Assignment 1 - The Theory Of Films - Auteur Theory
Tim Burton was born in 1958 in California. His first film was made in 1971 meaning he’s been making films for 47 years now, and he has directed around 38 short and feature length films, some of his most notable works being “Alice In Wonderland”, “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Sweeney Todd” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.
Tim is known as an Auteur filmmaker due to his signature dark and gothic approach when creating a film, whether it’s meant to be dark or not. This style has become instantly recognisable by his huge fanbase through the narratives, characters and even colour schemes that he uses in his films. Usually, he chooses to give at least one character in every film a dark past or appearance which can set a slightly unsettling atmosphere for the audience, but at the same time makes all his characters very loveable for their strange traits, even adding elements of comedy to a lot of his darkest characters, hence his huge success with making audiences love his films. When Tim casts actors to play these characters, there a few very famous actors in particular which have starred in countless films and taken on many of the major roles, these actors being Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Keaton also starring in a few. He arguably gave them the success and exposure they have today in their acting careers, as we see them in many other hugely successful films by other directors. Tim is also very known for using a black and white colour schemes and low-key dark lighting, in all his films, either to the general colours of the settings or characters, which once again gives them that signature gothic, dark and sometimes gloomy vibe he goes for. Tim makes sure that the camera is focused heavily on the important characters in the shot, either with zoom ins to the characters facial expressions or appearance, for example if they are wearing some sort of makeup or costume that is important, and mid shots that show the whole body or half the body of the characters (and therefore body language), and this could be done to invoke those emotions of the characters into the audience and give them as much understanding of the characters situation as possible. Danny Elfman also has an important role as Tim has chosen him to compose the music for many of his biggest films, and some of the most memorable theme songs that have come from Elfman are from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice”, mainly recognised for their fast pace and use or brass and string instruments like violins and trumpets or trombones which add excitement and mystery to the visuals. In addition to this, he has recreated many classic kids movies in his signature style, some of these being “Alice In Wonderland” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. These have been surprisingly successful with children despite them seeming more like a horror take on the classics, and also with adults who have grown up with the original versions those movies and get to watch them remade in a whole new light.
Beetlejuice - Genre + Narrative
Beetlejuice is a Horror-Comedy which tells the tale of a recently deceased couple named Barbara and Adam, and their journey not only into the afterlife, but also focuses on their main goal to keep their home and get rid of the new family that have moved in after their death. After failing to scare them away themselves, they seek help from who they know as "Beteleguise" the so-called "bio-exorcist", but soon regret their decision as his real identity as Beetlejuice comes clean and his actions to take care of the family become dangerous not only the family members, but also to Barbara and Adam.
Codes of the Film
Nearly all of the scenes of the film are filmed in Barbara and Adam’s house, which makes sense as the main focus of the film is showing what the house means to them and how they’ll do anything to keep it, even though the couple have died. Even scenes that aren’t filmed in the house are only a short distance away, for example when they drive to a shop down the road and when they become part of Adam’s model village) and this symbolises that attachment they had to the house. This is also backed up by the fact that once the couple are deceased they are forced to stay in the house as if they leave they could be eaten by the ‘Sandworm'.
In the scene when Beetlejuice is first introduced, it is clear that Tim thought a lot about the Mise-En-Scene when creating it. The whole scene is lit very dark, which could be foreshadowing how Beetlejuice will be the Antagonist of the film as it sets an eerie tone to the scene. It looks as if the only light is some soft lighting coming from above the characters, and also two glowing arrows both pointing to where Beetlejuice first appears from, signifying he is the most important character of the scene. Another way we can tell that Beetlejuice is the main focus is that Barbara and Adam are also there but look much smaller and are looking up at him, showing how he is the dominant figure of the three.
Beetlejuice - played by Michael Keaton - has a very energetic and outgoing but also mischievous character. This is clear because he often speaks and moves very quick, at times it's hard to understand him. As he is part of the paranormal world it does make sense that Tim made his character quite over exaggerated and unusual. His outfit contains black and white stripes which fit nicely into the overall colour scheme and gothic and horror themes that are consistant in the film.
Conventions of the Film
It is clear that the movie fits into the conventions for the Horror and Comedy genres. The reason we can tell it's a horror is that the main theme of the movie is death and the afterlife, and it contains quite scary imagery at times. The reason for it being a comedy is that Beetlejuice in general is a funny character who makes tons of jokes and gags throughout. The storyline is chronological throughout and therefore makes it easy to understand, although the pace of it can feel quick, but the quick pace almost feels like it could symbolise the confusion and quickness of death. The beginning of the film clearly illustrates that Barbara and Adam will be the main characters - or at least have an important role in the film - as it focuses on just them and their lives for about 20 minutes. The film starts and ends with credits which ins't as common in most films, however as the title credits are playing, the Beetlejuice theme written by Danny Elfman plays, and this helps to set the tone for the rest of it.
Steven Spielberg
Steven was born in 1946 in Ohio. He made is first film (short film) in 1959 and since he’s stared he’s been making films for 59 years, and has directed around 44 films. Some of his most well-known films are “Jurassic Park”, ”E.T”, “Jaws”, “Indiana Jones” and “Schindler’s List”.
Steven is known as an Auteur filmmaker as he is associated with making some of the most action packed and exciting films known in film history. He tends to take a completely new idea that no one has thought of and turn it into something iconic loved by millions, and has shaped our views on certain things after we watch the films. For example, "Jurassic Park" gave a completely new spin to how we see dinosaurs, and that film is what we think of when someone mentions them, the same with "E.T." and aliens, or "Jaws" and sharks. As well as the basis of what’s in them, it is also known that the composer John Williams has created the music for nearly all of his films, and has gone on to create some of the most iconic theme tunes and music which further demonstrates Steven as an Auteur filmmaker, and gives even more reason to love the films. Steven uses a lot of zoom ins and over-the-shoulder camera angles in his films. Similarly to how Tim Burton does it, the zoom ins help to show the facial expressions and emotions of characters, in particular when they’ve realised something or when shocked. The over-the-shoulder shots can be used as a way of showing the point of view of a character during a conversation or interaction, or can assert the dominance of the character the camera is on as they appear taller. All of the actors that Steven has cast tend to be from a background of Action and occasionally Comedy films, which is because many of his films are in the Action/Adventure genre. Some examples of the most famous actors he has chosen are Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), and Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List).
Jaws - Genre + Narrative
Jaws is a Horror-Adventure which tells the terrifying story of three very different men who come together to avenge a great white shark infesting the waters of Amity Island, which has recently attacked and killed multiple people living on the island. This kicks up a fuss with the other residents and the mayor of the island however as this means the beach will have to be closed - in the middle of summer - until they can kill the shark. The three main men of the film who pluck up the courage to find the shark are Chief Brody, the police Chief of the island (and Protagonist), Matt Hooper, the Ichthyologist and brains of the three, and Quint, the captain of a ship and most eager to kill the shark.
Codes of the Film
The film is set on an island called Amity Island. As the film’s plot is about a shark, the fact that it is set on an island was a clever choice, because there is water surrounding the characters at all times therefore meaning that the film doesn’t stray too far from what people expect to see - the shark.
It is clear that Steven took Mjse-En-Scene into consideration during the making of the film. There is a particular scene at the start of the movie which helps to give more background to the area of Amity Island and the type of people living there. In this scene we see a part of town that’s very busy with people and a banner hanging from two posts saying “Amity Island 4th of July Celebration” in blue and yellow writing, and this written code indicates that this is an important time of year for the town’s people. Chief Brody is in the centre of this scene which shows he is the main focus or an important character. The sun is shining in most of this scene which sets a strangely happy tone which contrasts to the scene prior, where a girl who suffered a shark attack was discovered. There also a mix of brighter and pastel pinks, blues and yellows in this scene which create a positive atmosphere and are either people’s clothing or the houses/buildings in the area. The buildings are also very big, neat and colourful with perfect looking fences around each one, which conveys the possible wealth of the town as they can afford to have nice looking buildings. some buildings even have red, white and blue colour schemes which seems like a clear nod to the fact they are celebrating the 4th of July, red white and blue also being the colours of the American Flag.
Roy Scheider - the actor who plays Chief Brody, the main character - does a very good job at conveying the important role. His facial expressions don’t tend to change much, and he talks generally in a clear but sometimes monotonous voice and speaks quite formally to most people, but this is to convey the Chief as someone who must be serious as much as he can to keep up a good reputation and image as the Chief of Police as his job is an important one. Brody does know how to have a joke as well however as we see him singing with Hooper and Quint on the boat at one point. In addition, we see that anytime he is sitting down he tends to look more laid back and slumped, and this can connote how he sees that time as a time for him to relax because he’s off duty as the Chief. Throughout the film, the colour yellow is used many times. But the use of yellow is an unusual choice because it is used to signify a time when danger is near. An example of this is during a scene where the mother of a boy who gets eaten is wearing a yellow hat, and and that boy also has a yellow float with him in the water. This was an unusual choice of colour because you would usually associate red with danger as it is a harsh and intense colour, and yellow on the other hand is more bright and cheerful. This can almost twist out perceptions on what is good and bad and makes us feel constantly on edge throughout the whole film.
Steven used many zoom in shots and close ups to characters faces when filming, which can be seen usually when people are saying something important, or when a character has realised something bad, conveying their emotions more clearly to us. The iconic beginning scene of the film is a great example of the technical elements that went into the film. It starts off with a chilling point of view from the Shark’s perspective, with very dark and ominous flighting which sets the eerie deep sea setting, and the camera slowly makes it’s way through the water just like a real shark would. While this is happening, the iconic Jaws theme composed by John Williams plays as non-diegetic sound and builds up tension as the shark gets closer to the surface of the ocean. This is a great first scene that really sets the atmosphere as a horror film .
Conventions of the Film
Steven definitely does a good job in conveying the fact that Jaws is a horror. This is due to it including clear scenes of death and blood throughout, which are conventions of horror and can easily strike fear into anyone that watches it. The storyline of the film is chronological and very clear in telling the story, and also in developing characters one at a time, and this is done by giving them all and individual moment in the spotlight throughout the film.
Tim Burton
Tim Burton was born in 1958 in California. His first film was made in 1971 meaning he’s been making films for 47 years now, and he has directed around 38 short and feature length films, some of his most notable works being “Alice In Wonderland”, “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Sweeney Todd” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.
Tim is known as an Auteur filmmaker due to his signature dark and gothic approach when creating a film, whether it’s meant to be dark or not. This style has become instantly recognisable by his huge fanbase through the narratives, characters and even colour schemes that he uses in his films. Usually, he chooses to give at least one character in every film a dark past or appearance which can set a slightly unsettling atmosphere for the audience, but at the same time makes all his characters very loveable for their strange traits, even adding elements of comedy to a lot of his darkest characters, hence his huge success with making audiences love his films. When Tim casts actors to play these characters, there a few very famous actors in particular which have starred in countless films and taken on many of the major roles, these actors being Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Keaton also starring in a few. He arguably gave them the success and exposure they have today in their acting careers, as we see them in many other hugely successful films by other directors. Tim is also very known for using a black and white colour schemes and low-key dark lighting, in all his films, either to the general colours of the settings or characters, which once again gives them that signature gothic, dark and sometimes gloomy vibe he goes for. Tim makes sure that the camera is focused heavily on the important characters in the shot, either with zoom ins to the characters facial expressions or appearance, for example if they are wearing some sort of makeup or costume that is important, and mid shots that show the whole body or half the body of the characters (and therefore body language), and this could be done to invoke those emotions of the characters into the audience and give them as much understanding of the characters situation as possible. Danny Elfman also has an important role as Tim has chosen him to compose the music for many of his biggest films, and some of the most memorable theme songs that have come from Elfman are from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice”, mainly recognised for their fast pace and use or brass and string instruments like violins and trumpets or trombones which add excitement and mystery to the visuals. In addition to this, he has recreated many classic kids movies in his signature style, some of these being “Alice In Wonderland” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. These have been surprisingly successful with children despite them seeming more like a horror take on the classics, and also with adults who have grown up with the original versions those movies and get to watch them remade in a whole new light.
Beetlejuice - Genre + Narrative
Beetlejuice is a Horror-Comedy which tells the tale of a recently deceased couple named Barbara and Adam, and their journey not only into the afterlife, but also focuses on their main goal to keep their home and get rid of the new family that have moved in after their death. After failing to scare them away themselves, they seek help from who they know as "Beteleguise" the so-called "bio-exorcist", but soon regret their decision as his real identity as Beetlejuice comes clean and his actions to take care of the family become dangerous not only the family members, but also to Barbara and Adam.
Codes of the Film
Nearly all of the scenes of the film are filmed in Barbara and Adam’s house, which makes sense as the main focus of the film is showing what the house means to them and how they’ll do anything to keep it, even though the couple have died. Even scenes that aren’t filmed in the house are only a short distance away, for example when they drive to a shop down the road and when they become part of Adam’s model village) and this symbolises that attachment they had to the house. This is also backed up by the fact that once the couple are deceased they are forced to stay in the house as if they leave they could be eaten by the ‘Sandworm'.
In the scene when Beetlejuice is first introduced, it is clear that Tim thought a lot about the Mise-En-Scene when creating it. The whole scene is lit very dark, which could be foreshadowing how Beetlejuice will be the Antagonist of the film as it sets an eerie tone to the scene. It looks as if the only light is some soft lighting coming from above the characters, and also two glowing arrows both pointing to where Beetlejuice first appears from, signifying he is the most important character of the scene. Another way we can tell that Beetlejuice is the main focus is that Barbara and Adam are also there but look much smaller and are looking up at him, showing how he is the dominant figure of the three.
Beetlejuice - played by Michael Keaton - has a very energetic and outgoing but also mischievous character. This is clear because he often speaks and moves very quick, at times it's hard to understand him. As he is part of the paranormal world it does make sense that Tim made his character quite over exaggerated and unusual. His outfit contains black and white stripes which fit nicely into the overall colour scheme and gothic and horror themes that are consistant in the film.
Conventions of the Film
It is clear that the movie fits into the conventions for the Horror and Comedy genres. The reason we can tell it's a horror is that the main theme of the movie is death and the afterlife, and it contains quite scary imagery at times. The reason for it being a comedy is that Beetlejuice in general is a funny character who makes tons of jokes and gags throughout. The storyline is chronological throughout and therefore makes it easy to understand, although the pace of it can feel quick, but the quick pace almost feels like it could symbolise the confusion and quickness of death. The beginning of the film clearly illustrates that Barbara and Adam will be the main characters - or at least have an important role in the film - as it focuses on just them and their lives for about 20 minutes. The film starts and ends with credits which ins't as common in most films, however as the title credits are playing, the Beetlejuice theme written by Danny Elfman plays, and this helps to set the tone for the rest of it.
Steven Spielberg
Steven was born in 1946 in Ohio. He made is first film (short film) in 1959 and since he’s stared he’s been making films for 59 years, and has directed around 44 films. Some of his most well-known films are “Jurassic Park”, ”E.T”, “Jaws”, “Indiana Jones” and “Schindler’s List”.
Steven is known as an Auteur filmmaker as he is associated with making some of the most action packed and exciting films known in film history. He tends to take a completely new idea that no one has thought of and turn it into something iconic loved by millions, and has shaped our views on certain things after we watch the films. For example, "Jurassic Park" gave a completely new spin to how we see dinosaurs, and that film is what we think of when someone mentions them, the same with "E.T." and aliens, or "Jaws" and sharks. As well as the basis of what’s in them, it is also known that the composer John Williams has created the music for nearly all of his films, and has gone on to create some of the most iconic theme tunes and music which further demonstrates Steven as an Auteur filmmaker, and gives even more reason to love the films. Steven uses a lot of zoom ins and over-the-shoulder camera angles in his films. Similarly to how Tim Burton does it, the zoom ins help to show the facial expressions and emotions of characters, in particular when they’ve realised something or when shocked. The over-the-shoulder shots can be used as a way of showing the point of view of a character during a conversation or interaction, or can assert the dominance of the character the camera is on as they appear taller. All of the actors that Steven has cast tend to be from a background of Action and occasionally Comedy films, which is because many of his films are in the Action/Adventure genre. Some examples of the most famous actors he has chosen are Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), and Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List).
Jaws - Genre + Narrative
Jaws is a Horror-Adventure which tells the terrifying story of three very different men who come together to avenge a great white shark infesting the waters of Amity Island, which has recently attacked and killed multiple people living on the island. This kicks up a fuss with the other residents and the mayor of the island however as this means the beach will have to be closed - in the middle of summer - until they can kill the shark. The three main men of the film who pluck up the courage to find the shark are Chief Brody, the police Chief of the island (and Protagonist), Matt Hooper, the Ichthyologist and brains of the three, and Quint, the captain of a ship and most eager to kill the shark.
Codes of the Film
The film is set on an island called Amity Island. As the film’s plot is about a shark, the fact that it is set on an island was a clever choice, because there is water surrounding the characters at all times therefore meaning that the film doesn’t stray too far from what people expect to see - the shark.
It is clear that Steven took Mjse-En-Scene into consideration during the making of the film. There is a particular scene at the start of the movie which helps to give more background to the area of Amity Island and the type of people living there. In this scene we see a part of town that’s very busy with people and a banner hanging from two posts saying “Amity Island 4th of July Celebration” in blue and yellow writing, and this written code indicates that this is an important time of year for the town’s people. Chief Brody is in the centre of this scene which shows he is the main focus or an important character. The sun is shining in most of this scene which sets a strangely happy tone which contrasts to the scene prior, where a girl who suffered a shark attack was discovered. There also a mix of brighter and pastel pinks, blues and yellows in this scene which create a positive atmosphere and are either people’s clothing or the houses/buildings in the area. The buildings are also very big, neat and colourful with perfect looking fences around each one, which conveys the possible wealth of the town as they can afford to have nice looking buildings. some buildings even have red, white and blue colour schemes which seems like a clear nod to the fact they are celebrating the 4th of July, red white and blue also being the colours of the American Flag.
Roy Scheider - the actor who plays Chief Brody, the main character - does a very good job at conveying the important role. His facial expressions don’t tend to change much, and he talks generally in a clear but sometimes monotonous voice and speaks quite formally to most people, but this is to convey the Chief as someone who must be serious as much as he can to keep up a good reputation and image as the Chief of Police as his job is an important one. Brody does know how to have a joke as well however as we see him singing with Hooper and Quint on the boat at one point. In addition, we see that anytime he is sitting down he tends to look more laid back and slumped, and this can connote how he sees that time as a time for him to relax because he’s off duty as the Chief. Throughout the film, the colour yellow is used many times. But the use of yellow is an unusual choice because it is used to signify a time when danger is near. An example of this is during a scene where the mother of a boy who gets eaten is wearing a yellow hat, and and that boy also has a yellow float with him in the water. This was an unusual choice of colour because you would usually associate red with danger as it is a harsh and intense colour, and yellow on the other hand is more bright and cheerful. This can almost twist out perceptions on what is good and bad and makes us feel constantly on edge throughout the whole film.
Steven used many zoom in shots and close ups to characters faces when filming, which can be seen usually when people are saying something important, or when a character has realised something bad, conveying their emotions more clearly to us. The iconic beginning scene of the film is a great example of the technical elements that went into the film. It starts off with a chilling point of view from the Shark’s perspective, with very dark and ominous flighting which sets the eerie deep sea setting, and the camera slowly makes it’s way through the water just like a real shark would. While this is happening, the iconic Jaws theme composed by John Williams plays as non-diegetic sound and builds up tension as the shark gets closer to the surface of the ocean. This is a great first scene that really sets the atmosphere as a horror film .
Conventions of the Film
Steven definitely does a good job in conveying the fact that Jaws is a horror. This is due to it including clear scenes of death and blood throughout, which are conventions of horror and can easily strike fear into anyone that watches it. The storyline of the film is chronological and very clear in telling the story, and also in developing characters one at a time, and this is done by giving them all and individual moment in the spotlight throughout the film.
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