This document discusses auteur directors and how they break conventions of genres in their films. It provides examples of several films and their directors that demonstrate auteur styles, such as Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which subverts expectations of the war genre. Luc Besson is also cited as an auteur for changing norms in Leon, making the young girl the main character rather than an older woman. Rian Johnson mixed genres by combining sci-fi and action in an original way. In conclusion, auteur directors make films their own through unique styles that differ from standard genres.

1. There are many different ways to analyse films and their genres. Also there are many types
of genres and sub genres to analyse. When analysing a film you have to keep in mind the
codes and conventions of that genre for example if it was a romantic genre it would be a boy
meets girl type of film, the setting would be a shop or a work place where they would bump
into each other. The characters would be a man and a woman. The theme would be
romance and heartbreak for example they would met then in the middle of the film
something would happen that would make them spilt then near the end they would meet
again. The narrative would be a simple start to finish story line.
An auteur director is someone who breaks the conventions, where they will make a film on a
certain genre but add their own style to it to make it their own. For example Francis Ford
Coppola is considered to be an auteur director as he adds his own style to his films. For
example his film Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola-1979) broke the conventions of a
war genre.In one of the scenes you see soldiers in helicopters then it cross cuts to a peaceful
Vietnamese village where people are going by their everyday life. When it cut backs to the
village you see the children coming out of the school then it cuts back to the soldiers they
starts to play a song to let the people know there coming. This breaks the convention
because in a war film one country goes to war with another country and they know it’s going
too happened. Whereas in Apocalypse Now the soldiers go to war with a village that doesn’t
even know they’re going to be attacked. Also they attacked not just the men but the woman
and children which shocked people.
Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess-2004) is a film about a misunderstood teenager
who lives with his older brother and grandma. This is a non-narrative film as it has no real
story line, there is no set starting, middle or ending. Its set in a small town in Idaho and its
based around a high school and Napoleons home. Napoleon (The main character) is just a
normal everyday guy who is fine being himself and doesn’t want to fit in with any groups in
his school. There are also the jocks and the cheerleaders who see themselves as the best
and ‘popular’, and then there’s the new guy Pedro who just doesn’t seem to care either.
Sixth Sense (M.Night Shyamalan-1999) is a horror/drama film abouta young boy Cole Sear
(Haley Joel Osment) who is a troubled isolated boy who is able to see’s and talks to dead
people and a troubled child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help Cole. This is a
narrative film with a twist at the end. I think the message in this film is ‘Everything isn’t
always what it seems’ As Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) Went every day not knowing that he
actually died when Vincent shot him.
In the James Bond films such as Quantum of Solace woman are often seen as objects. In
films woman are often seen as weak and a damsel in distress who always needs to be saved.
In Quantum of Solace woman often dress is skimpy outfits that show a lot of flesh, also they
wear a lot of makeup to make them appear prettier. The woman in the film can also be seen
as sex objects as nothing else. In the opening sequence you can see silhouettes of naked
women which objectify woman as objects and not a person.
The opening sequence in Leon (Luc Besson-1994) is different to the other action films as
Leon wears a long wool coat a knit hat and sunglasses and lives in a shabby apartment and
even though he earns lots of money you wouldn’t be able to tell whereas in James Bond he
lives in a big house with expensive cars and tailored suits. I think Luc Besson is an Auteur
because he takes a genre and changes it so it has his own twist to it. For example in an
Action film the main woman is often in her 20’s but in Leon the main girl (Matilda) is only 12

2. years old which shocked people because she starts to have feeling for Leon. Leon took risks
with Matilda, he let her live with him and he taught her how to clean and use guns in return
for her to help him read and clean his flat and run errands for him. When Leon first came out
it didn’t earn very much and people didn’t really take to it, but know it’s a successful well
known film because it’s so unusual and different.
Francis Ford Coppola is a well know Auteur director, he is well known for his films
The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.The Godfather (1972) is widely regarded as one of the
greatest films in world cinema, and is one of the most influential especially in the gangsta
genre. It also won three Oscars the year it came out.‘I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t
refuse’ is one of the most memorable lines in cinema history. Francis Ford Coppola’s film
The Godfather is a gangster classic film, it takes you into the lives of the mafia. The film has a
good story line which keeps the viewer fixed on the film.
I think that RianJohnson is an Auteur director because he has made an unusual film by
mixing the genres Sci-Fi and Actiontogether to make an original film. It’s a love or hate film
as it doesn’t meet everyone’s needs in a film but I enjoyed it and thought it was a good film
idea.Rian Johnson is the Director and Writer of the film, this shows that he is an Auteur
director as he thought up the idea on his own without anyone else. He takes a twist on an
Action/Sci-Fi genre film and takes a chance at creating it knowing that people will either like
it or dislike it which shows he has perseverance. The film has an individual style as it’s a
difficult subject to write about because time travel has a lot of rules to consider. He also uses
an unusual way of portraying the future and how crime is a big part of life, and when the
criminal organizations wants someone dead they send their victims into the past where well
paid hit men (Loopers) kill them and dispose of their bodies.
In conclusion Auteur directors are directors who put their own style and individuality
into films to make them their own and to stand out from any of the existing films and
genre’s. This makes them stand out and be more successful than other directors who stick
with the same genre and don’t think outside the box and add their own twists.