DAVIF FINCHERDAVID FINCHER

28th August,1962

• David Fincher who born in Denver, Colorado. He is an American film director, film producer, and music video director.

• He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for films The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(2008)and The Social Network(2010). In addition he won the Golden Globe Award for the best director and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction for, The Social Network. The most current film he has done is, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(2011).

• When Fincher was two years old, the family moved to San Angelo, California. And he moved again as a teenager to Ashland, Oregon where he graduated from Ashland High School

• Inspired by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), he started to make movies when he was only eight years old with an 8mm camera

WHO IS HE?

HIS WORK• When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at ‘Korty Films’ in Mill

Valley• Also he worked at, Industrial Light and Magic from 1981-1983• After that Fincher went on to direct TV Commercials and Music Videos after being

signed with, N. Lee Lacy in Hollywood• He then went on to find, Propaganda in 1987 with other directors• TV commercials he has done have been for companies such as:

Converse,Pepsi,Coca-Cola and Chanel• As a film director he has achieved huge successes with, Se7en(1995),Fight Club

(1999) and Panic Room (2002)• The music videos he has directed for have been for world wide known artists such

as : Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and Billy Idol• More recently he directed the video for Justin Timberlake’s and Jay-Z’s

collaboration, Suit & Tie

MUSIC VIDEOS

MADONNA - VOGUE

AEROSMITH – JAMIE’S GOT A GUN

The Rolling Stones – Love is strong

Justin Timberlake Ft. Jay-Z– Suit & Tie

Signature style• Fluid tracking camera – this can access anywhere in the set of a music video or film set, a digital age

phenomenon in camera movement • Silhouettes - he has characters are seen in the shadows so you cannot make out their faces(Brad

Pitt in ‘Fight Club’)• Stationary shot – an unfocused background with a character walking into focus is a convention that

is shown frequently in Fincher’s work

TRADEMARK IN MUSIC VIDEOS• Fincher’s films often have low-key lighting with green or blue tinted colour temperatures• He often uses these different colour temperatures to create depth and dimension within

his films, this creates an atmosphere for the narrative• Fincher’s most recent blockbuster film, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ this shows his

trademark style through the changes of colour temperature between present day in Sweden and the flashbacks

FLASHBACKSWEDEN

ANALYSIS OF SUIT & TIE At the start of the video a wide shot is shown of Justin Timberlake and a girl in the background and him looking at her showing the notion of looking in the video and that the viewer appealing to men should be looking as well. Also in the yet again another wide shot in the beginning of the video shows Justin and 2 others practising dancing in front of the mirror this abides the stereotypical thought of a Pop genre music video that dancing should be included.Moreover another wide shot is shown of both artist, Justin and Jay-Z sitting in an apartment relaxing. The use of props on the table are alcoholic beverage bottles and also Jay-Z is holding a wine glass, juxtaposing Justin holding a bowl with food in it. This is reference to the viewers knowledge of the two artist that jay-Z raps and in the rap genre it is mostly about drink and drugs which is shown here by Fincher. Also the relationship between the visuals and the music compliment each other, there is a slow beat with the slow long take shown of the two artists creating a calm and relaxed scene.

When the real song starts to the play with the more fast tempo and Pop sound, Justin takes to the stage and begins to dance which is yet again a code and convention of the Pop genre. Also the music playing is shown in the band behind in playing which are out of focus in the shadows . The style of the video being in black and white also amplifies an old fashioned feel/scene and the mise en scene out the outfits worn by Timberlake.

The spotlight is open Justin when even his face is not in the video this highlights him as the main man and the most importance person to be seen and heard, this is also supported y the audience and the

band being blacked out from the use of no lighting. In addition the mid shot of Timberlake singing and dancing with his backing dancers is focusing on him showing the viewer who he is and again the

dancing in the video.

After the first chorus being performed on the stage it cuts to a music recording studio, this shows the intertextual reference, which shows the recoding of the song in the studio and that he makes his own music but it also keeps with the them of the music video by it also being in black and white.

The close up of Timberlake preforming on the stage is creating a sex appeal for his female fans for him to looked at. In addition the wide shot and mid shot of him performing on stage shows a relationship between the lyrics and visuals, ‘as long as I got my suit and tie’. Justin is also dressed in a suit and tie outfit connecting the two together but also the theme and era that the music video is set in.

The beat of the music changes, the beat slows down and the bass increases when Jay-Z appears in the music video. This is showing his personality and genre of music, which is ‘Rap’ the genre characteristics are first shown from the use of mise en scene. Jay-Z is holding a whisky glass while rapping and is wearing sunglasses which amplifies the rap genre of being cool and drinking. However it also fits in with the old style of the whole video.Moreover when Jay-Z is shown the images of women shown in skimpy outfits and dancing erotically are included in the video. Fincher has tried to make them be desired in a sexual way, 'voyeurism’ which also a genre characteristics stereotypically found in the genre of ‘Rap’ videos.

In the last part of the video the music is just playing with Justin dancing along to it in water with bright

lights behind him. This amplifies that he is a massive pop artist know for his dancing and singing

career.