TV series and Netflix are taking delight of a golden time that started 10 years ago
The critical success of TV shows such as "Breaking Bad", "True Detective", "Stranger Things" or "Game Of Thrones"
resulted in studios giving much more attention and obviously money
to episodic entertainment formats
I won't lie to you, for some time I was a TV show addict
and watched every single one that had a slightly interesting plot.
But as time went by, it became very difficult to find a good show
For the last time the majority of series were so unoriginal and insipid
that the only reason I watched them was to turn off my brain for a weekend
while stunting my poor liver with soda or junk food or loads of ice cream
From time to time I asked myself if watching these shows was for entertainment
or just to know if a character died or 
 if another one solved a mystery
After a while, and after a lot of ice cream,
I became much more selective
and decided to seize the time I invested in watching any garbage show
to enjoy two or more movies with a better narrative approach and direction.
But recently I fell in love with a show called "Mindhunter"
In this thriller, two FBI agents investigate different serial killer cases during the 70s
aiming to find a behavioural pattern from these criminals
The show was produced by David Fincher who also directs the first and last two episodes
And that detail is precisely what led me to make this video.
David Fincher also directed a 2007 movie called "Zodiac"
which explored the same topic in the same period of time and with similar characters
This coincidence gives us a great opportunity
to compare both pieces
so we can understand the difference between making a movie or a TV series
and the pros and cons of each format.
DAVID FINCHER: From film to TV
Like I said, "Mindhunter" and "Zodiac" have similar aspects
at a basic level the two of them are pieces of work directed by David Fincher
and they also have a main character who is getting consumed dangerously by his work.
Holden Ford becomes an egomaniac that mistreats his FBI partners
And Robert Graysmith gets so obsessed with the Zodiac Killer case
that he puts his family and relationships in danger
As the killer Edmund Kemper said in "Mindhunter"
the excessive vocation can drag a person to chaos and conflict.
Another important aspect is that the two pieces are set in a very conflicted era for the United States: The 70s.
This time period, marked by the failure in the Vietnam war, the assassination of John F. Kennedy
and many social protests, spawned a society disgusted by their country's values and thirsty for a drastic change
The well-known counterculture of the 70s shook everything established
and gave us great movements like hippies, rock music and movies like "Easy Rider"
But this liberation had also it's dark side
Doubting every tradition, the values proposed by the "American Dream" of the 50s were torn apart.
In a situation where anything goes, some psychopaths found the perfect place
to carry out their most horrific perversions.
Remember that in this years we have the frightening case of the Manson family, the Zodiac killer
and every monster that marches past the jails of Mindhunter.
It's no accident that the first sequence from "Zodiac", shows us a couple of teenage lovebirds
taken out of a 50s movie (and just on the 4th of July)
end up being massacred by the Zodiac killer.
The assassination of this kids symbolizes the death of a value system and the violent changes that were coming
When it comes to the same director and the same time period
the art in "Mindhunter" and "Zodiac" is pretty similar
the sets and color palette oscillate between a warm yellow, brown and orange colours
but also save a place for the icy blues and ominous greys.
David Fincher's style is recognizable in every piece of his work
soft travelings, a constant suspense
and special effects subordinated to the plot.
Even the episodes of "Mindhunter" that were not directed by him have his same style in a moderate way.
In other words: "Mindhunter" and "Zodiac" present us two different formats
with similar main characters during the same time period, with a similar plot and the same director
So, what are the differences between these pieces?
Well, let's start with the most obvious distinction between a movie and a TV show: its duration.
A movie is around 1 to 3 hours long
while every episode of a show lasts 30 minutes or an hour.
In a full season we could have 10 hours of content!
More than enough time to develop a plot and its characters.
While in a movie we are forced to condense the psychological aspect of our characters
and to develop just one or two internal conflicts.
TV shows have a lot of time to show us every facet of each character
even if it is a secondary one.
It is every screenwriters dream, and the most praised point of "Breaking Bad" or "The Wire"
although sometimes TV shows have more filler episodes than plot.
While shows have that in favour, they also have some narrative difficulties.
On the one hand the budget is lower and the production of the series must be faster
While a movie can last up to three years in production
some series get greenlighted, shot and edited in less than a year.
This production rush added to a very limited budget
becomes a real challenge for a director willing to make unforgettable camera shots and sequences
Although there are exceptions such as the meticulous fight scenes in "Daredevil"
the amazing long take in "True Detective",
or the surrealist moments in "Twin Peaks"
TV shows usually rely to the basics in terms of visual narrative.
Shot, reverse shot, A camera and B camera.
Next time try to look up for every shot/reverse shot in your favorite series
and try to find how many sequences are shot in a different way
A basic mise-en-scene becomes an imperative in TV shows due to the lack of production time and budget
Taking this into account changes an aspect we mentioned before.
Even though TV shows have more screen time to build up their characters
they have to develop them through dialogue because of production times and money limitations.
If we see this through a producer's eye, "Mindhunter" is an executive's dream come true.
Almost the whole plot occurs in just one location
and is a constant dialogue between Holden and the killer of each episode.
But the problem with this approach is that it reduces a character's arc to mere dialogue
I know, this doesn't always happen on Mindhunter, and that there are delightful cinematographic scenes
but is undeniable that if we only rely on dialogue to develop the plot in a movie or a film
the work loses all its potential richness
If the only important things in an audiovisual piece are the conversations between characters
we could understand everything without even looking at the screen.
I heard people say that they watched TV shows
while cooking dinner and that they could follow its plot without any issues
just by listening to the dialogues.
But as said before, an audiovisual piece is more than just good dialogue
What really catches us about movies and good TV shows
is that their storytelling is made with every single available element.
Production design, cinematography, set pieces and costumes.
Look at how Graysmith's relationship is showed to us during this sequence.
They don't say a word
but the arrangement of objects in frame and the dramatic tension tells us everything.
Graysmith's investigation, documents and evidences
end up devouring his home and family.
There are plenty of moments like this in "Zodiac", when a shot tells much more than any dialogue.
This common movie resource is not usually present in TV shows.
The biggest differences between movies and TV shows are on one hand their duration
and on the other their production times.
Since shows are made quicker and with a lower budget
the possibility of creating a cinematographic experience is very limited.
But as we saw, the two pieces can work inside of each format
and give us entertaining and unforgettable results
But there's a detail I wouldn't like to miss
David Fincher thought "Zodiac" was very badly promoted
According to the director, the movie was marketed as an ultra-violent slasher
while in reality it  was a serious thriller that homaged Coppola's masterpiece "The Conversation"
The result of such a marketing disaster became visible in the box-office returns
While critics thought it was a minor work like 
"Panic Room"
the teenagers who wanted to see an ultra-violent slasher got disappointed.
They clearly did not expect the long duration and slow pace that marks "Zodiac" director's style.
Fincher learned from his mistakes and said on an interview that he wanted to approach the correct audience
with a correct product.
He hired TV directors and screenwriters
and did his own tests with "House Of Cards" on Netflix
So, the successful "Mindhunter" fits very well the series format proposed by distribution companies
and works better with bigger audiences.
But, to make this success come true
Fincher sacrifices his well-known style seen in "Zodiac"
I think it's because of sacrificing a cinematographic style
that many acclaimed movie directors don't like TV series
Is a very successful format for this day and age, but its limitations are very restrictive
Especially if you want to achieve a directing style
Even if we love "Mindhunter" we can't deny that Fincher's presence as director is weaker than in "Zodiac"
And although his style is very recognizable in the first episodes
it is also threatened constantly by the show's format.
This doesn't happen with his movies, which always have a similar style despite we like them or not.
Fincher is aware of what the modern audience wants
and adapts his style and production workflow to that particular format
"Mindhunter" is a great show, but it will never become close to "Zodiac's" cinematographic style
Even when it has a very similar plot, with very similar characters, and happens during the same time period.
The important thing here is to see how far each format can lead us as producers or as directors
And how much can each one be squeezed up creatively
And that's why it's very difficult to find a worthy TV show in times of such abundance.
And that's all my friends, don't forget to like this video, share it and subscribe to ZepFilms
for more information of your favourite movies
My name is Nicolás Amelio-Ortiz, see you next time.
