Author: Leonard Zelig

David Fincher and the genre-bending return of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS

Scott Huver
Photos: Charley Gallay (Getty Images/Netflix)
May 5, 2025
Gold Derby

“For my money, it’s like LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS should be anything. Anything that you can’t figure out where else it goes,” legendary filmmaker David Fincher mused about the unconventional, sci-fi/cyberpunk-flavored Netflix (mostly) animated anthology series. It’s as apt a description as any for the ambitious, experimental, and genre-bending project, now launching its fourth season.

“Creativity happens on the fringe,” said Fincher — the director behind boundary-pushing cinematic classics like Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, Gone Girl, and Zodiac. Speaking on stage at the LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS season premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, he was joined by fellow executive producer Tim Miller (Deadpool) and supervising producer Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3), and the host, director Guillermo del Toro. “It always does, and it always takes somebody — it has to be these weird flyers out there — to inform where the industry is going to go. So we’re just going to be out there.”

“Out there” also aptly describes Fincher’s contribution to the new season as a director. Having launched his career as an in-demand music video director for top artists in the ’80s and ’90s — including Madonna, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Sting, George Michael, Aerosmith, Nine Inch Nails, and Paula Abdul — Fincher returned to those roots to helm Can’t Stop. The dynamic, fully CGI-animated short features the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing their 2002 hit at an Irish castle—as marionettes on strings.

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The event was recorded by Netflix, so a video should be available soon.

LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 4 Premiere Red Carpet Interviews

May 5, 2025

Featuring Directors Till Miller, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Patrick Osborne, Emily Dean, Robert Bisi & Andy Lyon, and Voice Actors Emily O’Brien, and Sumalee Montano.

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS Vol. 4 Red Carpet Interview
The Movie Couple

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS VOLUME IV Premiere! Tim Miller, Emily O’Brien, Sumalee Montano, and more!
Temple of Geek

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS Vol. 4 Premiere: MR. BEAST’s Episode (Snyder Connection & Sonic 4)!
Mama’s Geeky

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS Season 4 Cast and Creatives on AI & How They’d Expand the Title
The Direct Extras

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS: Tim Miller & Cast Break Down Epic Volume 4 Episodes
Screen Rant Plus

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS: Tim Miller

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS: Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Emily Dean, & Patrick Osborne

LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS: Sumalee Montano, Feodor Chin, & Emily O’Brien

That Hashtag Show
May 17, 2025

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.

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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

VFX Producer
Ross Culligan

VFX Co-Ordinator
Lena Almeida

Digital Matte Painter Artists
Jordan Haynes, Carlos Nieto, Grant Bonser

Proschetic / SFX
Anarchy Ltd. (UK)

SFX Supervisor
Dannielle Boyne

SFX Technicians
Hannah Cooper, Olivia Loughton

Production Company
RESET

Managing Director
Dave Morrison

Director
Romain Chassaing

Co-Director
David Fincher

Director of Photography
Jeff Cronenweth, ASC

Production Designer
David Bersanetti

Art Director
Caroline Soussen

Executive Producer
Jen Beitler

Line Producer
Ash Lockmun

Production Service
B2Y Productions, Bulgaria

Service Producer
Simeon Vasilev

Production Manager
Ivanina Burneva

Editorial
Cut+Run

Editor
Paul Watts

Assistant Editors
Roman Kuznets, Eli Beck-Gifford

Executive Producer
Ellese Shell

Head of Production
Marcia Wigley

Sound
WAVE Studios

Sound Designer & Mixer
Aaron Reynolds

Sound Producer
Eleni Giannopoulos

Executive Producer
Vicky Ferraro

Music
APM Music

Xbox helps you flee the rat race in cinematic spot directed by David Fincher and Romain Chassaing

Droga5’s ‘Wake Up’ film aims to recapture the glory days of gaming ads two decades ago.

Sabrina Sanchez
April 10, 2025
AdAge

Here’s How 1920 Created the Xbox Rat Race for David Fincher & Romain Chassaing

April 15, 2025
STASH

LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 4: Official Teaser, Poster, First Stills & Release Date

There will be 10 original shorts in the new volume.

April 9, 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.

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

Time for your fourth dose:

Poster by Neil Kellerhouse

EXTREMING May 15, 2025, only on Netflix.

Love, Death + Robots Is Fully Charged for Volume 4

Stephan Lee
Netflix Tudum

Read the series guides:

2019. LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 1

2021. LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 2

2022. LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 3

Netflix’s Origin Story: How the Streamer Killed Blockbuster Video, Snagged ‘House of Cards’ From HBO, and Changed Hollywood Forever

Brent Lang
March 20, 2025
Variety

“No late fees.”

When Netflix launched as a DVD rental service in 1998, that was its most effective pitch to potential customers — an unmistakable reference to the thing that people hated the most about Blockbuster. With more than 9,000 locations, Blockbuster was the biggest video rental chain in the world, but it was alienating members because its profits came from charging hefty fines for movies that weren’t returned on time.

“It was an obvious sore spot,” Reed Hastings, Netflix’s co-founder, says. “People loved renting movies and watching them at home, but the late fee became the symbol of everything painful about that model. So we decided to create something different.”

Netflix didn’t just do away with late fees by allowing customers to keep movies for as long as they wanted. It offered subscribers unlimited rentals for a monthly flat fee. As a bonus, it delivered DVDs directly to customers’ homes, eliminating the hassle of having to drive to the local Blockbuster to scour aisle after aisle of movies in search of something to watch.

That gamble paid off. Twenty-eight years after it debuted with little fanfare, Netflix, now under the leadership of Hastings’ successors, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, dominates Hollywood. Its market cap of $392.68 billion surpasses those of Disney, Warner Bros., Discovery, Paramount Global, and Comcast combined.

Reed Hastings on Ted Sarandos committing to spending $100 million on House of Cards, picking the show up for an unheard-of two seasons, before a pilot had even been shot, and agreeing not to give David Fincher any notes and guaranteeing him full creative control:

“I wasn’t comfortable with it. It seemed perilously aggressive to me, just on the edge of reckless. We’d been working together for a decade, so I’d come to trust Ted’s instincts. But they were definitely not my instincts.”

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SE7EN & How 35mm Scans Lie to You

February 24, 2025
WatchingtheAerial (YouTube)

Inside the world of amateur 35mm scans and why they can’t be trusted.

Timestamps:

00:00: SE7EN’s Many Versions
01:43: What are 35mm Print Scans?
03:49: The Problems with 35mm Scans
04:23: Print Inconsistencies
07:56: Degradation
11:10: Scanning & Editing Bias
13:59: Final Thoughts

Music by Tyler Ford.

Follow and support WatchingtheAerial: YouTube, Ex-Twitter, Letterboxd, Patreon

Links & Sources

Se7en’s 4K Remaster:

What are 35mm Print Scans?

Print Inconsistencies:

Degradation:

Biased Scanning & Editing:

Awards Chatter Podcast: Jesse Eisenberg on “A Real Pain,” Acting vs. Writing, and “The Social Network”

The Oscar-nominated writer (he’s a finalist for his semi-autobiographical original screenplay about a transformative trip to Poland) and actor (2010’s The Social Network) talks to THR about his life and career.

Scott Feinberg
January 28, 2025
The Hollywood Reporter

Jesse Eisenberg is the guest on the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporters Awards Chatter podcast. The 41-year-old actor, writer and director is best known for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s 2010 masterpiece The Social Network. Fourteen years after receiving an best actor Oscar nomination for that performance, the former child actor is an Oscar nominee again, this time for the original screenplay that he wrote for a 2024 film that he also directed and stars in, A Real Pain.

The semi-autobiographical drama is about two very different cousins — one “successful” but anxious, played by him, the other struggling but charming, played by Kieran Culkin — who travel together to Poland to pay tribute to their beloved late grandmother. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where Eisenberg was recognized with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and at which its U.S. distribution rights were acquired for $10 million by Searchlight, which released it on Nov. 1, 2024. It has since garnered rave reviews — it’s at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes — and has grossed $16.4 million worldwide.

Over the course of a conversation at the Los Angeles offices of The Hollywood Reporter, Eisenberg reflected on how a shy and socially-awkward kid wound up on the stage and the screen in the first place, in films such as 2002’s Roger Dodger, 2005’s The Squid and the Whale and 2009’s Adventureland; what led him to begin writing, even as his acting career took off thanks to the commercial success of 2009’s Zombieland and 2010’s The Social Network, and why he shifted from penning scripts in the mold of Adam Sandler comedies to more personal material; how A Real Pain — the second feature that he wrote and directed, after 2022’s When You Finish Saving the World — essentially brings together ideas he first explored in other pieces that he wrote years ago; plus much more.

Listen to the podcast

SE7EN Looks, Sounds, and Plays Better Than Ever 30 Years After Its Release

David Fincher’s breakthrough feature comes to 4K UHD in a new transfer supervised by the famously meticulous director, who finds his perfectionistic doppelgänger in the movie’s diabolical serial killer.

Jim Hemphill
January 7, 2025
IndieWire

When David Fincher directed SE7EN in 1995, his reputation was strangely bifurcated. On the one hand, he was a supremely successful commercial and music video director at the top of his field, having helmed innovative and influential shorts for icons including Madonna, Sting, and Rick Springfield. On the other, his one attempt at feature filmmaking, Alien3, had been a bust — a critical disappointment liked by virtually no one, including Fincher himself. Although it has since developed a bit of a cult following, Fincher disowned Alien3 and famously said that he’d rather die of colon cancer than direct another movie.

Luckily for him, and for us, Fincher changed his mind when he came across Andrew Kevin Walker‘s script for SE7EN, a perfectly calibrated blend of intellectual philosophizing and pulpy exploitation that ended up beautifully served by Fincher’s unerring ability to push the psychic trauma the story inflicted on the audience right up to the edge of what was tolerable without going over it. The premise — two cops (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) track a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the seven deadly sins — is the kind of sensationalistic high concept parodied by Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation, but the ingenuity of Walker’s construction and the Alan J. Pakula-inspired elegance of Fincher’s visual style turned what could have been sleazy trash into high art — without entirely forgoing the guilty pleasures of sleazy trash.

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