Now we're starting to mark unfamiliar territory. At least with David it's most likely his name that's unfamiliar than his work. One might know him as the creator of the movie Fight Club. Other popular works by him are also Seven, Zodiac, The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo, Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the producer that got the new House Of Cards series off the ground.
There's a lot I look for when it comes to choosing a favourite director, and not everyone makes the cut. Great sense of pacing, their own way of telling a good story they've either hand picked or wrote themselves and a uniquely different style from the rest. David meets all of this criteria to a "T".
Fischer is known for creating stark, dramatic worlds with many anti-political undertones. From Fight Club to House of Cards, I would not believe for a second that he lets studio heads take control of his work, and it shows. His hand in nearly any project he undertakes truly is great.
Most people are familiar with the work of Tim Burton. Commonly known for for his dark visuals and working with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Burton is one of my guilty pleasures. Sure he makes visually stunning films but his quality has particularly remained consistent over the years. Nonetheless he is one of my favorites, particularly for his early works and his ambitious projects.
Through Tim's childhood he lived in a sort of suburban neighborhood and absolutely detesting it. He felt somewhat like an outcast not having many friends and felt distanced from many of the people he knew. For this he became quite efficient with art as being an outlet. Later attending art school he landed a job at Walt Disney Animation Studios to help animate some of their movies, but later realized that he wanted to branch off and fulfill his own ambitions.
Tim went on to direct many films such as Batman and Alice and Wonderland. Most of his movies are made with Gothic undertones and aesthetics, not always but usually incorporating dark skies, deep blue and purple tones and various themes and character profiles to set aside his work from the rest. His films, usually incorporate a lead who is often misunderstood and outcast from the rest of the movie's universe.
My love for Tim Burton's works isn't too complicated. His movies are visually stunning and more often than not, evoke a high sentimental value for me in portraying a person who is misunderstood for where he is currently placed and fights his way to find somewhere he truly belongs. My favorite movie that accurately portrays this, hands down is Edward Scissorhands. Mr. Burton always seems to have a clear vision of what he wants to represent on screen with his characters. He never delves into a overly complicated character arc, because he doesn't need to. His stories are simple and evoke feelings through the scenery and majestic matte paintings. His characters, albeit simple and easy to understand, are still multifaceted and interesting, more often than not giving us elements of ourselves we haven't really been able to connect with as often with other movies.
Tim Burton really inspires me to take better judgement when looking at creating an atmosphere and evoking feelings through a multitude of varying elements such as character and set design. Being able to relate with his back story and what he's accomplished as a filmmaker really gives me an aspiration to attain what I'd love to do with my life which is make movies that tell poignant and emotionally effective stories.
The List of Fantastical movies directed by Tim Burton -Frankenweenie -Dark Shadows -Alice in Wonderland -Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street -Corpse Bride -Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -Big Fish -Planet of the Apes -Sleepy Hollow -Mars Attacks! -Ed Wood -Batman Returns -Edward Scissorhands -Batman -Beetlejuice -Pee-wee's Big Adventure
The Master of Suspense. Usually regarded as the best director in history. Well to me at least. It's quite a tragedy that even though that
may be, he never once won an Academy Award to call his own. His story is actually quite entertaining, shown with several adaptations illustrating his life. While on the set of a movie in the thirties the director of the movie Always Tell Your Wife, which was in production in 1922, had walked out and couldn't finish the production, so one of the producers looked at Hitchcock and asked if he would like to take over. His legacy started then and there.
In mainstream media he is known simply as the man who directed the famous movie Psycho, but Hitchcock was so much more. By creating Psycho he proved horror movies could be made by highly regarded auteurs of cinema, and with every movie he made he tried to push the bar with something new and exciting. With his movie Rope, he announced that it was filmed all in one take. Now in this day and age we know better, a roll of 35mm film wouldn't have been long enough and if one watches the movie over carefully, you should be able to see the cuts. Regardless, watch the movie. It's fantastic.
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the many first directors I was introduced to as a child. The first movie I viewed of his was indeed Psycho. Exemplary in its editing and pacing the movie still stands on it's own merit of being a genius piece of art. As was many of his films. It gave me a sense of tension and anxiety I hadn't felt with many movies before. It was new for me, it was exciting! Watching the movie years later my feelings never change about it.
He was known for his mastery of suspense and with that title I was always intrigued in viewing his catalog and I was simply astonished when I started delving into the thematically rich stories he told. One of my favorite techniques he's used is the "shadow on the wall" to create suspense in Suspicion. While it might seem a cliche now, I imagine it was a more effective technique back then.
Alfred Hitchcock seemed to have the mentality of not giving the audience the relief of suspense until the very last moment. I always find new elements of his films that he used to further add to his stories and just when I think I have something of his I'll discover something new. There is always something new to appreciate of him which I always try to integrate into my own work occasionally. He was a true source of inspiration for many directors such as Steven Spielberg in Jaws and I am no exception.
Everyone knows the name Steven Spielberg. Usually it's the first director's name anyone recognises when learning about movies and delving into the media. It was for me at least. Steven is regarded as one of the most influencial people in the history of Hollywood. Whether it's from a childhood memory of one of his films, or your parent's childhood memories of one of his films. He inspired a child all over to go on adventures and let their imaginations run wild.
With his extraordinarily engrossing universes and stories, Steven Spielberg captured the minds of thousand of people with films such as E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Jurassic Park. For the adults Spielberg still created engaging stories with film's such as Saving Private Ryan and Munich. Steven's best quality is understanding how a story works and what emotions can be pulled with certain aspects of how a story is told.
Steven constantly meddles with different subject matter and genre, jumping from each end of the spectrum. From science fiction with Close Encounters of the Third Kind to horror with Jaws and straight up action and adventure with Indiana Jones.His films always provide a sense of wonder, although more of his newer films lean towards the nuanced dramatic and heartfelt moments such as Munich and Lincoln.
The very first movie I had ever seen of his was E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial. I had never seen anything like it before. I was quite young and naive, and I'll never forget the sense of wonder and amazement that it brought me, leaving me to believe that one day I could have helped an Alien in my back yard.
The main reason he is my favourite director though is because of the way he tells his stories. The sense of wonder that you get, the sentimental value that is always present, has always stuck with me after every single movie I've watched of his. Through my years growing up I tried to watch as many as I could such as Jurassic Park, and Jaws. My dad and I even had several Indiana Jones marathons growing up. A lot of great memories come from watching his movies and their quotes are forever remembered in my catalogue.
Another reason why Steven Spielberg is close to my heart is because after I viewed E.T. for the first time, that is when I decided I wanted to make movies and provide the same sense of wonder and excitement in my own works.
I haven't been able to watch every single movie by him yet but I am close to it and my dream is to meet Mr. Spielberg before he passes away That would be absolutely phenomenal.
Also quite a quite amusing add to the legacy of Steven Spielberg:
The Honorable List of Films Directed by Mr. Spielberg: -Amblin' -Duel -The Sugarland Express -Jaws -Close Encounters of the Third Kind -1941 -Raiders of the Lost Ark -E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial -Twilight Zone: The Movie -Indiana Jones: and the Temple of Doom -The Color Purple -Empire of the Sun -Always -Indiana Jones: and the Last Crusade -Hook -Jurassic Park -Schindler's List -The Lost World: Jurassic Park -Amistad -Saving Private Ryan -A.I. Artificial Intelligence -Minority Report -Catch Me If You Can -The Terminal -War of the Worlds -Munich -Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull -The Adventures of Tintin -War Horse -Lincoln
Someone once said that they lived and breathed movies. That person was me. Just now. As a filmmaker I am constantly absorbing the medium, whether it's watching them or making them. I simply can't get enough. With that said, after all these years I should have developed somewhat of a "taste" for what I enjoy in the medium that is film.
A movie is nothing without a director, the main visionary behind anything you see on a screen (or a stage). A director has the specific job to tell a story through a visual medium that is captured with a camera. He is responsible for how an audience reacts and feels during a film. The atmosphere that the film portrays, the flow of the story; everything comes down to the director's final say.
Every director has stories that they feel the urge and the need to tell. If it's a story that warrants telling, than you'll be
sure they'll see to it being made. A director is passionate about his work and is always trying to maintain a collaborative effort with both his/her cast and crew, making sure everyone is happy, and that, in the end, he/she makes the best possible motion picture they can make.
Over the years many directors develop certain styles and techniques that they apply to their films, elements that elevate the way that the story is told or the way the audience feels about the characters within the piece. Some elements are easy to spot, and some are only noticed by a keen eye. Witnessing a story unfold however, isn't only the job of the director, but for the audience member sitting in the theater as well.
This is why it is crucial to have someone who knows what they are doing and if you don't, you should learn from the best. I'm going to list all-time favorite movie directors that inspire me and constantly inspire me with their pictures have completely left me in awe.
Quentin Tarantino. Right off the bat that name should mean something to even the most casual movie viewer. If you haven't screened any one of his movies, I truly feel sorry for you, but more importantly you need to get on that and watch one of his films.
Quentin was born in 1963. Since he was a teenager, he always had an appreciation for old movies. While working at a video store, he studied film and wrote much as he could. Thirty years later he is considered one of the best filmmaker in modern cinema.
His first big hi
t was Reservoir Dogs. Premiering at The Cannes International Film Festival his movie was shown to thousands of influensial filmmakers and artists who recognized Tarantino for his execeptional work and waited for his most popular hit to soon come to fruition: Pulp Fiction.
Tarantino is one of my favourite filmmakers for many reasons. The main being his stylistic story choices. Tarantino is clearly inspired by many old fashioned genres such as western, martial arts, and gangster movies. The catch with Quentin is that he has a contemporary spin the genres, flipping the style into something memorable and enjoyable for modern audiences as shown in nearly each of his films, while staying true to the genre and paying homage in many instances with winks and nods to scenarios, tones and music.
While staying true to the classics, Tarantino is also known for his films portraying gruesome violence which has spurred some controversy over the years. Although some may argue, I don't belive the violence deters the viewer at all from the story and gives the film an enjoyable yet nerve-tingling experience.
My favourite film by Quentin Tarantino is Reservoir Dogs for obvious reasons. It is his first wide feature but still packs a punch with fantastic dynamic characters, a great story and a great soundtrack. It may be a bit chilling to watch at times but it is the film the evoked the most emotion with the drive of its characters that only Tarantino himself could imagine. I'm really interested in what future stories he'll take on and I'm sure many others are as well.
Quentin Tarantino has a catalog of 8 films on his belt: -Reservoir Dogs -Pulp Fiction -Jackie Brown -Kill Bill: Vol. 1 -Kill Bill: Vol. 2 -Death Proof -Inglorious Basterds -Django Unchained
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