theory essay

1. What makes a Spielbergfilm?
Introduction
StevenSpielbergonce said“Youcan't intellectuallypurge yourself of whoyouare.Whateverthatis,
it isgoingto come out inthe wash,the filmwash.Whatyouare is goingto be relevant,if notto
yourself, tothe moviesyoumake.” ThisstatementiswhyInotonlyconsiderSpielbergtobe a
substantial director,havingavast amountof impact inthe filmindustry,butalsowhyIregard himas
an auteuras well. Spielberg’sfilmsall have auniquenessaboutthem, itisthatdistinctive and
personal touchthat givesthemmemorability,aswell ashavingaheavyinfluence overhisfilms.
Examiningthe quote “Whatyouare is goingto be relevant,if nottoyourself,tothe moviesyou
make.” Exhibitshowpersonal hisfilmsare tohim, managingto reflecthisowncharacteristicsand
life strugglesintohiswork,whichisarepeatedtheme throughoutandanotherbasisasto whyhe is
an accomplishedauteur.
What doesmake a Spielbergfilm? There are somanyaspects.One of thembeingthe
cinematography, andhow Spielberguseszoomsandfluidcameramovementstoshiftshot
compositionthroughoutjustasingle camerasetup.Thenthere is the soundtrack,the majorityof
whichiscomposedbythe well renownedsymphonist JohnWilliams,who’sOscarwinningscores
have createdthe most quintessential soundtracks throughoutSpielberg’sfilms. Iplanto address
these subjectsaswell aslookingmore extensivelyintoSpielberg’sworkincludingJaws,E.T.The
extra-terrestrial, JurassicPark, Close Encountersof the thirdKind,andSchindler’slist.Focusingon
these specificpictures willassistme indepictingthe contrastingcharacteristicsinhisfilms,
inspectingthe complexityof the narrative andhow grippingandcompellingitis. Havingsaidthat,to
reallycomprehendwhatdoesmake aSpielbergfilmIwill alsohave tolookat Spielberg’s
background.The Directorhimself divulgedthat whoyouare influencesthe moviesyou make and
establishingwhoStevenSpielbergiswill offerme afinercomprehensionastohow hisoverall
upbringinghas affected hisfilms. Coveringall thatIhave discussedwillultimatelybringme tothe
conclusion tomy question,whatmakesaSpielbergfilm?
Spielberg’slife througha narrative
On the 18th of
December1946 in the cityof Cincinnati,locatedinthe state of Ohiothe most
triumphed andaccomplished Filmmakerinthe ambitiousworldof Hollywood wasborn,Steven
Spielberg. JustayoungJewishboyat the time,Spielbergestablishedagreat fascinationin
filmmakingdespite his father’sdemurral onthe art.Spielberg’srelationshipwithhisfatherwas
nothingmore thanstrainedandfrigid afterhisparents’divorce andhisfather’sdisapproval of the
filmmakersoccupation,yetitwasthisaspectof the director’slife thatnarrativelyinfluenced
Spielberg’sgreatestfilms. A commontheme Ihave establishedthroughout the director’swork which
isnarrativelydrivenIlike toterm ‘Fracturedfamily.’The auteurhimself stated “‘E.T.’beganwithme
tryingto write a storyabout myparents’ divorce” Inthe actual film the maincharacter,a boynamed
Elliot,hastwosiblingsayoungerSisternamedGertie andanolderbrothernamedMichael.Their
parents’divorce isstill relativelyfreshinthe film, andyoucansee Elliottryingtodeal withmany
aspectsof lonelinesswhichcomeswiththe baggage of the divorce,aswell asthe family’sturmoil
withthe rupture. ElliotcanunderstandwhatisoccurringwithhisFatherbut not why.While Michael
understandsbothandGertie understandsneither,youcanvisuallysee thatElliotisfeelingisolated
and neglectedwhichthuseffectshissensitivitiestowardsbasicallyeverything. The characters
performancesandthe waythe filmisnarrativelyperceivedexhibitsarealisticfracturedfamily

2. dynamic.Spielbergproficientlyconveyedthe children’sfeelingsonthe matter,evidentlyusinghis
ownpersonal experience of hisown ‘Fracturedfamily’andhas appliedittothese characters.
Therefore,Iholdthisfilminsuchhighregard,Spielbergusinghisownexperiencesandsentiments
and applyingthemtohisownpersonareallybringsthemtolife.Itnotonlyfeelspersonal to
Spielbergbutalsoto the audience who canrelate andsympathize withthisfamily. Ihave also
recognizedthatwheneverthere happenstobe somethingdysfunctionalinthe familySpielberg
fabricates,he alwaysseemstogive more agencytowardsthe childrenwhoare sufferingfromthe
trauma ratherthan the adults. Goingback to E.T. Elliotismuchmore resourceful andproactive
aboutthe absence of hisFatherthanhis motheris.Inthe movie Hook,Peteriscompletelyimpotent
until the Lost boysevoke the real Panoutof him.Evenwhenchildrenaren’tamassive factorto the
narrative,Spielbergalwaysdetectsawayto make themsurface longenoughtogive the struggling
adultsjustenoughhope,influence,and will perpetratethroughtheirdarkestmomentsinthe film.In
Jaws,Brodyis feelingcompletelysubduedsittingatthe kitchentable until hissonbeginstocopythe
faceshe is making,and hisframe of mindcompletelyshifts. InSchindler’slist,itisonlyafter
Schindlerdetectsthe girl inthe redcoat thathe can emphasize withthose whowerebeing
murderedinthe CracowGhetto.That one girl’s innocence touchedSchindlersomuchthat she
became the symbol forthe millionsof Jewsthatwere losingtheirlivestoNazi regime.
ObservingSpielberg’sbackgroundaswell ashavingamore in depthexamine of hisfilmsmore
specificallythe narrative,youcandistinctlysee how the twoconnect.Havinggrownupina
dysfunctional family andbeingable torealisticallyportraythatontoscreenusinghisown
experiencesisnoeasyfeat.Ipersonallybelieve Spielbergexcelsinthis,writinganddirectinga
compellingandgrippingstorynotonlyonce butmultiple times.The one movie,however,Ibelieve
he executesflawlesslyisSchindler’slist. Ihave neverseenafilmso emotionallydriven,yetitisnot
onlythe narrative I findsosensitivelycompelling.Itisthe acting,the cinematography,the waythe
filmispresentedinblackandwhite Ifindtobe great symbolism.Spielbergrevealedthat “The
Holocaustwaslife withoutlight.Forme,the symbol of life iscolour.That’swhya filmaboutthe
holocausthasto be inBlack andwhite” Doingthishascreatedcaptivatingimagery aswell asmaking
the filmhave a muchmore substantial impacttothe viewer,especiallyatthe endwhenSchindler
seesthe girl inthe red coat, the redcoat isthe onlycolouryou see inthe entire film. ToSchindler
thispersonifiesthe innocence of the Jewsaswell asitbeingasymbol of life.Neverhave Iseensuch
impactful imagerybe usedinafilm before and knowingSpielberghimself came fromafamilyof
Jews,some of whichhadlosttheirlivestothe holocaust, makesthismovie muchmore effectual to
him.Yet the wayhe hasconstructedthisfilmjustcompletelyoutshineshispreviousworks. Tome
thispicture isa masterpiece.
Producing a Spielbergfilm
The year is1975, summervacationison itsway andeveryone’spreparingforatranquilized, serene
holidayandwhat’sthe most approved wayto spendasummergetaway? It isof course the beach.
Buildingsandcastles, sunbathing,maybe apaddle inthe sea? Nothingsoundedmore placid.That
was until the immenselypopularthrillerfilm ‘Jaws’wasreleased,swimmingintothe heartsof
viewersandelicitingafearlike noother.Jawsisarguablythe first majorsuccessful filmSpielberghas
produced,withhim debutingthe filmThe SugarlandExpressthe previousyearthatdistinguished
himas a risingstar,itwas Jawsthat forgedhimas an international superstaramongdirectors.Not
onlydidthe filmhave animmense amountof impactonthe audience,butitalsochangedthe entire
filmindustry.Spielberg’spicture liberatedthe industryfromthe doldrumsithadbeeninfor

3. decades,nomovie hadevermade over$100 millionatthe box office,thenJawsemerges making
over$260 milliondomestically. Sohowexactly didSpielbergcreate one of the mosticonicmoviesof
our time?Firstly, letsassessone of the most prominentaspectthe filmisknownfor(besidesthe
man-eatingShark) the soundtrack. The score usedinthe filmisa masterclassforcreatingtension
and suspense,composedbyone of the mostrespectedandprolificcomposersworkingtoday,John
Williams.The musicianhasworkedoncountlessSpielbergfilmssuchas, E.T., Hook,IndianaJones
and Jurassicpark justto name a few.Howbeit,despitemaking suchexemplaryscoresforthe latter
filmslisteditwasthe Jaws ‘Sharkattack’ theme thathas become one of the most distinguishable
scoresto date. It was thistheme thatwasable to elicitsuchdistressandapprehensionfromthe
audience.The score workedperfectlywiththe visual narrative of the movie asitallowedthe viewer
to envisionwhatishappeningbeyondthe frame,youcanhave Spielbergfilmingatranslucentocean
withnothinginsightbutput that score overthe shot itis sure to escalate the dreadandmania the
audience is feeling. Still onthe theme of suspense,one of the mosteffective waysSpielbergvisually
narratesthe filmiscapturingthe scene fromthe aggressor’spointof view,inthiscase itwouldbe
fromthe Shark. Thisheightensthe highandlow pointsof the filmandnotonlyisit a prominentway
to conveya scene of great intensityitalsofavoursthe budgetof the picture,shootingthe scene
fromthe pointof viewof the aggressorallowsthe viewerknowledge thatthe Shark isthere without
visuallyseeingit,whichsavesusingthe actual mechanical Sharkthatisfeaturedinthe movie.
Anotherdistinguishedfeature innotonlyJawsbutall of Spielberg’sworkisthe cinematography,his
camera movementsischaracterizedbygradual close upsonthe face,perspective shotsandlong
pans of a location.However,itwasinJawsthat one scene specificallyshoneinSpielberg’smasterful
cinematography,whichwaswhenhe proficientlyperformedthe dollyzoom.The waythe cameradid
the push-pull actionon the protagonist,increasedthe solidaritywithinthe character.Italsoput
emphasisonmomentasit displayedthe character’sanxiousnessoverthe possibilityof aShark
attack and himnot beingable todoanythingaboutit.
Jawsis undoubtedly one of Spielberg’sgreatestexploits,havingthe filmofficiallykickstarthis
profitable careerinfilmmaking. However,Jawswasn’tthe onlyfilmSpielberg originatedthat
featuredaman-eatingcreature anditwasn’t the onlyfilmtobecome a triumphedhit.JurassicPark
was Spielberg’sthirdfilmtobreakthe recordforhighestgrossingmovie of all time,hisfirstbeing
Jawsand hissecondbeingE.T. Producedin1993, the whole conceptof a dinosaurthemednarrative
wasn’t anythingoriginal.However,Spielberghadmanagedtouse the universal themeand
recontextualizeitinsuchan unorthodox way. Thisisn’tjusta filmaboutDinosaurs,it’sa gripping
narrative thatexecutescharacterdispositionflawlessly,followingcharacterssuchasAlanGrant, Ellie
Sattler,IanMalcom and JohnHammond.The audience getsaclear perceptionof all these characters
knowingall theirpersonalities,flawsandtheirgoalsthroughoutthe filmwhichI judge tobe rare to
findinmovies today. A majorand recurringconceptI have foundinthe filmisthe theme of ‘Man vs
Nature’.Spielbergexhibitsthatthe charactersbelieve theycancreate andcontrol a natural world.
For example,HammondcreatesDinosaurswhichisacreature that hasbeenextinct formillionsof
yearsand he’stryingto control theirnatural instinctsinthe same way a Zoo keepsanimals.Thisthen
has a major consequence lateroninthe filmandtheylearnthat nature,evenif it’sartificial,hasits
ownway inlife thatcannotbe governedbyman. I considerthistobe such a powerful concept, and
withsuchan original ideaatthe time it’sno surprise thatSpielbergwentontocreate a whole
franchise outof the films, eventodaythe filmsare still beingproducedunderthe name ‘Jurassic
world.’

4. Close Encountersof The Third Kind: Postmodernism
Close Encountersof the ThirdKind isone of the pre-eminentexamplesof apostmodernisticfilmto
thisday. So, whatexactlymakesthisfilmpostmodernistic?The genre the filmis classedunderisSci-
fi,featuringaliens,UFO’sandthe typical governmentintervention.These elementsare exactlywhat
youwouldexpectaSci-Fi filmtofeature,there’snothingmodernaboutitevenin1977, whichwas
the year Close Encountersdebuted,the formulahadbeendone frequentlybefore. Nevertheless,
there are significantdifferencesthatsetsClose Encountersapartfromthe standardSci-Fi film.For
instance,filmslike Spielberg’swere usuallyset-inbigplaces,suchashighpopulatedcitieswithhigh-
prioritycharacters.InClose Encountersthe maincharacter isa nobody,justa casual civilianwho
livesinamodestsuburbanareaof whichsomethingstrange happensto. The reasonthisfilmispost
modernisticisbecause of the suburbanworld Spielbergsetshisfilmin.Postmodernismwaswhen
the ideaof the AvantGarde as a radical movementcollapsed,thismovementwasaboutrejecting
conventional societyandpushingperceptionforwardanambitiousvisionof the new.Thismade the
idealismof aRothkounconvincingtoadvancedartists.Therefore,the ideaof artistsas prophetsor
priestswasabandoned,artistswere not special, andneitherwasart.Thiswasmainly an American
moment,asit wasin the 1950s and 60s Americathat modernismattainedit’simposingheightsand
shapednational culture,fromskyscraperstothe space race. The reasonI am exploringthe context
behindpostmodernismisbecause CloseEncountersmarksthe same momentinpopularculture.
Additionally, tosupportmyargumentof Close Encountersbeingapostmodernisticfilm Ihave
alreadyestablishedthatthe picture fallsunderthe Sci-Fi genre andscience fictionitself isaformof
modernism.Itshowsmodernartsbeliefinprogressandmeaningful change, advocatingahistoryof
the future. The 1968 film‘2001: A space Odyssey’isone of the greatestmodernisticscience fiction
filmsasit createsa model of historyinwhichwe evolve asaspeciesunderhumanguidance.In
contrast,Close Encountersdoes notofferanysense of historyorprogressor any theoryas to what
the aliensencountermeans.The filmis situatedineverydaysuburbiaandthe declarationthat
transpiresisbeyondunderstanding.The filmdefiesorthodox elementsthatmakesupthe Sci-Fi
genre to a pointwhere it’san overdrawtoevenclassthe filmas ‘science fiction.’Furthermore,
postmodernism anticipatedthe fall of the BerlinWal,the fall of communism,andthe global
Americansuburbanculture.However,theseeventssooncame topass at the endof the 1980s. Art
movedonagain, imaginationsrailedatthe supposedcomplacencyof postmodernismandturnedto
grand themesof death,historyandmourning. AsartprogressedsodidSpielbergandhiswork,
correspondingwiththe movementhe tookituponhimself toexploitthe horrorsandhidden
mysteriesof the Holocaust,puttingbehindthe unexplained,abnormal optimismof Close
Encounters.Whenthe film debuted, Spielbergwasathisbestand inadditionsowas
postmodernism, fromthe momentthe mostcommonsuburbanmanstepsontoa spaceship,history
ended.
Conclusion

5. Throughout my in depth examine of Steven Spielberg and his distinguished works I conclude that I
have finally established an explanation to my question, what makes a Spielberg film? However, there
are so many elements that contributes towards the query that it is impossible to designate just one
answer. The fact is you simply cannot incorporate one factor without the other, you cannot have a
gripping and compelling narrative only to be produced with substandard cinematography. You cannot
have an expertly written character only to be overshadowed by a deficient plot. To make a Spielberg
film you need all these devices and they all must be done adequately to create a powerful and
compelling piece of film. However,through what I have established in my research the most
fundamental aspect to what makes a Spielberg film is naturally Spielberg himself. Recalling back to
my first matter of delving into Spielberg’s upbringing, we really got to identify how his overall
background has originated his works. We found that the whole ‘fractured family’ narrative utilized in
his films was solely due to his experiences with his own family, especially his Father. This influenced
E.T. and the characterization of Elliot, as well as the film Hook with the frigid relationship between
Pan and his son. We also acknowledged that it was Spielberg’s upbringing as a Jewish boy that
heavily influenced the making of one my favorite films, Schindler’s list which also shows his
adaptation throughout the years to match the art of postmodernism. It was Spielberg’s own
experiences which made his films what they are today, the most quintessential movies in film history.
It was this factor that influenced the narrative, character development and his overall decision to go
into the profession. Everything I have studied ultimately equates back to Spielberg’s own personal
life, this then leads me to conclusively summarize the answer to my question, what makes a Spielberg
film? The answer is the director himself, Steven Spielberg. Overall, it is his own experiences that
influences the narrative in his films as well as the characters he constructs,and it is his own way of
cinematography and scene settings that impacts the visual narrative. Steven Spielberg, a highly
accomplished director, and one of the most influential characters in film history. It is the director, the
auteur and the writer that primarily makes a Spielberg film.