Director Study - David Fincher

David Fincher is a music and film diector, he is best know for his dark stylistic thrillers. After leaving Ashland High School in Oregon, Fincher did not go straight into directing film school but entered the film industry by getting a job at Korty Films, a film production company,  where he loaded cameras and did other hands on work.

David Fincher says he was first inspired by the 1969 film Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. The film is an adventure biographical film of the train/bank robber Robert LeRoy Parker better known as Butch Cassidy. 

Fincher has worked with various recording artists directing music videos for Madonna, Billy Idol, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson. 

David Fincher's most noted awards in his time directing music videos and Express Yourself and Vogue both songs by Madonna. Express Yourself was the first time Fincher and Madonna collaborated together, the video was nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards, in 1989 winning Three; Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Art Direction.

 The Vogue music video was nominated for nine MTV video music awards in 1990, making it Madonna's most nominated. The video came away with three awards; Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. 

Fincher was also awarded a Grammy for his music video Love is strong by The Rolling Stones. 

Fincher has also made a number of commercials, for Coca Cola, Nike, Converse, Hieneken, Levi's, and Phone companies. 

This advert for Coca Cola has a Ridely Scott Blade Runner feel to it, with the way it set in a Japanese future. 

This advert for Levi's shows David Fincher's unique style and use of an urban environment and night and lighting. 

This Hieneken advert features Brad Pitt, one of Finchers favourite actors and features in a number of Fincher's films. 

David Fincher has now moved on to making feature films, building a good reputation for himself with many of his films have been nominated for Awards. The five films I am going to focus on are; Seven, The Game, Panic Room, Fight Club, and Zodiac. All of these film fall into the thriller genre and a good examples of showing Finchers style. 

Se7en - 1995

Two detectives, one newly transfered the other soon to retire, work together on a case. A serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins in picking his victims.

• A thriller film, with elements of horror and neo-noir
• Seven was released on September 22, 1995
• In it's opening weekend it grossed $13.9 million in 2,441 cinemas
• It went on to gross $100.1 million in North America and $227.1 million in the rest of the world. That's a total of $327.3 million
• This made Se7en the seventh-highest grossing film in 1995
• The Film was Nominated for the Oscar of Best Film Editing, 1996
• Awards for Se7en
  

  Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
  1996	Won	ASCAP Award	Top Box Office Films
  1996	Nominated	Oscar	Best Film Editing
  1996	Won	Saturn Award	Best Make-Up  Best Writing
  1996	Nominated	Saturn Award	Best Action/Adventure  Film  Best Actor  Best Director  Best Music  Best Supporting Actress
  1996	Nominated	ASC Award	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
  1997	Nominated	Award of the Japanese Academy	Best Foreign Language Film
  1996	Nominated	BAFTA Film Award	Best Screenplay - Original
  1997	Won	Blue Ribbon Award	Best Foreign Language Film
  1995	Nominated	Best Cinematography Award	Darius Khondji
  1996	Won	CFCA Award	Best Cinematography
  1996	Nominated	CFCA Award	Best Actor
  2001	Nominated	Video Premiere Award	Best DVD Audio Commentary  Best DVD Menu Design
  1997	Won	Empire Award	Best Actor
  1996	Won	International Fantasy Film Award	Best Film  Best Screenplay
  1999	Won	Golden Trailer	Best of the Decade
  1996	Won	Hochi Film Award	Best Foreign Language Film
  1996	Nominated	Image Award	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture
  1997	Nominated	IHG Award	Best Movie
  1997	Won	ALFS Award	Actor of the Year
  1995	2nd place	LAFCA Award	Best Cinematography  Best Music
  1996	Won	MTV Movie Award	Best Movie  Best Villian  Most Desirable Male
  1996	Nominated	MTV Movie Award	Best On-Screen Duo
  1995	Won	NBR Award	Best Supporting Actor
  1996	2nd place	NSFC Award	Best Supporting Actor
  1995	Won	NYFCC Award	Best Supporting Actor
  2001	Nominated	OFCS Award	Best DVD  Best DVD Commentary  Best DVD Special Features
  1996	Won	Universe Reader's Choice Award	Best Horror Film
  1995	Won	STFC Award	Best Supporting Actor

The Game - 1997

A film were a wealth business man is brought into a live-action game that takes over his life. 

• The film is a psychosocial thriller.
• The Game was released on the 12th September 1997
• In it's opening weekend it grossed $14.3 million in 2,403 cinemas 
• It went on to gross $48.3 million in North America and $61.1 million in the rest of the world. That's a world total of $109.4 million. 
• Was nominated for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film at the Saturn Awards. 
• Though the film did not win the Saturn Award, it received a good reception from the critics. 

Fight Club -1999

A man suffering form insomnia and a mystery soap maker form an under ground club where people come to fight, this soon escalates into a violent revulsion.

• Fight Club was released 1999
• In it's opening weekend it grossed $11 million in 1,963 cinemas
• In went on to gross $37 million in North America and $63.8 in the rest of the world. That's a total of $100.8 million
• Awards for Fight Club

Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2000	Nominated	Oscar	Best Effects, Sound  Effects Editing
2000	Nominated	Brit	Best Soundtrack
2000	Nominated	CDG Award	Excellence in Costume  Design for Film -       Contemporary
2001	Nominated	Video Premiere Award	Best DVD Overall Original Supplemental Material
2000	Won	Empire Award	Best British Actress
2000	Nominated	Sierra Award	Best DVD  Best Editing
2000	Nominated	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing - Effects & Foley
2001	Won	OFCS Award	Best DVD  Best DVD Commentary  Best DVD Special Features
2000	Nominated	OFCS Award	Best Actor  Best Director  Best Film  Best Film Editing  BestScreenplay, Adapted
2000	Nominated	PFS Award	Democracy
2000	3rd place	SEFCA Award	Best Screenplay, Adapted

Panic Room - 2002

A  woman and her teenage daughter become imprisoned in the panic room of their own house by 3 criminals.

• Panic Room was released March 18, 2002
• In it's opening weekend it grossed $30 million in 3,053 cinemas 
• In total the film grossed 96.4 million in North America and $100 million in the rest of the world. That's a world total of $196.4 million
• Panic Room was nominated for; Young Artist Award - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress, OFCS Award -  Best Editing,  Golden Reel Award  - Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features, Golden Trailer - Best Horror/Thriller, Black Reel – (Theatrical )Best Supporting Actor, Excellence in Production Design Award -  Contemporary Film and the Saturn Award -  Best Actress 
• Panic Room Won, ASCAP Award - Top Box Office Films

Zodiac - 2007

A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer.

• Zodiac was released march 2, 2007
• In it's opening weekend it grossed $13.3 million
• In North America it totalled $33 million and $51 million in the rest of the world. That's a world total of $84 million.
• Zodiac was nominated for 27 Awards in various categories.

Features Fincher uses; 

• Fincher has used Brad Pitt in 3 of his films to date
• Typical genres are dark drama, pyschological thrillers and crime
• Voice over - The Social Network, Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Down beat endings
• Low angle shots
• Tracking