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Moving pictures in any form of narratives have also earned such opprobrium owing to its exertion and the temptation of some filmmakers to put themselves entirely in their signature styles. Kubrick’s sternness, Tarantino’s operatic juxtaposition of styles, Anderson’s idiosyncratic worlds – these directors fit the bill for the continuance of the auteur theory in modern filmmaking. They make marks on the films both visually and content wise in such a way that their contribution to the art of cinema will remain relevant in the years to come.
The Auteur Theory
The Auteur Theory was introduced by French film critics in the 1950s. The main contribution of the genre in the field of cinematography is focused on the ability to affect the visual elements of the film: composition and movement, color and light, to construct a narrative that is visually stunning and captivating. Furthermore, they also uplift cinema from just entertainment to art that encapsulates the opinion of the artist. The contemporary authors of the script looked not only as the creators of the films, but also as the builders of culture, who prescribed the modern cinema appearance, influencing the industry and inspiring younger generations of filmmakers.
Stanley Kubrick
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The films encased within the oeuvre of Stanley Kubrick can be classified as textbooks; they are fit for educating students as they are sine qua non telling more than simply comprehensible tales of chilling, organizing and ordering images. Intending to achieve extreme precision, Kubrick paid much attention to composition, even symmetrical balance in relation to the natural ambient which sometimes induces discomfort and at other times gives a feeling of total perfection. In 2001: A Space Odyssey and even The Shining, his ability to narrate using the camera is remarkable, making every frame look like a painted work of art with each object and color, and movement having its own importance.
It also includes the signature techniques of Kubrick’s film directing, for instance, the combination of low and physically expanded fine shot sounds with the help of a tracking camera crane. Not only did he shape the picture, but how it was encased related to thematic overarching concerns of Kubrick’s works whether dealing with human nature, war and its folly or the mind’s numbness in his films. Containing both horror and beauty as one perfect thread of visual material, suggests that even when the filmmaker aims to evoke emotions, there shall always be perfection in using any style.
Quentin Tarantino
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Combining unique screenplays, nonlinear timelines, powerful language, and sophisticated violence, Tarantino’s movies can be described as a kind of the Old School meets future shock.
Tarantino’s works usually feature a great deal of close-ups, slow motion, and long duration shots, with potential build-ups. His broad combination of styles – and especially the use of music, as we observe in Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, – imbues the films with an element of parody and humor that makes the films feel both welcoming and innovative. As for the technical side of things, so speaking. Many of his films contain mass culturally recognizable objects or phrases, and believe it or not, they are in cohesive form with the visuals of the films. In his working, visual speaking is not just about angles and shots; it conveys effective meaning through many levels of cultural ideas.
Wes Anderson
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Wes Anderson is probably the most recognizable visual style among contemporary auteurs in cinematography, who is often called a director with a “storybook” look. His films contain balanced compositions, bright colors, and extreme detail because each frame can be its own picture, Pictorialism. And they do not stop only at The Grand Budapest Hotel but they go even beyond it at Moonrise Kingdom because both these films have rich hues and symmetrical shots almost perfect like the patterns of a very lavish but childishly arranged storybook.
At the same time, Anderson’s employment of stop motion, and his dependence on the sets and the eccentric costumes further deepens the controlled surrealism present in all of his works. However, looking deeper into the surface, Anderson’s motion pictures are frequently about a family gone wrong, absence of childish want of future, and time lapse, interspersing a dark, maudlin story with his off-beat visuals. Although the filmmaker’s pictures have a unique style, distinguishing them from others, is not the look, but the feel. It may be argued that only through the visual aspects of the story, does the filmmaker fully extend his artistic limits and fills out the emotional context of the tale.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig’s evolution as a director is remarkable both in velocity and nature. Gerwig’s passion can be seen in Lady Bird, Little Women and other films thanks to modern images of narration and cinematography specializing in authentic, powerful, and complex female stories. She usually relies on simples, biographical content focused on the personal from her characters and this works wonders—humble yet effective and heavily evocative.
Once again, Gerwig stays true to realism in her work but with an eye for warmth. In Lady Bird, her pastel shades and available light focus on the central character’s growing up, while in Little Woman, her camera motions are catchy enough to parade out all the emotions of the March sisters. It is this emphasis on regimen that individualism and self-fulling search form the emotional center of her films. She has a stylistic voice that cuts across the experiences in most of US cinema which is disappointing, and it is in that regard that she becomes an auteur of sorts with the ability to depict convincing realism through the images she creates.
Martin Scorsese
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The movies of Christopher Nolan are usually classified as films with an intricate yet confusing story, presented in a non-linear fashion and enhanced with aggressive visual techniques that distort the audience’s sense of time and reality. With grand ideas of architectural narrative in all the films from Inception to Interstellar, the works of Nolan attempt to explore the concepts such as memory, space-time, and even the extent of human thought. It’s more of picture perfect as the films are well designed with the inclusion of real-time and virtual special effects.
As a cinematographer, Nolan is notably recognized for shooting primarily on large-format film and prefers practical rather than computer generated visuals. The cold, lifeless colours in films such as Dunkirk and Dark Knight trilogy heighten tension and realism where was nonlinear editing was also commonly used in films such as memento which abused time perception of people as they were forced to follow plot in more creative ways. The use of particular narratives and imagery in his films ensure that tours of his films are equally as mentally engrossing and as visually enticing which cements him as one of the fantastic filmmakers today.
Christopher Nolan
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Scorsese’s visions bring a thrilling realism to how people relate violence, crime, and guilt to the extent of possible redemption. Picture films such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Irishman among several other films demonstrate Scorsese’s astounding skill in marrying realism and artistry winning motion picture drama that is moderating yet at the same time is high on emotions. He often chooses to narrate stories that happen in the darkest alleys of America, among miserable humans who have lost their way and find themselves in vicious cycles of violence, guilt, and redemption.
Cinematically, Scorsese features active, sometimes chaotic camera motion combined with rapid editing to bring an element of atmosphere to the audience. He also very effectively incorporates long shot techniques devoid of the editing effect for example the famous Copacabana segment in Goodfellas which places the audience deep inside the world of the characters. It is not only narratively that Scorsese chronicles the psychological dimension of his protagonists, but also visually where he pours over them a blaze of close-ups, different angles, light, and color so as to capture the subtleties of their emotions. Inside his masterpieces, where the crime, violence, and moral topics acquire new facets, he remains within the age-old tradition of the great auteur a solitary figure, whom the world of cinema has always recognized for his powerful expressive works.
Resources
- Zilko, C. (2023, August 6). The 8 Hallmarks of a Christopher Nolan Film. IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/christopher-nolan-directing-style-hallmarks/
- Auteur theory | Definition & Directors | Britannica. (2024). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory
- Dunham, B. (2020, August 10). Watch: Why We’re Obsessed with Stanley Kubrick — Directing Styles Explained. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/stanley-kubrick-directing-style/
- Kariuki, T. (2022, July 4). A Closer Look at Quentin Tarantino’s Directing Style. MovieWeb; MovieWeb. https://movieweb.com/quentin-tarantino-director-a-closer-look/
- Lannom, S. (2021, April 25). VIDEO ESSAY: Wes Anderson’s Directing Style Explained. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/wes-anderson-style/
- FILMD. (2022, January 3). The Directing and Writing Style of Director Greta Gerwig. FILMDTM. https://www.filmd.co.uk/articles/the-directing-and-writing-style-of-director-greta-gerwig/
- Lannom, S. (2020, February 27). Martin Scorsese Directed Movies: Interviews and Quotes on his Filmmaking Techniques. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/martin-scorsese-style-of-filmmaking/
