Tim Burton's Theory Of Auteurism In The American Film

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The theory of auteurism arose in France in the 1940s “derived from the cinematic theories of André Bazin and Alexandre Astruc and was dubbed by the American film critic Andrew Sarris” (Filmstudies24, 2017). It is a theory focusing on the involvement of directors in films and how they shape these films relating to artistic style, collaboration, and individual creativity. To be recognized as an auteur a director must have a specific defining style to their work, a clear vision that guides the film, and send a message that they personally believe in. There are many arguments with giving all of the credit to directors, but despite best efforts, society has adopted the theory of auteurism to continue to be a big part of the film industry.
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Tim Burton is known as a unique auteur, but “due to conflicts he could not direct and end up as just a writer and a producer for The Nightmare Before Christmas” (Perno, G., n.d) yet the film was still full of his influence. The film was directed by Henry Selick, an American stop motion director who was there for the 3 year production time and “although Tim Burton was not there for the filming this production strongly suggests that Burton is an Auteur for the reason that the film was done in a particular way to make it fit within Burton’s style” (Filmstudies24, 2017). With that said, it can be argued that the film would not have been created without the ongoing collaboration between the writer, director, cinematographer, actors, editors, and production designers. “While it does take a team of professionals to create a film and therefore it could be argued that it could never be entirely according to the director’s vision, Burton’s use of particular actors and crew members who understand his vision allows him to create art that is quite true to him” (Tim Burton, 2017). Auteurs are known for their unique style established by French New Wave Theorists. This is shown through many auteurs and their stylistic patterns, personal beliefs, and how they stand up for their techniques. French New Wave theorists established film directors as the "individual …show more content…

This is the result of growing up in the age of movies being credited to the director with the image they have created for themselves. “In the world of movie-making, the director is the key and quite rightly so. The director is responsible for the overall vision of the movie. The director puts together the movie, giving literal direction and taking full responsibility for the final product” (B. 2016). This innovation and personalization of film from auteurs are what is moving the film industry to

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