Thursday, 13 March 2014

Unit 26 – Film Studies Task 1 - Auteur Directors


An explanation of Auteur theory

Auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision. An auteur director will sometimes go against what the studio expects of them, For example, a director is expected to go through the standard process of making a film. When the director chooses something different that can have a effect on their future because if there style takes too long and costs too much to create then producers may think twice about hiring them.

Auteur Theory suggests that a director can use the commercial apparatus of filmmaking in the same way that a writer uses a pen or a painter uses paint and a paintbrush. It is a medium for the personal artistic expression of the director. The film theoretician, André Bazin, explained that: auteur theory was a way of choosing the personal factor in artistic creation as a standard of reference, and then assuming that it continues and even progresses from one film to the next.

The auteur theory, which was derived largely from Astruc’s elucidation of the concept of caméra-stylo (camera-pen), holds that the director, who oversees all audio and visual elements of the motion picture, is more to be considered the “author” of the movie than is the writer of the screenplay.

Is Wes Anderson an auteur director?

When watching a film many would say that they can tell if it’s Wes Anderson film because they can see a certain style in the camera work and acting. Others would argue that Wes Anderson is just another film director.


The reason that Wes Anderson is seen as an auteur director is when you watch his films like ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ or ‘Moonrise kingdom’. You will notice that there is a dysfunctional family; there is also a lot of detail in the Misc en scene and many slow motion shots that tend to have some folk or indie music playing over it. This is a signature for Wes Anderson as no other direct does this. The opening shot at the start of the film of the house and Royal Tenembahm entering the house is signature of Wes Anderson because he makes the talent of enter the shot instead of following the talent with the camera. There is also a central long shot and two shot of the children and of Royal Tenemnahm around 15 minutes and 20 seconds in which is common of Wes Anderson but it is also common to have mid shot of a character when they are in conversation with another character.

Many people will say that Wes Anderson is just recreating the effect of making films look like they are from the 1940’s or 50’s and they say that Anderson is just bringing ‘look’ into the 21st century. Wes Anderson’s love for the attention to detail is undesired by many movie fans who feel that the detail adds little to the film and does not help with the story. Starting in the 1960s, some film critics began criticizing auteur theory's focus on the authorial role of the director. One reason for the backlash is the view of shooting a film, and in the theory's privileging of the role of the director (whose name, at times, has become more important than the movie itself).

In my opinion I feel that Wes Anderson is and auteur director because he has a style that I like many film fanatics can clearly tell the difference when I watch the film. I use the film ‘the royal Tenembahms’ the talent is always in the centre of the scene and this is common throughout the film. There is slow motion used in this film many times like in the 24th minute, and at the end of the film.
 
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