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Watch: Video Essay Examines Use of Color in David Fincher's Movies

by Alex Billington
April 14, 2022
Source: YouTube

How does Fincher make his movies look so good? Find out more in this video! StudioBinder has posted an entrancing video essay about David Fincher and the way he utilizes colors in his movies. It's titled simply Fincher's Colors and they break down his color choices into three main chapters: desaturation (removing bold colors), characters (attaching color to a character), and settings (lighting each set / location using one particular color). "One could point to any number of impressive techniques used in David Fincher movies, but perhaps one of the most important is his movie color palette. As he himself once said, 'In film, we sculpt time, we sculpt behavior and we sculpt light.'" I appreciate how well put together this video is, not only with clean clips in high definition, but the explanations & references are insightful. I also always enjoy hearing filmmakers & craftspeople themselves talking about their work. I could watch video essays like this all day.

Original description from YouTube: "The typical David Fincher color palette isn’t very colorful. Exceptions aside, Fincher typically forgoes any bright or saturated colors for something much more subdued. Beyond a simple aesthetic choice, there is also storytelling value within a David Fincher color palette. A filmmaker as precise as Fincher doesn’t leave any decision unconsidered so what is behind his choice of colors? In this video, we’ll hear from Fincher and his collaborators on color in David Fincher movies and how it fits into his overall approach." This video was commissioned by and posted on the StudioBinder YouTube channel - StudioBinder is a video production management solution for creatives & digital producers. For more info on the video, including music references and research details on Fincher's movies / cinematography, head to YouTube or to StudioBinder's website. For more video essays, click here. What's your favorite Fincher film?

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