A film auteur is a director with a distinct style and recurring themes seen across their body of work. They have artistic control that allows their personal influence to shape their films into a cohesive collection expressing their individual vision. Key attributes of an auteur include a recognizable visual style through techniques like camerawork and sound design, exploration of similar themes through unusual narratives that may cross genres, and consistent casting choices that become associated with their films. Examples provided discuss the auteur styles of directors like Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, and Guillermo del Toro.

2.  A film director whose personal influence and artistic control over
his or her films are so great that he or she may be regarded as
their author, and whose films may be regarded collectively as a
body of work sharing common themes or techniques and expressing an
individual style or vision.

3.  a film-maker must have a body of work which can be analysed for ongoing themes
 Must have a recognisable style of filming
 Challenges the ideas of genre

4.  A distinct style; long shot durations, use of intense sound (The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut)
 Themes: morality, aggressive males;
 Unusual narrative structures; (2001, Full Metal Jacket)
 Works across genres:
 Fear and Desire (1953): war
Killer’s Kiss (1955): film noir
The Killing (1956): film noir
Paths of Glory (1957): war
Spartacus (1960): sword & sandal epic, war
Lolita (1962): black comedy, romantic melodrama
Dr. Strangelove (1964): black comedy, war
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): science-fiction
A Clockwork Orange (1971): science-fiction, black comedy
Barry Lyndon (1975): costume drama
The Shining (1980): horror
Full Metal Jacket (1987): war
Eyes Wide Shut (1999): psychosexual melodrama

5.  have a very distinct style, a very Gothic feel
 deals with similar themes in his work (the lead character is separated from the norm of
society in some way - a misfit. (Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Beetlejuice,, Jack
Skellington )
 reusing actors and actresses, in particular Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Danny Elfman regularly provides the right music for the soundtrack.
 Tim Burton has directed many movies, each of which can be compared for similar
styles and recurring themes

6.  Recognisable style (strange camera movement and iconic sound)
 Recurring themes; taboo subjects, murder, eyes, crisis of identity, voyeurism (Psycho,
Vertigo)
 Casting; ‘the blonde’ (Rear Window, The Birds)

7.  Challenging use of genre; fantasy and horror hybrid (Pans Labyrinth, Cronos)
 Themes; fairytales and social realism (Hellboy)
 Colour wash (low key lighting contrasted with gold and luxurious warm washes)
 Tends to work with the same cinematographer

8.  Recurring themes
 The ‘look’ of the film
 Casting/Production habits

9.  You will have to prepare a presentation in pairs
 You will look at an auteur
 Look at a minimum of 2 films by that auteur
 Pull out specific examples of style (using cinematography, mise en scene, editing,
sound, sfx)
 Pull out specific examples of themes (discussing narrative & genre)
 Discuss casting habits or production methods