By V. Renee
Filmmaking is just as much about what you don't put into a movie as it is what you do. This is a concept David Fincher used to describe his own directorial approach, and something Tony Zhou examines in yet another excellent video essay. Check out this intriguing piece that answers the question, "What does David Fincher not do?"
We spend so much time scouring the internet to find out what history's greatest filmmakers did to make their most iconic films, but perhaps it might be a beneficial change of pace to find out what they didn't do so you can potentially use what you learn in your own work. Obviously, we're not talking about chucking your ALEXA off of a bluff, or anything like that, but knowing when and when not to use certain camera movements (why don't you move your camera) and shot sizes (why don't you cut to a close-up) is supremely important for directors.
Many times we want it all when we're offered all of the bountiful cinematographic possibilities: going handheld with a Dutch-angled two-shot while circling around both subjects who are themselves twirling in the opposite direction and cutting between them and two GoPro-wearing dolphins that are breaching in unison, coming up from the depths of the South Pacific to reveal a Fijian visage. However, many times restraint is just what your film needs from its director, and discovering what you won't do will make all the more brilliant what you do do.
Can't wait to see Gone Girl
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