The People Vs David Fincher

FROM HIS LOVE OF MUSIC VIDEOS TO HIS AVERSION TO iPHONES, THE WORLD’S MOST METICULOUS DIRECTOR ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

- NEV PIERCE

What is your biggest pet peeve on set? MATT WILLIAMS I think it’s hard for people to understand how little, incidental conversation just takes away from focus. Everybody just goes into pause mode instead of record mode. Also, when you shoot a lot of takes, as people do stuffrepetitively, you see in your peripheral vision people go to their iPhones. Might be the iPhone on set — biggest pet peeve.

If you could remake any film in history, which would it be?

PAUL LEACH I never thought about it. I mean, there are some films I feel like, “That was a great two-thirds of an idea and it didn’t stick the landing.” Some of those films I’ve actually made.

Whatever happened to your Arthur C. Clarke project Rendezvous With Rama?

STEVE DEMPSTER It was a gigantic, expensive movie that didn’t have any toys. There were no amusement-park rides that could be gleaned from it.

Who has been your main inspiration as a film director?

JANE BASS So many. Obviously George Roy Hill, Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg, Alan Pakula and Bob Fosse. All the normal greats. Hal Ashby. All the people that you would guess.

Which emerging filmmakers do you admire and why?