David Fincher on filmmaking: A distaste for re-watching and a love for montages

Acclaimed director David Fincher, known for his distinctive cinematic vision, has recently expressed his reluctance to re-watch his own creations. At the recent Tribeca Festival, the "Fight Club" director admitted, "I don't. I'm not brave."

Fincher's Filmmaking: A Puzzle of Paradoxes?

The irony isn't lost on us. While he finds the idea of re-watching his films as cringe-worthy as revisiting middle school pictures, Fincher does find himself adjusting them as he remasters classics such as 'Seven.' During a Q&A session moderated by his longtime friend and celebrated director Steven Soderbergh, Fincher candidly shared, "There's a lot of sh*t that needs to be fixed."

However, the maverick director is fundamentally against changing the essence of his films. He's open to addressing anything egregiously wrong but vehemently opposes altering the crux of the story. This, of course, does not extend to erasing guns from scenes and replacing them with flashlights.

Fincher’s perspective on the filmmaking process, though unorthodox, reflects his genius. When quizzed about the 'fun part' of filmmaking, Fincher passionately expressed his love for rehearsal, casting, and movie design. The actual shooting? Not so much.

Montages, Musings, and Movie Making

Fincher’s love for a well-made montage was evident when discussing the Fight Club's montage. He expressed his fondness, stating, "I love the montage because it’s pure cinema. It's inference. It's like, this goes against this, as quickly as we can possibly make a point and get the f*ck out of dodge."

During the discussion, Fincher also addressed the challenges young filmmakers face in the industry. His advice for those navigating an increasingly complex landscape was to stick to their vision. He empathized with the struggle to make a good film with limited resources, but emphasized the harder task of getting the finished product seen and bought.