1. The technical competence of the director.
2. The distinguishable personality of the director.
3. The interior meaning of the works.
Think cinematically, use plenty of examples, and have fun. Remember: I look forward to reading them.
Due: Monday, October 4, at 8:00 am.
Auteur Theory is described as the theory that every good (and sometimes bad) director has their own distinct style that is noticeable when you watch their works.
ReplyDeleteThe three premises of Auteur Theory are, as stated in the prompt: the technical competence of the director, the distinguishable personality of the director and the interior meaning of the work. The first has to do with how and how well, the auteur conveys the meaning of his film. The second states that there is always one, or several, distinct aspects of an auteurs works that can be tied to almost every one of his films. The last is probably the most difficult to understand. It relates to what the auteur imbues into his film, either intentionally or unintentionally. Assuming Auteur Theory is correct, an argument in which there is much debate, some part of the director is always in his/her films. It is similar, but still different to the second premise.
My example is the director Stanley Kubrick. In two of his most famous and well known films, Kubrick's style is one of heavy emotion and shocking landscapes. The films to which I am referring are "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Full Metal Jacket". In the former, the plot is of a space crew on their trip to Jupiter and their conflict with the ship's AI "HAL". Throughout the movie are intense and surreal shots of space, the likes of which were new to moviegoers. In the latter, the story is of one soldiers experience in boot camp and later, the Vietnam War. It is a gritty film, very violent and dark, with most of the set pieces being of war-torn villages. Auteur Theory states that this is not a coincidence that these two are similar but instead says that they are for a very good reason: being directed by the same auteur.
In film criticism, the 1962 coined term “auteur theory” holds that the directors films directly reflect their personal creativity and vision. In spite of the fact that industry has a huge impact on the outcome of a film, the auteur theory pushes the fact that no matter what, the voice of the director is distinctive enough to shine through any and all kinds of studio influence.
ReplyDeleteThe first premise relates to the technical and structural form of the film. It explains how bad directors, do not always produce bad movies. It shows how accurately and easily the director can convey the films meaning to any type of viewer. The second premise of the auteur theory is how well their personality reflects on the film. It explains how each director has their own style, and that is what in fact makes their movies so distinguishable from any other. As stated in the Andrew Sarris article, the way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels. The final and most complicated aspect is the ultimate interior meaning of the film. This states that auteur is not quite the directors vision of the world nor is it their attitude towards life. I know this is all gray area, but then what does the third premise really explain? No matter whether the auteur theory truly exists is questionable, but I think what we can all agree on something. The fact that directors are extremely distinguishable and it seems to be almost impossible for their opinions, emotion, and experience to not get caught up in the films narrative or really any other aspect. There will forever more be a piece of them in each and every one of their works. That is nearly unfeasible to deny.
A director who really stands out in my mind is the unforgettable, Tim Burton. A genius in modern Hollywood, his movies never fail to get high ratings, and become instant classics around the world. Anyone and everyone who has seen a Burton film, knows they often can churn the stomach and sometimes even leave you a bit uneasy. Well, this is his true style. If you’ve ever seen the guy you would know that he is a bit off his rocker and that without a doubt shows in every film. Whether it be the film adaptation of “Sweeny Todd,” about a demon barber who kills his enemies and makes them into meat pies..., or “The Corpse Bride,” a spooky, strange cartoon, he never fails. Tim Burton even had the ability to make the sweet, innocent films of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and “Alice in Wonderland,” into something much creepier and less friendly than the original but extremely entertaining, nonetheless. His movies are often very dark, and ordinarily have a theme of loneliness. Many characters suffer from some loss, or any type of heartache. Strangely enough, his films seem to get passed all of that darkness and seem to usually stream light in the end. This makes me think that he is very strong himself, and many of his films and the way they are created greatly reflect his personal life. I for one, do think that the auteur theory exits and is a very relevant part of film making as well as history.
Auteur Theory is a theory that states that all directors have unique and individual styles that stem from their personal thoughts and visions. These styles are noticeable in all of their works.
ReplyDeleteThe three premises of this theory are: The technical competence of the director, The distinguishable personality of the director, The interior meaning of the works.The first premise is about how a director conveys his film. How his vision is all comes together through the lens of a camera. How well a director can "speak" to his audience. The second premise is about the distinct and noticeable style every director has. In every film by one director, his style and vision, maybe even personalities of other characters from other works, may be repeated. The last premise is the internal meaning of every work. This is the most complicated to understand because no one but a director knows the real meaning behind their works.
A director who I enjoy a lot is M. Night Shyamalan. His films often have a creepy feel to them. His movies can be considered horror, but mostly fictional mysteries. Films such as The Sixth Sense(1999), The Village(2004), The Happening(2008), and Devil(2010) all show his distinct style as a director.
Auteur theory is the belief that every director, no matter how talented they are, has a certain style that allows the viewer to recognize a film as part of their body of work. No matter what genre of film it is the viewer should instantly recognize who directed it.
ReplyDeleteAuteur theory states that every director has a distinguished style that shows through each of their films and that the interior meaning of each work is always identical. Martin Scorsese is a perfect example of this because his body of work has films that diverge into different storylines and ideas, but always have a certain theme to them. Many of Scorseses’ films do deal with the gangster genre, most notably “Goodfellas” and “The Departed” and like these films the characters are often of Italian or Irish heritage. Scorsese films are often dark and gritty as well. But then you have films like “The Age of Innocence” and “The King of Comedy”; the first is a period piece love story set in 19th century New York City and the second one being a comedy about an aspiring comedian who decides to kidnap his idol. These films could not be any farther away from “The Departed” plot wise, however, like all Scorsese films they deal with the darker and more anguished aspects of society and human nature. Like the warped mind of Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver” the protagonist of “The King of Comedy” is so desperate for fame that he holds a late night talk show host ransom in order to perform on his show. In “The Age of Innocence” the protagonist is forced to marry a “safer” wife so that he does not disrupt the upper class society; he is shown later to deeply regret his choice but still unable to change it. Each of the directors’ films is a look at society through the bleaker and darker minds of those forced to live in it. Rarely is the protagonist (or any character really) shown to be purely good or evil, and there is no true hero or villain in any of his films. Scorsese keeps all of his films realistic no matter how grand the set-up. In “Raging Bull” the main character, Jake La Motta, is a bad-tempered boxer who mistreats everyone surrounding him, but in the end he is shown to be just as human as anyone.
The final premise of auteur theory is that the director has a consistent technical competence. Scorsese always employs similar yet tweaked techniques to all of his films, allowing his movies to remain fresh without ever changing much. The dialogue in all of his films is very natural, never shying away from any language or something that someone would really say, no matter how frank or unrefined. He often employs similar actors, such as Robert DeNiro, as well. The editing is always drawn out to fit the elapsed time as best as possible, and never rushed. Scorsese always makes his films as realistic and hard-hitting as possible, allowing him to consistently hit the mark on social issues and ideas more than most directors.
Auteur theory is the belief that the director is the sole entity that gives their films a distinctive quality. In an attempt to explain this theory I will proceed to describe the three premises of auteur theory in terms of one infamous director, James Cameron.
ReplyDeleteThe first premise of auteur theory is that the technical competence of the director directly effects the value of the film. James Cameron is obsessive over the appearance of his films, putting enormous amounts of time and money into each project. He is said to posses technical ingenuity, which results in his ability to make unrealistic or unbelievable simulated situations seem real. He also creates a certain feel of suspense in all of his movies, utilizing lighting and camera work as well as narrative to increase our anxiety.
The second premise states that a director must exhibit "recurrent characteristics of style" in all of their films. It is the idea that one should be able to immediately recognize the work of a certain director upon watching their films. Cameron's films generally have a solid style in which the primary focus is on relationships, and the setting surrounding these relationships is what builds drama. This holds true in Titanic (the relationship of Rose and Jack as different classes and ultimately the sinking of the ship pull them apart) and in his other films including the Terminator (Sarah and Kyle), The Terminator Two (Sarah and her son John), and Avatar (Jake and Neytiri). Another aspect of Cameron's directing style apparent in all of the above films is the shear magnitude of his projects. Each huge budget blockbusters employing the use of insane special effects and mise en scene, a trait found in all of Cameron's movies. perhaps his most important distinguishable trait is Cameron's ability to make the viewer feel emotion, whether it be anxiety while awaiting a terminator attack, to tears streaming down your face as jack plunges into the icy atlantic, which is an ability which Cameron utilizes in each one of his blockbusters.
The third premise of auteur theory is the relationship between the director and his films. It is the belief that the director puts aspects of his own personality into his works subconsciously that end up affecting the interior meaning of the work. Cameron posses a confident and over the top personality, which allows him to create over the top movies without feeling the need to hold back. His movies are thus in a league of their own, having a kind of superior feel that he too possesses.
(Disclaimer: I have not viewed Memento yet so I realize that my analysis of Nolan will be slightly flawed since I’ve heard that Memento is one of Nolan’s greatest movies thus far, however hopefully I am still able to capture the essence of Nolan’s effect on his films.)
ReplyDeleteAuteur theory is the theory of filmmaking in which the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture. It essentially suggests that a director can use film in the same way that a writer uses a pen or a painter uses paint to express their work. While controversial among film critics, the auteur theory is useful to consider when viewing multiple films from the same director.
A director who seems to be a true auteur is Christopher Nolan, famous for revitalizing the Batman movie franchise through “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”, “Memento”, a psychological thriller, and this summer’s surprise science-fiction blockbuster “Inception”. To solidify Nolan as an auteur, he must follow the three premises of auteur theory. The first discusses the technical competence of a director. “Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight” and “Inception” all contain mind-blowing special effects and stunning camera angles delivering some of the best action and chase scenes in modern-day action films. As for the distinguishable personality of the director, Nolan subtly shines through his film by incorporating phenomenal special effects, warm lighting, sophisticated panoramic views and detailed close-ups. He frequently works with the same actors, such as Michael Caine, Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy to name a few. “The Dark Knight” and “Inception” are two Christopher Nolan films that contain perhaps the most interior meaning. “The Dark Knight” masterfully handles the battle between good and evil to wide critical acclaim and has been referred to by many as the greatest comic book-based movie of all time. In “The Dark Knight” the viewer is able to comprehend the disintegration of the moral fiber of Harvey Dent after the death of the woman he loves, while Bruce Wayne (Batman) in the exact same situation, retains his morals. “Inception” truly forces to the viewers to confront dreams and the importance they have to our lives, and explores psychological reasoning as to why we may be permanently embedded in a dream. All of Nolan’s movies are truly revolutionary and his style is completely distinctive garnering him the title of an auteur.
There are very few to none that can genuinely deny Steven Spielberg’s cinematic genius. His films, with their sci-fi feel and unforgettable special effects, have rightfully earned him his status as the most commercially successful director of all time. Spielberg perhaps defines the auteur theory, that each and every director creates a personality within their films that is distinguishable and unique to that director, as each of his cinematic masterpieces hints to his personal style.
ReplyDeleteThe three premises of the auteur theory can be noted within Steven Spielberg films. The first, technical competence of the director or their ability to convey meaning within their films in a way that is understandable to the audience. Spielberg has of course mastered this concept with sensible plot lines and outstanding visual effects which also apply to the second premise. The second premise being the “fingerprint” or signature personality lying within each film. This is probably the easiest of the three to comprehend and notice in Spielberg’s films. Examples include as mentioned before, special effects, as well as similar shots, such as a reoccurring one involving rear view mirrors. The third and final premise is the interior meaning of the works, which is proven a true aspect of the auteur theory through Spielberg. An example might be the absence of father figures or abandonment motifs, as seen in E.T. the Extra Terrestrial as the adorable alien is left upon earth by the UFO he calls home, or in A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (one of my favorites) when robot-boy David is left for “dead” by his owners after a few mishaps involving their real children. These may be due to the fact that Spielberg himself was left by his father at a young age.
Overall Steven Spielberg is rightfully credited for his undoubtably genius films and as the auteur, leaves behind a piece of himself in each and every film he produces.
The auteur theory is, for one thing, a completely different way of looking at the realionship of a movie and its director. Most people view a movie and rate it on the plot and the actors or actresess. No one ever really thinks "Gee I really like that directors style." Though with the autuer theory you are directly connecting the director with thier movie. The theory is that no matter how good/bad the director is, actors are, or the plots is, the style of the director will still show through.
ReplyDeleteThe three premises of auteur theory are technical competence, personaltiy of the director, and interior meaning. Technical competence is baicsically the movie's importance or its scale value. So it has atleast make people want to talk about it. As Sarris said "if a director has no technical competence, no elementary flair for the cinema, he is automatically cast from the pantheon of directors.
The second premise of auteur theory is personality. Which takes us to the theory that all films or movies exhibit some characteristics of thier director.the way the moviea looks and moves should have some relaitionship to the way thee director thinks and feels.
Finally the last premise of auteur theory is the interior meaning, Sarris describes this last premise as being close to what some critics all "mise en scene" which invole several aspects of a film that a director uses to get the the desired effect of the movie as a whole. Though that is not exactly what is meant by interrior meaning. It is more of what Traffaut calls "the temperature of the director on the set" rather than the vision of the world the director wants to project.
The auteur theory is the distinct connection between a film and its director. This theory doesn't have to do with the plot and how it forms which is usually what the first thing viewers pay attention to and how well the director portrays it, but this theory is how the director is unique in their skills and what they portray through their films as their distinct aspect.
ReplyDeleteThe three premises of auteur theory are technical competence, personality of the director, and the interior meaning.Technical competence is the way a director portrays their film so that is understandable to most audiences and is able to be comprehend. It may not be easy to comprehend, but it at least needs to satisfy a good amount of viewers to gain respect and make their mark as a director. A director that i see as having a unique interesting way as a director is Spike Lee. Spike Lee's personality is spilled out throughout a majority of his films because he uses his childhood, and his life and things that happened in his life throughout his films, he also makes an appearance in a lot of his films. This also adds to the third aspect of auteur theory which is interior meaning because most of his films have to deal with the street life or just the everyday life and struggle that people go through everyday that some people may not pay attention to or know about, but Spike Lee puts great detail into it and is reality.