Film Director Analysis Project
You must present your project as a complete movie file with voiceover . A transcript of your completed project must be uploaded to Turnitin.com in order to receive credit for the project.
Element One: Director’s Biography and Influences
Provide a short biography of the filmmaker as his or her life relates to the making of films. Focus on aspects of the director’s life that shaped his or her style. Consider the following:
1. Nationality/Time period of the director’s life and work
2. The types and genres of films he or she has made
3. The director’s body of work including his or her early films and their reception by the media and the public
4. His/her most successful films (critically and financially)
5. Awards he or she has received
6. Any other information crucial to his or her life as a director
Element Two: Montage of Signature Moves
Provide representative clips, carefully sequenced, to highlight the director’s unique sense of style as a filmmaker. Look for patterns and consistency within and between films. Consider the following elements (a starting point, not a comprehensive list):
1. Selection of actors
2. Likely locations or sets
3. Camera work and signature shots
4. Patterns of themes and topics
Element Three: Shot Analysis
In this section, you will analyze one sequence (series of shots creating an event with purpose; roughly 30 seconds to a couple of minutes) from one of your director’s films. You should view several films (not rely on your memory of films you have seen in the past), so that you can select the best sequence to analyze. Viewing his or her body of work will also be important as you identify trends and characteristics of his/her style. Follow these steps:
1. View several films, taking notes on the cinematic elements (shots, angles, focalization, lighting, editing, movement, sound). How does the director use these elements to develop his or her themes? How do these elements contribute to the director’s style?
2. Identify one sequence from one of the director’s films. This sequence should be organized around an event or meaningful purpose. (Most sequences will last 30 to 90 seconds; choose one with many elements to analyze).
3. An option is to complete the shot list chart (on Schoology) to gather all the information necessary about the sequence; based on the director’s choices, determine the general theme/idea/motif for the entire sequence. How is it important to the rest of the film (think beyond plot; delve into symbolic and thematic elements)?
4. Organize and compose your analysis around how the director uses elements of cinema to highlight a theme or issue in his/her film(s).
5. Connect your sequence to one or more from his or her other films, and make a statement about his or her style as a filmmaker. (Where else do you see similar ideas and techniques in his or her other films?)
Director Choice:
Select from one of the established, credible directors. (See me for a list if you are having trouble deciding.) If you have an idea about another director, please discuss it with me, but keep in mind that your director must possess a body of work containing at least three major feature films. Also, be sure to choose a director, not a producer, actor, writer, etc., but keep in mind that many directors also have experience in other areas of film. If you choose a director with other experience, you may include this experience as part of the biography section, but make sure you choose a film he or she directed for your shot analysis. The following website should provide a good start for your research: http://www.imdb.com. Each person should work on a different director. Your clip must be school appropriate to share with the class. Remember to include a works cited page.
Technology sources: Screencastomatic, Camtasia, Powerpoint, Youtube, iMovie, Moviemaker
Tips:
1. You may need to create the video first and then add the overlay of your sound.
2. It takes hours to render high quality videos, so this is NOT a project where you can wait until the night before.
3. Check all of your work at school prior to your presentation date to make sure you troubleshoot any technology or access issues.
4. You may post to YouTube or upload an MOV or MP4 to Schoology; be careful with using Google on this project. It requires a shareable link and downloading is unreliable on school laptops.
Orson Welles Alfred Hitchcock Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorcese Oliver Stone Steven Speilberg
Mike Nichols Tim Burton Wes Craven
John Carpenter Ron Howard John Hughes
Brian DePalma John Woo Spike Lee
Robert Rodriguez Jon Singleton Terry Gilliam
John McTiernan Michael Mann Michael Bay
James Cameron Penny Marshall Sofia Coppola
John Ford Stanley Kubrick Robert Zemekis
Elia Kazan Akira Kurosawa George Lucas
Woody Allen David Fincher Edward Zwick
Peter Weir Ridley Scott Christopher Nolan
Quentin Tarantino Clint Eastwood David Lynch
Kathryn Bigelow Jane Campion Mira Nair
Ava DuVernay Angelina Jolie Dee Rees