The opening scene of The Social Network, which only lasts for five minutes, took three weeks to edit. Directed by David Fincher, and written by Aaron Sorkin, the duo adapted a book by Ben Mezrich to dramatize the founding of Facebook as well as the surrounding lawsuits. The film’s legacy has only grown since it first hit theaters in 2010, helped in part by Facebook’s recent scandals. Beyond the real-world implications of Fincher’s film, The Social Network was praised by audiences and critics alike for its excellent cast, incisive script, and exemplary direction.
These qualities are made plain in the drama’s opener, which sees Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) dumping Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) for his narcissism and insensitivity. The scene is all fast-talking putdowns and quick cuts, immediately hooking viewers and setting the tone for what would follow. Given that Fincher has developed a reputation for preferring long shoots and multiple takes, the end result is doubly impressive. Angus Wall, an editor on The Social Network and frequent collaborator of Fincher’s, recently detailed how he went about editing Fincher’s work.
In a retrospective interview on Fincher’s career for The Ringer, Wall explained the special system he’d designed to help put Fincher’s scenes together. Wall explained that, rather than always selecting the final take of the day or settling for the best overall take, he would use Fincher’s favorite filmed sequence and as a reference point to measure the quality of all the other takes. By sticking to this method, Wall would often be able to edit together multiple takes of a different scene into one finished version. “You may take a line from take 38, you may take a line from take 13, you may take a line from take 17, and you put the scene together with the best performances and camera work from the body of media you’re pulling from,” Wall said. Using this technique, the editor added, it took three weeks to create The Social Network’s immensely memorable opening scene.
While the process that Wall describes sounds arduous, it’s hard to argue with the results. Wall would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for The Social Network, and the opening he helped bring to the big screen has taken on a life of its own in the decade since The Social Network was first released. Across the internet, the verbal sparring between Mara and Eisenberg has been viewed and shared millions of times. The scene of Zuckerberg getting dumped has become the definitive story of why Facebook was created to many even though, by all accounts, it’s one of the things that The Social Network gets wrong.
Regardless of the authenticity however, the five-minute opener encapsulates everything which has turned the drama into such a cultural touchstone. Sorkin’s preference for showy dialogue is put to excellent use. Fincher’s preferences are on display as well, down to the distinct and vaguely disorienting color palette. Mara gives an excellent compact performance, which would help to land her other projects, and Eisenberg’s take on Zuckerberg feels instantly familiar. It’s a collaboration which is all brought together with the help of Wall’s tremendous editing.
Zuckerberg didn’t seek to create Facebook out of a desire to mend a broken heart, as the opening scene suggests, but The Social Network does get to the root of what has plagued Facebook in recent years. The film depicts a sense of hubris and a definite lack of care that has landed Facebook in hot water due to its role in elevating divisions between groups and its fumbling response to privacy violations. The Social Network takes liberties in order to engage audiences with an emotionally gripping narrative, but it has resonated long after for the prophetic ability of recognizing Facebook’s power. Still, it’s hard to imagine that the movie would have the same impact without its keen method of editing.
Source: The Ringer