David Fincher is celebrated as a meticulous and innovative storyteller whose demanding perfectionism, rooted in a deep respect for the craft, results in impactful and enduring cinema, profoundly influencing those who collaborate with him.
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here's one thing you never hear after
viewing a David Fincher film
that was fun we should have brought the kids
kids no
yes I played a part in three of David
Fincher films
hi my name is Brad Pitt and I'm a survivor
survivor
here's some things you might hear on a
David Fincher set
let's shoot this please before we all
lose interest in living
okay we have the out of focus version
let's try one that's in focus
if you pan to the right and see that in
your frame again you have my permission
to take your own life
and a personal fave I want you guys to
enjoy yourselves but that's what
no one says making Adventure film is
easy all will tell you it's worth it
some say he's a perfectionist that is
true very true
it's rumored he once shot 90 takes on a
single setup this is entirely false it's
inaccurate it's not true it was 92.
it said a studio exec approached him
after a screening saying
David I am not comfortable with this cut
David's response was you have my sympathy
sympathy
that's true that's true reportedly while
filming the birth of his daughter he
asked the doctor if he could try that
one again
that's unsubstantiated I'm not sure uh
uh
if you can tell by now I love the band
with all my heart and I'm pleased I
could Ambush him here today and be a
part of honoring one of our greatest storytellers
storytellers
and congrats on even getting him here
for this a man who's more prone to avoid
the spotlight
for David it's imagining it's the
imagining of the idea when he's happiest
The Innovation the psychology of the
thing what he can unearth by the time he
starts shooting he'll tell you this is
the moment he begins falling short of
his aspirations
and the so the agony begins
other directors often try to emulate him
but invariably fail because they think
it's just about the imagery
but if it was just about the imagery we
wouldn't keep returning to his work and
honoring him tonight
for him everything batters at all time
beginning with the story the character
and a thousand other things that had to
go right for a single frame to make it
into his film
if it's one degree off it might as well
be 180 degrees off there is no almost
there is no nearly there is no close enough
enough
his idea of professionalism is most
others idea of obsession
working with him you will know what
Excellence feels like and as he says if
we are not out juggling chainsaws we're
doing ourselves a disservice
because films speak for themselves so
here's a few Fincher fun facts uh he was
part with his first series House of
Cards uh he was one of the decision
makers to decide to release the whole
season at once changing the way we view
uh our series
aka the binge watching that skip intro
button at the first at all streamers
have adopted also Fincher and you know
that rotisserie card you'll see when
actors are tumbling around inside a
flipping card
yep Venture two
now my Hollywood loves to use the word
genius but often misunderstands are
actual geniuses
we who have been so fortunate to ride in
his slipstream will tell you he's warm a
big softy
that is incredibly articulate and
rigorously honest and takes great care
when explaining his vision
we will try to describe the Pearl's
wisdom that fall from his mouth but
we'll fall short
will tell you that he's hardest on himself
himself
and even though he's the smartest guy in
the room he's self-deprecating and the
funniest we've ever met
he's loyal to the Bone and in turn we
happily crawl through glass for him and
ask him for another take
these are just a few of the things we
might say about this man who means so
much to us
my life was forever changed one day in
94 when I sat down for a coffee with
David Fincher
I don't know if any of what we do
matters in the end what I do know that
matters is the people we hitch ourselves to
to
and the indelible Mark they leave upon
our very being
I was reading a passage recently where a
character was asking which is more
important the journey or the destination
and the other replied it's the company
and I couldn't agree more [Applause]
thank you for your wonderful invitation and
and
I must say
it took me by surprise because the films
I make tend to be a little prickly
um and any discussion that begins with
your body of work can't help but conjure
images of hospice
so I deliberated with close friends who
all came to the same conclusion when
people who care deeply about the quality
of art literature photography fashion
architecture food wine and Cinema ask
you to come celebrate you go
I stand Here representing literally
thousands of people's hard work
all done while I sat nearby watching TV
so I must now thank them deeply for the honor
honor
and I salute the culture of French
Cinema the craft and the criticism
I salute your commitment to a cinema
that reflects who we are at our smallest
and simplest and not just our
aspirational heroics once we have our
tights on
the art of painting is thousands of
years old and Cinema just over a hundred
we're only beginning to scratch the
surface of its potential I hope to see
you again sometime in its even more
glorious future
and lastly I want to acknowledge my wife
and daughter who are my beacon when I'm
lost in the brambles of creative
self-recrimination and only their
kindness brings me home
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