S H A Q U I R A J E Y A S I N G H A N D P A R R Y D A Y

AUTEUR THEORY

AUTEUR?

• The work Auteur translates into the English word

‘Author.’

• The theory states that the films director should be

the main creative ‘force.’ The auteur should bring

their own personal style to the film that should set

them apart from other productions.

• They still work with others to create the film, e.g. the

producer, cameramen, writers, actors.

• However, they are still considered the author

because they retain creative control over all these

aspects.

EXAMPLES

• An auteurs piece of work would reflect their

signature style by having certain features.

• Clear examples of film auteurs may be Quentin

Tarintino who is known for his use of eccentric and

long dialogue such as Pulp Fiction (1994) and

Django Unchained (2012)

• Another example may be Tim Burton who focuses

on surreal aspects. He also usually features the

same actors, typically Johnny Depp and Helena

Bonham Carter. His movies have a dark and out of

the ordinary tone to them which sets them apart.

MARC WEBB BACKGROUND

• Mark Preston Webb is an American music

video, short film, and film director.

• He is known for directing the films The Amazing

Spiderman (2012) and the 2009 indie film 500 Days

Of Summer.

• He has also directed a plethora of music videos. We

focused on the videos for the more indie artists

because this would be more relevant to our music

video. We looked at Jesse McCartney and Regina

Spektor.

JESSEE MCARTNEY – BEAUTFUL SOUL (PARRY) HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=80SL4SIUBQY

• After watching this video I found some defining stylistic features.

• Webb makes use of nature and creates picturesque shots using natural features such as

the sky, cliffs and beaches. The use of vibrant colours grasp the audience and adds to the charm of the music video.

• I also found that it was incredibly fast paced. It was a narrative video with elements of performance in it. The pace helped the story (teenagers on a road trip) progress quickly.

• It allowed for their to be more story in the video due to the quick cuts. This is so the audience can get a lot out of the 2 minute song, and it almost sends them on journey, which mimics the story line.

REGINA SPEKTOR – BETTER (SHAQUIRA) HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=VCOKHCQK9RW

• This video was fairly simple. It featured the artist (Regina Spektor) in a field on her own at first, and then eventually being joined by many duplicates of herself. The entire video is

set in this open field.

• The cinematography is particularly gripping. The gradient in the sky makes it look generally ‘pretty’ and the sunset that comes in the video adds to this ‘cute’ vibe that Mark Webb has created.

• The props are also ‘cute’ and ‘quirky.’ The use of a piano in the open field makes it surreal and, again, quirky, as do the red paper parasols.

• The mise-en-scene is incredibly simple. This simplistic nature lends itself well to the song

and Spektor’s general persona. She is known for being quirky and cute, so Webb has utilised the idea of simplicity to reflect the laid-back nature she has.

CONCLUSION

• Linking the Auteur theory to Mark Webb’s video:

• We combined our research from the two music videos and came to a conclusion of the kind of stylistic features Webb uses to have an auteur status.

• He utilises nature to create beautiful cinematography. He uses the sky a lot in his videos and ensures that the colours are attractive for the audience.

• He uses quirky elements in his videos to keep the audience entertained.

• His videos are generally simple. Whether you have a narrative video such as Beautiful Soul, or a performance video such as Better, there is nothing incredibly surreal about them. They are basic and rely on the artist to act in them. This makes the audience focus on the song a lot more.