A2 Film Portfolio

Tasks:
Individual research project,
1. annotated catalogue & 2. PowerPoint presentation
 ‘…dominates the film-making process’ so much ‘…that it is
appropriate to call the director the auteur, or author, of
the motion picture’
 The theory also states that the director projects his or
her own personal style onto the film as they are ‘…the
primary person responsible for the creation of’ the film.
 However, another important aspect of this theory is the
‘…commonality of theme’ that is seen in each of the
films that the director makes.
 Auteur theory developed through the work of François
Truffaut and Andrew Sarris, which began in the early
1950s and developed through into the
1960s.
 The director as Auteur had certainly been around
before the 1960s, but these directors were few and far
between, such as Tod Browning, (Freaks 1932) who
was dubbed ‘the Edgar Allan Poe of the cinema’. He
made films such as ‘Dracula’ in 1931 and was the king
of the early horror genre.
 But these directors were not known as auteurs until
the development of auteur theoryin the late ‘50’s &
‘60’s.
 It was not until the end of the Studio System (started by
The Paramount Decree 1949) in the late fifties and early sixties,
that the director, had any chance of becoming an
auteur because of the strict control that the studios
held over the individual.
 In the 1950s, the French magazine Cahiers du Cinema instigated a new way of 'reading' film
- what later came to be called 'auteur' theory. The basic principle was that the film was a
work of art; just like a novel or painting, it was essentially the product of an individual's
imagination. Thus, a Truffaut movie (Truffaut was a prime mover of this school of thought)
is the way it is because that's how Truffaut, the director, wanted it to be. He's the author
(the 'auteur') - the movie is his work. One writer, Alexandre Astruci, started to talk of the
camera as a camera-stylo (a 'light-pen') - that is, the tool with which the auteur gave
shape to his ideas.
This theory tells us to treat the film as a work of art. As such, every frame, every mise-en-
scene, is regarded as the deliberately composed result of a series of artistic decisions made
by the auteur (usually, but not always, the director.) When you talk about Citizen Kane as
Orson Welles' own story, for example, you're influenced by auteur theory - that is, the key
to understanding the film is understanding Welles.
Auteur theory was very much designed as an attack on the big, commercial
productions common in post-war France.
 The Nazi occupation during the second world war had meant that American movies were
banned in France; after the liberation, these movies flooded in and subsequently
influenced French cinema, making it bigger, more commercial and, in the eyes of Truffaut
and others, less viable as an artform.
 To be considered an auteur, a film-maker
must have a body of work (oeuvre) which
can be analysed for ongoing themes and
considerations, whether they occur
intentionally or unintentionally.
 One example would be the theme of the
distant father in Steven Spielberg's work. In
addition to this, an auteur must have a
differentiating style, almost instantly
recognisable.
 the virtuoso editing,
 the lyrical camera movements,
 the droll humour.
 the wrong man falsely accused,
 violence erupting at the times it was least
expected,
 the cool blonde (often emotionally tortured)
 Creation of cinematic tension
 Task watch two Hitchcock films & identify
themes & signature style (all in LRC)
Director Recurring Themes Visual Style

Director Recurring Themes Visual Style

 One example of a director that could be considered an auteur,
Tim Burton's films have a very distinct style, and he often
deals with similar themes in his work. In general, the lead
character is separated from the norm of society in some way -
a misfit. In the character of Edward Scissorhands, this idea is
taken to the very extreme: the main character cannot even
touch another person. Other examples of this character type
include Batman, Willy Wonka,Beetlejuice, and to a certain
extent, Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

 Burton's films also have a distinct visual style, generally a

very Gothic feel. In addition, Burton is known for using stop-
motion animation in his films, the prime examples being The
Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. He is also known
for reusing actors and actresses, in particular Johnny Depp and
Helena Bonham Carter. Danny Elfman regularly provides the
right music for the soundtrack. Tim Burton has directed many
movies, each of which can be examined and compared for
similar styles and recurring themes.
 In some senses, director- auteurs have taken the place
of or become the equal of, stars, cultivating auteur
"brands."
 One has only to think of the ease with which we are
invited to consider not only the Pedro Almodóvar or
Michael Haneke or "brands" but also, in different
registers, the Tim Burton, Spike Lee, David Lynch,
Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola,,
Ridley Scott, or Steven Soderbergh "brands." Often
their names are on the top of the poster to market to
fans.
 Question – Who is your favourite auteur/directors &
WHY? List.............................
Quentin Tarantino
 Reservoir Dogs
 Pulp Fiction
 Jackie brown,
 Inglorious Basterds,
 Grindhouse
 As writer – Natural Born Killers, True
Romance

David Fincher
 The Game,
 Fight Club,
 Alien 3,
 Zodiac,
 Panic Room,
 Seven
 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Tarantino Recurring Themes Visual Style

Fincher Recurring Themes Visual Style

 David Cronenberg
 Scanners,
 The Dead Zone
 Videodrome,
 Dead Ringers,
 eXistenZ
 Naked Lunch
 Crash,
 Eastern Promises
 A History of Violence

 Martin Scorsese
 Gangs of New York,
 Goodfellas,
 Casino,
 Mean Streets
 Raging Bull
 The Departed
 The Aviator
 The last Temptation of Christ
Cronenberg Recurring Themes Visual Style

Scorsese Recurring Themes Visual Style

 Pedro Almodóvar
 Broken Embraces (2009)
Volver (2006/I)
 Bad Education (2004)
 Talk to Her (2002)
 All About My Mother (1999)
 Live Flesh (1997)
 The Flower of My Secret (1995)
 Kika (1993)
 High Heels (1991)
 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990)
 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
 What Have I Done to Deserve This? Pepi, Luci, Bom and
Other Girls Like Mom (1980)
 Christopher Nolan
 Inception (2010)
 The Dark Knight (2008)
 The Prestige (2006)
 Batman Begins (2005)
 Insomnia (2002/I)
 Memento (2000)
Almodóvar Recurring Themes Visual Style

Nolan Recurring Themes Visual Style

One of the most interesting  Filmography
contemporary directors who takes
a very hands on approach to all  Spy Kids 4: Armageddon (2011) (
 Machete (2010)
aspects of production, is Robert  Shorts (2009)
Rodriguez.  Planet Terror (2007)
He has his own studios outside of  Grindhouse (2007) (
Hollywood, in Texas.  The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
3-D (2005)
He often writes, shoots, edits and does  Sin City (2005)
the musical score for many of his  Ten Minute Film School: Big Movies
films. Please visit his IMDB page.  Inside Troublemaker Studios (2004) (
Look at his filmography – Can you  Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
identify any themes?  Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams
 Spy Kids (2001)
What technological developments have  The Faculty (1998)
enabled Rodriguez to work so  From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
 Four Rooms (1995) (segment "The
independently? Misbehavers")
In pairs................................................  Desperado (1995)
...........................................................  Roadracers (1994) (TV)
............................................................  "Rebel Highway" (1 episode, 1994)
- Roadracers (1994) TV episode
 El mariachi (1992)
 Having established that some directors are considered auteurs and why,
it seems sensible to ask what becomes of those who do not fall into this
category.
 Such directors were dubbed metteurs en scène by the renowned film-
maker François Truffaut, and though they may be perfectly good
directors, they are not considered auteurs, because they do not have the
artistic control required or authorial stamp.
 A good example is Peter Jackson, the director responsible primarily for the Lord
of the Rings trilogy. The first thing to consider is that, despite the fact he has
previously written his own films, in adapting someone else’s work he removes a
certain amount of artistic control.
 In addition, he is subject to the economic pressures of Hollywood, which
evidently rates artistic/creative design below economic success; indeed, it is
hard to find a mainstream Hollywood auteur, but not impossible. Although
Jackson does have a large body of work, he lacks any overriding themes or
recognisable artistic design. In essence, it all boils down to personal vision and
whether a director is able to impose their own world view upon a film, which
Jackson does not do. Therefore, although he is a perfectly good director, he lacks
the credentials to be labelled an auteur.
 There are a number of problems with auteur theory:
A film is not a novel. It is not created by an individual; it is
collaborative.
 Auteur theory tended to praise the director at the expense of
everyone else. For many films, other individuals play massive
parts in achieving success. The music of Herrmann in the Psycho
scene is as important as the editing for example.
 More practically, assuming that a director can 'make or break' a
movie is not a very commercially successful way to proceed.
Producers were also worried about the amount of power the
directors had.
 Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate is the most famous example.
Fresh from the critical and commercial success of The
Deerhunter, Cimino was given free rein by his studio (United
Artists) on his next project. The result was so massive, so late and
so over-budget, that it very nearly put the studio out of business
and radically changed the way Hollywood thought about making
films.
 Don Simpson and Jerry (C.S.I)
Bruckheimer are arguably the
most commercially successful
producing team in Hollywood
history. Their have earned,
according to a 1995 statistic
from Entertainment Weekly,
about $820 million.
 The Rock (1996)
 Dangerous Minds (1995)
 Crimson Tide (1995)
 Bad Boys (1995)
 The Ref (1994)
 Days of Thunder (1990)
 Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
 Top Gun (1986)
 Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
 Thief of Hearts (1984)
 Flashdance (1983)
 IDENTIFY RECURRING THEMES,
FILM TEXTS SIGNATURE VISUAL STYLE
 The Rock (1996)
 Dangerous Minds (1995)
 Crimson Tide (1995)
 Bad Boys (1995)
 The Ref (1994)
 Days of Thunder (1990)
 Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
 Top Gun (1986)
 Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
 Thief of Hearts (1984)
 Flashdance (1983
 And identify primary target audience
  Disney's Michael Eisner; "according to [Jeffrey]
 "the conglomeration of Katzenberg, Eisner used high concept while
working as a creative executive at Paramount
the film industry and to describe a unique idea whose originality
could be conveyed briefly" (8). Regardless of
the rise of television, who came up with the idea, the basic premise
of high concept filmmaking is the same.
new marketing  As Wyatt suggests, "one can think of high
methods, and 'the look,
concept as comprising

changing distribution the hook, and the

strategies--have book.'
extended and modified  The look of the images, the marketing hooks,
some significant traits and the reduced narratives form the
cornerstones of high concept"
of the classical model" 
 In film criticism, there is a case being made for the actor as auteur.
Stars As Auteurs
 where an actor/actress seems to play a similar kind of character from
one film to another or has a distinctive style of acting. Tom Cruise is
always Tom Cruise, Can you think of any U.S examples?
 Actress Kerry Fox recently suggested that US actors always want to be
recognized in films whereas the UK way is to become your character. Like
Daniel Day-Lewis.

 This tendency could be the result of Hollywood commodifying films,

treating them too much as product & commercial star
vehicles. A criticism of actor as auteur is that we do not know for sure, if
at all, how free a rein an actor has to develop and control their own
character in a film. Recently though we have become aware that a
director might not have dominant control over the final product in film-
making. A director is heavily reliant on the production team around him
or her and once scenes are shot may hand rushes over to editors to put
together the film. We still talk about films as if directors determine the
final outcome, however.
 For your portfolio you have to select a director
and examine his/her work as an auteur. (NOT TIM
BURTON he has already been taken! )
 You must focus on three film texts(primary
texts)
 You must research around your subject, reading
& evaluating secondary sources such as books,
websites, magazines, TV interviews, DVD extras.
You will produce an annotated catalogue,
reviewing your research – at least 18 texts.
 You will reproduce your finding by constructing
an illustrated PowerPoint presentation
 http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/publications/16+/pdf/auteur.pdf excellent
resources for this unit
 Read about Hitchcock - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2984051
 www.filmsite.org
 www.imdb
 www.
 http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/film/resources/internet/ - is an excellent
academic film links site.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/apr/ 20/johnpatterson
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_system