David Fincher is an acknowledged film director who has cultivated a reputation for using low-key lighting and shadows to portray his ideas. Specifically, Fincher’s The Social Network is a biographical drama that follows the journey of a talented programmer in his pursuit of power. The protagonist Mark Zuckerberg, navigates his life as a socially awkward and cold individual, as his self-obsession desires power and affects the relationships with those around him. Zuckerberg invented a platform that connects individuals, yet he is the most socially inept person with it. Therefore, The Social Network uses Zuckerberg to explore the nature of power and suggests that the quest for such authority is counterproductive to personal relationships.
0:00:00- 00:00:15: The isolation and arrogance of the protagonist are emphasized in the very first scene, which shows the one-sided development of a genius with a high IQ in China compared to America. In addition, the director opens the picture with the loud music of “Ball and Biscuit” by the White Stripes. Even with the overbearing rhythm of the guitar solo, the protagonist’s voice drowns it out, thus portraying the all-consuming Mark Zuckerberg.
In the opening scene, to introduce the idea of self-obsession and its impact on relationships, Fincher employs a point-of-view scene, establishing Zuckerberg as the focus of the picture. Zuckerberg stands out against the dull dark background in his light-colored hoodie and contrasts with Erica. Specifically, discreet, almost dark lighting blends the background and Erica into one.
Following this, the audience is immediately subjected to Zuckerberg’s substantially fast and confusing conversation as he appraises the positives and negatives of different final clubs. To begin with, her tiresome manner of speaking and lack of breath convey that Mark’s obsession with the final club is perpetual, and her tolerance of him is diminishing. It is reinstated through constant crosscutting, which confuses the audience, as Fincher implies that extreme self-obsession can begin to affect relationships.
00:00:15- 00:01:29: With a quick and confusing dialogue between Mark and Erica, Fincher further explores the theme of Mark’s fascination with himself and his uniqueness. A quick change of frame types sustains it. A close one is used as Erica asks, “What is the easiest to get into?” through the crosscutting shot to Mark’s face. He adds, “None of them, that’s the point,” to further emphasize his regard for the subject as being so obvious. He does not like it when the focus of the conversation shifts from him: throughout the conversation, he constantly repeats, “I was talking about myself.” That emphasizes his preoccupation with himself and his attempts to stand out from those around him. The dialogue is riddled with sarcasm and irony as Mark recounts the story to express further how difficult getting into the club was. Constant close-ups is also employed throughout the entirety of this exchange to emphasize Mark’s feeling of inadequacy.
00:01:37: Fincher portrays Mark as stubborn, self-centered, and difficult to talk to, as he is selective and domineering in conversation. An outward cut indicates a change in a topic, as Mark rudely answers. Erica quickly changes the topic to that of a final club, expressing his obsession. The same further cut is used as Erica leans into the conversation, establishing her as the new focal point and exclaims to Mark that he needs to see someone regarding his “final club OCD,” to which Mark disengages. Fincher then incorporates a crosscut at that moment, focusing on Erica while only showing Mark’s blurred hands. Not having Mark as the focus is representative of his unavailability for connections with people, as he is not present or focused on the conversation.
00:02:13: Mark ironically states, “There is a difference between being obsessed and being motivated,” demonstrating to the audience his ambitions to transform his simple life beyond this bar where he is hardly noticed to a recognized place. Interestingly, the restaurant’s name is The Thirsty Scholar, which also signifies that while everyone else is thirsty for alcohol and enjoyment, he is “thirsty” to recognize his uniqueness.
00:02:54-00:03:09: As the scene progresses, shots vary from close-ups to medium shots, with the background setting and other people becoming more prevalent. The shift in the frame’s focus portrays the distance the two will create as they are drawn further from each other, finally leading to a climactic breakup. Though Mark in the shot is placed in focus with other characters, it shows Erica distancing herself, making Mark seem like any other stranger in the background.
Mark utilizes inclusive language by repetitiously referencing the word “you,” which isolates Erica, as Zuckerberg vehemently suggests he is the superior of the two. Erica intentionally uses a spontaneous question to respond and contradict Mark’s insulting claim, emphasizing that the statement is morally unjust. Yet Mark’s rigid beliefs and immaturity continue to play a limiting factor as he cannot comprehend his anti-social behavior.
00:03:10: The diegetic sound becomes increasingly important as the scene reaches a climax and the end approaches. The background is loud, and the character’s dialogue is lost in it. Its demons how Mark is trying to be someone amongst the crowd. The music is barely audible, though as Erica becomes disgruntled with Mark, it builds up, and Jack White’s screaming guitar solo starts playing to accompany the inharmonious interaction. The music escalation ultimately symbolizes Mark’s interactions: seemingly unnoticeable, his self-obsession slowly becomes unbearable for any sustainable relationship.
As the scene concludes, Fincher uses an extreme close-up of Erica to show how close she is to the point of the problem. She exclaims, “it’ll be because you’re an arsehole,” combined with Mark’s perplexed body language to unveil Zuckerberg’s truth. Mark’s ideology is that everything he does should work towards his ambition and self-interest power. However, Zuckerberg struggles to recognize that life’s true power is relationships, and despite one’s success, infinite happiness cannot be achieved without the ability to share relations with others. It is addressed in the final shot that presents us with a lonely, troubled genius and highlights the critical idea that so long as an individual puts their ambitions and power before others, they will never attain genuine relationships.