David Lynch Directing Style Explained - How Does Lynch Make Us Dream?
David Lynch Directing Style - a dissection of seven different filmmaking elements that make up that singular and disturbing style called Lynchian.
What Does Lynchian Mean? ►► bit.ly/ds-dl
StudioBinder Blog ►► bit.ly/sb-bl
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to the work of David Lynch
01:10 - Who is David Lynch?
04:46 - Story
07:08 - Production Design
11:04 - Color
13:45 - Cinematography
19:41 - Editing
23:05 - Sound Design
29:50 - Music
33:38 - Takeaways
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DAVID LYNCH DIRECTING STYLE
There is no filmmaker quite like David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, Twin Peaks, Eraserhead). An artist in every sense of the word, David Lynch makes movies that are equal parts evocative and abstract. He thrives on mystery, and his films are intuitive puzzles that are difficult to solve but spark our imaginations nonetheless. In this video, we will sink into the depths of David Lynch’s unbounded consciousness by examining seven different aspects of his directing style. We can’t solve these puzzles, but we aim to help you solve them for yourself.
DAVID LYNCH EXPLAINED
At their core, much of what we see in David Lynch movies is centered on duality. This concept is expressed in both the worlds of his films and also within the characters themselves. The world is both violent and beautiful, strange and familiar. We also see many examples of doppelgangers where this division between good and evil can be literally manifested.
There are many ways to interpret David Lynch films, but there are more objective techniques we can point to that might help us understand them a bit more. David Lynch is a big fan of mystery in film - questions that get posed that activate the audience’s imagination. He calls this “dreaming.” So, what about the David Lynch directing style makes the audience dream? We found two things in particular: fragmentation and abstraction.
Fragmentation means that there are gaps in the story and things left unexplained. For example, in Lost Highway, we are presented with two realities in which Renee and Alice are the same person, or Alice is merely a projection. It is up to the individual audience members to figure it out for themselves. The other technique is abstraction, where themes or concepts are represented in abstract forms. For example, Jack Fisk who portrayed The Man in the Planet from Eraserhead claims that the levers his character operates are meant to represent karma.
As David Lynch himself explains, these movies aren’t meant to be understood but felt. This makes sense when you know that his creative process follows a similar route. Lynch “feels” his way through the writing, directing, photographing, sound designing, and scoring - following his intuition instead of any sense of strict logic. Dreams are subjective, and the dreaming we do watching David Lynch movies is equally so.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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♬ SONGS USED:
Songs by Angelo Badalamenti:
“Twin Peaks Theme”
“Harold’s Theme”
“Haunted & Heartbreaking”
“Mysterioso”
“Silencio”
“The Pink Room”
“Diane and Camilla”
“Audrey’s Dance”
“Accidental / Farewell Theme”
“Rita Walks / Sunset Blvd / Aunt Ruth”
“Fred’s World”
“Mulholland Drive”
“Dark Mood Woods”
“Rose’s Theme”
“Red Bats With Teeth”
“Frank Returns”
“Diner”
“Blue Velvet Main Theme”
“Solo Percussion 1”
“Police”
“Mysteries of Love”
“Mulholland Drive Main Theme”
“Dance of the Dream Man”
“Laura Palmer’s Theme”
“Mr. Roque / Betty’s Theme”
Songs by David Lynch:
“Ghost of Love”
“Woods Variation”
“Call From The Past”
“Wishin’ Well”
“Good Day Today”
Songs by Julee Cruise:
“The Nightingale”
“The World Spins”
“Questions In A World of Blue”
Songs by Nine Inch Nails:
"The Perfect Drug"
“She’s Gone Away”
Songs by John Morris:
“The Elephant Man Theme”
“Pantomime”
“I’m Deranged” - David Bowie
“Jazz Suite No. 2” - Shostakovich
“Blue Velvet” - Lana Del Rey
“Dune Main Title” - Brian Eno
“Blue Frank” - Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch
“Apple of Sodom” - Marilyn Manson
“Driver Down” - Trent Reznor
“Perdita” - Rubber City
“Hollywood Sunset” - Barry Adamson
“Up In Flames” - Koko Taylor
“I Love How You Love Me” - The Paris Sisters
“Rammstein” - Rammstein
“Slaughterhouse” - Powermad
“I Am (Old School Hip Hop Beat)” - BluntedBeetz
“True Love’s Flame” - David Lynch and Jack Cruz
Music by Artlist ► utm.io/umJx
Music by Artgrid ► utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq
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Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to the work of David Lynch 01:10 - Who is David Lynch? 04:46 - Story 07:08 - Production Design 11:04 - Color 13:45 - Cinematography 19:41 - Editing 23:05 - Sound Design 29:50 - Music 33:38 - Takeaways
We need the analysis of SS Rajamouli from India
*To the team of StudioBinder, whoever does the voiceover, his voice became synonyms to me with art and film, and vice versa, whenever I read something on art analysis, his voice is what I hear in my head*
Same, and unfortunately, it does mean that if he doesn't do the voiceover, I won't watch the video 😬
"And Then, It Got Dark..."
👍👍
Agreed
Yeah I'm not sure how studio binder can exist without...
I think no one recreates the mood of dreaming and daydreaming as good as David Lynch, such a peculiar and necessary director
Agreed
Absolutely, it's very strange to try and make sense of his movies. But, bring all that to bed with you and it really makes you go somewhere else!
I'm personally not the biggest Lynch fan. But I'm so glad he's around because I appreciate his originality and lack of fear to be different and bold. I respect the heck out of his work.
His filmography is one of the more relevant ones in film history
Finally we got a studiobinder lynch video 🎉
Took us a while but it's finally here!
I watched Eraserhead with my dad when I was in 15 years old. It forever captivated me.
It has that kind of effect
Dune 1984 is such a train wreck and yet it is engrossing, compelling and unforgettable. The mark of true greatness that a filmmakers worst film, that he's publicly trashed, can be so memorable.
Great point
He's a true visionary director. He has his own, very peculiar vision, and this vision comes to him from his subconsious and simply moves him deeply with no underlying meanign necessary. When you're watching one of his movies you really get the sense that you're watching an artist pour his soul into his work with little interference from outside forces. A lot of movies nowadays are made by committee and are tempered with by producers and studio execs who are trying to create a product. It feels like a formula is being followed, but the formula is actually a frankenstein's monster of 100 different formulas being combined to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. It's so refreshing, and personally moving for me, to see a Lynch movie and to just feel that drive, that passion, that mystery, even if you don't know what it means. You just know that it's honest, it's not trying to trick you or to emulate something, it's just pure, personal vision put on screen.
One of the rare filmmakers that was able to work in the studio system and consistently deliver such original stories
David Lynch's Eraserhead from 1977 is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. That film is truly a surreal masterpiece from start to finish and the sound design and atmosphere of that film is beyond great.
David Lynch will always be one of my all-time favorite film directors because of how unique and creative (sometimes disturbing) his films are truly unique and no one else can copy his style.
Always refreshing to see his vision on screen!
The most pleasant surprise. David Lynch is my fav director by far!
Glad you liked it!
Other directors that StudioBinder can consider covering: - Tim Burton - Michael Mann - Sam Raimi - Guillermo Del Toro
terrrryyy giliaaaaammmm
Guillermo Del Toro - The Alchemist
Great list. I would add John Carpenter.
Thanks for the suggestion!
My favourite filmmaker!! Thank you 🙏🙏🙏 The thing about him for me is that he puts a lot of weird things on screen, but he does them so well with such consistent meaning behind them that he builds a kind of trust with the audience, so that when even when you don’t know what it means, you know that it means something. Nothing he does ever feels like it wasn’t pondered and thought about deeply before being filmed.
Can you do a full analysis on the meanings of Blue Velvet? I’d love to share my thoughts 😀😀😀
At the very least, none of it's boring
@@StudioBinder Fair enough, it certainly isn’t
Congratulations to all who helped put this wonderful analysis of Lynch's art together. A masterpiece about the work of one of the greatest film makers ever. This needs to be shown in every film school!
we hope it is!
Same
The most important thing about David Lynch's stuff (especially Twin Peaks) is that I never doubt that everything is happening for a reason- I don't know most of those reasons and they don't match real life.. but they are there and there are rules to everything.
A powerful rule for storytelling
David Lynch is one of my fav. director of all time. Top 5 dead or alive!
🙌🙌
it's about damn time, lesh go studio binder
Only a matter of time :)
I love Lynch's work, thanks for this video. One thing I love about his work is how every element from color, sound, cinematography, light, etc form a cohesive unity to create fragmentation. I think thats the best way to describe his films is that they are meant to be felt or experienced. His work makes me feel so much.
Incredible direction!
This was a great video. The writers know the director well enough to avoid interpretation while helping us gain insight into process and technique. Well done
👍👍
You hit the eraser on the head! Thank you for presenting David's work as a director and leaving room to dream.
Great comment
@@StudioBinder could you consider doing tarkovsky for the next directing video?
"...eraser on the head"! NICE!!!
@@tedlewis24 Thanks. The Lady in the Radiator spoke to me!
Thank you @StudioBinder I haven't known "LYNCHIAN" term before. 👍 David Foster Wallace attempted the first academic definition of it back in 1996, with his essay David Lynch Keeps His Head. He wrote that ‘Lynchian’ "refers to a particular kind of irony where the very macabre and the very mundane combine in such a way as to reveal the former's perpetual containment within the latter." That definition has remained largely unchanged. The top entry for ‘Lynchian’ on Urban Dictionary pulls the idea of juxtaposition from Wallace’s definition, with the top user describing it as “having the same balance between the macabre and the mundane found in the works of filmmaker David Lynch.”
Interesting trivia!
@@StudioBinder when we're searching for this definition, we usually read trivia from newspapers. 👍 And it's WHY your deep study about movies, people like it much more👏
Such a luck to enjoy this video as soon as 2 minutes of its release! And finding out it's narrated by "the voice" of classic Studio Binder! Always top content of this platform and I hope somehow, someway, someday... We can see a longer version of this series! Cheers from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Thanks for watching!
I know that a lot has been done on Akira Kurosawa, but I would like to see StudioBinder's take. Also Hayao Miyazaki.
we have one on Miyazaki! kzhead.info/sun/d6yonpqcpoNtaGg/bejne.html And definitely there's a Kurosawa vid in the future
@@StudioBinderKurosawa would he amazing
I just watched Mulholland Dr. yesterday and Lynch's storytelling and camera movements such as a slow zoom is not just for building tension but it gives rise to a heightened sense of emotion. It felt so ahead of its time yet sharing similarities with Pulp Fiction as well.
Mulholland Drive are a lot better than Pulp Fiction!
@@354Entertainment controversial take but I might agree
@@LuisSierra42 That's the whole truth... Lynch is the better filmmaker of them both.
Perfect filmmaking 💯
@@354Entertainment Very different movies, my friend.
I watched Twin Peak in 2020, And realized it was ahead of time. I don't know why David Lynch is Underrated. I watched his movie Lost highway, Mulholland drive, Eraserhead, Blue valvet , Inland empire. All of this movies are masterpeice, his movies show Cinematography, art, directory, etc.
He isn‘t underrated in the professional world, like certain classic Rockbands Musicians are listening to, but are not too famous in the „normal world“.
@@matahari1576Can you pls check my short film and tell me what improvement I can make for the second one.
He is iconic if not super popular
he's far from under-rated......he's simply not a 'blockbuster' type of guy....his movies specifically are too deep for the shallow minds of most people
@@TheFujac Fair play. I definitely don’t get all of it at first but he is also quite visceral, you know? So I don’t think everybody has to invest in the whole Twin Peaks storyline but if they saw one episode only it would be quite enjoyable. No one dreamscapes as hard as Lynch.
Yes! One of my favorite KZhead channel on my favorite director 🎉 Thank you for for covering all these aspects. Lynch's films make me feel human and dreamy in such a special way. Now I wanna go a on a lynchian retrospective, again.
It's a wild filmography :D
Very good content! Waiting one about Fellini's style
He's a candidate for sure
David Lynch is one of the Best Filmmaker of All time and of my Favorite. His Movies becomes Cult Classic Masterpiece. Thank you StudioBinder for explaining us his Directing style. Keep going.
Long time coming!
I'm so grateful that you put the subtitles on... I really thank you very much from the bottom of my heart!!!
happy to :)
Even though I already knew I adored David Lynch’s work immensely, I greatly appreciated this review of all the specific traits that make something “Lynchian.” And while I knew my preferences ~vibe with Lynch’s approach to filmmaking, I didn’t realize just how many things he does that I was into before I became familiar with his style. There were things mentioned here that I used to do when editing screen captures for fan art pieces many years ago. These days I make far fewer edits, but even some of those unintentionally mimic Lynch’s style. Just goes to show why I enjoy his work so much! Thank you for this overview. :)
I would love to see a video essay on Andrey Tarkovsky, Béla Tarr, Ingmar Bergman, Robert Bresson, or Chantal Akerman
All great choices!
Thank you sooooo much for existing, you guys by far, THE BEST movie channel here, I'm a huge fan on Lynch's work but there's always something new to learn
Glad you liked it!
This voiceover makes the videos more interesting to watch and at the same time relaxing to hear, great job there.
Appreciate the feedback!
My favorite artist in any medium ever. Saw "The Elephant Man" when I was 11. Can still remember watching the opening sequence with the elephants and my jaw dropping to the floor. "Movies can do THIS?!?!" I didn't really know what "this" was but I LOVED IT!!!
He is the definition of auteur. His stuff is all his own. He's unpretentious, he's not trying to prove anything or compete. Just a genuine artist doing his own thing.
Incedible! You guys should definitely do a behind the scenes on how you make these videos! I can't help but wonder how on earth you manage to consistantly dive this deep !
Appreciate the feedback!
Honestly! I wonder the same thing!
My favourite director of all time. Thank You for this!
Cheers!
Thank you for recognzing David Lynch! I feel like he's overlooked when people talk about Directors who have impacted cinema.
Can't forget him :)
Thank you for this masterpiece of a video. I like it sooo much
Cheers!
Just when I'm rewatching David Lynch's filmography, including Twin Peaks, you guys release this video. Thank you so much for this!
Perfect companion piece haha
This is the video I've been waiting for!! Thank You Studiobinder.
Thanks for watching!
I actually believe that am becoming addicted to the voice over more than the content even though it matches exactly with the contents it keeps me craving for more thanks studiobinder i love film making
This is my favorite channel
Can you pls check my short film and tell me what improvement I can make for the second one.
💖💖
I may never make it in the field but I do know one thing, if i ever do and someone asks me who is my greatest inspiration, it would be David Lynch. I used to like movies but then I watched eraserhead as a kid.. Thats when I understood movies and what they're meant to do. In heaven, everything is fine
He's a treasure ❤
You are all just as much of an inspiration for filmmakers @@StudioBinder
powerful, informative and striking lecture as always........ 😇😇😇
Cheers!
David Lynch is one of my favorite directors, great and informative video
Enjoy!
The man himself ❤
👍👍
Fantastic video! And much needed, so thank you for covering my fav director!
Happy to!
Ну наконец-то, Дэвид Линч!
Thanks for watching!
Lovely video!! So thankful for y’all
Glad you liked it!
I'm not sure if you had John Carpenter's or Alejandro Jodorowski's work featured here, but it surely would be interesting and i would immediately watch that!
Not a specific director's style on either so we might!
David Lynch is one of the best. Good videos as always say.
Thanks for watching!
Incredible presentation as always
Wow, the clip at 16:25 is so good for artists to consider. "If everything is clear... that's what it is. That's all it is."
They did it!! They finally did it!!!! I was waiting this for years...
honestly, we were too haha. This vid was on our minds for a long time
I woke up from a horrible horrible dream that really stuck with me and saw this had been uploaded while I was having that bad dream. Choosing to see this as a sign
haha hopefully our video helps you forget about it
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:07 🎥 *Lynch's films are like dreams that transport us to strange worlds where wholesome collides with dark.* 01:45 🧠 *Lynch uses fragmentation and abstraction to create mystery and make us "dream along". * 04:26 🎭 *Lynchian stories deal with duality and characters discovering their dark sides.* 07:26 🏡 *Production design creates mood through contrasting settings and symbolic props.* 11:41 🎨 *Vivid colors amplify moods, highlight clues, and intensify emotions.* 15:40 🌫️ *Obscured and fragmented shots evoke mystery and unstable mental states.* 19:52 ⏳ *Slow pacing and jarring cuts disorient perception and blend dreams/reality. * 23:35 🎧 *Sound design builds tension and makes surreal scenes more immersive.* 30:30 🎵 *Music completes the mood, from lush ballads to thrash metal.* Made with HARPA AI
Would love to see you cover Michael Haneke's directing style, please!
Thanks for the suggestion!
For years I've loved David Lynch's cinema, the surrealism, moods, and his layered stories. No one can explain diving into the subconscious better than Lynch. I really appreciate the effort of putting his style under the cinematic telescope. WELL DONE. PS: Andre Tarkovsky and Akira Kurosawa would be perfect candidates for your next videos.
I think the subconscious is diving into David Lynch, not the other way around - and thank goodness for us he has to get out there.
great overview of Lynch's style. in 2024, i finally watched Twin Peaks: The Return, and it was fulfilling both bringing back the TW stories and characters, and also in bringing back what all we associate with David Lynch.
I started learning cinema and films again when Studio Binder came into my life. Who needs Film schools when you have SB.
Class is on!
1. This narrator is amazing, whoever he is. Every video is elegantly voiced. 2. Something on David Twohy would be awesome. Thanks for all you guys do!
Thanks for the suggestion!
That was so well done, thank you. I've always wondered why I find Lynch so captivating without even knowing what's happening at times, that explained things perfectly to me.
beautiful analysis of my favorite director
Been waiting for this since forever
this is the video ive been waiting for 🔥
Hope it was worth the wait!
David Lynch is my cinematic hero.
🔥🔥
I haven’t watched David’s movies too much but as someone who likes to learn the atypical choices directors chose to write their story, these videos want me to go watch movies and learn (:
Happy filming!
So happy that I found this amazing valuable channel😘
Cheers!
I first fell in love with the world of Dune with Lynch's version of the story. While I admit what I watched was a fan-edit that reorganizes some things, and does small cuts here and there, but it doesn't use anything Lynch DIDN'T make. There are still moments and sequences that live rent-free in my mind, that I miss in villenueve's version. A magical film that has made me see lynch as such a curious director. Thanks to this video, I now have titles to explore, and a great insight into his work, as always.
A flawed but strangely memorable film
He wants the viewer to make of it whatever they will - that's why he never explains himself. It's ART! It strikes you and its not an intellectual thing, it's deeper - emotion, subconscious - making his work more PERSONAL to the viewer by engaging us in piecing elements together.
Good break down of how he makes us dream. Lynch is my favorite film maker. It all gets multiple viewings, deep pondering of what it all means.... It usually takes a few viewing for my opinion to even solidify. You have to both passively let him carry you away into his dream... And actively wonder and probe at this new reality. His films are a feast, you have to chew on it, digest it ... So much there. It creates one of the most satisfying cinema experiences I've had. Whatever Wisteria, or his next project is... I am there for it. If Lynch made it, zero chance I wont enjoy it. Stay weird Mr. Lynch.
Now this is the kind of videos i expect from studiobinder. Nice
Glad you liked it!
This offers a great description of the artistic process which makes David Lynch a genius filmmaker. I’ve long been an admirer of Mr. Lynch. Thank you for sharing this.
This is great. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
I might not be able to interpret what a lot of his movie's plot or story, but I always remember how it made me feel watching for the first time. Amazingly, on rewatches, I still get the same feeling most of the time.
Park Chan-wook would be a perfect director for this section.
He would!
Great effort. Thank you for scratching the surface. Lynch doesn't easily lend himself to being understood.
Lynch is one my fav directors. Love this
Amazing video! I'd love to see an analysis on Sofia Coppola's directing style as well
Thanks for the suggestion!
This is all brilliant and incredibly educational. Thank you so much for this.
Just when I was craving more auteur oriented content StudioBinder delivers! You guys should curate a DP series & dive into the unique styles of the likes of Linus Sandgren, brad young, etc.
We're slowly making our way through the great DPs :)
I would love to see the same format about Ingmar Bergman
👍👍
4:17 - Perfect editing at this moment.
Glad you noticed ;)
Make a video on Rajkumar hirani ( indian director) Movie 3 idiots ,pk ,Munna Bhai , dunki , Sanju His editing skills are really amazing
Thanks for the suggestion!
Great video to watch after work. Really huge fan of his works. Inland Empire is the most challenging film he made, it's so abstract
No film like a David Lynch film 👌
Thank you so much for making this. The only thing you left out is how Lynch uses the practice of Transendental Meditation in his projects.
Interesting!
List of suggestions: 1. Michael Haneke 2. Abbas Kiarostami 3. Theo Angelopoulos 4. Béla Tarr 5. Satyajit Ray 6. Apichatpong Weerasethakul 7. Tsai Ming-liang 8. Carlos Reygadas 9. Shaji N. Karun
I didn't know you still did these kinds of videos. I would like to see one on Sam Raimi.
still do, just need to take our time with them :)
My all-time favourite visionary filmmaker. It was the original run of the incredible influential TV series Twin Peaks along with '92 movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me that got me into his body of work, which in turn also made me a massive fan of dreamlike surrealism within media. I also love his attitude and views on censorship in media :-)
my fav channel doing a video on my fav director :)
Cheers!
Great Voice Over and explain
Glad you liked it!
@@StudioBinder my pleasure Sir
This was a very thorough and satisfying analysis. As a fan of Lynch . I can tell you guys did your homework. And are probably fans yourself.
How do Directors get acting from an actor.
You should watch our recent video on how to direct actors! kzhead.info/sun/nqizhdxuq2Jvp58/bejne.html
Hell yeah! You brought back the incredible voice-over guy.
He's always working with us!
Thanks for the Video 😀
Thanks for watching!
I was watching mullholland drive and hoped to see somethings about david lynch, thank you guys
Right on time!
wonderful, thank you
Thanks for watching!
Hi, I love Studio Binder videos and resources, thank you. Please make a video on Orson Welles
👍👍
Please make a video on spike lee's directing style. He is a great teacher of filmmaking and you guys are great teachers of filmmaking. It will be amazing
we have a director's chair vid on spike lee you would like! kzhead.info/sun/jdxyYsqrp4ZoiZ8/bejne.html