--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: David Fincher is probably the best…" description: "\"David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. He has such confident comman..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69c/edward-norton-2203_cameraman_david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-compr_97993.jpg" --- # David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director… ![“David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. He has such confident command of cinema language and visual language and script and performance. He knows more about f-stops than any cameraman, he knows more about lighting…” quote by Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69c/edward-norton-2203_cameraman_david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-compr_97993.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69c/edward-norton-2203_cameraman_david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-compr_97993.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69c/edward-norton-2203_cameraman_david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-compr_97993.jpg) > “David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. He has such confident command of cinema language and visual language and script and performance. He knows more about f-stops than any cameraman, he knows more about lighting than any gaffer, he is a wonderful writer, and he can give you a good line reading. Under pressure, he is the kind of guy who you will just dive in with and trust and follow because his vision is so intense.” [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker praises Fincher's comprehensive mastery of cinematic craft, emphasizing his technical knowledge, visual storytelling, and leadership under pressure. **In simple terms:** Fincher excels in all filmmaking aspects. Key Takeaway Holistic expertise drives cinematic excellence. Themes film leadership visual storytelling technical mastery collaboration Mood admiring analytical Type critical appreciative When to use this quote - film production - creative team leadership - visual design workshops Key Concepts process management creative vision Practical Applications - study Fincher's workflow for integrated production - cultivate cross‑disciplinary knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does technical mastery influence artistic freedom? - Can a single vision dominate collaborative creativity? A Different Perspective High technical focus may limit improvisational spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cameraman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameraman/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Cinema Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema-language-1197951/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Comprehensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehensive/) [Comprehensive Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehensive-director-1197950/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/david-fincher-574151/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Fincher Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fincher-probably-1197949/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighting/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Under pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/under-pressure/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [I think David Fincher should probably be an 18th Century Landscape painter because he has this temperament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graysmith/i-think-david-fincher-should-probably-be-an-18th-century-landscape/) [Robert Graysmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graysmith/) > [ To me, Fight Club was a comedy. When \[David\] Fincher sent me the book and I read it, the first thing I asked him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/to-me-fight-club-was-a-comedy-when-david-fincher-sent-me-the-book-and/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I'm open to exploring different regional cinema also because each language has a different performance drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-m-open-to-exploring-different-regional-cinema-also-because-each/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [Cinema by itself is a language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/cinema-by-itself-is-a-language/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [That sort of detailed filmmaking is one, hard to do and not have it be pretentious, and two, have it tell the story, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/that-sort-of-detailed-filmmaking-is-one-hard-to-do-and-not-have-it-be/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [Actually I don't watch a lot of films but when I do, I like experimental, avant garde, European and world cinema. That is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/actually-i-don-t-watch-a-lot-of-films-but-when-i-do-i-like/) [Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/) > [I love working in cinema - it can be in any language!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiah-khan/i-love-working-in-cinema-it-can-be-in-any-language/) [Jiah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiah-khan/) > [For me, 'Shanghai' is beyond language. For me, it's good cinema. The language is incidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prosenjit-chatterjee/for-me-shanghai-is-beyond-language-for-me-it-s-good-cinema-the/) [Prosenjit Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prosenjit-chatterjee/) > [In fact, I feel that cinema has no language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/in-fact-i-feel-that-cinema-has-no-language/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [When I started my first film, there were three women directors in France. Their films were OK, but I was different. It's like when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/when-i-started-my-first-film-there-were-three-women-directors-in/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [I have always believed that cinema has no language and 'Dead End' has proved it so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/i-have-always-believed-that-cinema-has-no-language-and-dead-end-has/) [Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/) > [I'm a huge David Fincher fan, and to me, 'Zodiac' is a masterpiece. I re-watch that movie all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/i-m-a-huge-david-fincher-fan-and-to-me-zodiac-is-a-masterpiece-i-re/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I thought 'Fight Club' was great as David Fincher's version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-thought-fight-club-was-great-as-david-fincher-s-version/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When David Fincher called me up a few years ago and said, 'Hey, I'd like you to score this film 'The Social Network,' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/when-david-fincher-called-me-up-a-few-years-ago-and-said-hey-i-d-like/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [It's so amazing that you can give somebody like David Fincher 'House of Cards,' and he can do whatever he wants - Netflix doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/it-s-so-amazing-that-you-can-give-somebody-like-david-fincher-house/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) ## More by Edward Norton > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [ As an actor, if you step to the side and you look at \[Thornton's performance\] technically, and you try to imagine doing what he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/as-an-actor-if-you-step-to-the-side-and-you-look-at-thornton-s/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [It's better for people to miss you than to have seen too much of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/it-s-better-for-people-to-miss-you-than-to-have-seen-too-much-of-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [You can't control everything that comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/you-can-t-control-everything-that-comes-to-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The incentive for business is not, and cannot, be anything other than the root incentive for all business: they must profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/the-incentive-for-business-is-not-and-cannot-be-anything-other-than/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [My greatest hope is that we transcend the most fearful thing, which is that we are rapidly degrading the ecological systems on this planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/my-greatest-hope-is-that-we-transcend-the-most-fearful-thing-which-is/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Sometimes their oppression of emotion and the weird way it comes out is more interesting than painting it in bold primary colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/sometimes-their-oppression-of-emotion-and-the-weird-way-it-comes-out/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The thing I'm absolutely convinced of, no matter how crazy - technological the world is getting, is that people feel more connected through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/the-thing-i-m-absolutely-convinced-of-no-matter-how-crazy/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Making really great music, making really great films, writing great books is an antidote to all of that. And, as people, as artists, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/making-really-great-music-making-really-great-films-writing-great/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I like music, but I need to get outside more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-like-music-but-i-need-to-get-outside-more/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I've always liked the idea of taking old dramatic ideas and devices and making them feel relevant or contemporary or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-ve-always-liked-the-idea-of-taking-old-dramatic-ideas-and-devices/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I don't think you should sit around and wait for people to give you an opportunity to express yourself or do your work, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-think-you-should-sit-around-and-wait-for-people-to-give-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [To cite my own alma mater, it's shocking to me that Yale University can teach what it teaches at the Yale School of Environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/to-cite-my-own-alma-mater-it-s-shocking-to-me-that-yale-university/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I had a huge advantage with Edward Norton because he's directed a movie before, so one thing he appreciates is how hard my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-had-a-huge-advantage-with-edward-norton-because-he-s-directed-a/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [When I think of my background, if I was privileged on any level, it was in terms of the kind of exposure to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/when-i-think-of-my-background-if-i-was-privileged-on-any-level-it-was/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) [Explore all 179 Edward Norton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) ## More Cameraman quotes > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [“sitting on crates and passing a bottle. A cameraman from Channel 7 is shooting footage, and a reporter looks uncomfortable as she adjusts her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-siegel/sitting-on-crates-and-passing-a-bottle-a-cameraman-from-channel-7-is/) [Sheldon Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-siegel/) > [I found the recording sessions very freeing because you can really try things. When you're filming something, if you're improvising a film and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-found-the-recording-sessions-very-freeing-because-you-can-really/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [The great thing about being a print journalist is that you are permitted to duck. Cameramen get killed while the writers are flat on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-great-thing-about-being-a-print-journalist-is-that-you-are/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [My work is made on lines similar to those of a film production. A lot of my work is kind of bureaucratic, endlessly phoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-work-is-made-on-lines-similar-to-those-of-a-film-production-a-lot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like to say that lighting is about taking the light away. I often like to use the shadows more than the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilmos-zsigmond/i-like-to-say-that-lighting-is-about-taking-the-light-away-i-often/) [Vilmos Zsigmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilmos-zsigmond/) > [Directing ain't about drawing a neat little picture and showing it to the cameraman. I didn't want to go to film school. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/directing-ain-t-about-drawing-a-neat-little-picture-and-showing-it-to/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [ What I believe is really good in the so-called documentary approach to photography is the addition of lyricism.\[this quality\] is usually produced unconsciously and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-evans/what-i-believe-is-really-good-in-the-so-called-documentary-approach/) [Walker Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-evans/) > [A lot of the good cameraman who we used are doing television work; they're doing commercials for a lot of money. And the commercials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/a-lot-of-the-good-cameraman-who-we-used-are-doing-television-work/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [People were murdered for the camera; and some photographers and a television camera crew departed without taking a picture in the hope that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/people-were-murdered-for-the-camera-and-some-photographers-and-a/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [I grew up as a cameraman, so it's much easier for me to shoot it myself. I work with an operator and a crew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-douglas/i-grew-up-as-a-cameraman-so-it-s-much-easier-for-me-to-shoot-it/) [David Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-douglas/) > [Baseball is meant to be fun, and not all the solemn money-men in fur-collared greatcoats, not all the scruffy media cameramen and sour-faced reporters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/baseball-is-meant-to-be-fun-and-not-all-the-solemn-money-men-in-fur/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The Russo brothers are the best people ever, and they cast me in 'Happy Endings.' I did text Joe Russo to say, 'I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pally/the-russo-brothers-are-the-best-people-ever-and-they-cast-me-in-happy/) [Adam Pally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pally/) > [There are times when it's absolutely appropriate to march up to someone, stick out your hand and introduce yourself, and times when it's best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-ward/there-are-times-when-it-s-absolutely-appropriate-to-march-up-to/) [Clarissa Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-ward/) > [I tried to get a job as a TV cameraman and they basically told me, 'You're mad, everyone wants these jobs - and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-campbell/i-tried-to-get-a-job-as-a-tv-cameraman-and-they-basically-told-me-you/) [Martin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-campbell/) [Browse all 77 Cameraman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameraman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. 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