Premium Essay

Steven Spielberg- Auter

In:

Submitted By Cholman09
Words 1042
Pages 5
Auteur Theory says that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur" (the French word for "author"). In spite of the production of the film as part of an industrial process, the auteur's creative voice is distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference and through the collective process.”
Auteur is a french word meaning ‘ Author’ Arising in France in the late 1940s, the auteur theory it was dubbed by the American film critic Andrew Sarris was an outgrowth of the cinematic theories. The features of being an auteur include; 1 having a recognizable style, 2 repeatedly returning to the same subject mater, 3 habitually address a particular psychological or moral theme, 4 employ a reoccurring visual and aesthetic style, 5 constantly work with the same actors or cinametogarphers or editors…ect , or demonstrate any combination of the above. Steven Spielberg is an auteur and today I am going to prove it. I will show you through his use of themes, subject matter, visual style, Collaborations, and Institutions.
Steven Allan Spielberg was born to parents Arnold and Leahanni Spielberg. The older brother to three younger sisters, Spielberg began experimenting with film in his early teens making movies he would show at his family house.
At 13, Spielberg was already showing glimpses of future greatness, even winning a prize for his 40-minute war film 'Escape to Nowhere'.

The family often moved with his father's job and it was at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona that he produced his first feature-length film, 'Firelight', a science fiction movie with a budget of $400. Foreshadowing his future success, the film turned a tidy $100 profit after it was shown at a local theatre.

After his parents divorced, Spielberg moved to California with his father. He repeatedly applied to the UCLA

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Steven Spielberg Reflection Paper

...Logan Stafford Johnny Bragg Interpersonal Communication 7 October 2013 We're Going To Need a Bigger Park For this paper, I chose Steven Spielberg, and chose the movies; Jurassic Park, and Jaws. The movies are very different, but they are very similar in their own way. The beginning of both movies are actually extremely similar. In the opening of Jaws, we see nothing, but ultimately the music starts playing, and to start things off, the girl (not sure if she had a name) was killed by Jaws to open up the film. However, Jurassic Park started off with pretty much the same thing. We couldn't see the raptor that they were trying to put in the holding fence, but we did see one of the park employee's get dragged into the cage with the raptor. That is what gave me the idea to write this on similarities. Both movies result in the deaths of five people by a(n) animal(s), I found that kind of interesting. Both Jaws and Jurassic Park use the element of surprise and suspension, because you don't always see the creatures, but you know that they are there. Both movies were huge successes and the special effects were revolutionary for their times. For the characters, I'm not comparing their personalities, just the roles they played in their movie. Martin Brody, the main character in Jaws, and Dr. Ian Malcolm, from Jurassic Park, are both characters that warn what is going to happen in the film, but are ignored and eventually proven right. John Hammond, the man behind the cloning of dinosaurs...

Words: 968 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Zhang Films

...Steven Spielberg wrote in Time Magazine that at the core of Zhang Yimou’s filmography “was the idea that the conflict of man foretells the desire for inner peace”. Spielberg’s statement precisely embodies the underlying meaning in both films “To Live” and “Hero” (Person of the Year). Both films reinforce the idea that humanity conquers all. Humility and benevolence are hard to come by, easily trotted upon, and often taken advantage of. However, it is only through personal strife that we often embody these qualities and begin to develop inner piece. Both films employ powerful and sad events to help expose political shortcomings and ailments that have a direct and real result on society. I believe that at the heart of Yimou’s cinematography is the idea that, after all is said and done, goodwill humanity will prevail. In “To Live”, a Chinese family experiences more misfortunes than blessings. Because of gambling, unfortunate circumstances, and political instability and change, we see Fugui and his family go through a traumatic transformation from riches to rags. But what’s captivating to watch is that as life becomes more difficult and situations worsen, Fugui begins to appreciate the finer things in life. He soul wakes up to morality and purpose when for so long it was bogged down by selfishness, power, and earthly desires. Through cultural symbolism, we are reminded of the important values perpetuated by this film. From the puppet shows to an eclectic mix of Chinese instrumentation...

Words: 896 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Flim

...Saving Private Ryan 1998, dir. Steven Spielberg, Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom War movies often rely on the visual to communicate the events and emotion of each scene. This works up to a point, but viewers cannot fully relive battle in this way. Background music and limited sound effects make war movies generic, predictable, and sometimes historically inaccurate. In contrast, Gary Rydstrom uses sound to communicate emotion and portray realistic battle scenes in a way that makes the viewers feel as though they are actually part of Saving Private Ryan. One unique aspect of this movie, as opposed to other war movies, is that there is no background music in the battle scenes. Music in movies tends to make viewers realize they are watching the movie, but without it, the experience is so much more authentic. The battle scenes are shot with a handheld camera, giving them a shaky and chaotic feel. Because of this, the viewer does not really get the chance to experience the full breadth of the battle through the shot. Humans experience sound at all angles, as opposed to the one angle at which we experience sight. The dynamic sound effects of the battle scenes can completely engulf the viewer, helping them to have the full experience of trauma. Rydstrom paid particularly close attention to certain sound effects in these battle scenes to help them be as historically correct as possible. A variety of gunshot noises appear in each battle scene, each one corresponding to a different weapon...

Words: 609 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Famous Creative Thinkers

...Famous Creative Thinkers PHL/458 Famous Creative Thinkers Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and successful director, producer, innovator and writer of film in the 20th and, so far, the 21st centuries with countless big-grossing, critically acclaimed credits to his name. His films have touched on primeval fears with the film Jaws (1975) or looked at the marvels of this world and beyond with childlike wonder in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and ET (1982). Other highlights of his career include the literary adaptations, The Color Purple (1985) and Empire of the Sun (1987), adventure films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), featuring the adventures of his daredevil hero, Indiana Jones. He tackled fantasy in versions of Peter Pan, Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), and its sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) ("Biography.com", 2014). Spielberg’s Jewish upbringing and his lifelong interest in WW II has made for some impressive historical films such as the Holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993) about a businessman who helps save Jews from the Nazis. The highly praised film won seven Academy Awards, including Spielberg’s first win as Best Director. In 1998 his classic film of World War II as seen through the perspective of American soldiers in Europe, Saving Private Ryan (1998), earned him another Academy Award for Best Director. Other successful films, most notably Back to the Future (1985)...

Words: 609 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Best Time of Year to Launch a Movie

...To: Steven Spielberg Date: February 1, 2015 RE: Best time of year to launch a movie Mr. Spielberg, I have identified some opportunities for you to produce a film and deliver it at the optimal time to maximize revenue. This data has been sourced for 15 years from 1994 to 2008. I will outline my findings in the following 10 bullet points: Embedded Excel Data File: 1. Total Revenue Per Year for Each Year: 1994-2008 a. See tab #1 (All tabs and graphs in embedded excel file) b. Total revenue has increased year over year in the period 2. Average Revenue Per Year for Each Year: 1994-2008 a. See tab #2 b. Average revenue has also increased 3. Average Revenue Per Month over the 15 Years of data a. See tab #3 b. June, July, November, and December are the months with the largest average revenue over the period. July is the month with the highest average revenue. 4. Average Revenue Per Week over the 15 Years of data a. See tab #4 b. Weeks 51 and 52 were the highest average over the 15-year period (December) c. Weeks 26 through 31 (July) were also among the higher average weeks over the 15-year period. 5. Which movies were #1 for the longest period each year: 1994-2008 a. See tab #5 b. There were several films that were #1 for the same amount of time 6. The months and the weeks for the movies that were #1: 1994-2008 a. See tab #6 b. Because of the ties that resulted in the data, in each year the chosen #1 film’s opening weekend had the highest revenue...

Words: 634 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Phl458 Famous Creative Thinkers – Steven Spielberg and Pina Bausch

...Famous Creative Thinkers – Steven Spielberg and Pina Bausch PHL/458 August 4, 2014 Professor Leon Hallingquest Famous Creative Thinkers Famous thinkers all have things in common that help them accomplish greatness during their lives. Creative ideas are the foundation of the creative process. When creative individuals run across a problem that needs to be resolved - this is when they start coming up with their ideas. Problems can have a variety of options for resolution. This paper will cover how film mogul Steven Spielberg and dancer Pina Bausch used their own creative process to motivate people into seeing different issues their way. Famous Creative Thinkers In this paper specific problems and ideas that these individuals sought to solve, and the plans they put into action to resolve these problems will be discussed. Each person’s social, personal, or political environments will be reviewed on how they contributed to their creativity. Additionally, the creative process of each person, including obstacles they faced and a comparison of their creative processes underlying each individual’s work will be reviewed. Lastly, a critique of their ideas will be reviewed answering the questions if they could have done anything differently and if their bodies of work fit into the existing framework of understanding in their respective fields and how their work advanced further understanding in their respective fields. Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg has been a pivotal force...

Words: 1629 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Saving Private Ryan Essay

...Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1998, is a film that follows the stories of several World War two soldiers who are on a mission to find one man who is fighting somewhere else in Europe. Private James Francis Ryan, who is played by Matt Damon and Harrison Young as his elderly version has three brothers who have all been killed at different locations around the world. This situation is brought to the attention of General George Marshall and orders an immediate search. The film opens up with the prologue of elderly Private Ryan and his family visiting an American cemetery in Normandy, France. The time then quickly shifts to June of 1944 and American troops landing on Omaha Beach also known as D-Day. Once the orders of General George Marshall reach captain John Miller, who is played by Tom Hanks assembles a squad of men and starts their journey to find Private Ryan. Along their way on their journey comes obstacles they start to set out to town. There is various battles which leads to one of Miller soldiers getting injured there is no medical aid around so later on the man dies which begins...

Words: 771 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Steven Spielberg's Jaws

...“Jaws” was made in 1975 and it was directed by Steven Spielberg. There is a beach party on Amity Island, where a woman named Chrissie Watkins goes skinny dipping in the ocean. Then, something pulls under. The next day, parts of her are found on the shore. Because of this, the beaches are now closed. Trying to cover up that the death occurred by a shark attack in order to prevent fear, they say it was a boat accident. However, another fatal shark attack occurs shortly after. Meanwhile, consulting oceanographer Matt Hooper examines Watkins' remains and confirms her death was from a shark attack. Then, local fishermen catch a large tiger shark, the mayor proclaims the beaches safe. Hooper and Brody find a half-sunken vessel while searching the night waters in Hooper's boat. Underwater,...

Words: 408 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Primitive Accumulation

...A CASE STUDY:VALLARPADAM INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TRANSSHIPMENT TERMINAL,KOCHI Objective: Checking the relevance of Marx’s concept of primitive accumulation through India’s largest single operator container terminal which is the first project of India operate in a special economic zone. OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT The Kochi International Container Transshipment(ICTT),locally known as the Vallarpadam Terminal,is a container transshipment facility which is part of kochi port.It is the only transshipment port in India,and is situated in kochi,in the state of Kerala.The terminal makes Kochi a key centre in the shipping world reducing India’s dependence on foreign ports to handle transshipment.The project area has been declared SEZ with a road link to connect vallarpadam with two national highways,besides a 8.5 km rail link connectivity to the railway natworks.The work on the rail link project began in june2007 and completed in 2010. Prime minister Dr.Manmohn singh opened this container terminal to nation on 12thfeb2011. There are three phases in this project.In the first phase there will be 600m quay length and a draft of more than 15m,when the terminal may handle 1 million TEU container annually by the end of 2012.In the second phase the capacity will be enhanced to 3 million TEU’S by the end of 2014.In the third phase the terminal may handle even upto 5.5 million TEU’S.The total cost of the project is estimated...

Words: 707 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Student

...The Minority Report Big brother is watching phenomenal has many people in the world feeling that their lives have be intruded upon and their privacy invaded. Imaging living in a world where everything you do is being recorded and watched by others including you most intimate private thoughts. The Short story “The Minority Report written by Phillip K. Dick in 1956 and later made into a movie directed by well know movie director Steven Spielberg in 2002. The Minority Report is based on that very concept of precognition. Precognition is the ability to see into the future to be able to predict something before it happens. In both the short story and the movie it takes place in the very distant future. There are three individual who have the special gift of precognition, two males and one female who are referred to as Precogs. The Precogs are held in a facility called Precrime because they have the ability to foresee future murders and the people who will commit these murders. With this knowledge it allows the police to arrest and lock those individuals away in prison for the rest of their lives based on precognition. Precrime can be described as a type of police headquarters/prison. In the short story Precrime is located in New York City, but in the movie it is located in Washington DC. Both the story and the movie had many similarities and only a few differences. The main character in both short story and movie is John Anderton who is the head of...

Words: 513 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Color Purple

...FILM CRITIQUE: THE COLOR PURPLE 1 The Color Purple Devon Murraine ENG225: Introduction to Film Instructor: Kayla Ward October 20, 2012 [no notes on this page] -1- The Trials and Tribulations of life 4 The Color Purple “The Color Purple” is a 1985 American drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the eighth film directed by Spielberg and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker (Walker, 1996). The film tells the story of a young African American girl named Celie and shows the problems faced by African American women during the early 1900s; including poverty, racism, and sexism. The character Celie transform as she finds her self-worth through the help of two strong female companions. 2 1 1. “The Color Purple” (italics) [Angela Trodello (TA)] This movie has a great representation of characters where mentioning the talented Whoopi Goldberg and the famous Oprah Winfrey. These characters represent in the movie oppressed women who have surmised by their husbands and society. Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Is more of the quiet type, a woman who lives under the pressure and demands of the man but Oprah Winfrey as Sofia, is more of a strong type, she believes in equal rights with the men. 3 2. companions. The intro needs a thesis statement. Introduce the elements of film-making that you will analyze. How do they affect your critique? [Angela Trodello (TA)] 3. men. How does their acting contribute to the mise-enscene? [Angela...

Words: 2091 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Precious

...he star TV talk-show hostess Oprah Winfrey has been involved over the years in three significant movies based on celebrated novels by black authors. In 1985, she appeared as a natural rebel alongside Whoopi Goldberg in Steven Spielberg's skilful, soft-centred adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple about the oppression of black women in the Deep South, the need for sisterhood and the romance of Africa. In 1998, she produced and starred in Jonathan Demme's film of Toni Morrison's Beloved. In this ambitious failure, Winfrey played the runaway slave who kills her baby rather than see her recaptured by white pursuers and, a decade after the Civil War, is haunted by the child's ghost. Now she is the ­co-producer of Lee Daniels's Precious, adapted by Geoffrey Fletcher from Push, the bestselling 1996 novel by Ramona Lofton, the writer and performance poet who styles herself "Sapphire". Made on a much smaller budget, Precious is a simpler, tougher work than the two preceding films and altogether more effective. The setting is Harlem in 1987, the central character the obese 16-year-old black girl Claireece Jones, known as "Precious", unforgettably played in her first professional role by the vast, imposing Gabourey Sidibe, daughter of a New York gospel singer and a Senegalese father. Precious is illiterate, aggressive, constantly tormented by fellow high-school pupils and abused, both physically and verbally by her alcoholic mother and father. She has a daughter with Down's...

Words: 379 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Horror Films

...in “The Nightmare World,” Stanley J. Solomon states that horror films are made up of our nightmares, our “abstract fears of destruction and death”. For example, at the beginning of the movie Carol Anne who is the smallest child in the Freeling family, kneels in front of the television and talks to it while the television is gray and frizzy. Carol Anne parents leave it alone thinking she is talking to an imaginary friend or that she just has a very imaginative imagination. Later on into the film we discover that the television was the “monster” way of communicating with Carol Anne. Also, Robbie Carol Anne’s brother has a clown that shows up multiple times in the film. It is seen that later on the clown… Addition, another example would be, Steven who is the dad of the Freeling family goes to look at new land on top of a...

Words: 495 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Case Analysis

...Along with the usual movie trailers, press junkets and reputation generated hype generated by the name Stephen Spielberg, 2001's Artificial Intelligence: AI was propelled forward into one of the largest multimedia marketed films. The majority of the buzz surrounding this film was created by the viral marketing plan of using Internet surfers and the online gaming community. Warner Brothers spent over $1 million on the game project. Users could sign on and play a highly interactive and intricate murder mystery. It required users to have a broad knowledge of history, mathematics, sciences and other subjects. Gamers created online "communities" to play the game. Faxes and phone calls and emails would be sent from "Mother" as clues to help users solve the game. Though the game was specifically designed for the most experienced and dedicated science fiction online community, movie makers wanted to draw in that specific audience as research had proven that that particular audience wouldn't have responded favorably to AI, because it would've been seen as too mainstream. As more buzz was generated more and more everyday users would log on and search on Google for names such as "evan chan" or "jeaninne sallis" and enter into the labyrinth that is the game. As more and more buzz was generated, an undercurrent of anti-buzz was created. Sites dedicated to urging users to stop playing the game and face the truth popped up. But in the business of disseminating information and creating...

Words: 328 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Nbcvafdg

...eight years since Steven Spielberg's Minority Report amazed audiences with its futuristic technology. But now science is fast catching up Tom Cruise as John Anderton in Minority Report - an early adopter of gesture-based computing. Photograph: 20th Century Fox The launch of Microsoft's new Kinect games system, which allows players to run, jump, punch and shoot without having to wear strange clothing or hold any kind of controller, has got technology and cinema buffs alike thinking of Tom Cruise again. Specifically, the moment in the film Minority Report when Cruise, playing police chief John Anderton, tries to figure out film footage and computer data by waving his hands around in mid-air to manipulate it: turning it, shrinking it, pushing it aside, revolving it. Give it time: in a few years, we'll more than likely be controlling our computers in a similar way. 1. Minority Report 2. Production year: 2002 3. Country: USA 4. Cert (UK): 12 5. Runtime: 145 mins 6. Directors: Steven Spielberg 7. Cast: Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton, Tom Cruise 8. More on this film When Minority Report came out in the summer of 2002 – the iPod was less than a year old and the iPhone and iPad weren't even gleams in Steve Jobs's glinting eyes – its technological visions of the future seemed mind-bogglingly cool. The film was set in 2054 (Philip K Dick's short story, on which it is based, isn't so specific), so director Steven Spielberg presumably reckoned...

Words: 1470 - Pages: 6