Look at this wide shot example from Zodiac:

Wide shots literally shoot subjects from a distance, but when used in David Fincher movies, they tend to have the opposite effect: they give the audience a gut-level understanding of a character’s immediate predicament.

One cinematic technique favored by Fincher is the wide-angle shot. He uses wide shots (also known as full shots or long shots) to display a character’s environment and situation.

David Fincher movie employing the wide shot in Zodiac

So how come David Fincher movies use close-ups so sparsely?

This infrequency ramps up the intimate connection to character when he does choose to cut in.

Far less common for Fincher are his use of close-ups. He uses close-ups sparingly to highlight what’s really important.

Every time you go to a close-up, the audience knows, ‘Look at this, this is important.’ You have to be very, very cautious and careful about when you chose to do it.

On House of Cards, Fincher experimented with the rarely-used (up to that point) 2:1 aspect ratio. This would allow him to capture a middle ground between the intimacy of taller aspect ratios (1.85:1) and the breadth of wider aspect ratios (2.35:1). Let's take a look at the 2:1 aspect ratio and how Fincher brought it into House of Cards.

David Fincher’s style is characterized by purpose. For Fincher, a close-up has to be respected and used only when absolutely necessary. David Fincher films are also characterized by his meticulous shot selection.

Let's examine another scene and see his purposeful precision at work.

The climax of Se7en is iconic for many reasons. The dark twist of an ending is one of the great shocks in cinema. Kevin Spacey as John Doe, Brad Pitt as Det. Mills, and Morgan Freeman as Det. Somerset all give masterclass performances.

But how is cinematography used to amplify the scene? What effect do shifts in lighting and frame sizes have?

Let's open the box and see what's inside...

Spoilers ahead, obviously.

Our analysis begins the moment Det. Somerset understands the gravity of the situation and runs back to Det. Mills and John.

This scene is all about the power that John Doe has over these men, even though he is their prisoner. One obvious way to suggest a powerful character is to shoot them from a low angle.

Our first shot is an extreme low angle on John Doe. He occupies the center of the frame and is backlit by the sun, giving him something like a halo. This is the moment the trap has been sprung, and he is at his most triumphant.

Most of John Doe's remaining shots are eye-level close-ups. His face looms in the frame as Det. Mills tries to understand what has happened. These close-ups also show us, as Det. Somerset says, "John Doe has the upper hand."

Det. Somerset has opened the box and understands the trap. His single shots are also in close-up. His understanding makes him visually equal to John Doe.

But Det. Mills is still unaware.

As the scene progresses, Det. Mills is shot in either medium or medium wide shots. That is, until he learns that his wife was pregnant when she died.

Finally, we cut to a large close-up of his broken and tortured face.

This close-up isn't meant to suggest Det. Mills has any power in the scene. It is necessary to register the shock and agony he is experiencing. We watch in great detail his emotional turmoil.

From here on, all three characters are shot in close-up.

But there is also a lot happening with how this scene is lit. The lighting, too, accents the scene in abstract but effective ways.

In short, the lighting on Det. Mills and Det. Somerset is 100% consistent and logical. The sun is always on Det. Mills back or left side. For Det. Mills, it is either in front or on his right side.

But the lighting on John Doe changes from shot to shot.

In some close-ups, John is backlit with the sun behind him. In other shots, he is lit from the left, others from the right. There are even shots of him facing the sun.

But the discrepancies don't end with the direction of the sunlight. The quality of the light also changes. In some shots, the sun hits John Doe with sharp brightness. And elsewhere it is diffused and glowing around him, especially in his last close-up right before his execution.

Why? This is a strange decision to make, especially for a perfectionist like Fincher. Is it really just a mistake?

For the sake of argument, let's assume this decision was made intentionally.

The lighting shifts are expressive, meant to suggest more than to represent. He switches from prisoner to mastermind. He is soft-spoken but deadly. He now admits that for all the righteous judgment of his victims, he, too, is a sinner.

There is a multitude of shades to John Doe's character. Det. Mills and Det. Somerset are much less complicated in their morality.

Fincher uses these oppositional lighting schemes to illustrate the divide between these characters. And we are reminded that we will never truly understand John Doe.

This is what creative decisions with cinematography and lighting can produce. Every shot, even within the same scene, is an opportunity to use light and shadow to your advantage.

For more on staging and blocking, check out StudioBinder's FREE masterclass, and the video below, offering some incredible insights on these visual storytelling techniques.