Category: 1999. Fight Club

VFX Notes: Fight Club 25th Anniversary. CGI, photogrammetry, fat suits and soap

Hugo Guerra & Ian Failes
October 15, 2022
Hugo’s Desk / befores & afters

David Fincher’s glorious, mysterious, spectacular Fight Club has just turned 25! A new VFX Notes episode with Hugo Guerra and Ian Failes looks back at the film, and breaks down the incredible, invisible visual effects work.

We dive deep into the photogrammetry side of things from BUF, and look at the variety of work from Digital Domain, the penguin from Blue Sky (!), plus VFX from other vendors. It was an extraordinary achievement from visual effects designer Kevin Tod Haug to oversee this work.

Check out the video below which includes a whole range of behind the scenes and VFX breakdowns.

Chapters:
00:00:00: Intro
00:00:40: A word from our sponsors
00:01:50: The podcast begins
00:04:52: Our first viewing of FIGHT CLUB
00:11:56: The DVD is like film school
00:28:47: Jeff Cronenweth and the visual style
00:37:23: The manny takes of Fincher
00:41:27: Kevin Tod Haug’s amazing work
00:43:20: It would be nominated if it was today
00:45:24: Shaders and radiosity
00:48:03: Photogrammetry and BUF
00:53:07: Previz
00:57:08: The virtual camera moves like the kitchen scenes
01:00:45: BUF VFX and the sex shots
01:06:19: The age of CG tests
01:09:48: The plane crash
01:13:48: High rise collapse
01:21:49: Having fewer artists for a longer time
01:23:49: Peter Ramnsey’s animatics
01:24:23: The cave animal
01:27:08: One of the first behind the scenes featuring HDR spheres and grey balls
01:31:03: The Titanic breath leftovers
01:33:15: The gunshot
01:37:14: The Furni shot
01:39:44: The opening credits
01:45:43: Meat Loaf’s Fat Suit
01:50:00: Members and Patreon credits

Watch the “age-restricted” Fight Club VFX breakdown by BUF:
YouTube
BUF.com

Holt McCallany Answers Every Question We Have About “Fight Club”

By Roxana Hadadi, a Vulture TV critic who also covers film and pop culture
October 16, 2024
Vulture

Holt McCallany can talk for a long time about filmmaker David Fincher, with whom he’s worked three times. On the beloved crime-thriller series Mindhunter, which was unexpectedly canceled by Netflix after its second season. On Alien 3, the prison-planet sequel that was Fincher’s directorial debut and so plagued with interference from 20th Century Fox that Fincher wouldn’t talk about the movie for years. And on Fight Club, the cult classic that has been misinterpreted in bad faith since it came out 25 years ago. McCallany can mimic Fincher’s tone and jokingly recites his advice from years on set together. And he can just as vividly recall a grudge he’s harbored since the movie’s release.

“I remember sitting in a dentist’s office, and the TV happened to be The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She’s talking about Fight Club and she says, ‘Whatever you do, don’t see Fight Club. It’s demented, it’s depraved. I don’t think I’ve ever hated a movie more.’ I’m thinking, Gee, Rosie. Do we go on TV and bad-mouth your show? Is this really necessary, this kind of abuse?” McCallany says. “It angered me. I won’t pretend otherwise, because we were very proud of the film, we had worked very hard on the film, and we were very loyal to David.”

In Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, McCallany plays The Mechanic, a devoted follower of anarchist philosopher Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) whose unflinching glare and menacing physicality are always in service of Durden’s anti-consumerist ideas. McCallany exudes such certainty of self that once you notice the Mechanic cheering in the background of fight scenes, doing chores in The Narrator (Edward Norton) and Durden’s dilapidated mansion, or threatening to “take” a police commissioner’s testicles with a knife, you’ll keep looking for him, wondering what those wild eyes and set jaw are getting up to. The Mechanic tightened McCallany’s relationship with Fincher (who had previously wanted him for a small role in Se7en), and his melancholy-yet-adamant delivery of the film’s iconic mantra — “His name was Robert Paulson” — indicated how fully he could inhabit heavies with a heart.

Read the full interview

With Your Feet in the Air and Your Head on the Ground

I am Travis’ Essay on Love, Sex, Masculinity, and Fight Club

Travis Woods
March 2024
Bright Wall/Dark Room: Issue 129: 1999


A dark room. Two bodies in the center, colliding beneath the amber haze of a single hanging light bulb.

The first rule of watching Fight Club is: the film is not misogyny-pumped propaganda for incels.

All you can hear are flat, hard packing sounds over yelling.

The second rule of watching Fight Club is: the film is NOT misogyny-pumped propaganda for incels.

Muscles ripple. Lips pull back from teeth like swollen window shades. 

Third rule of watching Fight Club: it’s not an anti-capitalist tract; it’s not really a consumer critique.

The wet choke of a gasp. Snorting bull-breath plumes of carbon dioxide exhale from one face into another.

Fourth rule: it’s not even an indictment of white-collar workplace drudgery at the end of the 20th century.

An arm wraps around a neck from behind, the crude approximation of a desperate headlock.

Fifth rule: it’s not a movie in support of anarchism, fascism, terrorism, or any other –ism.

That arm slips upward from all the sweat and the momentum, catching the other’s lip, hard.

Sixth rule: of all things, it’s a film about taking responsibility.

That lip bursts. An arc of spit, braided with a little bit of blood, sprays out into the darkness in a bubbly pink froth. For some reason, they both think of soap when they see this. And smile.

Seventh rule: it’s about a boy terrified of a girl, and of what she might mean for him. Mean to him.

The two bodies fall back down onto the sweat-softened mattress as one. This rawboned man, this bedraggled woman. She pretzels her legs around his hips, his laughing mouth is pulled to hers.

And the eighth and final rule of watching Fight Club: this is a fucking love story.

Read the full essay

Dave Macomber, Stunt Coordinator: Visualising a Fight for David Fincher, Unreal Engine & VFX

Hollywood Stunt Coordinator & VFX Artist Dave Macomber discusses pre-visualizing the fight sequence for David Fincher’s The Killer and his new Unreal Engine project.

Jamie Bakewell
April 11, 2024
The VFX Process (Bigtooth Studios)

Dave Macomber is an award-winning stunt/fight coordinator and second-unit director in the film industry. With a passion for Visual Effects (VFX), Dave seamlessly incorporates VFX elements into his stunt visualizations, providing a comprehensive template for directors and the rest of the crew.

Having worked on iconic blockbusters like Transformers, HBO‘s Watchmen, and numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Dave’s expertise shines through. Just a glance at his IMDB page showcases his impressive portfolio.

In his latest project for David Fincher‘s The Killer, Dave coordinated a gripping 6-minute fight sequence shot mostly in darkness. Join him as he shares insights into working with David Fincher, revealing that Fincher is an extremely collaborative director, and how his background as a VFX artist dictates his approach to photographing sequences in his movies.

‘Killer vs Brute’ exemplifies Dave’s mastery in delivering high-impact action sequences. Even though the scene turned out to be a success, Dave states that it was “the most intimidating thing I’ve ever done in my career.”

Venturing into Unreal Engine filmmaking during his spare time, Dave’s creativity knows no bounds. Last year, he unveiled The Ronin, his first Unreal Engine short film, showcasing a fight scene performed entirely by himself, using Rokoko Motion Capture technology. Now, with The Widow: Assassins Highway, Dave enlists a team of Marvel stunt performers to help him capture the stunts and elevate the action.

This episode offers a captivating glimpse into the VFX pipeline, the Hollywood stunt process, and Unreal Engine filmmaking.

Listen to the extended version of the conversation as a podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify

Follow The VFX Process (Bigtooth Studios): Website, YouTube, Instagram, Ex-Twitter, Discord, Linkedin

Follow Dave Macomber: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter

How Laray Mayfield Became Director David Fincher’s Go-to Casting Director

Neil Turitz
March 1, 2024
Casting Networks

Laray Mayfield got into casting the way a lot of other professionals got into it, by accident.

She was doing another job and someone said, “Hey, you should do this,” and once she did, it stuck. That’s not an unusual story. What makes this unusual is that the person who told her is arguably the best American filmmaker working today, David Fincher, with whom she’s been working for nearly 40 years.

Mayfield has since built an impressive career, with an Emmy award for the first season of House of Cards and two Artios awards —the highest honor the Casting Society offers— to her name. Her latest collaboration with Fincher, The Killer, is streaming on Netflix. She spoke with us from her home in Nashville.

Read the full interview

Why “Shot On iPhone” Commercials Look So Good! Ft. Claudio Miranda

Gene Nagata
February 5, 2024
Potato Jet

Huge Shoutout to Claudio Miranda & the Crew.

Claudio Miranda, Director of Photography, ASC ACC: Instagram
Josh Davis, Gaffer
Yong Ok Lee, Production Designer
Robert Smathers, 1st AC
Angie Su, Director

Phone rigged by TILTA Khronos (still in development) but will be available publicly soon.

In Conversation: David Fincher and The Crew of “The Killer” in New York

Tomris Laffly
October 28, 2023

David Fincher discusses the making of The Killer with Sound Designer Ren Klyce, Editor Kirk Baxter, and Writer Andrew Kevin Walker, after the screening for the press in New York. Hosted by Tomris Laffly.

(Video clips recorded with a phone from the audience, with not very good audio and, for some reason, with each video clip edited in twice).

David Fincher at The Cinémathèque Française: “Zodiac” Screening and Q&A

Audrey Odori

Frédéric Bonnaud, Director of the Cinémathèque française
Anaïs Duchet, Interpreter
October 14, 2023
Cinémathèque Française

The Cinémathèque Française (French Cinematheque) hosted a David Fincher Retrospective from October 13 to 22, 2023, in Paris (France).

Supported by Netflix, Patron of the Cinémathèque, it opened with a preview screening of The Killer followed by a Q&A with Director David Fincher, and Director of Photography Erik Messerschmidt, ASC.

The next day, a screening of Zodiac was followed by a discussion with the director about the film and his career, “David Fincher par David Fincher, une leçon de cinéma” (“David Fincher by David Fincher, a lesson in cinema”).

Holt McCallany Talks to David Fincher about “The Iron Claw” and the Role of a Lifetime

By David Fincher
December 29, 2023
Interview

After casting Holt McCallany in Alien 3 and later in Fight Club in the types of tough-guy roles that have largely defined his four-decade career, David Fincher finally let the 60-year-old actor showcase his softer side as FBI agent Bill Tench in Netflix’s psychological thriller Mindhunter. It was that performance, in which McCallany was able to balance steely professionalism and quiet melancholy, that earned him a meeting with director Sean Durkin, who was looking for the right person to play the patriarch of the Von Erich clan in The Iron Claw, his biopic of the legendary Texas wrestling dynasty. As Fritz Von Erich, a loving but severe father who pushed his four sons (played by Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons) beyond their limits—often with tragic results—McCallany is earning the best reviews of his career, and even, to his own shock, some Oscar buzz. As he told Fincher over Zoom a couple of weeks ago, he’s still letting it all sink in.

DAVID FINCHER: Hey Holtster! How have you been?

HOLT MCCALLANY: I’ve been great David, because there were a couple of articles, one in Variety, one in Vulture, that picked me as somebody who could get a possible Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actor, even though it’s going to be a very tough year.

Read the full interview

Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich. By Devin Yalkin

Variety Awards Circuit Podcast: Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”) and Holt McCallany (“The Iron Claw”)

Clayton Davis
December 14, 2023
Variety

Also on this episode, “The Iron Claw” actor Holt McCallany talks about playing the legendary wrestler Fritz Von Ehrich in Sean Durkin’s powerful new drama. He discusses coming to peace with many of his scenes that were cut from the film, and what we can expect from his upcoming directorial effort “The Star Maker” after getting script notes from David Fincher.

A quintessential “that guy” performer in the eyes of most audience members, this veteran character actor boasts over 80 credits in a three-decade career, including turns in “Nightmare Alley” and Netflix’s “Mindhunter.” As the hardened patriarch of a family of pro wrestlers in A24’s sports drama, McCallany exudes an intense and thorny power, expertly revealing the dangers of a particular form of pressurized ambition. It’s a performance that’s reminiscent of J.K. Simmons Oscar-winning turn as the abusive music teacher in “Whiplash.”

The Signature Moves of David Fincher

Adam Schoales, video producer/editor
October 27, 2023
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

From his earliest days working for ILM on Return of the Jedi; to his countless music videos for stars like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and The Rolling Stones; to his groundbreaking big-screen adaptations, there’s no one with an eye quite like David Fincher. But how does he do it (apart from doing over 100 takes)? Through his use of razor-sharp precision; his omniscient and unencumbered camerawork; his pitch-black comedy; and the recognition that deep down people are perverts.

Films Included: The Social Network (2010), Alien3 (1992), SE7EN (1995), Zodiac (2007), Mank (2020), Panic Room (2002), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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