In this blog post I will explain how the Auteur Theory and Genre Analysis method can be applied to a range of films.
Auteur Theory
A film represents the collective efforts of numerous people, however the auteur theory concludes that it is the director that leaves his mark and thus causes audience members to follow their work; watching their films over and over again. Whether it is the overall style, specific types of camera angles or the chosen genre, it is the director that turns the screenplay into their vision. Auteur theory began with a group of individuals who believed that films should represent the personal views of the directors. Certain directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, had a special talent for making their films unique.
One director that has created a noticable unique style is Tim Burton. Films that Tim Burton has directed contain his trademark style, almost like a 'signature'. There are many different aspects that show a trend in his films:
Gothic Visuals
Tim Burton has a specific visual style, from his characters to his props. The character, Edward Scissorhands fits into the eerie style perfectly. His costume and makeup resembles a creepy goth. Notonly himself is he gothic, he also lives in a gothic mansion.
Beetlejuice is another example of Burton's visual style through characters, not only is the main characters presentation very punk rock with the unnatural hair and abstract makeup, the film takes place in a creepy old haunted house.
The gloomy streets of Batman's Gotham city are another great example, full of elaborate details.
Eccentric Misunderstood Outcasts
The majority of Tim Burton's films focus on a main character who is an outcast from society for one reason or another; usually because no one understands them. Again, Edward Scissorhands is a great example. He is alone because of his 'condition'. In Batman Bruce Wayne is the mysterious eccentric billionaire who hides his true identity. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a group of children meet a eccentric, reclusve, mysterious (and very creepy) candy maker. Alice, the main character from Burton's Alice in wonderland finds herself under enormous pressure to fit in with society. As she doesn't want to be told how to live her life she escapes to Wonderland.
Common Themes
The most obvious of themes Burton uses is the use of light and dark as contrast. Be that the opposite of characters or setting. In Edward Scissorhands the gothic mansion is lacking of colour inside and out, but the rest of the town is bright and colourful.
In Beetlejuice the house is shown as bright white, inside though it is dark and dingy.
In many of his films common archetypes feature so the audience can easily recognise their motives - good or bad. For instance; Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, all have a witch-like character as the antagonist. Beetlejuice, Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, all feature a female character as the protagonist.
Flashback Storytelling
Burton uses this technique to tell a story within a larger story. This adds additional depth and helps the audience to understand why the main characters are so strange, why they have become the person they are today. This clip from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shows us why Mr. Wonka became a candy maker.
In Sweeney Todd flashbacks are used to show his family before they were taken away, an event which influenced the man he is now. In Batman, the memory of Bruce's parents murder is what influences him to become Batman.
Familiar Faces and Sound
Like many directors there are certain people Tim Burton enjoys working with. The talented composer Danny Elfman has created all of the soundtracks for his films (except Ed Wood), meaning all of his films have similar soundscapes. Burton has worked with many actors again and again but most prominently, Johnny Depp. He has starred (and had either the main role or a main role) in:
Alice in Wonderland
Sweeney Todd
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Sleepy Hollow
Edward Scissorhands
Corpse Bride
Ed Wood
Dark Shadows
Helena Bonham Carter is also a re-occurring face (she was his wife for 13 years after all), starring in seven films. Five of those alongside Johnny Depp: Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Dark Shadows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Tim Burton has developed a distinct visual style and because of that he's become one of the most well known directors around.
Genre Theory
Genre is a type of media text. It relates not just to film but to a range of media forms. In the film industry it relates to 3 phases:
Producers - genre acts as a template for the film.
Distributors/promoters - provides assumptions about who the audience is and how to market the film.
Audiences - genre acts as a label for liked/disliked formulas allowing us to 'filter' our tastes.
There are lots of different genres that fit into separate categories. Some media texts may overlap and follow more than one genre e.g. Rom-Com. Different genres have different rules. A genre is a contract between the producer and the consumer; the audience know what they are going to see because of the genre. As genres become classics they have an influence over all aspects of cinema. They have allowed production to be quicker and more confident as screenwriters follow tried and tested formulas; using characters that fit standard 'types'. Actors can be filtered into genres creating 'star quality'.
The genre rules follow codes and conventions.
A convention is the expected way of doing something; in a Rom-Com you expect two people to meet, fall in love, realise they can't be together, break-up and at the end they rekindle and live happily ever after. An example of this is the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Andie Anderson writes an advice column for a fashionable magazine and agrees to demonstrate how easy it is to attract and then alienate a man in just ten days for a new article. She chooses Benjamin Barry, little knowing he's an advertising executive whose job rests on proving he understands women so well that he can make one fall for him in two weeks. After meeting the two are unknowingly played at their own game. *SPOILER ALERT* As the two actually begin to fall in love with one another they both learn of how the either deceived them for their own gain, resulting in a publicly dramatic break-up.
As Andie is moving away because of what happened Benjamin reads her article which states that Andie really did care for him and wished they had met under different circumstances. Suddenly realising their love is true, he hops on his motorbike in a dramatic chase through the streets of New York to find her taxi and stop her from leaving forever. The pair rekindle on the bridge, living happily ever after.
There are three codes: symbolic, historical, technical.
Symbolic is the use of colour schemes, iconography and imagery. Colour schemes in rom-coms are generally bright and colourful to emphasise happiness. New York is full of greenery and carries on the theme. Setting in rom-com genres, is often romantic or in a nice looking place. This is so the characters are idolised as living 'better off' to audience members. During those two hours watching the film the audience want to escape from their normal everyday lives. Cities are used to represent the busy lives of the characters, their jobs, their homes and what they do when they're not at work and at home etc. This is so the audience can grasp and understand their backgrounds. In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days the setting reinforces the protagonist's professions: a magazine editor and an advertiser.
Iconography is the use of images collectively associated with a certain thing . There is similar iconography in all rom-coms, examples are embarrassment between one or both of the characters, kissing scenes with big build-up, meeting the parents/family. In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Andie meets Benjamin's close family and thus starts the realisation she actually has feelings for him. Actors in rom-coms are usually young and attractive. The male protagonist is played by Matthew Mcconaughey, who at the time had a reputation as the rom-com go to guy, he fit into the standard 'type'. In nearly all rom-coms there are extravagant houses, flash cars and stylish clothes; to support the idea of viewers wanting to be the characters.
Historical makes sure that the media text matches the period of time to come across convincing. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is set in the modern 20th Century. The cars, apartments and jobs shown in the film all match the correct time.
Technical is the use of special effects and graphics on screen e.g. a soft focus can be used to romanticise a scene, rain can be used to dampen the mood during a heated argument. Filters, lighting, camera angles and sound processing are other examples that can be used to create meanings. The cinematography and musical score in a romantic comedy have a symbiotic relationship as they work together to heighten the overall mood of love and melancholy – two traits that play a part in romance. The lighting in rom-com films is more than most high key lighting, to connote happiness and also love. There are scenes when low key lighting is used, such as the night time city scenes, with the use of street lights to produce the low light, this can portray romance and intimacy, similar to candlelight.
The sound used in rom-coms both diegetic and non diegetic are often bubbly and happy until the problem occurs, the music then changes to emotional sad music to represent the fact the characters are having a problem and are upset about it; an example of this is the break-up scene.
