3. David Fincher Shoots His Films In Different Shades Of Brown
For most of his career, David Fincher has shot almost exclusively in different shades of brown. The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, even The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button: all are decidedly dark, and not just in tone. Not that that's a bad thing, of course; an auteur's got to have a style, and with most of Fincher's ouvre the director can be identified as the author of film from a cursory glance at a single frame from one of his films. Even since his feature debut with Alien 3, the director has used a washed-out colour palette and incredibly crisp and precise composition, demonstrating a craftsmanship that's rarely levelled and never bettered by his peers. It's easy to sometimes go too dark, though, as his Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake and the opening episodes of House Of Cards that Fincher directed proved all too well. They look exceptional when you can make out who's on screen... Another, less obvious Fincher trope that you might not know of is the director's tendency to include a shot where a single character starts out of focus and then walks toward the camera and into focus. The Social Network has one, Fight Club, Seven...the list goes on. It's real blink and you'll miss it stuff, but see if you can track them down!