Zodiac's Pieces of Evidence

A clever montage reminds us of Fincher's unique attention to details.

'
Zodiac' and the art of the insert shot from Josh Forrest on Vimeo.

Thanks to Daryl for this find.


10 comments:

  1. That's a very cool idea for a video. Insert shots are traditionally awesome in Fincher films. I remember a few of those in Se7en that really, really stuck, and I can hardly think of another filmmaker who does them quite as well.

    Gotta say, though, I noticed two insert shots in "Dragon Tattoo" and "House of Cards", both of which I thought were a little too loaded: One was when old Vanger makes Blomkvist the "offer he cannot refuse" (while pushing a plate of meat into focus), the other was a very similar shot in HOC, which is, I believe, when Underwood gives Russo his assignment. Anybody thought the same by any chance?!

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  2. Two notes on the David Fincher and Ceán Chaffin appearance at the Producer's Guild of America (PGA) "Produced by" Conference in L.A.

    1- Top 10 Reasons to Join the Producers Guild - Hint: It begins and ends with David Fincher

    Nicole Hansen
    Indiewire, Box Office Insider
    http://blogs.indiewire.com/boxofficeinsider/top-10-reasons-to-join-the-producers-guild-hint-it-begins-and-ends-with-david-fincher-20140608

    2- On the Ground: Produced By Conference 2014

    Shawn Montgomery
    Beyond the Nametag Productions
    http://beyondthenametag.com/page/on-the-ground-produced-by-conference-2014


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    1. Daryl, thank you, you are doing amazing work for this blog. Would you like to come aboard with an editor's account? Write me if you are interested fincherfanatic at yahoo.com

      Thank you!!

      Delete
    2. Wow! I’m honored but I must decline your kind invitation. At least, for the moment.

      English is not my first language (I’m from Spain) and I don’t feel proficient enough for that kind of responsibility.

      I’m more than happy helping and assisting you guys, gathering information and feeding links.

      Keep up with the great work and thanks again.

      Delete
    3. Should you change your mind, you are more than welcome, the offer stands, just drop me a line.

      I really like the links you are posting, so no matter what: your contributions are very much appreciated. Thank you.

      Btw. Gould, the other editor, and myself, English is not our first language either (I'm from Germany for example), so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

      Anyway, cheers to Spain then! Keep it up!

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  3. @ FF the one from Dragon Tattoo, in my opinion, makes sense in the story. It's not pretty but it's readable and works. He promised him Wennerström's carcass on a plate ;)

    http://imgur.com/smoTkKu

    I love insert shots in Fincher movies. Some of my favorites:

    Panic Room: http://imgur.com/m6BdJil
    The Game: http://imgur.com/1Cj6YLP
    And my favorite one from Se7en:
    http://imgur.com/Lfl91KX

    Thanks for all the links Daryl and Gould!

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  4. Well, yeah, I can "read" the insert shot, as a matter of fact, I may be able to read it too well: I just thought it was on the nose, like a little too heavy for how Fincher usually uses his grammar.

    As for inserts, I think Fincher's insert shots feel as dense and effective as they do because Fincher himself stages them. The have the exact same precision of framing, lighting, composition as the rest of his shots, so they don't feel "second unit"-ish. They feel like they are perfectly tailored to the overall composition of the scene they appear in.

    Btw. cool examples!

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  5. maybe new movie with the combo fincher + rooney mara?

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-fincher-rooney-mara-possibly-reteaming-for-red-sparrow-adapted-by-american-hustle-screenwriter-20140609

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  6. I don´t quite see the argument of the flesh insert being overloaded. It´s intendend as a dramatic gesture by Hendrik, so it´s rather an extra bit of character developement, than an abstract image to illustrate the dialog. I think Craig even recalls this situation later in the movie ("he was offering me his head on a platter") refering to the image more than to the words Hendrik said. In the book he says the platter thing, in the movie his sentence is replaced by an image (that the character himself evokes), works perfectly fine for me.

    By the way, I don´t like the video. The editor only gives us the still image at the start and end of each insert shot, excluding all camera movement and thererfore a lot of what makes Finchers inserts outstanding and special.

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    1. Yeah, I wasn't making much of an argument, I was voicing my opinion, and I still stand by the way I feel about that shot in particular — that to me it went a little over board. Doesn't matter much, doesn't diminish my overall appreciation of the film, it just came to mind when thinking insert shots... especially as Fincher does them so well.

      So preference, as usual.

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