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What do we really know about movies or their directors?
Most people watch a movie to see their favorite actors, but some watch it because it's their favorite director. But what makes a director good? Is it because they seem to always make good movies? Is it because of their use of cinematography or the way the movie looks? Most people enjoy how a movie looks without thinking of the person who had to make the decisions that made the movie look that way. But some directors are so talented that they have forged a name themselves. -
Animation Directors
People may not think of directors. But they think of animation directors less. Just like a live-action director, they oversee everything. The mess with style, color pallete, and everything else. The biggest difference is animation directors do more micromanaging.
Walt Disney: Steamboat Willie (1928), Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), Lady and the Tramp (1955)
John Lasseter: Toy Story (1995), Cars (2006), Bugs Life (1998)
Hayao Miyazaki: Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor Totoro (1988) -
Fore fathers
This involves directors like Buster Keaton, D.W. Griffith, and Charlie Chaplin. Their iconic in the fact that they were some of the first directors to make feature length movies and make names for themselves in the early days. -
Cult Classics
These are some people who deserve to be mentioned but didn't quite make the cut for making the list.
David Cronenburg: The Fly (1986)
Michael Curtiz: Casablanca (1942)
Jonathon Demme: Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Terry Gilliam: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Spike Lee: Malcom X (1992)
Sydney Lumet: 12 Angry Men (1952)
Sam Raimi: Spider-Man (2002)
Tony Scott: Top Gun (1986)
Peter Weir : Dead Poet Society (1989)
Orson Welles: Citizen Kane (1941)
Robert Zameckis: Back to the Future: (1985) -
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Founders
These are the earliest directors -
Fritz Lang
He was an German-Austrian director known for his use of stark visual contrast and his obsessive work ethic. He often based his movie on human lonliness (Overview for Fritz Lang).
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Movies; Metropolis (1927) -
F W Murnau
He was known as a visionary for his time. He was the first to use real locations instead of sets. His film The Last Laugh(1924) was known for its fluid, poetic, and innovative film techniques (F.W. Murnau Biography).
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Movies: Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924) -
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New Kids on the Block
These guys stepped up to the plate -
Cecil B. DeMille
After failing as an actor, he turned to being a director. His first film The Squaw Man(1914) was a giant success. He had an ability to give the people what they wanted, making a name for himself when directors were mostly unknown. He was great at making historical pieces (Cecil B. DeMille).
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Movies: The Ten Commandments (1956), The Squaw Man (1914), Cleopatra (1934) -
Frank Capra
Though many people may not remember his name, they remember his movies. Frank Capra is one of the most influential directors of the early twentieth century. His films often had themes of rags-to-riches with a moral story and a patriotic bent (Frank Capra Biography).
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Movie: It's a Wonderfull Life (1946), Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) -
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Up and Comers
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Alfred Hitchcock
He was named the master of suspense. He employed suspense that produced a unique viewing experience. He was renowned for his graphic depictions of violence (Alfred Hitchcock Biography).
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Movies: Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Vertigo (1958) -
Sergio Leone
He is considered the man who captured the west with out ever living in it. He was from Italy and that is where he got his start in film. But The Good TheBad And The Ugly(1967) propelled both he and Clint Eastwood into stardom (Sergio Leone Biography).
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Stanley Kramer
He was known for being independent and making movies that were statements. He often turned down higher paying jobs so that he could make movies that sent the message that he wanted them to send (Stanley E. Kramer Biography).
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Movies: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) -
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More Than Just Action Films
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Francis Ford Coppola
He was first recognized for his screenwriting. But went from writing the hit movie Patton to directing the Godfather films. The Godfather movies are said to be his magnus opus. He did go on to make some outstanding films (Francis Ford Coppola Biography).
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Movies: The Godfather (1972), Apocolypse Now (1979), The Outsiders (1983) -
George Lucas
He has created movies that have intense cult followings. He suffered some set backs early on with some terrible movies. But he put those aside to make some movies that really set him apart (George Lucas Biography).
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Movies: Star Wars (1977), Indiana Jones:Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -
Steven Spielburg
He has very widely varying films. They were known for their ability express child like wonderment, explore primevil fears, or be great literary adaptations. No matter what they are, fans across the globe long to see what new movie he is going to create (Steven Spielburg Biography).
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Movies: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Schindlers List (1993), Jaws (1975), Jurassic Park (1993) -
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Our Generations Childhood
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Ethan and Joel Coen
They are a brother duo known for their movies which often are eccentric, ironic, darkly comic and often violent (Ethan Coen Biography Joel Coen Biography).
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Movies: Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Big Lebowski (1998), True Grit (2010) -
Ron Howard
He got his start as a child star. He began directing in 1982 with his friend Brian Grazer. He has done a variety of things since then. He has done comedies, dramas, TV shows, and blockbuster hits (Ron Howard Biography).
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Movies: Rush (2013), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Osmosis Jones (2001) -
Clint Eastwood
He started of as an actor then moved to directing several Acedemy award winning movies. He both starred and directed several films. His acting was both minimalist but had a resonant quality. The same was for directing. His style was lean and crisp, but he expertly presented deep character studies and had fluid action sequences (Clint Eastwood Biography).
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Movies: American Sniper (2014), Gran Tarino (2008), Dirty Harry (1971) -
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Our Modern Movies
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Quentin Tarantino
He first came into the Hollywood scene with his screenplay for True Romance(1993). He started his love of movies when his grandmother took him to John Wayne movies. He was known throughout Hollywood for both his brilliant directing and his temper (Quentin Tarantino Biography).
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Movies:Pulp Fiction (1994), Django Unchained (2012), Inglorious Basterds (2004), Resevoir Dogs (1992) -
Martin Scorsese
He has created, what some people consider to be, some of the most important films of all time. He started his career at a very young age. He is regarded for his gritty and raw film style (Martin Scorsese Biography).
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Movies:The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002) -
Peter Jackson
He started his career when he was 8. He had nothing but an 8-mm camera. He has done a wide variety of movies that span across most genres. He is especieally famous for both the fact he has no conventional training, and his skill for literary adaptation (Peter Jackson Biography).
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Movies: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), King Kong (2005) -
Thats all folks.
I hope that you made a corelation between some directors and some films they made. And maybe that you will think about the cinemetography while watching a movie. Because if you like the way one movie looks of feels by that director then you would like how his or her other movies think.
