The Auteur Perspective of David Fincher

Director David Fincher’s films contain many distinct elements that set his work apart, but one of the most instantly recognizable elements is his visual style – specifically, his camerawork. The level of control and purposefulness that Fincher exhibits in his films qualify Fincher as the auteur, or “author,” of his films. This thesis will closely examine four of Fincher’s films that are indicative of his style in a given point in his career.\ud \ud The films that will be explored are Fight Club (1999), Zodiac (2007), The Social Network (2010), and Gone Girl (2014). Using the variation of auteur theory as laid out by American film theorist Andrew Sarris, this thesis will explore the signature elements of Fincher’s camera positioning, camera motion, and camera angling in order to qualify Fincher as an auteur. These elements will be analyzed in how they literally appear and in the narrative function they serve