Man, do we love the work of David Fincher. Very few directors have grabbed our attention and refused to let go as Fincher has. Following in the footsteps of our Top 10 Spike Jonze Music Videos, we wanted to keep the fun going by honoring another favorite director of ours, David Fincher. To help commemorate the new film by Fincher, Zodiac, we gathered a nice list of our favorite works. However, Ficher has done so much for us to talk about that we had to break it down into 3 categories. We decided to honor his Music Videos, Commercials, and Movies all at once since he has made such an impact in the industry.
Fincher began as a promising teenager working for Lucas at ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) before quickly moving to music videos and commercials. As the legend grew his talents soon were too big to be held on the little screen and the transition to the movies was inevitable. After gaining notice for such music videos with Madonna, Billy Idol and Paula Abdul (when she was a hot, talented dancer/singer not a doped up sideshow) Fincher received his first break with the much troubled Alien 3.
And so our tribute begins by dividing up his talents into the 3 categories: Music Videos, Commercials, and Movies. The list gets broken down into what we call the David Fincher 6-6-6 Tribute. His 6 Best Music Videos, 6 Best Commericals, and 6 Best Movies. Why 6? Well, 2 reasons for that. First, the 6-6-6 style goes well with his new film, Zodiac, which is based on the serial killer that haunted the San Francisco Bay area in the 70's and is still unsolved today. Fincher, after all, brought us Se7en which just may be the most demonic movie in the last 20 years.
Second, while Fincher has done dozens of commercials (from Nike to AT&T to HP) and dozens of music videos he has only brought 6 full length films to the big screen. Naturally, we thought of the 6-6-6 tie in and it just fit like a glove.
Fincher today has a reputation as a digital guru and a perfectionist. He prefers to shoot in digital as well as to do storyboards and every other task he can think of with a digital eye. Being a perfectionist has gotten Fincher a reputation in the industry, though. Just ask Jake Gyllenhaal. During the filming of Zodiac, Jake became frustrated with Finchers 70+ takes to do a scene. Then, Fincher once said to erase the last 12 takes and go again. As you can imagine, the young actor took this news hard. Ya gotta love a director that can play mind games with his talent.
Top 6 David Fincher Commercials
#6 Nike - Filmstrips
Nike "Filmstrips" (Montage-Various Athletes Quicktime)
David Fincher directed these commercials for Nike Olympic athletes Maurice Green, Marion Jones, and Michael Johnson. Fincher erodes the barrier between film and audience by using the filmstrips as the style of the commercial. By showing what the film is made of helps the narration describe what's behind the athletes. This same technique was applied in the film Fight Club with quick cuts that showed the filmstrips to ruin any illusion that was suggested by the film. The popular commercials appeared in about 6 more versions of various athletes.
#5 Heinekin Beer Run
Heineken Brad Pitt (Quicktime Version)
Heineken "Beer Run" staring Brad Pitt is one of those ultra-expensive Super Bowl commercials that shows you how big of a director you are. Fincher made this costly, long commercial about Brad Pitt getting some beer and it cost more to make and air than most companies see for multiple ad campaigns! See how it was made. Making of Heineken Beer Run.
#4 Nike - Instant Karma
Nike Instant Karma
The Nike ads appeared when Fincher and Nike were both becoming icons on the TV. Michael Jordan and Nike Airs were red hot in the ad-world and the sneaker maker needed the best director to bring out the ad campaign featuring the Beatles song Instant Karma.
#3 Nike Gamebreakers
Nike Gridiron "Gamebreakers" (Quicktime)
Making of Nike "Gamebreakers" (Quicktime)
Mike Vick & Terrel Owens face a 22 man defense in this completely CG video-game rendition of the final play of an intense football game. The all digital commercial brought to the screen the feel of a video game and only Fincher could make you want to buy shoes to play your X-Box!
#2 Xelibri "Beauty for Sale"
Fat, ugly people are the supermodels of tomorrow, tucked away in skinny, beautiful suits. Since tomorrow doesn't exist yet, Digital Domain (FX Studio) created these suits and futuristic extras to drive the idea home. Fincher likes to play with perceived roles and we like this for our #1 because it stands out as a clever commercial made exceptionally.
#1 HP - Constant Change
HP "Constant Change" (Quicktime)
Making of "Constant Change" (Quicktime)
The commercial for HP called "Constant Change" features every 7 frames having the building, the people, and even the dude's clothing change. To create this effect, the actors were filmed on a green screen while CG clothing and a CG environment were added in post. Check out the commercial then head to the making of "Constant Changes" to witness all the details that you missed, including various layer that appeared only for a fraction of a second. This is why we call Fincher a Digital Guru.
Music Videos:
#6 Madonna - Express Yourself/Vogue
Madonna - Express Yourself
Madonna - Vogue
There's a tie at #6 because the Madonna videos are really what led Fincher to the big screen. His work on Express Yourself was cinematic and made Twentieth Century Fox notice him, along with his other work, to tap him for a replacement director for Alien3. Vogue, on the other hand, was such a cultural hit that both need mentioning. Madonna's style for Vogue became the hippest thing anyone had done for MTV since, well, Madonna with her Virgin shenanigans.
#5 Nine Inch Nails - Only
Fincher returns to videos in 2005 with this digital version of the Nine Inch Nails song, Only. The absence of the musical artist is significant in Fincher's role as the cinematic represention of the song without using the artist directly. This technique was made popular by another entry on our list, #3, for a George Michael song.
#4 Wallflowers - 6th Avenue Heartache
This is just a beautiful video using photos and quick shots to animate the unknown band (at the time) as they visit New York City. It modernizes the video with quick edits and a unique, glossy style that still pays homage to the simplicity only Bob Dylan's son could command.
#3 George Michael - Freedom
George Michael - Freedom '90
George Michael used to do more than smoke pot and hook up with homeless people in public restrooms. He had a legit run at respectability which peaked with this song and video that did not even feature the artist. Well, if you can't get the artist, who can take the place. How about a bunch of the world's sexiest supermodels. Smart move, Fincher. Must of sucked filming this one!
#2 Rolling Stones - Love Is Strong
The Rolling Stones - Love Is Strong
After his troubles with Alien 3, Fincher found solace in his old format of music videos and created this epic piece to help bring the Rolling Stones back to a new generation. This digital masterpiece was shot in the mid 90's, keep in mind, and still holds up today with the band being mixed into the skyline of New York City. Fincher's trouble with the first studio effort of Alien3 was soon washed away as this video secured his status as one of the best music video directors around and it won numerous awards.
#1 Perfect Circle - Judith
A Perfect Circle - Judith
We pick our #1 because this video IS David Fincher. The editing and style of this video is what Fincher is all about. The digital touch of the shakes, scratches, and filmstrips creates the mood for the music. He wants you to feel the song and know the song, not just the band playing the instruments. Cast in shadows, quick edits, and out of focus shots, the Perfect Circle remains a secondary element of the scene.
Movies.
With only 6 Movies to his credit, Fincher has commanded a ton of attention to his style and techniques. Fincher has gone digital in his movie making process, using all digital equipment and doing storyboards with CG animations. His most famous film, Fight Club, gained a new round of respect by utilizing the new DVD format that at the time was new to the public when it was released. So, we're gonna throw Zodiac into the list to help complete the 6-6-6 formula and place it where we think it will land.
#6 Panic Room
Panic Room - Movie Trailer
This thriller staring Jodie Foster made Panic Rooms a fad for those that could afford it. However, this is Fincher's weakest film and least successful, although it is still a good flick. It ended up a rather bland thriller and couldn't hold up to the quality of Se7en or Fight Club. Foster, who replaced Nicole Kidman for the role, and the other actors shot the interior shot sequentially. That's a real drag, if you've ever done it.
Fincher brought out his CG storyboards and relied heavily on the digital aspect of the film, forgetting the actors and pacing of the film at times. Fincher claims he was a little disappointed because of the lack of chemistry between the camera and actors due to the new digital process he was toying with. He was focusing too much on the digital aspect and strict storyboards that he forgot the first rule of film making: tell the story.
#5 Alien 3
A L I E N³ Original Trailer
Alien 3 gets kudos because it's Fincher's first flick and he busted his ass off the bring it to the screen. The process sucked for Fincher, who actually went back to music videos because of the experience. During that time he made the famous Rolling Stones video as seen above. But, Alien 3 just didn't fit in with the whole Alien series. It was different. It was loud, crude, and gritty when compared to the previous 2 films. We dig it because overall Fincher did his own thing, as much as possible that is when compared to the numerous rewrites and previous directors.
Fincher's first film was a messed up sequel that saw numerous story lines, directors, sets, and a budget that was going haywire. Fincher, in the end, left the set and never looked back to finish editing. He even declined to work on the DVD special editions. The movie was doomed from the beginning and Fincher brought his own style to the screen and didn't back down to make an industry movie. In the end, a decent movie was made out of a terrible situation.
Alien3 Making Of...
#4 The Game
The Game- Movie Trailer
#3 Zodiac
Zodic - Movie Trailer
We're going to see this film this weekend and with a lot of reviews in we can judge where we hope it will land on the list. It'll be hard to top the next 2 on the list (you already know what they will be, don't you?) and we expect this slot to house Zodiac just fine. It's more of a character driven story which we hope Fincher has matured enough to master. This is not a movie we can see him making well 10 years ago. The trials he has endured to get to this point we hope will surface with his maturation in directing his actors and storyline development. Kinda what Panic Room lacked, so to say.
#2 Se7en
Se7en - Movie Trailer
Making of Se7en
#1 Fight Club
Fight Club - Reality
Wow! Not only #1 on this list, Fight Club is one of our favorite movies of all time. It's brazen, arrogant, and macho all at once. It's violent and sublte and even goes so far as to be cocky. All these terms can describe it but you just don't understand until you watch it. That's the definition of a great movie. You have to experience Fight Club to understand it.
Fight Club was heavily promoted and did little at the box office. Word of mouth kept it alive as did a strong fan base and critical praise. Fight Club grew because of a huge DVD following that was created when the film was released on the new technology.
If Saw is around because of Se7en, then every movie with a twist ending, can thank Fight Club for it's cleaver storyline. It wasn't the first film to do that, but it was the best! There are so many levels to Fight Club from it's mass consumerism to its independece that Ficher created a social commentary for our generation. Tyler Durden is now ever guys favorite pseudonym thanks to his cutting of the films at movie theaters to include the subliminal penis pic.
Tyler Durden Public Service Announcement
Update:
Honorable Mention Update: This post has been picked up around the net and we'd like to say thanks to all that have helped promote it. We have received a few notes on one commercial we didn't put up: The famous American Cancer Society - No Pregnant Smoking (1984)
We originally had a top 10 list for Fincher's commercials & videos and trimmed it all down to 6's to help tie in with the movies. This commercial was #8 and didn't make the top 6 for our list. We went instead with the Nike Instant Karma as a more influential commercial. We would like to make note that although we keep the clip at #8 on our original list, we'd like to give the smoking fetus an "Honorable Mention" due to the amount of fanfare it has received. It's a good commercial with a lot of impact many people still feel today. Plus, it has that creepy feel that Fincher is good at. Enjoy! -D&T
3 Comments:
The disease called erectile dysfunction has strengthened its roots among the human breed mainly because of the reason that people are not very willing to share it willingly. These people can get all the information in the ED info sites. Through this information you can do away with their ED.
Everyone will suffer pain at some point in their lives. Grim as this may sound, some pain is necessary - it is a signal of our brain that something is wrong in our body, what we need in order to protect our health and well-being. Pain relief medications will stop your pain.
Celebrex medicine is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs, which relieves pain and inflammation (swelling). It is used to treat pain, swelling and stiffness due to arthritis. This drug works by blocking the enzyme in your body that makes prostaglandins. Reducing prostaglandin helps to reduce pain and swelling.
Fioricet pain relief drug is a sedative and pain reliever. It is used to relieve pain from mild to moderate and tension headaches.Tell your doctor your medical history, in particular: severe liver disease, alcohol or drug dependence, emotional / mental conditions, diseases of the heart (arrhythmia, recent MI), stomach / intestine ulcers, any allergies.
Imitrex pain relief drug is used for treatment of migraine and headache with or without aura (for example, flashing lights, wavy lines, dark spots). It is also used to treat headaches cluster. Imitrex is a serotonin 5-HT agonist 1receptor ( “triptans”). It works by restricting the blood vessels in the brain, which helps to alleviate migraine headaches and cluster.
Maxalt pain relief drug is used for treatment of acute migraine headache with or without aura (flashing lights, wavy lines, dark spots) for adults. It should not be used to prevent migraine or cluster headache. Maxalt is a selective agonist of the serotonin receptor. It works narrowing of dilated blood vessels in the brain, relieving migraine headaches.
Ponstel pain relief medication is used for treatment of menstrual pain. It can be used for the short-term (not more than 7 days), the treatment of pain from mild to moderate. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Tramadol pain relief drug is used to relieve severe pain. It can also be used to treat pain caused by surgery and chronic conditions such as cancer or joint pain. Tramadol drug is sometimes prescribed for other uses; Offices You can address your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Tylenol medication is used to treat minor aches and pains due to headaches, muscle aches, backache, arthritis, the common cold, flu, sore teeth, menstrual cramps, and vaccinations, and to temporarily reduce fever.
Ultracet drug is combination medicines containing opioid analgesics (pedo - KOT-ik an al-zicks JEE), such as tramadol (TRA unemployed machine) and acetaminophen (one seat to a MIN-OH-fen), used to relieve pain. An opioid analgesics and acetaminophen used together can provide better pain relief than either drug used alone. In some cases, you can obtain relief with low doses of each drug.
The disease called erectile dysfunction has strengthened its roots among the human breed mainly because of the reason that people are not very willing to share it willingly. These people can get all the information in the ED info sites. Through this information you can do away with their ED.
Post a Comment