Directors and how they portray themselves

Stanley Kubrick

Here we have a self-portrait of world-renowned American director Stanley Kubrick in his earlier days. This photo is in black and white, most likely because this is an old photo from the 50’s/60’s.  What I find most interesting is the way he is holding the camera. it’s a very abstract way to hold a camera in a mirror self-portrait. We can interpret this as a window peek into Kubrick’s mind where everything is normal but a little askew and unique. What I also find compelling is Kubrick’s facial expression. His face is quite serious, maybe even menacing, his face without a doubt does give off and alludes to a sinister overtone. This is a good representation of Kubrick’s overall style.

Quentin Tarantino

 

Here we have a photo of  American Director Quentin Tarantino holding his camera as if it were a gun. This photo is in black and white also his facial expression is quite serious. We can interpret this as a symbol of how he uses his art as a weapon or as a form of protection. This photo also alludes to his films and stylistic choices as he is known for Directing action-packed, violent films e.g. Kill Bill. This photo is an accurate representation of who Tarantino is a Director, with his camera in hand he is ready to take on the world. In this photo, it is quite hard to see who Tarantino is as a person (not as a director) which may be a good thing.

James Wan

 

This photo of Malaysian -Austrailian Director James Wan who is regarded very highly in today’s horror film culture, is quite different than the other two. We see Wan in the frame with a serious facial expression much like the other two however, we see a figure behind Wan looming over his shoulder behind him. This is actually a character from Wan’ s Film Insidious. We can interpret this a symbolic gesture of how his films/characters follow him wherever he may go. Throughout these three photos, we see the use of black and white filters to give a sense of mystery to the directors.

Tim Burton

Here we have a photo of American Director Tim Burton again in a black and white filter, looking inquisitively into the camera whilst holding a toy skeleton. This is a good illustration of Burton’s stylistic choices. Burton is known for bridging the absurd to our front door and making us see what may seem scary or creepy in a new light and essentially see the beauty in the darkness. The holding of the skeleton may also be a homage to one of Burton’s most beloved characters; Jack Skellington. Burton has been known to be eccentric even in interviews and I feel that side Burton is on full show due to his facial expression and hair.

Wes Craven

Here we have a photo of American Director Wes Craven who lived from 1939 – 2015. Craven was a pioneer in the horror film genre from the early 70’s all the way to the early 2010’s. In this photo we see Craven holding his face in an endearing manner with a smirk. The hand that is holding Craven’s face is the hand of what arguably is his best character; Freddie Krueger. We can interpret this as a symbol of Craven’s love for his character due to the endearing nature of the photo. We may also interpret this maybe as a sign of Craven’s likeness to his characters as it looks like it’s his own hand.

Steven Spielberg

Exhibited here is a photo of Director Steven Spielberg with one of his most famous characters E.T in black and white. Speilberg is known as a hallmark Director just after Kubrick amongst film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike. In this specific photo of Speilberg with E.T. is a visual representation of how much he cares about his idea as he is hugging the character as if it were his own child. His facial expression holds a lot of pride or sense of achievement, we can consider how much time a film like E.T. would take to make so that facial expression made be due to the completion principle especially since his style is all about being big and cinematic.

 

 

Charlie Chaplin

This is a photo of British Director and actor Sir Charlie Chaplin who lived from 1889 – 1977. Chaplin was most famously known for his slapstick silent film acting however some may not be aware that he was also a filmmaker in his own right. This still is from his 1940 film The Great Dictator, seeing as comedy is Chaplin’s bread and butter this still may seem like quite a leap for him. Chaplin used his likeness to Hitler( and being born in the same week as him) to spread a message of peace and unity whilst still keeping us his comedic integrity. This photo to me is a symbol of Chaplin defusing the power of a terrible regime to spread a message of unity. Chaplin is one of my biggest inspirations in the film industry because of this. Linked below is a clip from the film which is very powerful.