undoubtedly see more of this craftsmanship on display.