April 2025 – The Fincher Analyst

LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 4: Official Trailer, New Posters, New Stills & Episode Guide

April 24, 2025
Netflix

Dinosaur gladiators, messianic cats, string-puppet rock stars, it can only be LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS.

The fourth volume, presented by Tim Miller (Deadpool, Terminator: Dark Fate) and David Fincher (Mindhunter, The Killer), sees Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2, Kill Team Kill) return as supervising director for ten startling shorts showcasing the series’ signature, award-winning style of bleeding-edge animation, horror, sci-fi and humor. Buckle up.

Among the 10 shorts included in Volume 4 is an episode directed by David Fincher. The second short he has directed after Bad Travelling (Vol. 3) is titled Can’t Stop, and it is a throwback to his early work as a music video director. “A unique take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ legendary 2003 performance at Slane Castle, Ireland,” it features the band members as marionette puppets, with animation by Blur Studio.

Other shorts in this Volume directed by returning directors include Spider Rose by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, set in the fantastic cyberpunk universe of Swarm (Vol. 3). Oscar-winning Patrick Osborne directs two episodes: The Other Large Thing, about a cat plotting world domination, and Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners, about household tech that revolts. Tim Miller directs another two episodes: Golgotha, “a rare live-action entry” about “dolphin Jesus”, and The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur, set in an outer space gladiatorial arena where combatants ride genetically modified dinosaurs. And Robert Valley directs 400 Boys, about a post-apocalyptic city where warring gangs follow a bushido-like code of honor.

Read the Volume 4 Guide: 2025. LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 4

Click in the gallery below to view eleven brand-new stills:

And check out the new posters designed by Neil Kellerhouse:

EXTREMING May 15, 2025, only on Netflix.

AC Gallery: Gone Girl

“A” Camera Operator Peter Rosenfeld, David Fincher, and
Director of Photography Jeff Cronenweth (Merrick Morton)

A collection of stills and images from the making of David Fincher’s 2014 mystery drama.

Brian Kronner
April 14, 2025
American Cinematographer

Gone Girl was the fourth feature collaboration between director David Fincher and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC since 1999; Fight Club, The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being the other three. Additionally the pair worked together on multiple commercials and music videos, creating a working chemistry.

Their 2014 feature Gone Girl, for which Rosamund Pike earned a Best Actress nomination from the Academy, was deftly shot and flowed quicker than its 149-minute runtime would suggest, resulting in one of the best psychological thrillers of the 2000s.

The film was shot digitally on Red Dragon cameras, using Leitz Summilux-C lenses and “a fairly comprehensive lighting package,” which included ETC Source Fours, Mole-Richardson incandescents, and Arri M Series HMIs. Further details can be found in our cover story published in AC Nov. 2014.

In addition to Pike, the filmmakers rounded out the cast with Ben Affleck, Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Missi Pyle, Emily Ratajkowski, Casey Wilson, Boyd Holbrook, and Scoot McNairy.

Cronenweth’s chief lighting technician on this show was Erik Messerschmidt — now an ASC member whose feature credits as a cinematographer include Fincher’s Mank and The Killer.

What follows is a curated collection of unit photography by Merrick Morton, a founding member of the SMPSP who also shot stills for features including L.A. Confidential, Fight Club, Zodiac, and The Bad Batch, and the series Mindhunter.

View the full gallery

Xbox Commercial Directed by Romain Chassaing and Co-Directed by David Fincher

April 10, 2025
Xbox

In Xbox’s Wake Up, directed by Romain Chassaing and Co-Directed by David Fincher, a wonderfully off-beat fairy tale unfolds: Horatio, a rat, rekindles his humanity through the joy of gaming. We follow Horatio through a day in the rat race: a packed commute, the drudgery of the office, a rushed lunch at his desk. The mundanity is interrupted by glimpses of mysterious gamers—the only humans we see amongst the rats. After a long day, Horatio powers on his Xbox on his Samsung OLED TV and connects with his friends. A much-needed dose of fun transforms him into the human he always was.

Xbox – Wake Up (Short Version, 1:23)

Xbox – Wake Up (Long Version, 1:43)

Watch the Concept Designs and VFX Breakdown at 1920 vfx

Tagline
“What brings us joy, brings us back.”

CREDITS

Client
Xbox (Microsoft Gaming)

Partner
Samsung

Products
Xbox video gaming system and Samsung AI TVs

Title
Wake Up (Brand Trailer)

Agency
Droga5 (New York)

Chief Creative Officer
Scott Bell

Executive Creative Director
Tres Colacion, Giancarlo Rodas

Creative Director
Joseph Russomano, Temnete Sebhatu

Producer
Connor Hagan

Copywriters
Jared Schermer, Tomas Coleman

Post Production / VFX
1920 vfx

Colourist
Kai Van Beers

Creative Director
Ludo Fealy

VFX Supervisors
Ryan Hadfield, Chris King, Jorge Montiel Meurer, Chris Gill

VFX Artists
Adam Gramlick, Ahmed Ugas, Alejandro Marzo, Alex Rumsey, Andrea Umberto Origlia, Andreas Georgiou, David Rencsenyi, Eva Bennet, Joe Baker, Juan Francisco Saravi Migliore, Klaudia Skalska, Lewys Rhodes, Lucas Warren, Mattias Lullini, Miles Tomalin, Monika Lesiecka, Robert Lilley, Ross Gilbert, Sergio García Castro, Taylor Webber, Tom Cowlishaw, Joe Baker