It’s been less than two weeks since David Fincher’s Mank arrived on Netflix and while it’s proved quite divisive (as our review attests), there’s still much to technically marvel at when it comes to the 1930s-set Hollywood tale. We’ll have a conversation with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt coming later this week, and today a look at the visual effects has arrived.
While it’s not your average VFX-heavy tentpole, Fincher’s technical precision clearly extends beyond the set as proven in these three breakdowns from Artemple and Savage Visual Effects, who were joined by Industrial Light & Magic, Ollin VFX, Outback Post, and Territory Studio in working on the film’s VFX.
Featuring background additions, sky replacements, a fake spinning coin, the reflection of a movie on eyeglasses, a CGI fly, and much more, it’s quite remarkable what’s hidden in plain sight from the viewer. “It fits the style because, we’re not making Marvel movies,” co-producer Peter Mavromates tells Befores and Afters. “It really is about not taking you out to another place. It’s about you just getting sucked into the story and the environment. The Marvel or Star Wars movies, there’s a certain amount of grandstanding in it, you know? And that’s not the same goal in drama.”
Watch one VFX reel below and two more reels at Befores and Afters, with a hat tip to Vadim Rizov.
Also, listen to our conversation on The Film Stage Show.