Color in David Fincher Movies — Fincher Explains How He Uses Color Palettes in His Films

A breakdown of the David Fincher color palette from the director and his collaborators in their own words discussing Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network, Mindhunter, and more.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to David Fincher's Colors
00:41 - Desaturated Palette
02:37 - Colors & Characters
04:51 - Settings & Tone
07:55 - Wrap Up

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The typical David Fincher color palette isn’t very colorful. Exceptions aside, Fincher typically forgoes any bright or saturated colors for something much more subdued. Beyond a simple aesthetic choice, there is also storytelling value within a David Fincher color palette. A filmmaker as precise as Fincher doesn’t leave any decision unconsidered so what is behind his choice of colors? In this video, we’ll hear from Fincher and his collaborators on color in David Fincher movies and how it fits into his overall approach.

The David Fincher Color Palette — Desaturation

If there is one consistent trait to a David Fincher color palette, it is desaturation. As Production Designer Arthur Max explains, Se7en is a “no-color color movie.” Creating such a muted and controlled palette, especially away from primary and vibrant colors, has a number of effects. One effect is that when a bold color is used, the audience will notice it. In Se7en, it also allows the appearance of bright red to stand out even more — which is reserved for blood, John Doe, and the relationship between them.

David Fincher's Color — Characters

Fincher will often attach color to a character. In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the color red was used exclusively for Daisy. In Se7en, Det. Somerset is surrounded by dark colors. In his apartment, we get dark Earth tones and deep greens to match his pessimistic worldview.

Color in David Fincher Movies — Settings

Where Fincher does make pronounced choices in his color palette is in settings. Often he will wash the entire room in a single color — like the nostalgic yellow in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or the oppressive orange heat in Alien 3. For the “Sloth” crime scene in Se7en, cinematographer Darius Khondji explains how they used green in the lighting to give the scene a “moist, fungal” look.

The David Fincher color palette isn’t bold or even that visually appealing but that’s the point. To create the dark and dangerous moods of his subject matter, it makes perfect sense to let color become equally dark.


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