Auteur Theory
The Power of the director
The author of a film has a great impact on the things we watch.
A directors/ film makers film will reflect the directors personal creative vision, and films will often bear their signature style or ideology. The present day equivalent would be the writer/director having a final say on the cut of their film. Auteur theory raised to popularity thanks to film director sand critic Francois Tuffaut in 1954 and is linked with the french new wave. Auterism involves analysing films and identifying characteristics of a directors work.
Auteur theory became popular within the 1950s when young French critics (including Jean-Luc Godard, and Truffaut) watched a backlog of pre WW2 American films and noted the similarities seen between films with the same director.
Auteur theory has three premises
-Technique
-Style
-Meaning
The Cahier Critiques endorsed and embraced a number of directors who they believed had a personal signature on their films
These included
French directors
Jean Vigo
Jean Renoir
Robert Bresson
Marcel Ophüls
American Directors
John Ford
Howard Hawks
Alfred Hitchcock
Nicholas Ray
Orson Welles
German Directors
Fritz Lang
Some other auteurs include
JJ Abrams
-Scifi action films
-Space setting
Taika Waititi
-serious mixed with comedy
-Family themes
-Emotional growth
Tim Burton
-Gothic themes
-Emphasis on black and white
-usually featuring Johnny Depp
Hayao Miyazaki
-Focuses on often calm serene environments and slowly paced storylines
-has a relaxed feeling
-picturesque open worlds
Jean-Luc Godard was one of the first auteurs. He took inspiration from american cinema before deciding to go against it to subvert expectations and deconstruct american cinemas structure.
Auteur theory was challenged by New Criticism, which argued that critics made an "intentional fallacy" when they tried to interpret meaning behind the film, techniques and directors personal life. The authors intention should not come before the work itself.
This lead into psychoanalysis of film directors. this was done by analysing the film and raises the issue of if the auteurs unconscious is affecting the text itself.
Auteur theory has also been contrasted by Genre theory
Alfred Hitchcock is a notable auteur of early cinema
-His technique includes a strict filming schedule and unusual camera angles. Planned shots immaculately and controlled every aspect of a shoot.
-His Style involved Suspense, Thriller, lovable rogue characters and being gritty.
-His Auteur-ship involved the classic blonde heroine, powerful masculine males, suspenseful scenes and gimmicks.
Martin Scorsese
-His Technique involves rough cuts, Distinct lighting setups, Broad violent characters realism and a linear narrative
-His style includes Mob and gangster stories set within the US. They focus on the realistic depiction of the streets, and his films are regarded as epic, Visionary and Trend Setting.
-His Auteur-ship involves tales of morality, with religious undertones and heavily focused on masculinity and patriarchal society.
Soffia Coppola
Her techniques include a Slow narrative and pacing, allowing for close ups and character development.
Her style is similar with a nonchalant serene narrative style, with dreamlike aesthetics, focusing on nature and have a tendency to be female centric.
-Her Auteur-ship includes a focus on the gen X/Y niche and focuses on internal character conflict and development. It also focuses in on The female object of desire and eternal youth.
The author of a film has a great impact on the things we watch.
A directors/ film makers film will reflect the directors personal creative vision, and films will often bear their signature style or ideology. The present day equivalent would be the writer/director having a final say on the cut of their film. Auteur theory raised to popularity thanks to film director sand critic Francois Tuffaut in 1954 and is linked with the french new wave. Auterism involves analysing films and identifying characteristics of a directors work.
Auteur theory became popular within the 1950s when young French critics (including Jean-Luc Godard, and Truffaut) watched a backlog of pre WW2 American films and noted the similarities seen between films with the same director.
Auteur theory has three premises
-Technique
-Style
-Meaning
The Cahier Critiques endorsed and embraced a number of directors who they believed had a personal signature on their films
These included
French directors
Jean Vigo
Jean Renoir
Robert Bresson
Marcel Ophüls
American Directors
John Ford
Howard Hawks
Alfred Hitchcock
Nicholas Ray
Orson Welles
German Directors
Fritz Lang
Some other auteurs include
JJ Abrams
-Scifi action films
-Space setting
Taika Waititi
-serious mixed with comedy
-Family themes
-Emotional growth
Tim Burton
-Gothic themes
-Emphasis on black and white
-usually featuring Johnny Depp
Hayao Miyazaki
-Focuses on often calm serene environments and slowly paced storylines
-has a relaxed feeling
-picturesque open worlds
Jean-Luc Godard was one of the first auteurs. He took inspiration from american cinema before deciding to go against it to subvert expectations and deconstruct american cinemas structure.
Auteur theory was challenged by New Criticism, which argued that critics made an "intentional fallacy" when they tried to interpret meaning behind the film, techniques and directors personal life. The authors intention should not come before the work itself.
This lead into psychoanalysis of film directors. this was done by analysing the film and raises the issue of if the auteurs unconscious is affecting the text itself.
Auteur theory has also been contrasted by Genre theory
Alfred Hitchcock is a notable auteur of early cinema
-His technique includes a strict filming schedule and unusual camera angles. Planned shots immaculately and controlled every aspect of a shoot.
-His Style involved Suspense, Thriller, lovable rogue characters and being gritty.
-His Auteur-ship involved the classic blonde heroine, powerful masculine males, suspenseful scenes and gimmicks.
Martin Scorsese
-His Technique involves rough cuts, Distinct lighting setups, Broad violent characters realism and a linear narrative
-His style includes Mob and gangster stories set within the US. They focus on the realistic depiction of the streets, and his films are regarded as epic, Visionary and Trend Setting.
-His Auteur-ship involves tales of morality, with religious undertones and heavily focused on masculinity and patriarchal society.
Soffia Coppola
Her techniques include a Slow narrative and pacing, allowing for close ups and character development.
Her style is similar with a nonchalant serene narrative style, with dreamlike aesthetics, focusing on nature and have a tendency to be female centric.
-Her Auteur-ship includes a focus on the gen X/Y niche and focuses on internal character conflict and development. It also focuses in on The female object of desire and eternal youth.
Baz Luhrmann
-His techniques often include elaborate costume, choreography and music.
-His style is usually large scale and fast paced, and focus on artistic and visually stunning, colourful imagery.
-His techniques often include elaborate costume, choreography and music.
-His style is usually large scale and fast paced, and focus on artistic and visually stunning, colourful imagery.
-His Auteur-ship involves Dance and song, as well as a focus on females and their idolisation, and often creates a flippant perspective when dealing with serious topics
Jane Campion
-Her techniques include using gloomy lighting, using camera tricks and creating a moody atmosphere.
-Her style involes highly stylised dark sinister tones, and focuses on female oriented stories and beautiful settings
-Her Auteur-ship involves repressed Sexuality, insightful characters and deep emotions.
-Her techniques include using gloomy lighting, using camera tricks and creating a moody atmosphere.
-Her style involes highly stylised dark sinister tones, and focuses on female oriented stories and beautiful settings
-Her Auteur-ship involves repressed Sexuality, insightful characters and deep emotions.
James Cameron
-His Technique is notable for Smooth camera cuts. linear story progression and eerie lighting.
-His style includes Scifi action, Doomsdya nad dystopian, Epic long films and big budgets.
-His Auteur-ship includes Powerful female characters and the limits of the human body.
Steven Spielburg
-His Technique includes Blockbusters, smooth editing, continuinity and drawn out linear narratives.
-His style involves Epic blockbusters accessible to the public. His works often involve Scifi Adventure, and focuses on a childs POV within the narrative.
- His Autership focuses on Happy endings with the white male victory, and having a "USA is the centre of the world? message. Also focuses on Commonplace domestic male/female relationships.
-His Technique is notable for Smooth camera cuts. linear story progression and eerie lighting.
-His style includes Scifi action, Doomsdya nad dystopian, Epic long films and big budgets.
-His Auteur-ship includes Powerful female characters and the limits of the human body.
Steven Spielburg
-His Technique includes Blockbusters, smooth editing, continuinity and drawn out linear narratives.
-His style involves Epic blockbusters accessible to the public. His works often involve Scifi Adventure, and focuses on a childs POV within the narrative.
- His Autership focuses on Happy endings with the white male victory, and having a "USA is the centre of the world? message. Also focuses on Commonplace domestic male/female relationships.
Quentin Tarrantino
-His Techniques are often through narrative subversion, rough cuts, varied pacing, and soundtracks.
-His style involves cool looking characters with smooth dialogue, and timeless characters and costumes
-His Auteurship involves Violence, Drugs, Pop Culture, and emulation of other films.
Blog Homework
-Are you an auterist?
why/why not? -100 words
I think The Auteur theory is somewhat accurate in the fact that the directors techniques and styles will affect the overall artistry of the film. While lots of people will be needed to create a film, and all of their skills are necessary to get things done, The director is influencing the overall direction of the film, which is why many similarities may be picked up among an auteurs set of works. Credit still needs to be given to those who work on a film, however it is the directors job to execute the delivery and guide the film. Everyone has their own preferences and experiences, so I think its fairly natural that those things would leak through in certain aspects when directing a film.
-His Techniques are often through narrative subversion, rough cuts, varied pacing, and soundtracks.
-His style involves cool looking characters with smooth dialogue, and timeless characters and costumes
-His Auteurship involves Violence, Drugs, Pop Culture, and emulation of other films.
Blog Homework
-Are you an auterist?
why/why not? -100 words
I think The Auteur theory is somewhat accurate in the fact that the directors techniques and styles will affect the overall artistry of the film. While lots of people will be needed to create a film, and all of their skills are necessary to get things done, The director is influencing the overall direction of the film, which is why many similarities may be picked up among an auteurs set of works. Credit still needs to be given to those who work on a film, however it is the directors job to execute the delivery and guide the film. Everyone has their own preferences and experiences, so I think its fairly natural that those things would leak through in certain aspects when directing a film.
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