How the director connects viewer to character and story.
One of the concepts it’s perhaps most difficult to grasp when first beginning to tell stories visually is exactly how camera movement works on the viewer. The first time you pick up a camera, you’re thinking more about what you’re pointing it at and less about how you’re pointing it.
Nerdwriter‘s video essay on the work of David Fincher is brief examination of a technical master, sure – but it’s also a lesson in how we watch, and the effect that certain ways of watching can have on your viewer.
The logical extension of motivated camera movements is of course motivated angles and edits – and Fincher’s work is full of them, as Every Frame A Painting demonstrates:
As Patrick H. Willems notes, Fincher’s earlier music videos are a master class, where not only camera movement, but also the action and editing, are motivated:
Further viewing
A rare and unique case study of directing choices: David Fincher’s versus Niels Arden Oplev’s versions of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which we look at in more detail here:
And here’s a whole bunch of guides to camera movement:
Related Posts:
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Film School: Madonna X David Fincher How the pop star and the director changed music, film, and popular culture together.
Film School: The Spielberg Oner A look at how the master delivers story and character without cutting.
Film School: ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ vs ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ Side-by-side comparison: a unique opportunity to learn about choices in film-making.
Film School: ‘The Move To Stanford’ Montage in ‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007) A case study in storytelling through composition, repetition and sound effects - in 30 seconds.
Film School: The Insert Shot The dramatic peak of a dialogue scene is often a close-up... of an object.
Film School: Directing Actors A roundup of videos about the ways, good and bad, that directors of major features work with their performers.
Film School: One Filmmaker’s Process Across Three Genres Danny Gevirtz shares his process on three projects: a mini doc, a music video, and a solo narrative.