COM251-Essay Paper 2-Directorsandthe Auteur Theory PDF

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Christopher Nolan Research Paper -2COM-251- D010 12-2-2018

Christopher Edward Nolan is an English film director, screenwriter, and producer who holds both British and American citizenship. He is one of the highest-grossing directors in history and among the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of the 21st century. Nolan was born in London, England. His English father, Brendan James Nolan, was an advertising executive, and his American mother, Christina (née Jensen), worked as a flight attendant and an English teacher. His childhood was split between London and Evanston, Illinois, and he has both British and US citizenship (ORR). He has an older brother, Matthew Francis Nolan, a convicted criminal, and a younger brother, Jonathan. He began making films at age seven, borrowing his father's Super 8 camera and shooting short films with his action figures. Growing up, Nolan was particularly influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Star Wars (1977). Nolan's films are typically rooted in epistemological and metaphysical themes, exploring human morality, the construction of time, and the malleable nature of memory and personal identity (ORR). His body of work is permeated by materialistic perspectives, nonlinear storytelling, practical special effects, innovative soundscapes, large-format film photography, and analogous relationships between visual language and narrative elements. In addition to his filmmaking, he is an advocate for film preservation and the continued availability of film stock. In 2009, the director received the Board of the Governor’s Award from the American Society of Cinematographers. In 2011 Nolan received the Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from American Cinema Editors. On 3 May 2017, Nolan received

the 2017 FIAF Award before a special 70 mm screening of Interstellar at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. After watching some of the famous films for Nolan, it would be easy to spot the similarities of camera techniques and patterns used in filming the movies. The Dark Knight contained rich content and a deep story; Nolan used many long takes in the movies to give the viewers the feeling of the continuous events, for example. When the Joker first got to the main building where the party was going and started his assault by playing with his gun and spreading his gang members, the long take made the viewers feel curious to find out about what is going to happen next, is Batman coming in to save them? Or they’re going to die? This is the way he used the long take to project a specific scene to the viewers to guarantee the delivery of the idea he wanted the viewers to know about. Nolan uses his own personal techniques to convey the meanings and give the best excitement for the viewers by following many parts from Andrew Sarris’s Author Theory (Sarris  ).  In the creation of The Dark Knight (2008), Nolan needed to make use of visual effects and moving subjects within the frame because it is based on a science fiction and actions aspect. They needed to embed movement within the frame itself like the different computer screens inside Batman’s car, all that is to give it the feeling of being in the future. And such camera and editing techniques can also be found in other films like Star Wars (Porterfield). According to Nicholas Rombes the writer of cinema in the digital age  “… although in referring to the making of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it might just as easily refer to us, as spectators, in the near future, when screens are something we manipulate not simply

through remote controls and buttons but rather through actual interaction with the screen itself” (Rombes 67). With that being said, Nolan successfully used visual tricks to give the taste of a film about a hero. Moving on, there are many close-up shots for the actors in the action scenes to give more detail about their persona and facial expression to the viewers. Dunkirk is another movie that was one of the most important movies of 2017 and will always be remembered. Nolan used his best narrative techniques in creating this movie, the story is told from three perspectives, land, sea, and air. Nolan structured the film from the point of view of the characters, intending to use visuals rather than dialogue and backstory. He wanted to incorporate the so-called snowball effect that he had previously used only in the third acts of his other films. Nolan said that he approached research as though it were for a documentary and was attracted to the project because of its inversion of the "Hollywood formula": The Battle of Dunkirk was not a victory and did not involve American armed forces, but nevertheless demanded a large-scale production to be put on screen (Ryzik)  . Nolan worked so hard in choosing the actors with the casting team who will meet the requirements of acting the story perfectly and giving the best reactions and feeling to the viewers (Ryzik).  For example, he chose Rylance for his work in the theatre and performance in Wolf Hall. As research, Rylance piloted his character's boat every day, listened to audio recordings at the Imperial War Museum, and read accounts of men like Mr. Dawson. Overall, after going through two of the most successful movies Nolan filmed, he has his own world of camera techniques and story plot ideas that most of the times it is so hard for the viewers to notice the meaning because they feel it unconsciously. With his amazing history of

cinema production, he deserved all the awards and prizes with a great honor. His works are not narrowed in only one kind of genre, he filmed science fiction and action movies. And every time he receives an award for a movie is because he nailed it and we won’t have such good pictures in movies after Christopher Nolan.

Work Cited

Sarris, A. (1962). Notes on The Auteur Theory in 1962. 1st ed. [ebook] New York. Available at: http://alexwinter.com/media/pdfs/andrew_sarris_notes_on_the-auteur_theory_in_1962.pdf Rombes, N. (2009). Cinema in the digital age. London and New York: Wallflower Press, pp.46-72. ORR, CHRISTOPHER. “Thor and the Hulk Walk Into a Bar ..” Atlantic, vol. 321, no. 2, Mar. 2018, pp. 35–37. EBSCOhost, rockvalley.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h &AN=127722884&site=ehost-live. Porterfield, John. “A Review of The Dark Knight. (2008). Written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. Directed by Christopher Nolan.” Psychological Perspectives, vol. 52, no. 2, Dec. 2009, pp. 271–275. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/00332920902881281. Ryzik, Melena. “The Secrets That Pulse In the Score Of ‘Dunkirk.’” New York Times, vol. 166, no. 57671, 27 July 2017, pp. C1–C4. EBSCOhost ,

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