The Justin Timberlake video that earned Fincher a Grammy for Best Music Video was Suit & Tie. The stylish black-and-white clip reunited Fincher and Timberlake after their work together on The Social Network, in which Timberlake played Sean Parker.
The video was shot in Los Angeles on January 25, 2013, and released on Timberlake’s Vevo page on Valentine’s Day. It features Jay-Z, who also appears on the song, alongside Timberlake in art-deco interiors, a nightclub setting, an orchestra and sharply choreographed performance sequences.
Suit & Tie won Best Music Video at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. The award recognized the video’s director, performers and production team; it was not a Grammy for the song’s recording category. Fincher’s controlled camera movement, monochrome photography and elaborate staging reinforce the song’s deliberately formal, retro-inspired mood.
The distractors are all Timberlake songs, but they point to different periods of his career. “SexyBack,” “Cry Me a River” and “Mirrors” were not directed by Fincher and did not win him this Grammy.