In anticipation of the release of Mank on December 4th, this week, Collider will be presenting original essays and features diving into the work of David Fincher.
Hollywood doesn't tend to give commercial directors the credit they deserve. Historically, the Herculean task of selling a product to millions of people through a 30-second ad shot on a relative shoestring budget with a skeleton crew is undervalued. Some creatives, however, rise to the top of the commercial industry. And from there, those happy few rise even further into the heights of Hollywood's elite.
Wes Anderson, David Lynch, Sofia Coppola, even Sergio Leone and Ingmar Bergman and many more notable names have directed commercials over the course of their careers. However, for filmmakers like Spike Jonze, David Lynch, Michael Bay, Zack Snyder, and Ridley Scott, success in commercials was a foot in the door of the movie industry. David Fincher can obviously be counted among the latter group, but we also look to his establishment of Propaganda Films, which gave some of those very same filmmakers their start. And since Fincher not only started in commercials but continued to return to them throughout his career, it's worth looking at his evolution in the industry.
An interview with Playboy Magazine back in 2014 recaps Fincher's early career nicely, a career that, to hear the filmmaker himself tell it, all went exactly according to plan:
When I was about 15 or 16, [my parents] sat me down and said, “We want to know where you think you’re going and what you think you’re going to do.” I laid it out for them: “After high school I’m going to move back down to Marin. I want to eventually get a job working at Industrial Light & Magic. From there, I’m going to make television commercials and move to Los Angeles. Then I’d like to make sequels to my favorite science fiction movies.” My dad, who was big on taking long, deep breaths while thinking about things, said probably the most important thing ever: “Well, what if that doesn’t work out?” I was kind of like, “Fuck you. I’m not thinking about plan B.”
Hard to tell if his personal anecdote was matter-of-fact or tongue-in-cheek, but I'm betting on at least a smidge of the latter. Fincher did indeed work at George Lucas’ special effects company, ILM, at an early age, soon becoming an assistant cameraman and matte photographer. He parlayed that experience into an eye-catching and buzz-worthy ad that leapfrogged him up the industry ladder. Commercials for Nike, Coca-Cola, Chanel, and Levi’s followed soon after. It was those big names that made his day job easier for his parents to understand, as he told Playboy:
When I was making commercials for Nike, Chanel and Pepsi, I think my parents thought I was doing stuff like “Come on down to Waterbed Warehouse.” That was their idea of what television commercials were, so that’s what they thought I was doing. My dad was an Okie and my mom was from South Dakota, and because they had a very different view of what one could expect, they wanted to protect me from disappointment. I think it clicked after we started Propaganda Films, and they started to think, Oh wow, he’s okay financially.
Fincher fielded commercials, music videos, and movies simultaneously in the 90s, though it was a Coke ad that led him to his longtime companion and producer, Ceán Chaffin. But that's probably about the only thing the Oscar-nominated filmmaker remembers fondly from his early orvillcommercial days:
I made commercials to make money, but I did music videos as a kind of film school.
We've already revisited Fincher's early music video work to see how that approach to film school worked out, so now's as good a time as any to revisit Fincher's commercial work to see how the acclaimed director has grown over the years. (Big shout-out to The Fincher Analyst for this comprehensive list of commercials in chronological order.)
1984 - American Cancer Society Anti-Smoking Ad
I mean, helluva start there, isn't it? This mid-80s ad is a perfect combination of eye-catching visuals (honed during Fincher's time at ILM, one would imagine), watercooler-worthy content, and a bold, direct approach to addressing a hot-button issue. You best believe people everywhere were talking about it (even Connie Chung!), and moreso when two of the three national TV broadcast networks, CBS and NBC, opted to pull the spot; ABC aired it in support of the American Cancer Society, who produced it. "It's too lifelike, it's too sensationalistic," which, too, is Early Fincher.
After the success of the anti-smoking ad, and early success with avant garde music videos for top talent, Fincher co-founded Propaganda Films with producers Steve Golin and Sigurjón Sighvatsson and directors Nigel Dick, Dominic Sena, and Greg Gold. Though the company focused on music videos, eventually producing nearly a third of these in the U.S. by 1990, they brought a similar, evocative, and wildly imaginative creative energy to their commercial circuit. Some examples of late 80s commercial work follow, kicking off with a banger of a commercial that feels Lynch'ier than Fincher:
1988 - Colt 45 with Billy Dee Williams
That spot certainly has big 80s energy to go right along with big Billy Dee Williams energy and a questionable tagline for the Colt 45 product itself, but the music video approach shines through all the brighter in this big-haired, big-shouldered take on ::checks notes:: vitamin-infused shampoo and conditioner?
1988 - Fabergé - Fabergé Organics
As much of an 80s influence was infused through the above commercials, Fincher's commercial work was ahead of its time in ushering in the insanity that would become the 1990s. Music increasingly took advantage of fast beats, electronic enhancements, and record-scratching affects; fashion took on neon tints and bleached, gel-assisted hairdos; and the athletes of the day were just as aggressive and in-your-face as the pop culture they emerged from and surrounded themselves with. Fincher's aesthetic here may have helped to usher in some of the fads that would become cemented as "90s."
1989 - Nike - "Just Face It"
1989 - Nike - "Tennis Lesson"
1990 - Nike - Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood Series
But not every approach to 90s fads and fashion worked equally well...
1991 - Levi's 501
Fincher got back to his roots with a series of Nike ads in 1992 that revisited the music video approach, populated the short-run ad space with hard bodies and famous faces, and sold the sizzle instead of the steak. Not a bad year for Fincher ... except for the whole Alien 3 thing.
1992 Nike Ads
"Instant Karma"
"Barkley on Broadway"
"Temple of Flight: Aerialism"
Just like the '89 ads presaged the arrival of the EXTREME 90s, so too does this '93 ad predict the unprecedented accessibility and reach that the burgeoning internet would bring to people all around the world. It's insane how quickly our world changed because of this technology; Fincher, and the folk at AT&T, were early converts, at least as far as this ad is concerned.
1993 - AT&T - "You Will"
1993 was the busiest year yet in the commercial space for Fincher. He notched a minimum of 11 ads that year, perhaps owing to the fallout over Aliens 3. The following examples show off Fincher's understanding of the power of nostalgia. Maybe he was pining for better days himself at the time, but the result of mulling over such memories gave us these "classics":
1993 - Budweiser - "Classic TV" & "Classic Rock"
It was also in '93 that Fincher started to blend his experiences as a feature film director into his work directing commercials. The following are two fantastic examples of his evolution within the industry. Though these spots definitely feel more like short films than music videos, they act as evidence of transitional works, the missing links of Fincher's more serious migration into film.
1993 - Chanel - Égoïste "The Director"
1993 - Coca-Cola: Blade Roller
With the Oscar-nominated thriller Se7en now under hist belt, Fincher continued to direct commercials in the last half of the 90s, though his production slowed a bit until a resurgence in 2003. With his attention surely focused elsewhere during the run-up to The Game in 1997 and Fight Club in 1999 -- not to mention continued work on music videos for artists like Madonna, George Michael and A Perfect Circle -- the following examples are ... not his best work. Some offer too thin a concept, some feel like personal mantras. Your mileage may vary.
1996 - Heineken "All True" Series
1999 - Nike "Film Strip" Series
That Heinekin ad series, however forgettable it might be, also serves as Vintage Fincher. As The Ringer has it Michael Alan Kahn, who worked as Fincher’s first assistant director, these commercials were prime examples of the director's "inventive ... distinct ... and meticulously constructed" approach, even when it came to shooting a deceptively simple beer bottle on a table. As Kahn recalls:
“You’d start from scratch and [Fincher] would spend five hours and 57 minutes dressing the fuselage, dressing the background, moving the background around, putting the bottle right in place, finessing the light so it felt like you were in flight, the right amount of spritz on the bottle, the right amount of napkin. Every aspect of every aspect was considered and perfected. Then he would roll the camera for three minutes, and that was lunch and that one was done. It was an amazing thing to watch because you see a blank frame and then you see him paint, basically.”
By 2003, however, Fincher's commercial work started to embrace more digital technology than ever before. When once effects were achieved through practical means created via extensive setup and attention to detail, those same traits were applied to digital creations instead.
2003 - ADIDAS
Digital Domain, a regular collaborator on Fincher's works, not only help to bring the filmmaker's ideas to life, they're more than happy to show the tech behind the scenes:
Then again, sometimes a funny concept is still best executed through a simple setup. (Though it helps if you have famous Friends.)
2003 - Coca-Cola
Back to the focus on VFX, this remarkable ad for ... fashionable mobile phones? ... once again feels more Lynch'ian, perhaps with a dash of Cronenberg'ian body horror. And who doesn't want that in a million-dollar ad?
2004 - Xelibri - "Beauty for Sale"
The following example is a little less 0rganic but more technologically interesting when it comes to just how Fincher & Co. pulled off the staggering visuals. Thankfully, Digital Domain gave us another peek behind the scenes. Their VFX work couple with Fincher's noted perfectionism came together for an all-time stunner of an ad.
2004 - Hewlett-Packard - "Constant Change"
The next ad, along with 2003's Nike ad "Speed Chain", seem to have a bit of a theme in common. It's something akin to evolution as seen through the lens of an advertisement and through the eye of Fincher. Perhaps the progress of time, and ways to invert or at least subvert it, was on Fincher's mind in the run-up to the compelling 2008 feature film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
2005 - Motorola Pebl
Or maybe Fincher and pal Brad Pitt just wanted to collaborate again. Additionally, cinematographer Claudio Miranda joined the party for this ad before working with Fincher and Pitt for Benjamin Button.
2005 - Heineken - "Beer Run" with Brad Pitt
But while the Heineken beer run, thoughts of the ever-marching passage of time, and dabbling with visual effects may have led to Benjamin Button, Fincher & Co. still needed a proof of concept to mess with before digitally aging and de-aging Pitt throughout Button's lifetime. Enter: Orville Redenbacher
2007 - Orville Redenbacher - "Smart Pop"
Digital Domain released a breakdown video showing the process of reanimating the brand's progenitor in CG:
Yikes.
Before Fincher would move back to the big screen with The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl, he'd make a return to commercial direction with some old standbys like Nike, some worthwhile public service work, and other big-name brands. They're serviceable, but clearly Fincher's real creative energy is focused on the big screen at this moment in time.
2008 - Nike - "Fate" with LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu
2008 - StandUp2Cancer PSA
2009 - Apple 3GS "Break In"
2009 - Nike's Pro Combat "Trail of Destruction" with Adrian Peterson
The most recent batch of Fincher-directed commercials might just be his last. Sure, there's every possibility the Oscar-nominee will return to the short-form work that's been such a success for him over the years, but one would imagine he doesn't really need to these days. Fincher hasn't directed a feature film since 2014 (with the exception of the new 2020 release Mank) and the same can be said for commercials. However, these two black-and-white series efforts strongly suggest he at least had some fun with these ads, even if they are his last hurrah in that space.
2013 - Calvin Klein "Downtown"