Three Directors and Their Trademarks

 

Three Directors and Their Own Style.

Three Directors and Their Own Style.

STEVEN SPIELBERG

Steven Spielberg was born December 28^th, 1946 and has become ‘one of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema’ (IMBd). Spielberg is one of wealthiest directors and his net worth is $3.7 billion. Some of his most recognisable works are ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998), ‘Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark’ (1981), ‘Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’ (1989), ‘JAWS’ (1975), ‘E.T – The Extra Terrestrial’ (1982) and ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993).

Noticeably without his films, Spielberg tends to open with production design elements. This is a cinematography technique that can provide a tone for the upcoming scene, creates a cinematic energy and informs the character and setting. Moreover, as a spectator this can give us context and help mark when a new scene is about to begin. For example, in ‘E.T’ the establishing shot provides the spectators with the landscape of where the ship has landed, despite it being low lighting, the spectators are aware of the purpose for it, then immediately a close-up of some shrubs.

When viewing one of the protagonists, Spielberg likes to present them through a rear-view mirror of a car. This can be shown in many of his films, but the two that spring to mind are from ‘Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’ when Indy is driving the jeep and he sees a shooter plain in his rear-view mirror and in ‘Jurassic Park’ when the dinosaur is following the jeep and he is seen in the mirror too.

Lastly, one of Spielberg’s trademarks is his tactful character blocking and staging. This is more evidently seen in his film ‘Jurassic Park’. ‘Jurassic Park’ has an accumulation of long shots with an average shot length of 6.6 seconds, he must make the on-stage performance as engaging as possible or the viewers may lose their attention span. For example, when Grant first meets Hammond’s grandson, before this he verbally expresses his dislike for children, but it is the blocking that communicates this specific trait to make it a subtext such as when Grant closes the door on Tim.

JOHN G. AVILDSEN

John G. Avildsen was born December 21^st, 1935 and died June 16^th, 2017. Avildsen was best known for being a director (and editor) for ‘ROCKY’ (1976), ‘The Karate Kid Part 111’ (1989), and ‘ROCKY V’ (1990).

In all these movies, there is an evident trademark of a particular underdog that has a realistic character development. I think this is quite a powerful movement in films, as it really can emotionally impact the spectators and create that connection between viewers and protagonist as the narrative arc develops. As the character grow stronger, the spectators feel more invested and attached but moreover, it can empower the audience and personally, it is that which can make a memorable film.

Furthermore, the way Avildsen sometimes portrays this character development is through montages. Personally, the most famous one of his montages is when Rocky is training and runs up to the top of the Philadelphia steps. The use of montages can create more suspense for the film and even create more context for the spectator as it allows the viewers to first-hand experience that turning point/shift of the character.

TIM BURTON

Timothy (Tim) Burton was born August 25^th ,1958, and is best known for his dark, gothic, eccentric horror films. Some of his most well-known works are ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993), ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990), ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999), ‘Alice In Wonderland’ (2010) and ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005), as well as some of the Batman movies.

In Tim Burton’s films, it is often seen that the opening/beginning credit sequence are played with the camera going through something. For example, in ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ the spectators are taken down a large factory chimney that eventually looks as though it is filled with chocolate and in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ the credits appear as they are going through the woods. Personally, this way of introducing the opening credits, allows the spectators to immediately immerse themselves into the film, whilst getting a gauge of the aesthetics.

Tim Burton is widely known and instantly recognised due to his gothic, horror aesthetic within his films and often includes the Christmas and/or Halloween scenes – such as ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. However, this can be juxtaposed to the way Burton also includes fantasy elements. In ‘Alice and Wonderland’ despite there being some lowkey, gothic scenes, the characters e.g the mad hatter, have bright coloured hair and quite flamboyant clothing, which keeps that fantasy element to it.

Lastly, throughout some of his films, Burton usually targets the main character by looking into their past using a series of flashbacks. This is present in his works such as ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.’ In ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ there is a flashback of Willy Wonka as a young boy at the dentist. I think that Burton includes these flashbacks for the purpose that it provides the spectators on how it shapes the character they are today (context) yet also establishing that sympathy for them.

Overall, these directors have an influential style or trademarks that can make them distinct from other directors, and it is something that I can carry forward to think about in my own productions. For example, Spielberg tends to open with production design elements. This is something that I can take forward as it is a unique way to introduce the film, so it is possible that it can make it more intriguing and even adding an extra depth to it. This can also set the scene better, making certain plot points more impactful.

 Avildsen appears to do the ‘relatable approach’ of having an underdog conquer their achievements. This is something that I could consider in my own short film, as you are possibly able to relate to more spectator’s which could make my own short film meaningful. Whilst researching his movies, a montage is a technique that I will highly consider as I feel as though it is something which gives you flexibility to play with mood, genre and aesthetics. For example, despite it possibly being a serious montage, you can take your own spin on it and add some humour to make it more light-hearted, whilst still achieving that dramatic effect.

 Lastly, Tim Burton frequently uses flashbacks to target their main character. In my opinion, the use of flashbacks must be done in the correct way, or they look misplaced, however, it does provide context for the spectators and starts to build that emotional relationship. This is a style that I can experiment and practice with, to allow the spectators that chance to gain that extra insight. Moreover, Burton is very good at providing that level of low lighting, creating that gothic, horror vibe. In my own production, this can lead me to consider how different lightings, be that during or altering in post-production, give that different feel and can immerse the spectators visually.

REFERENCES

Lannom, S. (2015). Steven Spielberg’s Directing Style Explained. [online] StudioBinder.

StudioBinder. (2020). Watch: How to Direct a Spielberg Oner [Video Essay]. [online]

IMDb. (n.d.). Steven Spielberg. [online]

IMDb. (1958). Tim Burton - IMDb. [online]

IMDb. (n.d.). John G. Avildsen. [online]