10 Movies Only Directed As Experiments

6. A Test Run For New Editing & Cinematography Techniques - The Fan

The Experiment

When director Tony Scott signed on to helm the 1996 thriller The Fan - starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes - he was already putting together his next film, Enemy of the State, and effectively decided to use The Fan to test out some new stylistic tricks.

Scott made no pains about admitting that he agreed to direct the film in order to experiment with various cinematographic and editing techniques he was considering using on Enemy of the State, in order to give it a contemporary, urgent, edgy feel.

Above all else, he wanted to tinker around with whittling down his average shot length considerably, and that he certainly did.

How Did It Turn Out?

On one hand, The Fan isn't a very good film, and many critics took umbrage with Scott's kinetic, cut-happy visual style, though it is by far the most distinctive and memorable element of an otherwise relatively bland thriller.

And while The Fan quickly sank without a trace, Scott's prep for Enemy of the State clearly paid off, as that film was a solid critical and commercial success, and remains one of Scott's best-loved and most stylish films.