Citizendia

David Fincher
BornDavid Leo Fincher
August 28, 1962 (1962-08-28) (age 45)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Other name(s)Finch
Davey
Occupationfilm director
Years active1984 - present
Spouse(s)Donya Fiorentino (1990-1995)

David Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director and music video director known for his dark and stylish films, particularly Fight Club, Se7en, and Panic Room. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name Donya Fiorentino, (born November 10, 1967 in Key Largo Florida) was a model and is the former wife of David Fincher and Gary Oldman Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. A music video director is a Film director that specializes in creating short films driven by a given music track Fight Club is a 1999 American feature film adaptation of the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, adapted by His works have been sometimes compared to the classic thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 [1]

Contents

Early life and career

Born in Denver, Colorado, Fincher was raised in Marin County, California. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States March 11, 1889 | He moved to Ashland, Oregon in his teens where he graduated from Ashland High School. Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Ashland High School is an American High school located at 201 S Inspired by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Fincher began making movies at age eight with an 8 mm camera. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a American Western film that tells the story of bank robbers Butch Cassidy (played by Paul Newman) and Fincher eschewed the film school route, getting a job loading cameras and doing other hands-on work for John Korty's Korty Films. John Korty (born July 22 1936) is an American Film director and Animator, best known for the television film The Autobiography He was later hired by Industrial Light & Magic in 1980, where he worked on productions for Twice Upon a Time, Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM) is a motion picture Visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned Twice Upon a Time is a 1983 animated movie directed by John Korty and Charles Swenson. Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi is a 1983 Space opera Film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1984, he left ILM to direct a commercial for the American Cancer Society, that would show a fetus smoking a cigarette. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The American Cancer Society ( ACS) is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to This quickly brought Fincher to the attention of producers in Los Angeles and he was given the chance to direct the documentary The Beat of the Live Drum featuring Rick Springfield in 1985. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23 1949 in Sydney) is an Australian American Songwriter Though he would continue to direct spots for companies like Revlon, Converse, Nike, Pepsi, Sony, and Levi's, Fincher soon discovered music videos and began directing many famous videos. Revlon ( is an American Cosmetics company History Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. Pepsi-Cola is a carbonated beverage that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with Levi Strauss & Co (LS&CO is a privately held Clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of Denim Jeans.

Propaganda Films

With his sights set on a directing career, Fincher joined video-production company Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. Propaganda Films (styled as "PЯOPAGAИDA" with Faux Cyrillic in its production logo was one of the oldest companies to make Music videos. Like Fincher, other directors such as Meiert Avis, David Kellogg, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Neil LaBute, Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski, and Alex Proyas honed their talents at Propaganda before moving on to feature films. David Kellogg (born 1952 is an American Film, commercial, and Music video director. Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American Film director and producer. Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an African-American Film director. Neil N LaBute (born March 19, 1961) is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Playwright. Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel October 22, 1969) is an American director of Music videos and commercials and an Academy Mark Romanek (born September 18, 1959) is an award-winning American Music video director who has also moved into directing theatrical Michel Gondry, born May 8 1963 is a French Academy Award -winning Screenwriter, Film, commercial and Music video director Zack Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American Film director, Writer and producer. Gregor "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16 1964) is an American Film director and Writer. Alex Proyas (born 23 September 1963 is an Australian Film director, writer and producer who directed The Crow, Dark City

Music videos

Fincher directed big budget music videos for artists such as Madonna (including "Express Yourself", "Vogue" "Oh Father" and "Bad Girl"), Billy Idol ("Cradle of Love"), Jody Watley, Rick Springfield, Steve Winwood, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Paula Abdul, the Rolling Stones (including "Love Is Strong"), Nine Inch Nails ("Only"), the Wallflowers, The Outfield and A Perfect Circle ("Judith"). A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American "Express Yourself" was the second single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 4th studio album Like a Prayer, and was "Vogue" was the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless (Music from and Inspired by the " Oh Father " was the fourth single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 4th studio album Like a Prayer and was released on "Bad Girl" is a song by Madonna, released as the third single taken from her album Erotica in 1993 Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 30 November 1955, Stanmore, Middlesex) is an English rock " Cradle of Love " is a classic rock song written by Billy Idol and David Werner for Idol's 1990 fourth studio album Charmed Life Jody Watley (born January 30, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Singer, Songwriter, Record Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23 1949 in Sydney) is an Australian American Songwriter Stephen Lawrence "Steve" or "Stevie" Winwood (born 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English Singer-songwriter Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου (born 25 June 1963 best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" Paula Julie Abdul ( "AB-dool" born June 19, 1962) is a Grammy Award -winning American pop Singer The Wallflowers are a Grammy Award -winning rock band from Los Angeles California. The Outfield is a British Pop/rock band based in London. They began recording during the mid-1980s and released their first album Play Deep A Perfect Circle ( APC) is an Alternative rock supergroup formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan

Features

Alien³

After directing several popular music videos, Fincher's feature debut was Alien³ (1992), which was at the time the most expensive picture ever made by a first time director. Alien 3, styled as Alien³, is a 1992 Science fiction / Horror film (see 1992 in film) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) While it received an Oscar nomination for special effects, the film was not well received by critics or movie goers. Fincher became involved with several disputes with 20th Century Fox over script and budget issues, which eventually led Fincher to disassociate himself with the production in later years, as evidenced by his refusal to record a commentary track for the 9-disc Alien Quadrilogy box-set released in 2003 as well as having the film removed from his filmography sections on the DVDs for Fight Club and Panic Room. In "The Director's Cut"[2], he blames the producers for not putting the necessary trust in him. He opines that they were not interested in making a good film but instead wanted to exploit the franchise in the most profitable manner. Even after the film had already opened in the USA, a Japanese trailer still advertised a storyline that was not in the movie but which the producers would have preferred because of greater expected popularity at the international box office. After this, Fincher retreated back into the world of commercial and music video directing, earning a Grammy for the Rolling Stones' video "Love Is Strong" (1994). The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

Se7en

In 1995 Fincher directed Se7en. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The film, based on a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, told the story of two detectives (played in the movie by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) tracking down a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who bases his killings on the seven deadly sins. Andrew Kevin Walker (born August 14, 1964) is an American BAFTA -nominated Screenwriter. William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr (born June 1 1937 is an Academy Award -winning American actor Film director and Narrator. Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26 1959 is an American actor and Film director. The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of Vices that were originally used in early Christian The movie grossed more than $100 million domestically (over $300 million internationally). [3] The chairman of New Line Cinema, Arnold Kopelson, originally refused to allow filming of the shocking climactic scene. Arnold Kopelson (born in New York City, USA February 14, 1935) is an Academy Award -winning American Film producer. With the aid of Brad Pitt, who stated that he would not be involved with the picture if its ending was changed, Fincher was allowed to film the original scene and use it in the final cut.

The Game

After the success of Se7en, Fincher went on to film The Game (1997), a Twilight Zone-style thriller which shared many similarities in style with Se7en. The Game is a 1997 American Psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, produced by Polygram and starring The Twilight Zone is an American Television Anthology series created by Rod Serling. Yet the film failed to get the warm reception enjoyed by its predecessor. The story focused on a closed off San Francisco businessman (played by Michael Douglas) who receives an unusual gift from his younger brother (Sean Penn), in which he becomes the main player of a role-playing game that takes over his life. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American Actor and producer, primarily in Movies and Television Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film Actor It was well received by critics despite middling box-office returns.

Fight Club

Fight Club was a screen adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name about an insomniac office worker who opens up a club devoted exclusively to bare knuckle fighting for males. Fight Club is a 1999 American feature film adaptation of the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, adapted by Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk (ˈpɑːlənɪk born February 21 1962) is an American Transgressional fiction Novelist Fight Club is a 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, chronicling the experiences of an anonymous Protagonist who is struggling with a growing discomfort Featuring Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Se7en collaborator Brad Pitt, the 1999 film was easily one of the most publicized of the year but was an early disappointment at the box-office and received mixed reviews. Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966 is an Oscar and Golden Globe -nominated English actress. William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Fight Club was panned by several critics and alienated audiences leading to its box office failure in the United States.

However many critics and audiences later changed their perceptions and the film appeared on many 'best of the year' lists and soon developed a following. Entertainment Weekly, which had originally given the film a negative grade of D, later ranked the DVD #1 on its list of "The Top 50 DVDs You Need To Own. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc "

In 2006 the British magazine Total Film voted Fight Club number four in the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, beaten only by Jaws, Vertigo and Goodfellas at 3, 2 and 1 respectively. Total Film, published by Future Publishing, is the United Kingdom 's second best-selling Film Magazine. Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara Goodfellas (also spelled GoodFellas) is an Academy Award winning 1990 Crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese [4]

Panic Room

In 2002, Fincher followed up with the thriller Panic Room. Though the film impressively pulled in over $92 million at the U. S. box office, it was not as well received by critics as Se7en, Fight Club or The Game. The story follows a single mother (Jodie Foster) and her daughter as they hide in a safe room of their new house, away from criminals (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam and Fight Club collaborator Jared Leto) bent on finding a missing fortune. Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19 1962 is a two-time Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe -award winning American Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15 1961 is an American actor producer, and director. Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American Country music Singer, Songwriter, and Actor Jared Joseph Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American Actor and Musician. Fincher acknowledged Panic Room as a more mainstream thriller, describing the film as a "really good B movie" about "two people trapped in a closet" on the DVD's audio commentary. A B movie is a motion picture made on a low or modest budget Originally the term was used for films intended for distribution as the less-publicized second half of a Double

Zodiac

Five years after Panic Room, Fincher returned on March 2, 2007 with Zodiac, an adaptation of Robert Graysmith's books about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer that starred major actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox. Zodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith 's non-fiction book of the same name Robert Graysmith (born September 17, 1942) is a True-crime author of the books Zodiac; Zodiac Unmasked the Identity of America's The Zodiac Killer is a Serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal ( born December 19 1980 is an American actor Mark Alan Ruffalo (born November 22, 1967) is an American Actor. Robert John Downey Jr (born April 4 1965 is an American This article is about the American actor For the British academic see A Brian Denis Cox, CBE (born June 1, 1946) is a BAFTA - and Emmy Award -winning Golden Globe -nominated British The vast majority of the film was shot digitally on a Thompson Viper FilmStream Camera. Digital cinematography is the process of capturing Motion pictures as Digital images rather than on film. It was the first of Fincher's films to be shot digitally, although contrary to popular belief, it was not entirely digital; high-speed film cameras were used for the Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights murder scenes for the slow-motion shots. [5] It was originally to be released in the fall of 2006 but was pushed back after Fincher refused to cut 20 minutes off the film.

Zodiac was one of the best-reviewed films of that year, with only two other 2007 films appearing on more top-10 lists (No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood). No Country for Old Men is a 2007 crime [[thriller (genre| thriller film]] adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring There Will Be Blood is a 2007 film directed written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. [6] Despite the high-praise, however, the film struggled at the box office, earning only $33 Million in the U. S. [7] Despite an aggressive campaign by the studio, expectations surrounding Robert Downey Jr. 's supporting performance, Fincher's direction and Vanderbilt's adapted script, the film did not earn a single Academy Award nomination. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. [8]

Future projects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Described as a sci-fi love story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is Fincher's next film, completed and set for its debut in theaters on December 19, 2008. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 film in a modern setting loosely adapted from the 1922 short story of the same name written by F It is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24 1896 – December 21 1940 was an American writer of Novels and Short stories, whose works are evocative of the "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a 1922 short story by F The film will unite Fincher with Brad Pitt for the third time. William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys The film started shooting in November 2006 in New Orleans, before moving on to the Virgin Islands, Montreal, and L. A. . Both Zodiac and this film are co-productions of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The budget for the film was estimated at 150 million dollars, partly due to the CGI effects used to reverse the aging in Brad Pitt's character.

Torso

David Fincher is also attached to direct an adaptation of Marc Andreyko and Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel Torso, with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to the lead role, reuniting him with Fincher after Zodiac. Marc Andreyko is an openly gay Comic book and Screenplay writer known for writing the 2000s ongoing series Manhunter for Brian Michael Bendis (born 1967 is an American Comic book writer and erstwhile artist A Torso is a Graphic novel written by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, with art by Brian Michael Bendis Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal ( born December 19 1980 is an American actor Zodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith 's non-fiction book of the same name Paramount Pictures has placed the film on the fast-track, with production to be completed before the impending 2008 Writers Guild, Directors Guild, and Screen Actors Guild strikes. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. [9]

Rendezvous with Rama

David Fincher has been long attached to do an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's 1972 sci-fi book, Rendezvous with Rama. Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (16 December 1917–19 March 2008 was a British Science fiction Author, Inventor, and Rendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C Clarke first published in 1972. It was brought to his attention by Se7en star Morgan Freeman, whose company, Revelations Entertainment had optioned it. Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr (born June 1 1937 is an Academy Award -winning American actor Film director and Narrator. Revelations Entertainment is an independent movie Production company founded by Actor Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary in 1996 The film was originally to have been made by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, but after being bought out by Universal Pictures, the film has since moved over to Paramount Pictures (which currently has a joint venture with Universal for international distribution of the 2 studios' films, United International Pictures). PolyGram Filmed Entertainment ( PFE) (aka PolyGram Films and PolyGram Pictures) was a London -based Anglo - Dutch Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. United International Pictures (or UIP; now known as Paramount Pictures International) is a Joint venture of Paramount Pictures (owned by It has since been in development.

The Killer

On November 1st, 2007, Variety reported that Fincher was attached to do an adaptation of a French graphic novel called The Killer by Alexis Nolent, which was optioned by Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, with Pitt attached to star in the film. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Plan B Entertainment is a Film Production company founded by Brad Grey, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Scripted by Allesandro Camon, the film is about a top assassin, with his conscience getting the better of him, and a cop on his tail. [10]

Black Hole

On February 20th, 2008, Variety reported that Fincher was set to direct an adaptation of the Charles Burns limited series Black Hole. Black Hole is a Limited series written and illustrated by Charles Burns. The film, set up at Paramount Pictures, is set to follow sexually active teens who begin to transmit a 'bug' sexually, which causes strange mutations. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. As of now, no production timetable has been set.

Filmography

Theatrical films

Music videos

Commercials

Interviews

See also

Books

References

  1. ^ Buckmaster, Luke. Panic Room.
  2. ^ Conversations with 21 Hollywood directors
  3. ^ Seven (1995)
  4. ^ Total Film - Who is the greatest?
  5. ^ Zodiac Director's Cut DVD, 2nd Disc, Visual Effects featurette
  6. ^ Best of 2007 « CriticsTop10
  7. ^ Box Office Report - 2007 Box Office
  8. ^ Nominees | 80th Annual Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  9. ^ Strike Memo Reveals Lots of Juicy Info! - ComingSoon.net
  10. ^ Paramount, Fincher catch 'Killer' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety

External links

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