2. Auteur Theory (8/9/21)
• Auteur Theory is a way of looking
at films that state that the
director is the “author” of a film.
The Auteur theory argues that a
film is a reflection of the
director’s artistic vision
anon. (2021). What is Auteur
Theory? – Definition and
Examples. Available:
https://indiefilmhustle.com/auteur-
theroy/. Last accessed 17th
September 2021.
“Tarantino's use of non-linear
storylines are another key to his
auteur style as he combines time,
locations and character status to
bring scenes to life with the
combination of multiple scenes to
add ideological meaning to the
timeline of the film.”
Anon. (n.d.). The Auteur Theory
and Creativity of Quentin
Tarantino. Available:
https://eduzaurus.com/free-
essay-samples/the-auteur-theory-
and-creativity-of-quentin-
tarantino/. Last accessed 17th
September 2021.
3. Reception Theory (8/9/21)
• Reception theory as developed by Stuart Hall
asserts that media texts are encoded and
decoded. The producer encodes messages and
values into their media which are then decoded
by the audience. However, different audience
members will decode the media in different ways
and possibly not in the way the producer
originally intended.
anon. (2021). Reception Theory. Available:
https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/media-
studies-level-revision/reception-theory. Last accessed 17th
September 2021.
•
Many factors could affect whether the audience
take the dominant, oppositional or negotiated
reading.
•Age
•Beliefs
•Culture
•Gender
•Life experience
•Mood at the time of viewing
For example, many video
games/comics has
contents are against our
personal views but we still
read, enjoy and accept
the content given the
situation depicted on it
anon. (n.d.). Reception
Theory. Available:
https://www.communication
theory.org/reception-
theory/. Last accessed 17th
September 2021.
anon. (2021). Reception
Theory. Available:
https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-
level-revision/media-studies-level-
revision/reception-theory. Last
accessed 17th September 2021.
4. The Hypodermic Needle Model (8/9/21)
• the Hypodermic Needle Theory
which was one of the earliest
ways of thinking about how the
mass media influences audiences.
It was developed in the 1920s and
1930s after researchers observed
the effect of propaganda during
World War I and events like Orson
Welles’ War of the Worlds
broadcast.
• Lamb, B. (2021). The
Hypodermic Needle
Theory. Available:
https://lessonbucket.com/m
edia-in-minutes/the-
hypodermic-needle-theory/.
Last accessed 17th
September 2021.
On Halloween morning, 1938, Orson Welles awoke
to find himself the most talked about man in
America. The night before, Welles and his Mercury
Theatre on the Air had performed a radio
adaptation of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds,
converting the 40-year-old novel into fake news
bulletins describing a Martian invasion of New
Jersey. Some listeners mistook those bulletins for
the real thing, and their anxious phone calls to
police, newspaper offices, and radio stations
convinced many journalists that the show had
caused nationwide hysteria.
Schwartz Brad, A. (2015). The Infamous “War
of the Worlds” Radio Broadcast Was a
Magnificent Fluke. Available:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infa
mous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-
magnificent-fluke-180955180/. Last accessed
17th September 2021.
5. The Male Gaze (8/9/21)
• The “male gaze” invokes the sexual
politics of the gaze and suggests a
sexualised way of looking that
empowers men and objectifies
women.
• Simmons, A. (2016). what does the
‘male gaze’ mean, and what about a
female gaze?. Available:
https://theconversation.com/explainer
-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-
what-about-a-female-gaze-52486.
Last accessed 17th September 2021.
The James Bond franchise
frequently presents women
as eroticised objects, existing
merely for the hero’s
pleasure. The stereotypical
‘Bond girl’ acts as a
glamorous distraction for the
male protagonist, adhering
to the “erotic impact”
woolley, G. (2019). Fifty
Years of Bond Girls and The
Male Gaze. Available:
https://www.arttouchesart.c
om/fifty-years-of-bond-girls-
and-the-male-gaze. Last
accessed 17th September
2021.
6. The Auteur Theory (22/9/21)
Wes Anderson (22/9)
“Anderson has been noted for his extensive use of flat space camera
moves, obsessively symmetrical compositions, knolling, snap-
zooms, slow-motion walking shots, a deliberately limited colour
palette, and hand-made art direction often utilizing miniatures.”
Anderson has signature shots that he uses in his films, these make
him a good auteur as people have studied his films and are now
aware of the shot types he includes in his films.
An article from mic.com reads:
“Anderson clearly is a meticulous filmmaker,
incorporating symmetry into shots of his main characters,
sumptuous sets and landscapes. From early films like Rushmore to
the recent Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson's penchant for balance
borders on the obsessive”
This paragraph proves to us how clear it is to recognise a good
auteurs movies, by seeing a few similar shots and colour types it is
already easy to tell who has made the film, if you have the
knowledge.
‘The Wes Anderson style’ is a term which is used when analysing his films, his style
includes all of his techniques and what makes him unique as an auteur. Studio Binder
says that Wes Anderson’s audience ‘Knows what he wants them to know’, ‘sees what
he wants them to see’ and ‘feels what he wants them to feel’. Wes Andersons films are
described as ‘deliberate and complex’.
For a director to also be an Auteur, they must:
- Repeatedly use the same kind of subject manner
- Address the same particular themes
- Have a recurring visual and aesthetic style
‘Andersons films will frequently involve characters who
Are defined by a loss in their background. This is often a character who has passed
away
which we never see on screen, but who clearly has had a substantial effect on the out –
look
And well being of one of the main characters.’
tripinsiders. (2021). Wes Anderson. Style, Techniques and Movie Locations. Available:
https://www.tripinsiders.net/wes-anderson-style-techniques-and-movie-locations/. Last accessed 1st
October.
Brodey, S. (2014). The Science Behind Why We Love Wes Anderson Movies. Available:
https://www.mic.com/articles/85591/the-science-behind-why-we-love-wes-anderson-movies. Last
accessed 24th September 2021.
SC Lannom. (2019). The Wes Anderson Style Explained: Ultimate Guide. Available:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/wes-anderson-style/#wes-anderson-style. Last accessed 1st
October 2021.
Scott, Harrison. (2016). Auteur Theory - Wes Anderson. Available:
https://www.slideshare.net/scarrison678/auteur-theory-wes-anderson. Last accessed 1st October
2021.
7. The Auteur Theory (22/9/21)
Wes Anderson (22/9)
Wes Anderson Movies:
Bottle Rocket was co
written by Wes Anderson
and Owen Wilson, as
well as being Wes
Anderson’s directional
debut, this film was the
debut feature for Owen
Wilson. The film is about
a group of friends who
planned to pull off a
robbery and go on the
run.
Fantastic Mr fox is a
stop motion animated
film based on the Roald
Dahl novel.
This film includes
George Clooney, Merely
Streep, Bill Murray and
Jason Schwartzman
8. The Auteur Theory (22/9/21)
Wes Anderson (22/9)
Wes Andersons use of typography
Wes Anderson frequently uses
the font type ‘Futura’ in his
films. This is a great way of
identifying his films because he
uses this font so frequently.
9. The Auteur Theory (29/9/21)
Steven Spielberg
“when considering the criteria that distinguishes a film director as an auteur, many
directors fit the bill. Steven Spielberg happens to be one of those directors. Steven
Spielberg is one of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, he is
Hollywood’s best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He
is known for directing science fiction films.”
Steven Spielberg is recognised as a good auteur because he uses certain styles that have
been recognised – these styles include:
- “Zooms”
- “Fluid camera movements to shift shot composition throughout a single camera setup”
- “switches from a full shot, to a medium shot, to a medium close, to a long shot, and
back to medium close — all without cutting.”
- “The "Spielberg Face"
- “Sweeping score by John Williams”
- “Tells you how to feel”
- “Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances”
- “Emphasis on childhood”
- “Fractured family”
- “Daddy issues”
- “The supernatural among the normal”
- “Middle-class values”
- “Struggle to survive”
- “Reflection shot”
- “Natural long takes”
- “Light as mystery”
- “The spectacle of cinema aka blockbuster trademarks”
Spielberg has many different noticeable styles throughout his films, this
clearly makes him an auteur because people have been able to pinpoint
certain conventions in his films.
SC Lannom. (2019). Steven Spielberg Movies: Filmmaking Style
& Cinematography Techniques. Available:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/steven-spielberg-movies-
filmmaking-style/. Last accessed 8th October 2021.
V Renee. (2018). 14 Trademarks of Steven Spielberg's Iconic
Filmmaking. Available: https://nofilmschool.com/2018/03/14-
trademarks-steven-spielbergs-iconic-filmmaking. Last accessed
8th October 2021.
Gary Axelbank. (2019). WEEKDAY MAGAZINE: Steven Spielberg:
The King of Blockbuster. Available:
https://www.thisisthebronx.info/weekday-magazine-steven-
spielberg-the-king-of-blockbuster-2/. Last accessed 8th October
2021.
10. The Auteur Theory (29/9/21)
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg movies:
Spielberg was turned down by Film School
After graduating from high school, Spielberg
moved to Los Angeles, of course. He applied
to the University Of Southern California Film
School, and was rejected 3 times. He then
applied to California State University, where
he was accepted.
Spielberg wanted to direct a Bond movie
As a young filmmaker in the 1970s, Spielberg
wanted to make a James Bond movie. He
unsuccessfully pitched ideas to Albert “Cubby”
Broccoli on two separate occasions, and even
made reference to Bond in Jaws, when Hooper
(Richard Dreyfuss) cuts the shark open and pulls
out a Louisiana license plate beginning with three
familiar digits…
Themes of extraordinary events and family crop up
again and again in Spielberg’s movies
A key hallmark of Spielberg as a filmmaker is his
exploration of the family dynamic. His movies often
feature a juxtaposition between high-concept
fantastical stories and a very grounded family
relationship. This focus on family comes from
Spielberg’s own experiences, and he often puts his
own real-life events onto the big-screen.
11. The Auteur Theory (29/9/21)
Steven Spielberg
‘The Spielberg face’
Steven Spielberg uses a technique
called ‘The Spielberg face’ this is
the director's way of hitting pause, to
show the audience this is a critical
scene, to reinforce how the audience
should be feeling in that moment.
‘Daddy Issues’
Spielberg had a lot of issues with his
family when he was growing up, and
he has become known for putting
similar themes into his movies, for
example – E.T.
In the interview, Spielberg
discusses his parents’ divorce, and
how it inspired his 1982
classic E.T.: the extra terrestrial.
“E.T. began with me trying to write a
story about my parents’ divorce,”
“If Spielberg deserves to be called a
master of audience manipulation,
then this is his signature stroke.”
‘The Reflection shot’
“Spielberg is known for using complicated
camera movements and angles. One of his
favourite camera angles is using a mirror or
window reflection to capture his characters
indirectly. He uses this technique to show the
face of a character when the camera is located
behind them.”
Spielberg's use of the reflection
shot has lead to it being a
noticeable feature throughout his
films, which makes Spielberg a
good auteur
12. Sources Joey Jones. (2020). 15 spectacular (and interesting)
facts about Steven Spielberg. Available:
https://www.alltherightmovies.com/features/15-
spectacular-and-interesting-facts-about-steven-
spielberg/. Last accessed 05/11/2021.
V renee. (2018). 14 Trademarks of Steven
Spielberg's Iconic Filmmaking. Available:
https://nofilmschool.com/2018/03/14-trademarks-
steven-spielbergs-iconic-filmmaking. Last accessed
05/11/2021.
Jason Kottke. (2016). The Spielberg Face. Available:
https://kottke.org/16/10/the-spielberg-face. Last
accessed 05/11/2021.
n/a. (2012). How Steven Spielberg’s Daddy Issues
Influenced Every Film from ‘E.T.’ to
‘Lincoln’. Available:
https://www.hollywood.com/movies/how-steven-
spielberg-s-daddy-issues-influenced-every-film-
from-e-t-to-lincoln-59093251/. Last accessed
05/11/2021.
