Peer observation of Auteur presentation


Director: Steven Spielberg
Observed by: Tate
   What did my peer learn about my director: my peer learned that Steven Spielberg directed many differing films such as war horse, saving private Ryan and Ready Player One. He also learned that Spielberg used a lot of themes such as daddy issues/ broken nuclear family, the use of lights to create mystery and that her used Composer John Williams to compose the film scores. My peer also learned that Spielberg didn’t get along well with his father and there are shots such as the Spielberg face and POV shots used. Spielberg likes to put the audience in the characters shoes is another trait that my peer had learned from the presentation.
   What did my peer learn about the Auteur Theory: My peer had learned that directors are the authors of films and that Francois Truffaut was a leading director in the Auteur Theory.
   My peer had mentioned that the presentation was very informative as I had spoken about a lot of different themes and significant trademarks in Spielberg’s films. He had also commented on the inclusion of video interviews and frequent use of pictures. The analysis of the film was very detailed and full of clips and interviews. I really know the director. I had discussed a few key terms such as mise en scene and cinematography.
    The only improvement my peer thought I could make it the presentation was more inclusion of film clips along with the analysis of said clips.

When reading the analysis, I have found that I agree with the evaluation in the way that I did not Include any clip analysis. This was down to the fact that I had concentrated on finding themes that linked my 3 chosen films together, which would be hard to find if I had decided to watch all 3 films from start to finish. On the other hand I could analyse clips that showcase these.
  However, attached is an in depth analysis of a clip from one of the chosen films (Being E.T)

In the beginning of the scene, there is an excellent example of rule of thirds with Elliot on the left, his family in the middle and E.T on the right. This can be interpreted in the way that it gives a visual representation of the struggles that are shown throughout the film; with Elliot struggling with his family and becoming attached physically and mentally with the alien. These problems are prominent throughout the film and is a big theme that is explored throughout many of Spielberg’s films, reinforcing the idea of him being an auteur.
   Another shot that is used is a mid shot from E.T’s shoulder, which is a common shot for Spielberg to use. This gives the audience a clear understanding of how Elliot is feeling in the current situation. This also allows for the audience to be in the shoes of E.T in the way of him saying goodbye to one of his closest friends while on his time on Earth. This is also a popular shot that is frequently used by Spielberg in many of his films. It gives a sense of empathy for the character that we are in the point of view of.



There is a shot of ‘God lighting’ that is used in this sequence and that is used on E.T. God lighting is used by Spielberg a lot to, as the name suggests, to make them look godly and heavenly. In this instance, instance, Spielberg has done this to show how E.T has helped Elliot with his family problems; showing how Elliot sees his new Alien friend and almost family member.




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