Directors style

[sonnyboo]

Originally Posted by corpustle

"To me, the director is a superstar. The best films are best because of nobody but the director. You speak of Citizen Kane or 8½ or Seven Samurai it's thanks to the director who was the star of it. He makes the film, he creates it."
(Roman Polanski in The Film Director As Superstar by Joseph Gelmis, Pelican Books, 1970)

I agree with you that this makes them sound dickish. Especially citing CITIZEN KANE.... Gregg Toland was sooooo responsible for the majority of the look of that film. Everyone misquotes the statement "Everything you need to know about filmmaking you can learn in a weekend" as being from Orsen Welles, but it was Toland who said that to Welles. To show how much respect Welles had for the DP, he shared his credit page with Toland as camera.

The point being, the examples given are evidence of collaboration, not singular pieces.

[corpustle]

I know Polanski wasn't hailing himself as an auteur in that quote but I just don't think that 'auteur theory' is something directors should be thinking about at all. And certainly not something they should actively try to create. Having a style should come organically and not be forced, directors need to be concerned with the best way they can portray the story not whether a certain film they are making fits to their aesthetic as an auteur! I say leave it to the critics and producers be concerned with auteur theory.

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

Style develops. Even after only two films I see it developong in me (and hopefully that process will continue). The scripts I choose (or actually write), the set design, the choice of shots, the pacing. The goal is the same as for a musician (IMO). I would want someone familiar with my films to see a film, not knowing who made it, and immediately think, "did Nathan Fisher direct this?". Just as what makes a great guitarist someone that when you hear their playing you think "I don't know this song, but that HAS to be Eddie Van Halen".

[jeremy]

It's worth noting that the director gets credit for a lot of "style" created by other people. Some of that is due and some is not.

For example my favorite Cinematographer Bob Richardson is famous for his hard lighting, but only if you pay attention to Cinematographers. To the average person Scorcese or Tarantino get credit for that style. It's not their setups, but they both chose Bob Richardson, so they deserve some credit for the final product looking the way it does.

This is the grey area of style. It's much like the question of who tells the story, the director or the writer.

[Baldrick]

To me, most directors style comes from their film "signatures"
Although it's not always the case.

Such as, Kevin Smith's style comes from his Signature "Two Shot" which is two actors in frame from a mid shot just talking, (Most shots of Dante and Randal in Clerks). A lot of his style also comes from his scripts.

On the other hand, Robert Rodriguez's Style is the Over-the-Top violence and unrealistic action scenes, such as in the huge action set pieces in From Dusk Til Dawn.

Most directors develop their style fairly quickly, simply from their choice of films to direct, how they do it is almost instinctual.

[FantasySciFi]

I tend to think movie production as a creative collaboration. I have had discussions with screenwriters on other sites who seem to totally abdicate script issues to the director and actor. For me, I convey what strikes me as important to understanding context and allow that in the actual realization, the actor and director (and other creative crew) will add or modify the elements as needed but they have a sense of flow. As a scriptwriter, I've lay a solid structure and context for the director and actor.

I haven't directed a movie but I have had stage directing experience, albeit limited. When I directed, I had to balance the ability of the actors with the props at hand. This also meant modifying elements. I picture the director like an orchestra conductor, the music was written but s/he guides the players into realizing the pacing and interaction of the tones. The director is the audience to the actors. Actors can't see themselves from the outside. A good director sees what plays well for the audience and coaxes out that performance. A good eye for comedy can be different from a good eye for suspense or horror. I'm guessing that sensibility in some way translates to style.

At a certain level of attainment, directors can choose what pictures they choose to shoot. At that point, they have found a genre/style which they recognize what pleases their audience. In shooting, they know instinctively what they like/don't like and it closely mirrors the box office audience (hopefully). And the industry as a whole begins to 'play it safe'. That is the strong appeal of indie films and new directors.

Just my opinion and observation.

[M1chae1]

Watch a few Terry Gilliam films...no one has style like him.

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

Originally Posted by M1chae1

Watch a few Terry Gilliam films...no one has style like him.

Exactly what I'm talking about.
If you are familiar with his work you see something by him and immediately think. "Terry Gilliam MUST have directed this". There are elements (his love of crazy archaic looking gizmos for example) that are pretty much always present.

[sonnyboo]

Originally Posted by M1chae1

Watch a few Terry Gilliam films...no one has style like him.

Yes indeed. From visuals like the art direction (he is an artist himself, in the drawing definition of that word), to the choice of material, to the editorial and subject matter in his films - Terry Gilliam has a unique and quite distinctive director's style. He is a perfect example of another person who no matter who he works with, his films are always imbued with his essence.

[Nate North]

Originally Posted by sonnyboo

Yes indeed. From visuals like the art direction (he is an artist himself, in the drawing definition of that word), to the choice of material, to the editorial and subject matter in his films - Terry Gilliam has a unique and quite distinctive director's style. He is a perfect example of another person who no matter who he works with, his films are always imbued with his essence.

That's what it ends up being, your essence. In music, art, and film I thought for much of life that you had to really try to create a style. But eventually I learned you couldn't turn it off if you tried. A director's style can manifest in these patterns such as Woo's dual guns, but it all comes from the way you see the world.

When someone shows Tim Burton a piece of regular footage, it probably just doesn't spark his imagination. When John Woo shot his first film, there was probably a moment when the lead walked out holding a gun and Woo just said, "shouldn't the hero have more guns?".

It's a complex questions and some of these other answers may be better than mine, but what I'm trying to point out is that style comes naturally as a function of who you are. You just adjust things till they look right to you, and your style will automatically be there.

And yes, Terry Gilliam is the greatest