Aside from Darren Aronofsky’s ability to visually tell breathtaking stories, it is his formalistic style of filmmaking that has earned him his recognition in the film industry. Born on February 12, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, Darren was a self described "Brooklyn Hip-Hop kid." His upbringing was marked by his Jewish heritage. Darren would paint graffiti art on subway cars and film going in Times Square. He had a lot of inspiration around him that led him to have a passion for film and all types of art. He had said himself that one of his biggest inspirations for becoming a director was Spike Lee’s film She’s Gotta Have It because of the relation between the New Yorkers in the film and his own experience in Brooklyn. After attending Harvard University, Aronofsky won many awards for his senior thesis film Super Market Sweep at the American Film Institute. Soon after he began writing Pi, which also had nominations for best cinematography, screenplay, and film, Aronofsky began his trademark of writing about characters that lead themselves to self-destruction. Self- destruction is clear in most of Aronofsky’s films like his latest film Black Swan that also won many awards and led actress, Natalie Portman to win the Oscar for Best Actress. His formalistic nature flows through each one of his films whether it is with special effects, or with the performance done by the actors.
While growing up, Aronofsky had the great pleasure of seeing the greatest movies being released for the first time in theatres. Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’ Star Wars were great successes that triggered a further liking of film for Aronofsky. Coming from a strong household and educated with an MFA in Directing, Aronofsky’s great successes were becoming f...
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...hing that viewers will like. He has not only directed films, but has directed a few anti-meth public service announcements. Growing up in Brooklyn, Aronofsky saw what drugs caused in young people and now days his non-belief in the use of any drug has led him to also be recognized for his public service announcements. As of right now, there are no current projects for Aronofsky, but whatever he plans to do next will most likely have the same Aronofsky characteristics of a film.
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Dudek, Duane. "The Tragedy of Darren Aronofsky." Journal Sentinel (2011). Www.jsonline.com. Miller Genuine Draft, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.
Ho, Alexander, comp. "10 Questions for Darren Aronofsky." Time Magazine. TimeMagazine, 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.
Kevin Smith has make the grueling trek from an unknown, extremely low-budget filmmaker to a well known and respected filmmaker thanks to the help of his vision to stick to the basics. His films are about normal, middle class life adding elements of humor, drugs, and the daily struggle of blue-collar workers.
Solomon Radasky was born on May 17, 1910 in Warsaw, Poland. He lived in Praga which was a city across the river. He had a store in Warsaw where he would make fur coats. He had 78 people in his family and he was the only one to survive the holocaust. He had two brothers Moishe and Baruch and three sisters by the names of Sarah, Leah, and Rivka. His parents names were Toby and Jacob.
Who would have thought that a brilliant career in filmmaking could have originated with a modest jar of Skippy Peanut Butter smeared on a neighbor’s window in a tiny Cincinnati suburb? One might not think that such an average boyhood prank could evolve a boy into a man who would become the most financially successful film director in history. Well, that is exactly where Leah Spielberg, Steven Spielberg’s mother, would trace her son’s initial entry into becoming one of our nation’s most creative storytellers. “His badness was so original,” she recalls (Stein 3).
Beginning the mid 1920s, Hollywood’s ostensibly all-powerful film studios controlled the American film industry, creating a period of film history now recognized as “Classical Hollywood”. Distinguished by a practical, workmanlike, “invisible” method of filmmaking- whose purpose was to demand as little attention to the camera as possible, Classical Hollywood cinema supported undeviating storylines (with the occasional flashback being an exception), an observance of a the three act structure, frontality, and visibly identified goals for the “hero” to work toward and well-defined conflict/story resolution, most commonly illustrated with the employment of the “happy ending”. Studios understood precisely what an audience desired, and accommodated their wants and needs, resulting in films that were generally all the same, starring similar (sometimes the same) actors, crafted in a similar manner. It became the principal style throughout the western world against which all other styles were judged. While there have been some deviations and experiments with the format in the past 50 plus ye...
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
Lisa Cholodenko grew up in Los Angeles and she began her film careers working as an assistant editor; however, she then moved to New York and earned an MFA in screenwriting and direction at the Columbia University School of arts. At Columbia University School of Arts, Cholodenko filmed her first short movie Dinner Party. Besides being a director, Lisa Cholodenko also was a film professor at Columbia University, an advisor and is currently on the Board of Governs of Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science. It was surprising to be able to find out how active Cholodenko is in the film industry and in the university she attended. This portrays how committed Cholodenko is to creating successful movies and to be a part of others film victory.
In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema.
Think about your favorite movie. When watching that movie, was there anything about the style of the movie that makes it your favorite? Have you ever thought about why that movie is just so darn good? The answer is because of the the Auteur. An Auteur is the artists behind the movie. They have and individual style and control over all elements of production, which make their movies exclusively unique. If you could put a finger on who the director of a movie is without even seeing the whole film, then the person that made the movie is most likely an auteur director. They have a unique stamp on each of their movies. This essay will be covering Martin Scorsese, you will soon find out that he is one of the best auteur directors in the film industry. This paper will include, but is not limited to two of his movies, Good Fellas, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We will also cover the details on what makes Martin Scorsese's movies unique, such as the common themes, recurring motifs, and filming practices found in their work. Then on
Star Wars (1977) is one of the world’s most successful films of all time. It has made a terrific impact on popular culture since its release. Furthermore, Star Wars changed the narrative and aesthetic style of future Hollywood films. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, illustrates how cinema has evolved since Fred Ott’s Sneeze (1894). Ultimately, this essay will explain the set up of Star Wars and how it connects to cinema history, in the point of views of the: narrative and cinematic style, genre, auteur theory and the global film industry.
The Analysis of Quentin Tarantino as a Director The director I have chosen to look at is Quentin Tarantino. His films have achieved a cult ang global status and I dont think anyone is going to argue that he is not an auteur. I am more interested in examining his style and seeing how this makes him an auteur and if it has changed when he was receiving a higher budget. Tarantino was born in Noxville Tennessee on 27th march 1963. Tony
It is no doubt that Martin Scorsese has heavily influenced the emulating of American film making from European influences. He is a prime example of a ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ director, not only from his ethnicity and background, but from his sheer interest in this form
Best known for his unique and non-linear style and to many people as the best director of the past decade, Christopher Jonathan James Nolan or just simply Christopher Nolan, is one of the most talented and influential film directors and screenwriters of our time. He, like most directors have never studied film and is a self-taught filmmaker. In this essay I am going to write about his early life and how he got into filmmaking. His early career and his rise to fame with Batman movies, his personal life and the influences he have had on the film industry which makes him one of the best directors of all time and my personal favorite.
Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson is one of today’s most acclaimed and essential young filmmakers. He has swept the motion picture industry with a powerhouse trio of films that have breathed life and exuberance into an industry that is all too often ladened with films exhibiting massive deficiencies of originality and thought. PTA’s genuine love of filmmaking sets him apart from so many others. PTA tends to keep himself out of the spotlight. Rarely will he pose for magazine covers or photo shoots.
Steven Spielberg is one of the most well known and most accomplished directors in Hollywood. He is best known for movies such as Saving Private Ryan, E.T. : The Extra- Terrestrial and Jurassic Park. His film Schindler's List won him two Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture. He is also known for protecting human rights. Spielberg abandoned the National Advisory Board of Boy Scouts of America because the group disproved of homosexuals.
“Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.