Directions: Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is another one of my favourite filmmakers. He is a man who knows how to use a camera. His style and techniques have become part of filmmaking history and this is evident in all his work in TV and film.

A bit of background info...

Steven Spielberg is an American director, writer and producer. In Hollywood he is respected and seen as being one of the most popular film directors/producers in history. Some of his most famous work includes Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), the Indiana Jones (1981-present) franchise, Jaws (1975), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

As a child he made short adventure films using 8mm film cameras. One of his first home movies was about a train wreck, which he made using his toy Lionel trains. Whilst a boy scout he earned a photography merit badge after he made a 9 minute 8mm film called "The Last Gunfight". He said that it all started there. At the age of 16 he wrote and directed his first feature length independent film called "Firelight", which later inspired Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He got his big break when, after getting an unpaid job as an intern in the Universal Studios editing department, he was given the chance to make a short film for theatrical release. This film was called Amblin (1968), which is where the name of his company comes from. After this the studio gave him a seven year directing contract and that's where it all kicked off.

Since then Spielberg has gone on to be nominated for and win numerous awards including Directors Guild Awards, Cannes Film Festival awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globe awards, Oscars, Emmys, Writers Guild Awards, and many more.

How does he influence me?

When it comes to how he influences me, unlike J.J. Abrams, it is all about his techniques. It's all about how he uses a camera to tell a story. He doesn't need actors to say anything to tell a story, he does it using the camera. Not a single movement is unmotivated or done for the sake of it. Each movement has a meaning. For him it is as simple and as complex as presenting the story in cinematic terms. Visually, tonally, rhythmically. In a word: emotionally. Specifically that means what you see, what you hear and when. He has a gallery of techniques and devices, all used to draw up deep emotions. He understands image and sound, and the positioning of and interplay between both. He has learnt a lot from others himself, people like John Ford, Victor Fleming and David Lean.

On the left a frame from War Horse (2011). On the right a frame from Victor Fleming's Gone with the Wind (1939). You can see the similarities.

Like a lot of filmmakers he identifies and is inspired by great moments. He enjoys moving the camera, and often times he moves it as a composer arranges music or as a choreographer arranges a dance. Each movement is punctuated so each moment brings with it new elements. The characters might deliver dialogue but he looks to present other information in a visual manner. His camera observes and interacts with the scene. He likes to push the camera in on subjects, and pull out into wide shots. These kinds of shots are used as a visual key to the emotional tones of the scenes. When his camera dollies in, or pulls away, it is not just used to reveal information, but mostly to focus the emotion. When Spielberg dollies in on a face, he is presenting it as an emotional map for us to read. He uses movement to visualise emotion. Whilst we look at the characters, they tend to look at something else. Whilst their eyes are filled with emotion, Spielberg holds on them for an extra beat to withhold the answer to our question, "what are they looking at?". This helps us link to what they are feeling. This can be done in three shots: seeing the person; seeing what they look at; seeing their reaction. However, Spielberg likes to do it in one using reflections, so we can see the character, what they are looking at and how they are feeling.

A perfect example of Spielberg's reflection technique. Taken from Schindler's List (1993)

Spielberg also likes to use shadows. This allows him to suggest the human form without necessarily showing it. He also enjoys making certain items in scenes the object of our attention. He makes the characters and the camera focus on the object to give it a sense of importance, even if it isn't. It helps to progress the scene. Circles play a part in most of his movies. He believes they help to diffuse the rectangular shape of the screen. Circles help to soften a scene and offer a new way of looking at them.

Two examples of Spielberg's shadow technique

Two examples of Spielberg's use of circles

And that is why Spielberg influenced me. He makes me think more about how and why I move the camera. I don't just put a camera somewhere for the sake of it. I think carefully before a shoot about where the camera needs to be and what should motivate its movement. I think about similar techniques I can use to tell the story without needing to use the characters to do so. He makes me think more about the way I tell stories and the way I direct the camera. I think more about how I can show a character's emotion, using the camera, not the actor. Because of him I think about how I reveal things and show things on screen; I think about how I frame things and where I place things. And finally because of him I think about how I can show something on screen, without actually showing it. All of these points are something I will apply to this unit because I am using someone else's script to tell a story, and I need to do it justice. There is a lot of emotion in both of my scenes and I have to think of a way to show this using the camera as an effective storytelling tool. What is the point of using a camera if you are not going to use it properly? Think about it's positioning and movement. They are the most important thing. And whilst directing this next project, they will be at the top of my list at all times. I will attempt to get the best out of my actors, and then use well thought out movements to build on this emotion and make it 10x stronger.

And that is Steven Spielberg.