Day: February 3, 2019

Research

Director’s Inspiration

Taylor Moore

While researching all these films and openings, you begin to see a certain pattern with certain directors and what they really like to do with their films. So, with a list of director’s and finding some of their quirks in their films I thought would be a good idea for our film and be able to take inspiration from those little things they implement to create that much more meaning to their films.

Christopher Nolan

Director of Following, the Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Momento, etc.
  • grand showman
  • intricately layered plots
  • took inspiration from neo-noir films for Following
  • mostly angles, lighting, color correcting, etc.
  • refers to film and celluloid a lot
  • lots of handheld for kinetic feel
  • emphasizes costuming
  • avant garde film styles (momento)
  • use of color strategically
  • scrappy, shoestring style story-telling

Kenneth Branagh

Director of Murder On the Orient Express, Sleuth, All Is True, etc.
  • Inspiration from theatrical pieces (more specifically Shakespeare)
  • Overwhelming special effects
  • implements visual metaphors
  • shifts in style to certain films (Shakespearean adaptations to Thor)
  • more comfortable with historical, more realistic settings
  • realistic fiction
  • called directing Thor, “a challenge as an artist.”

George Pollock

Director of Murder At the Gallop, Murder She Said, Murder Most Foul, etc.
  • filmed during the time of black and white filming
  • many long takes, few cuts
  • central idea of murder mysteries
  • consistently had a female lead
  • or female victim
  • old-fasion style of clothes
  • focused on the plot than the style of movie
  • straight to the point and no deep underlying meanings

Seeing the different techniques between these directors and how they conveyed certain genre conventions of mystery and certain meanings provided a good amount of inspiration for how our film is going to play out. Some information seemed a little difficult to dig up, but a little digging never hurt anyone.

Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/shakespearean-kenneth-branagh-talks-about-the-challenge-of-directing-thor/2011/04/26/AFDr4n6E_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2923a1863e5d
https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/03/13/the-king-of-the-adaptation-kenneth-branaghs-directorial-career-from-henry-v
https://www.quora.com/Does-Kenneth-Branagh-have-an-identifiable-directorial-style-and-if-so-how-is-it-visible-in-Cinderella
https://indiefilmhustle.com/christopher-nolan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pollock_(director)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0689659/