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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From The Frame: David Fincher, What Often Goes Unnoticed

November 30, 2023
From the Frame

David Fincher’s films have often been analyzed for their visual style – the exacting cinematography, precise editing, muted color palette, and meticulous construction of the frame. But with the release of The Killer, people are starting to take note of another aspect – his evocative use of SOUND. However, you can’t really discuss the sonic landscape of a Fincher film without talking about his longest creative collaborator – sound designer Ren Klyce. From Se7en to The Killer, and every project in between, Klyce’s mixes have provided a crucial aural backdrop, frequently blurring the line between sound and music. They both build a textural ambience that sets the tone of the film while also allowing us to access the subjectivity of the characters on screen. So let’s explore how a David Fincher film sounds.

CHAPTERS:

0:00: Intro
1:33: Se7en & Ren Klyce
2:43: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5:01: Zodiac & Musique Concrète
8:15: Role as Re-recording Mixer
10:33: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
11:43: The Social Network & Expressionistic Sound

SOURCES:

Behind the Scenes: Ren Klyce and David Fincher on The Sound of “The Killer”

December 12, 2023
Netflix: Behind the Streams

Sound Designer Ren Klyce discusses his work on The Killer with director David Fincher.

The Killer is now playing on Netflix

“The Killer” sound designer, editor, mixer Ren Klyce: “I’m finally figuring out how to do my job”

Ray Richmond
December 5, 2023
Gold Derby

You wouldn’t think that Ren Klyce would 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.”

Read the full article

Actors on Actors: Michael Fassbender & Carey Mulligan

December 10, 2023
Variety (YouTube)

In their Actors on Actors conversation ‘Shame’ costars Carey Mulligan (‘Maestro‘) and Michael Fassbender (‘The Killer‘) reminisce on working with Steve McQueen and talk about the directors they worked with on their current projects, David Fincher and Bradley Cooper.

Variety Actors on Actors presented by AIR from Amazon Studios.

From ‘Shame’ to Netflix Films: Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan on Rejection and Being So in Character You Act Without Thinking

Kate Aurthur
Photographs by Alexi Lubomirski
December 10, 2023
Variety

In “Maestro” and “The Killer,” the characters played by Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender exist in different worlds. Mulligan’s Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, an up-and-coming actress who becomes conductor Leonard Bernstein’s wife and soul mate, breathes rarefied air among East Coast artists from the 1950s through the ’70s. Fassbender’s tightly coiled, mostly silent assassin, meanwhile, travels the world seeking vengeance, while keeping his focus by doing push-ups on his fingertips.

Twelve years ago, though, Fassbender and Mulligan inhabited the same toxic universe, as dysfunctional siblings in 2011’s “Shame.” The film was writer-director Steve McQueen’s bleak, sexually explicit examination of sex addiction through the eyes of Fassbender’s character, Brandon, a New York City executive brought low by his self-destructive desires. Mulligan’s Sissy, a lounge singer, was sorrowful and also boundary-less.

Read the full interview

David Fincher and “The Killer” Crew Break Down The Brute vs The Killer Fight Scene

December 9, 2023
Netflix: Behind the Streams

Director David Fincher, Editor Kirk Baxter, Sound Designer Ren Klyce, Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, and Stunt Coordinator Dave Macomber break down the fight sequence between The Brute and The Killer in The Killer.

The Killer is now playing on Netflix

David Fincher’s Killer Combination

Jake Ratcliffe, Joe Cannon
December 8, 2023
CVP

Leitz SUMMILUX-C lenses and RED V-RAPTOR and RED Komodo cameras.

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“The Killer” Camera Department: Dominican Republic

Notice the VFX foliage in the out-of-focus foreground.

The Killer: Michael Fassbender

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC UNIT
Director of Photography: Erik Messerschmidt, ACE
A Camera Operator: Brian S. Osmond
A Camera First Assistant: Alex Scott
B Camera First Assistant: Brian Wells
A Camera Second Assistant: Jonathan Clark
B Camera Second Assistant: Matt Gaumer
A Dolly Grip: Dwayne Barr
B Dolly Grip: Mike Mull

Idea and BTS Video: Cate Adams, Costume Designer
Location: Dominican Republic
Editor: Leonard Zelig (The Fincher Analyst)

Happy Sad Confused: Michael Fassbender talks “The Killer” & “Next Goal Wins”

Josh Horowitz
November 30, 2023
Happy Sad Confused

It’s been 4 years since Michael Fassbender was on the big screen but he’s making up for lost time with 2 new movies, Next Goal Wins and The Killer. Josh and Michael catch up on it all including his passion for race car driving and quoting movies.

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify

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