Influences

Auteur Directors

I have researched directors that have heavily influenced the film industry and who I admire. Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson’s style are my favourite because they are unique and aren’t afraid to go against the norm. I would like to use their techniques in my upcoming film project. Therefore, I have looked into their methods so I can effectively use their style and to have a better idea of how I will incorporate it into my film.

eDGAR wRIGHT

He is well known for his fast-paced, satirical genre films. The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy is directed and written by Edgar Wright, written by Simon Pegg and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The comedic films involved in this trilogy is Shawn of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007) and The World’s End (2013). It is named ‘Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy’ due to its reference of the Cornetto brand in the movies; Shawn of the Dead features a strawberry flavoured Cornetto to represent the gory elements used, Hot Fuzz shows the blue original Cornetto to highlight the police element and The World’s End features the green mint choc-chip flavour to symbolise “green little men” and science fiction. The use of colour association with the Cornetto flavours shows the context of the film in a unique and clever way.

Edgar Wright compiles fast-paced clips to create a scene that is intense and exciting, which is edited in his signature style of transitions, pans and wipes. Baby Driver (2017) car chase scene is an action-packed scene, which involves a sequence of the car chase from different angles and perspectives to really immerse the audience and enhance the storytelling; a close-up of the traffic light on amber, switches to a close-up of Baby to intensify the scene, switches back to the traffic light turning red, then is followed by a quick sequence of Baby hitting the clutch, putting the car into gear and turning the wheel. In the opening, a rock track called ‘Bellbottoms’ plays to kickstart the chase, to add intensity and to set the pace and rhythm. The music is synced with the movements in the car chase to emphasise every action and create an entertaining, dramatic scene. Elements of comedy are used such as when Griff points to drive forward and Baby hits the car in reverse; Edgar Wright doesn’t just show comedy through jokes and dialogue, but through utilising the full potential of visuals.

Techniques

Things leaving and entering the frame in funny ways – visually engaging and is a creative way to be humorous and entertaining.
Matching scene transitions – makes connections, used to symbolise something, references to a previous scene and can be used to jump through time.
Perfectly timed sound effect – creates realism, adds drama, adds tension and can be used for nonverbal storytelling.
Action synchronised to the music – emphasises the mood and tone of the scene, creates a dramatic effect and builds a climax.
Dramatic lighting cues – takes control of the audience’s attention and it is stylistic.
Texas switches – one actor appears in the scene and then hides; another actor or stunt double seamlessly appears to continue the shot.

Quentin Tarantino

His films have elements of graphic violence, profanity, dark humour, non-linear storylines and references to popular culture. Tarantino uses wide shots to show context of the character and its surroundings; in Django Unchained, there is a face-off between a slave owner and Django, the camera starts to track Django from a wide, low shot to show how heroic he is before he attacks the man and saves his wife. Tarantino uses extreme-close up shots to intensify the scene and show heavy detail. For example, when the Bride awakes from her coma and escapes, she is unable to walk so she “wiggles her big toe” in order to gain sensation in her legs. An extreme close-up of her toes gives context to the situation and follows his signature framing style of bare feet. Crash zooms are heavily used for a cartoonish style and be used for a dramatic effect, it also alerts the attention of the audience for an important, upcoming scene. He also commonly uses POV shots from a low angle to show the perspective of a character that is about to be killed and it emphasises the power that the characters looking down at the frame have. Tarantino picks music choices that goes against the norm, such as an R&B song in a western, which makes his films monumental and unique. He tends to include diegetic soundtracks, where the characters can hear what song is being played, he tends to have characters interacting with the music. Popular soundtracks are chosen as they are known by most and it is more likely the scene will be memorable for the audience, it also means the audience can sing-along and feel engaged. Tarantino chooses music that the character would listen to so the audience can to so the audience can understand the character more.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) is one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films, and one of my favourites. The film focuses on 1969 Hollywood and incorporates the case of the Manson family murders. Tarantino uses some of the real events that happened in the case and combined it with a fictional version of the Manson family story. Rick Dalton (actor) and Cliff Booth (stunt double) are fictional characters, however, Sharon Tate (actress) is one of the well-known Manson family murder victims. Tarantino switches the narrative in order to capture the significant events in each of the character’s present life, which makes the audience understand the characters. We learn that Rick is unhappy an unsatisfied in his job so he goes to Italy to shoot spaghetti Westerns, Cliff is contempt and happy, even though he is in a lower job position than Rick, Sharon has a kind and humble presence and is proud of her acting achievements. For an accurate representation of the Manson family, Tarantino bases them on a ranch, but the film focuses on the members rather than on the main ringleader, Charles Manson. Unlike the actual case, the killers stake out Rick and Cliff, who fights the killers off in a climatic and gruesome battle, and Sharon is left unharmed.

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson has a distinctive style; camera movements that follow only laterally and vertically, symmetrical shots, pays high attention to detail, visuals that correlate to early 1980s. Wes Anderson’s colour palette consists of brown, yellow and reds, which creates aesthetically pleasing imagery and sets the tone for the scene. Warm colours convey a feeling of comfort and they stand out to us as these colours reach our eye faster than others. As well as visuals, Anderson wisely chooses the costume that the character is meant to wear. Costumes are important for the audience to understand the character and their personality. For example, Jopling, from the Grand Budapest Hotel, wears a leather jacket and brass knuckles, it is clear he is a threatening character. Wes Anderson is consistent with the style he uses so it is easy to tell when you are watching one of his movies, even the text he uses is constantly shown throughout his films.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) is set in the 1930s at a European ski resort. The follows the concierge of the hotel, Gustav H. and Zero, the lobby boy. After one of Gustav’s lovers die, a regular visitor to the hotel, he finds himself to be the rightful owner of one of her valuable possessions, a Renaissance painting, but a suspect in her murder. Gustav is hunted down by the police and an assassin. The storyline is unique and intertwines into another story, as well as there being a crime scene, there is a love story between Zero and Agatha, and whilst this is all happening, the country is being invaded by Nazis. The visuals are beautifully crafted; colours that are vibrant and bright for a powerful effect on the audience and alerts them, patterns that create an energetic feel and are pleasing to the eye, symmetrical shots that makes us feel calm because it represents order.

By looking into auteur directors that I am inspired by and look up to, I have a better understanding on how to make the audience feel a certain way, how to reveal important details and create visuals that engage and draw the audience in. I will further research techniques that are used by the directors to expand my knowledge and effectively be able to use them. For example, Wright used the colour of Cornetto flavours to represent the context of the film, therefore I will look into colour psychology to understand the full effects that is has on the audience and how I can use this to convey a certain mood or message. Wes Anderson uses symmetry and patterns so I will look further into the effect that this may have on the audience.

Cinematographers

Robert Yeoman

Robert Yeoman is an award-winning cinematographer, working in Hollywood since the early 1980s. Yeoman is best known for his collaborations with Wes Anderson and Paul Feig. He has worked on nearly every one of Anderson’s films; Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Hotel Chevalier (2007), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The French Dispatch (2021). He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

Yeoman uses wide anamorphic lenses to have a deep depth of field and panoramic layout, it gives a slight fish eye effect. Yeoman uses bright and colourful visuals in most of his work. The colours he chooses to use has purpose and compliments the scene perfectly. His shots are well lit and soft so you can see everything clearly and soft lighting is ideal for light-hearted films. He utilises natural lighting like the sun to illuminate the scene.

Anamorphic - Anamorphic lenses shoot a wide field of view because it changes the dimension of the image in one axis and squeezes the image into a narrower sensor. It has an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, which was traditionally built to fit in 35mm film. When the lens and sensor capture light, the lens creates a horizontal stretched lens flare. They don’t create the close-up distortion that typical wide-angle lenses do, the centre of the frame stays true while the edges of the frame have a dreamy, soft finish. By using an anamorphic lens, you can capture more of the scene without moving, it creates an oval bokeh and overall creates a more cinematic-looking footage than other lenses.

Roger Deakins

Roger Deakins has worked on films such as Fargo, James Bond: Skyfall, Sicario, No Country for Old Men, Blade Runner 2047 and 1917. The first major award he won was from the American Society of Cinematographers for his work on The Shawshank Redemption. He won an Academy Award for Cinematography for Blade Runner 2047 and 1917, he also won an Oscar for best cinematographer for his work on Blade Runner 2047.

Roger Deakins shoots using Zeiss prime lenses with an Arri Alexa. A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens that doesn’t let you zoom in or out, they have very wide or large apertures, they are more compact, sharper and better image quality than zoom lenses. Deakins likes to use a wide lens close to the actor to create intimacy. He prefers to shoot stable footage to let the shot linger, it is often more intimate and easier to digest. He also likes to only use a single camera because he doesn’t want to create visuals that work under the constraints of multiple views.

tips

Deakins learned that a lens operated to its best at an aperture of T4-5.6.
Each story is different so identify the special qualities of the story to help coordinate the visuals with the theme of the project.
Both shooting on digital and film cameras have their own advantages, Deakins finds that the lighting, shot placement, number of cameras, the lenses and the directors he works with is more significant than film vs digital.

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