This document discusses different approaches to analyzing films, including analyzing based on genre conventions versus analyzing based on an auteur's unique style. It provides examples of auteur directors like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Craven, whose films have consistent and distinctive styles despite spanning genres. The document also contrasts auteur films with more generic films that strictly follow genre conventions without a distinctive authorial voice.

1. Ben Arnold
How do we analyse film?
Genre analysts tend to pick movies apart and investigate the codes and conventions, the iconography, the
ideological message, etc, whereas auteur analysts study the artistic nature and the creative messages behind
some of the most iconic films of all time.
As far as I see it, there really are two types of films in the world, generic ones, and ones made by auteurs. The
word auteur, is the French term for author, so basically, auteurs are directors that have their own stamp on a
genre, just like an author would. Steven King, for example, has a whole series of books, that are all horror, but
they all have the same feel to them, they’re all rather
dark, and don’t frighten readers in the same way that a
conventional horror title would. Juxtaposed to that,
Quentin Tarantino is a perfect example of an auteur in the
film industry, because all of his movies are of a very
similar genre, and they all feel incredibly alike. Pulp
Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994), although a different
genre, feels comparable to Kill Bill (2003/2004), with all
of its unnecessary violence, seedy comedy, and eventual
attachment to the main protagonist(s). Genre films,
however, are different. I’m not saying they’re bad,
because most generic movies are my favourites, but
they’re just not often as effective as movies made by
auteurs. Barry Sonnenfeld, for example, is a generic
director, because he directed multiple films that are all
completely different, both Men in Black movies
(1997/2002), Wild Wild West (1999), and The Addams
Family (1991), are all different genres, and completely
different movies, and judging by the fact that his directing
career began in pornography, it’s tough to imagine how
he could retain that kind of reputation and feel, directing
family orientated movies.
Analysing any genre of films involves making note of the seven key areas; Genre codes and conventions,
location, character, iconography, recurring themes, ideological message, and narrative. As an example, the
horror genre is easy to analyse. The codes and conventions, and the iconography involve some very obvious
items, such as knives, darkness, blood and gore, and the recurring themes are very much that, every horror films
involves loss, sex, love, depression, death, rage and revenge, to say the least. The location is also, always the
same. Going back to the days of the Dracula and Frankenstein movies, there was always a haunted house, and
that piece has left its mark on every horror film to date. Whether it’s the woods, an abandoned hospital, a post-
apocalyptic city, a warehouse, or even just a quiet suburban neighbourhood with a psycho living next door,
every location consists of the protagonists being trapped under the villains control with a crippling inability to
escape. Any example I could give would be a perfect one, one of my all time favourite horror movies is
Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2007), I’m not sure why, it isn’t frightening, I just find it so immersive and
very compelling, and, without the alternate endings, would be very convincing. The young couple are terrorised
by a ghost in their own house, and when they try to escape, something happens, or the entity follows.
A straight forward action thriller movie often opens with an intense car chase, or a heart stopping fight scene,
the Bond movies, for instance, are perfect examples, because they always involve one or the other. The
beginning scene in Quantum of Solace pleases the viewers by including both in a 15-20 minute section. In
Contrast to that though, the movie Leon (Luc Besson, 1994) starts in the same kind of way, but doesn’t keep the
pace that Quantum of Solace does. Some could argue that Luc Besson is an auteur because of the way his movie
doesn’t follow the general codes and conventions of the average action thriller, because when you strip it down
to the basics, Leon is really a bit of a love story, albeit, not a typical one. After the ordinary action opening

2. Ben Arnold
sequence the entire film slows down and we see the protagonist living in
conditions that do not seem appropriate for a high class assassin. He lives
in a rough looking apartment block, next door to a young girl and her
dysfunctional family, her brother, her sister, her father, a drug dealing
delinquent, and her prostitute mother. Leon usually keeps to himself and
ignores those around him, but he can’t help but take young Mathilda
under his wing when her father botches a drug deal and gets his entire
family, bar her, killed. She develops a love for him over time, a love
which a thirteen year old girl should not feel for an older man, needless to say, he does not feel the same way, he
is reluctant to look after her at all at first but eventually develops a fatherly relationship with her as the movie
progresses. This is a complete contrast with the James Bond movies, because they are perfect examples of basic
action thrillers. They obey the codes, conventions and the iconography, such as; the British accent, the fast cars,
the attractive damsel in distress and the gadgets, whereas Leon has absolutely none of that.
Wesley Craven (born August 2, 1939) is an
American director, writer and producer; he has
directed many horror films including the famed
A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's
New Nightmare. His directing career began in
1972 with The Last House on the Left, which was
almost immediately banned in many countries,
especially the UK, where it was banned until 2002,
under the condition that 31 seconds of footage of
the graphic sexual acts performed on the character
were removed from the final cut. When Wesley came onto the scene, he completely redefined the horror genre,
before him, the public had only been subjected to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and the Hammer Horror films.
Now, at that time, Alfred Hitchcock’s movies were revolutionary, people had never before been so frightened of
staring a screen for an hour. His movies, especially The Birds and Psycho, depicted horror that could genuinely
happen to anyone, and he certainly didn’t pull any punches when it came to gore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si_HoFxPT9Q&feature=related
Craven on his newest project, Scream 4
Wes Craven is responsible, mainly for The
Nightmare on Elm Street series, and the Scream
franchise. Contradictory to what I just mentioned,
After the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie,
Craven did not direct any of the sequels, but the
feeling he projected through the first one has been
maintained by his directory predecessors. He
deconstructed the genre a decade later, though, and
created the audacious Wes Cravens New
Nightmare.
Arguably, Scream is a much more successful
franchise for Craven. The first movie sparked the
phenomenal trilogy, and was the winner of MTV's
1996 Best Movie Award and grossed more than
$100 million domestically, as did Scream 2. Between Scream 2 and Scream 3, though, Craven was offered the
opportunity to direct a non-genre film for Miramax, called Music of the Heart (1999) which was also nominated
for numerous awards.

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After the millennium, Craven decided to remake a couple of his earlier masterpieces. He made The Hills Have
eyes (2006) and The Last House on the Left (2009) to appeal to the modern audience in the same way the
originals did to the audience of that era. Nowadays, at the ripe old age of 72, Craven is still directing blockbuster
movies, such as Scream 4, which has been in the works since Scream 3 showed massive success in 2000. Wes
Craven, in my opinion, is undeniably an Auteur, his work is original and compelling, and you can always tell
when it’s a Craven movie, purely for the feel they radiate.
Cowboys & Aliens is a difficult film to generalise. It has elements of both Western and Sci-fi movies, obviously
displayed by the title. Some could argue