A pair of films shot by Erik Messerschmidt, ASC premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last August, and both were collaborations with leading directors: David Fincher’s The Killer and Michael Mann’s Ferrari. Messerschmidt recently spoke with AC from Spain about his work on each production.
The Killer | A Devil of a Job
Fincher and Messerschmidt didn’t discuss the look of The Killer as much as its tempo and structure.
Adapted from a graphic-novel series, the film follows a methodical, nameless assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) whose life spirals out of control after a job goes horribly wrong in Paris. He tries to restore a sense of order by punishing those responsible.
Messerschmidt won an Academy Award for Fincher’s Mank (AC Feb.’21), and his collaborations with the director span the Netflix series Mindhunter and the feature Gone Girl — with Messerschmidt serving as gaffer for Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (AC Nov. ’14) on the latter.
“David is fastidious,” he says. “He is very prepared, but very collaborative and considerate of what it is everyone’s bringing to the project. He shares his goals for the film with you, and he shares the techniques that he wants to use in a really elegant way. So, you begin to understand quite quickly what he’s looking to achieve on a given shot, a given scene or even on a given film.
“On this film, David was particularly interested in exploring The Killer’s state of mind through the camera’s perspective,” recalls Messerschmidt. “The Killer in his natural state is very much in control of his environment — nothing surprises him, and we wanted the audience to immediately connect to his confidence.”
Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt began his acclaimed collaboration with iconic director David Fincher as a gaffer on Fincher’s 2014 thriller Gone Girl. That initial introduction led to Messerschmidt lensing 16 episodes of the acclaimed Netflix crime drama Mindhunter for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. That close collaborative relationship with Fincher then morphed into Messerschmidt’s breakout moment as a celebrated cinematographer, his Oscar-winning lensing of Fincher’s 2020 Mank. His black-and-white cinematography not only echoed Gregg Toland’s Oscar-nominated work on Citizen Kane, but it also fully immersed viewers in 1940s cinema, a goal for the film that Messerschmidt shared with other Mank artisans.
Now, Messerschmidt again collaborates with Fincher on an entirely different project, Netflix’s The Killer. The film thrusts both artists into a modern day world of a hired assassin (Michael Fassbender) as he botches a hit job and travels across the world to seek retribution. Traditionally, when approaching a project of this caliber, Messerschmidt would prep a “lookbook,” a collection of photographs intended to outline visual references for multiple aspects of the filmmaking craft.
But with The Killer, Fincher and Messerschmidt approached things differently.
“In the past when I’ve worked with [Fincher], I have sent him lookbooks, we’ll have references, or we’ll start with paintings or photography or other movies. We didn’t do that on this movie. We talked about pacing and timing and scene structure and point of view,” Messerschmidt shared. “The aesthetics of the look of the movie ended up being born through the process of exploration and scouting and location selection. Even though the movie is stylistic, it all comes from a place of realism, and that was always the intent.”
To follow The Killer on his world-wide journey, Fincher segments the film into chapters. Not only does this structure echo the graphic novel roots of the story (the film is based on the French comic by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon), but it also sets the tone within the larger world of its edgy, pulp fiction ancestors. Given that structure, Messerschmidt faced unique lensing challenges as The Killer moves from chapter to chapter.
The two latest feature films lensed by Erik Messerschmidt, ASC have him once again in the awards season conversation–director Michael Mann’s Ferrari (Neon) which will debut in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25, and David Fincher’s The Killer (Netflix), which has been already released theatrically and is now streaming on Netflix.
This installment of The Road To Oscar will focus on The Killer, which continues a longstanding collaborative relationship between the cinematographer and Fincher. Messerschmidt is no stranger to Academy Award banter, having won a Best Cinematography Oscar in 2021 for Fincher’s Mank. The film also garnered ASC and BSC Award wins for Messerschmidt.
Fincher has played a prominent role in Messerschmidt’s career. It all started back when Messerschmidt served as a gaffer for cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, most notably on the Fincher-directed Gone Girl. During the course of that movie, Fincher had Messerschmidt do some promotional still work for Gone Girl and the two struck up a rapport. This eventually led to Messerschmidt becoming the DP on Fincher’s Mindhunter, the thriller series centered on an FBI agent’s quest to track down serial killers in the late 1970s. Messerschmidt in 2020 wound up garnering his first career Emmy nomination for his lensing of Mindhunter. He shot the lion’s share of Mindhunter episodes; the series represented his first major TV gig as his DP endeavors prior to that were primarily in commercials and other short-form fare. Fincher then further expanded Messerschmidt’s reach–first into the feature realm with Mank and then The Killer.
You wouldn’t think that Ren Klycewould have a whole lot more to learn about his job as a sound professional on movies. He’s been at it for nearly 30 years, going back to “Se7en” in 1995 and presiding as director David Fincher‘s designated sound guy ever since. He’s earned nine Academy Award nominations for his sonic work, including on Fincher’s “Fight Club,” “The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Mank.” And yet while discussing his latest collaboration with his favorite director, Netflix‘s “The Killer,” he asserts, “I learned a lot on this film. I think I learn every time. I always think, ‘Oh, I’m finally figuring out how to do my job.’ You get a new project and you realize that you’re learning a whole new set of skills. I like the idea that there’s still sort of a beginner mentality to the approach, and I think that’s actually a healthy way to do any type of work, honestly.”
Roman Polanski’s 1974 neo-noir Chinatown is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. In this episode, we’re joined by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt to discuss this masterpiece of cinema.
We start by talking to Erik about his passion for filmmaking and what led him to a career in cinematography. He shares how he was drawn to the camaraderie and creative collaboration of working on set. Over time, he realized the cinematographer role allowed him to blend his interests in art, science, and technology.
This year, he’s reunited with David Fincher for his adaptation of the graphic novel, The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender, and also teamed up with Michael Mann to shoot his racing biopic, Ferrari, starring Adam Driver.
When it comes to Chinatown, Erik praises the elegant camerawork and seamless visual storytelling. Polanski uses the camera deliberately, guiding the audience through clues and reveals without excessive dialogue. The mystery unfolds through precise editing and minimalist framing. We also discuss the phenomenal performances and how Polanski pulls back at key moments to ground the major plot turns.
Chatting with Erik gave us a new appreciation for the nuance and artistry of Chinatown. It’s a masterclass in subtle visual storytelling that inspired generations of filmmakers. Roman Polanski’s direction and Robert Towne’s script form a potent combination. We highly recommend revisiting this neo-noir gem.
The violence in The Killer isn’t indiscriminate, or extensive, but it has impact. And as much as Michael Fassbender’s hitman often works with a gun, sometimes things required more intimacy than that.
His journey to dispense his brand of justice takes him to Florida to find The Brute (Sala Baker), a mountainous fellow assassin. In the dead of night, he decides to steal into his house – when all hell breaks loose.
“The Brute represents somebody who may have done horrible things to somebody close to him,” says David Fincher, setting the scene. “He’s come to get his retribution. But I always loved the idea that everyone’s plan works… till you get punched in the face.”
The confrontation grows and grows and would require the utmost effort from the cast, stunt team and other heads of department. “It’s full on,” says Michael Fassbender, who does his fair share of stunt work himself, but is clear who is taking the major beating. “It’s the most physical [this sequence]. Not so much for me, as for the two boys. The fight is messy, it’s intense.”
Before battle could commence, the stage needed to be set. Producer William Doyle had found the exterior of The Brute’s house, while the interior was built in a studio space in New Orleans, with production designer Don Burt having to consider what was right for the character, the story and the stunts.
“The set was built in conjunction with the whole design of the fight itself,” says Burt. “There were a couple of instances, like, ‘Let’s put the door here, to the left instead of the right, so that works better for flowing through to the next room.”
Burt talks highly of fight coordinator Dave Macomber, who worked for months prior to the production to help design the conflict. “He did a video of the action, set up boxes to simulate the rooms and things that would have to be broken, and he would send us specific notes on what would happen.”
There was then time dedicated to a walkthrough rehearsal on the set. “Ceán [Chaffin, producer] made sure that happened early enough so there would be time for the art department to rebound!”
Alongside Burt and Macomber, cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt worked to establish the geography of the house for the audience. “We had to think about how to explain the space, while simultaneously shooting a fight scene,” says Messerschmidt, who points out how they carefully considered the staging with a view to story and commonsense, rather than amping the natural chaos of a fight.
This extended to how the scene was lit with a view to reality. “The sequence is hard, the camera is moving all over the place, the actors are moving all over the place, and it’s fast,” says Messerschmidt. “So we have to think about how we’re going to stage it for the light.”
This meant discussions with the art department about finding sources, from lights fitted under the kitchen cabinets, to establishing streetlights outside. “We decided we wanted hard, artificial street light through the windows,” says Messerschmidt, which meant erecting lights on the exterior location to match that. “In terms of the scope of the movie, a tremendous amount of energy went into just figuring out that fight.”
For fight coordinator Dave Macomber, whose stunt credits include HBO’s Watchmen (2019) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), working with Fincher was a unique experience. “He’s different from any other director I’ve worked with,” says Macomber. “His approach to things, all the intricacies, being able to do the number of set ups he does at the speed that he does.”
He regards the director as being able to predict, or foresee, elements which only become obvious to others in retrospect. “It takes a second to go, ‘Okay, he wants this in order to be able to achieve that!’ Most people only see that when they’re looking at their movie.”
It would be easy to imagine a fight as simply a blizzard of blows, but Macomber sees the possibilities of revealing character in the carnage. “I’ve always thought of fight moves as kind of ‘action dialogue,’” he says. “So whenever we’re creating these kinds of sequences, I’m always trying to keep in mind the motivation of the person within the scene.”
Macomber recalls long conversations with Justin Eaton, the stunt double for Fassbender, as they choreographed the sequence, checking “Does that really make sense?” For Eaton, who has worked with Macomber several times, it was a hugely positive experience, not least because he saw his friend given license to explore what was best for the material. “Fincher gave Dave a lot of freedom, to kind of audition what he thought would be the best way to capture things. Dave was blown away, because Fincher is one of his favorite directors. He’s been like a kid in a candy shop working on this.”
“The way the fight is designed, it’s like each piece goes into the next piece,” says Sala Baker, whose work as a stunt performer and actor goes back to playing the physical incarnation of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. “David is such a particular mind,” says Baker, who really enjoyed how curious and open the director was, exploring suggestions and ideas to the full. “If you say anything, he’s going to really get into it. And Michael is so easy to work with, fun and open to adjustments.”
Baker also stresses how well-looked after everyone is, however bruising their scenes might be. “It’s such an amazing working environment to have that kind of care.” Pain, of course, when you’re delivering stunts, is part of the job. As Dave Macomber explains, “The way I think about it is there’s a difference between pain and injury. And there’s a difference between injury and debilitating injury. We accept the fact that things are going to be painful!”
“I feel sorry for those guys,” says Fincher, reflecting on the reality of staging the fight, although it all aids the experience on screen. “I like the idea of the audience rooting for this confrontation,” says Fincher. “And then it goes on and on and on. And you’re kind of going, ‘Good God, it’s awful what they’re doing to each other!’”
Director David Fincher, Editor Kirk Baxter, Sound Designer Ren Klyce, Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, and Stunt Coordinator Dave Macomberbreak down the fight sequence between The Brute and The Killer in The Killer.
For his muscular new thriller, David Fincher worked with many of his closest collaborators to develop inventive approaches to the film’s cinematography, with Erik Messerschmidt ASC, editing, with Kirk Baxter ACE, sound, with Ren Klyce, and score, with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.
We have a bumper episode for you with not one, not two, but three Oscar-nominated or Oscar-winning filmmakers who work with David Fincher. We have Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, Editor Kirk Baxter, and Sound Designer Ren Kylce, who have all worked with Fincher multiple times. We talk about their latest collaboration, The Killer, which starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton.
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