THE WORKS OF DAVID FINCHER
Fincher is one of today's finest directors, with a collection of great films that have grown to be cults especially when it comes to his visual style and storytelling techniques. Before I had started film school I had watched very few of Fincher's films (1 or 2 to be precise) and I loved them because they were not only visually beautiful but the stories he told were also interesting. Fast forward to my time in film school, Fincher has grown to be my best director especially when it comes to his use of excellent cinematography and color grading and how it relates to the story he tells.
Fincher is not only good in the creative side of his film making but the technical as well. He's believed to be one of the initial directors to embrace technology in his film making from an early stage of his career such as use of visual effects for his commercial and music videos. Fincher was also one of the directors to quickly adapt to the digital film making process from digital post production (in the times of film) to full time digital cinematography and post - production.
As I noted above, there are several reasons I love the works of David Fincher but it's very easy to love a director at his prime time; a period were his films are well known and have gained a following. Most of us love directors but we never tend to care much were they come from creatively/artistically. This might not be much of a need for a general cinephile or admirer but it is very important for film makers especially when one wants to understand how a director's earlier works affect his modern ones.
It's very important to understand where a certain director comes from. His earlier career and his journey to the big screen. The challenges they face, the process that went into the creation of their visual and creative style and how they've grown as film makers in the process. I understand it may not be easy to find the earlier works of some directors especially when it comes to commercials and music videos (in the case of David Fincher) but video essays have revolutionized the way people learn about film and filmmakers these days. Below, I'll post 2 parts of a series of video essays discussing the works of David Fincher from his humble beginnings to his time as a feature film director. Enjoy.
Courtesy of Raccord on Vimeo
Courtesy of Raccord on Vimeo
Courtesy of Raccord on Vimeo
Courtesy of Raccord on Vimeo
The series isn't complete yet and so I'll keep adding the videos as they come out, be sure to check in for more or follow Raccord's page on Vimeo to get updates when the others are released. I'll also post some other video essays and tributes on Fincher's works for you to enjoy for now.
Courtesy of Tony Zhou on Vimeo
Courtesy of The Art of the Title on Vimeo
Courtesy of Artem Chudinov on Vimeo