David Fincher is a dark storyteller. This we know. He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to direct a rom-com, although perhaps Gone Girl is his idea of one.
While there’s a number of directors who are fighting to keep celluloid alive, Fincher was one of the first directors in Hollywood to completely abandon film and go digital because it was easier for him to work with, and he could shoot darker than ever.
As Variety explains, he’s working with the Epic Dragon digital camera, which is an update of the Red camera. For those who are digitally challenged, the Red is the industry standard for digital cinematography, and there’s new software you have to get as the technology progresses.
Variety adds that the Dragon can shoot at a resolution of 6K, “allowing it to capture sharper images in low light and giving filmmakers more quality control in the color-correction phase.”
BTW, there’s also a Blade Runner connection with Gone Girl’s ultra dark look. Fincher’s cinematographer is Jeff Chenoweth, whose father, Jordan Chenoweth, was the director of photography on Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece. (Cronenweth was Fincher’s cinematographer on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Social Network and Fight Club.)
