Cold. Calculating. Nihilistic. Lurid. All of these descriptions have been used to describe the work of David Fincher. We’re all familiar with the smooth camera pans, the blue-grey color palette and the shocking moments of violence. What isn’t as familiar is a Fincher technique that molds all four of those qualities into one frame.
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This supercut, titled “David Fincher: From a Distance,” highlights wide shots that deliberately leave the character(s) smaller in the frame. Watching every film individually, it’s easy to get caught up in plot first and not notice the meticulous details until a second viewing. But when simply watching these wide shots from film to film in a short period of time, it’s easy to see Fincher’s nihilism in every shot, as well as just how insignificant these characters are in the larger picture, whether its Somerset failing to understand the mentality of the criminal in “Se7en,” Tyler Durden and The Narrator duking it out in the parking lot in “Fight Club,” Nick Dunne giving the stink eye to nosy reporters in “Gone Girl,” or seeing the wide open space in the field where no one can here the killer terrorize a couple in “Zodiac.”
It’s a fascinating study of an under-analyzed Fincher technique. Check out the video and let us know what you think.
