The success of a film comes from every department working in sync to create one singular vision for its director. It sounds a bit calculated to select every single detail, but when it’s done correctly audiences find themself engrossed in a fully fleshed-out world that closely resembles the human experience. No better director exemplifies the art of precise filmmaking than David Fincher.

Fincher is a part of the Gen X filmmakers who rose to prominence in the 1990s from music video backgrounds. The filmography of Gen X-ers varies from cult classics to mainstream blockbusters that capture contemporary issues of obsession and pressure within their narratives. Although his directorial debut did not go as planned, it was that moment that set him off to be the filmmaker that we have come to know and praise for decades.

Fincher has become famous for the amount of takes he does on set. Interviews often poke fun at his tactics, but as grueling as it sounds it works. It is like he is breaking his actors down to make them inhabit the world they are occupying for however long the scene is. That is why when some of our favorite actors do a Fincher film it feels like they remove any gimmicks or signature styles we are so familiar with to dive into the most humanistic approach they can take in a calculated environment. It gives them the space to tighten up a performance or try something new, time is a luxury. Fincher removes the artificiality from filmmaking by placing characters in a perfectly curated environment that feels like a social experiment to explore relationships, the fragile male ego, the rise of technology, and so much more. In an industry where everything must end with a happy ending, Fincher will always deliver the brutal reality.

It wasn’t until I watched the behind-the-scenes documentaries of his films that I truly understood what filmmaking is as a whole and the intent behind choices made from production design to a certain line in the script. Two moments that stand out to me are in The Social Network behind the scenes, where he sits at a table with his actors and writers discussing the character of Mark Zuckerberg and digging into the film as not a film about Facebook but a film about friendship and jealousy. Picking apart each word in how it relates to the crumbling relationship between Mark and Eduardo as success drives between them.

In The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo behind the scenes, he argues with his production designer why a chaining device meant to be used on Daniel Craig makes no sense for the scene and what needs to happen to make it believable. These small moments show how he has everything outlined in his head of how the film should look and operate. He doesn’t want to leave his audience with questions about how someone can afford that apartment or what was their last name, he thinks through every detail to allow the audience to plunge into his film. His work is meant for an audience to be challenged and solve what is onscreen before us.

Although his approach seems dictatorial, he is a collaborative director with each department especially with his long-time collaborator. At this point in his career with his dream team coming together on every film, it feels like a perfect process that shows his precision as a director. It feels like on every film the team should be on the same page for what type of film they are making, but that is not often the case. Since Alien 3, Fincher has got it together with his direction and relationships with those around him. There is so much detail that goes into every decision that could be overwhelming for the normal person but is a testament that this is what Fincher was meant to be doing.

Fincher meticulously chooses which filmmaking techniques will be littered throughout his films all based on how it supports the narrative. He uses blocking and composition to articulately craft changing dynamics within his characters, specifically in Gone Girl as Nick and Amy’s relationship unravels, he uses their placements to signal who has the upper hand in the moment. He doesn’t overuse techniques unless they are called for such as the closeup, it is rarely in his films but when he utilizes it to single importance it feels powerful. Another one is the handheld shot that he would use only for a specific character’s perspective. Because he is so picky his films never feel like a camera is being used, it gives a sense of the viewer stumbling upon this world for the runtime as whatever takes place is meant to happen.

While his films are not too flashy in style, his color palettes tell so much about the emotions within the narrative. Desaturation is a Fincher staple, with a vibrancy to communicate when meaningful moments occur. In Fight Club, two different color palettes are used to differentiate the Narrator and Tyler’s worlds or in The Social Network, the mute tones mirror the complex morality of its central character. This is also used in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoobetween Mikael and Lisbeth’s existences, where even when they come together there is a separation. The colors he uses are meant to create discomfort for the inner lives of his characters, but they do the opposite in creating a trust between the viewer and director in the journey they are about to embark on whether it is the Harvard campus or 1930s Hollywood.

Non-Fincher insiders have perceived him as this super edgy, action-thriller, gory director and that has never been him. He is not unafraid to tap into society’s darkest truths and behaviors in a way that doesn’t romanticize them. He approaches everything he touches with a genuine curiosity and not making it some outlandish film, but something with a thread of relatability for the average moviegoer. These are simple feats of filmmaking, but they speak to his skill in employing them to create highly entertaining, nuanced framings that leave us infatuated. He is not going to tell you, but show you, making you question a lot of his characters who have moral ambiguity as you crave to see their ending work out based on what he decides to show you. Spoiler alert, it never ends well.

Fincher does not use his films to overshadow his subjects, but he leaves his footprints all over its creation. Each project he takes on shows his growth as a filmmaker as he uses previous learnings to continue to make the tumultuous process of filmmaking efficient. His filmmaking processes are grueling and long which makes the announcement of an upcoming project so rewarding. He is known for his controlling behavior while his personal self remains a mystery. This makes him a rare talent recognized for his work and not for him as a person. The movies he makes are for himself that just so happen to speak to mass audiences.