Directions : Director Research - Paul Feig

 Director Research - Paul Feig

Fig. 1 Portrait of Paul Feig

Paul Feig is an American director, producer, writer and actor. Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, A Simple Favour and Spy are some of his most well-known directorial pieces of work. 

Feig's main trademark is the fact that all his films are all comedic in some way shape or form. Comedy plays such a big part in his films. He has spent years and continues to watching comedies and looking at comedic material in order to hone his comedic abilities. Silent films, such as the works of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, have been of great inspiration to Feig, particularly when it comes down to the use of physical comedy. 

Women are often at the forefront of Feig's films. Feig tries to ensure that he gets women's opinions on the female characters in his films so that their characters are more realistic in terms of how women speak, their behaviour etc. 

Feig likes to ensure that the actors are at the centre in terms of deciding who their characters are and then building upon that. He allows for the cast to improvise and make suggestions. This allows for the cast to build a relationship, form chemistry and bounce off each other. The relationships between the characters is also important when it comes to Feig's films. The audience often wants to be a part of the relationships displayed in his films on screen and can relate to them in some way shape or form. 

Fig.2 Poster for Bridesmaids (2011)

Paul Feig is also known for his sense of style, his suits in particular, and drew upon this when making A Simple Favour. A trademark of this film is the suits and outfits that Blake Lively, who plays Emily Nelson, wears throughout the film. The suits in this film were inspired by both Paul Feig's sense of style and films from the 'classic Hollywood film' era. 

Fig.3 Film Still of Blake Lively in A Simple Favour (2018)

Feig's approach is focused around the characters and the actors playing them as well as the use of comedy. 

Bibliography:

Berkowitz, J. (2017)  "Bridesmaids" and "The Heat" Director Paul Feig On How To Make <strike> Female-Driven </strike> Comedies Everybody Wants To See. At: https://www.fastcompany.com/3020072/bridesmaids-and-the-heat-director-paul-feig-on-how-to-make-female-driven-comedies-everybody- (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Blackwelder, C. (2020) 'Bridesmaids' director reveals who broke character the most whilst filming' . At: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/paul-feig-enduring-legacy-bridesmaids-10-years-73191722 (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Eakin, M. (2013) 24 hours of inspiration: The Heat director Paul Feig talks us through some of his comedy favourites. At: https://film.avclub.com/24-hours-of-inspiration-the-heat-director-paul-feig-ta-1798238999 (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Fig.1 Merritt, J. (2011) Portrait of Paul Feig. [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082450/mediaviewer/rm4153457408/ (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Fig. 2 Universal Pictures (2011) Poster for Bridesmaids. (2011) [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/mediaviewer/rm672433408/ (Accessed  11/02/2021)

Fig.3 Lionsgate. (2018) Film Still of Blake Lively in A Simple Favour (2018) In: A Simple Favour. United States: Lionsgate. (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Miller, J (2018) 'A Simple Favour: Blake Lively's Most Jaw-Dropping Fashion Moments, Explained' In: Vanity Fair 15/09/2018 At: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/a-simple-favor-movie-style-fashion (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Nicholson, R. (2019) ' 'Paul Feig: Male humour always devolves into homophobia and name-calling' ' In: The Guardian 18/10/2019 At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/18/paul-feig-male-humour-always-devolves-into-homophobia-and-name-calling  (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Ryzik, M. (2015) 'The Director Paul Feig Prepares 'Spy' With Melissa McCarthy' In: The New York Times 01/05/2015 At: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/movies/the-director-paul-feig-prepares-spy-with-melissa-mccarthy.html (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Wallace, C. (2018) Inside The Amazing Wardrobe Of Hollywood Director Mr Paul Feig. At: https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/journal/fashion/inside-the-amazing-wardrobe-of-hollywood-director-mr-paul-feig-571416 (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Directions : Director Research - Greta Gerwig

Director Research - Greta Gerwig

Fig. 1 Portrait of Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig is an American actress, director and writer best known for Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019) and Mistress America (2015). 

Gerwig prefers her work to hold authenticity, particularly with regards to the characters interactions. The majority or Gerwig's directing work focuses on the actors and enabling them to deliver realistic performances mainly through the use of authentic fast-paced dialogue.  She draws upon how people behave in the 'real world' and uses and encourages this to create authenticity. 

Both Lady Bird and Little Women (two of the most well-known films Gerwig has directed) are coming of age stories that focus upon finding a way of existing in the world and both centre around familial relationships. 

Gerwig ensures that she works with the director of photography before shooting this is mainly to ensure that the actors and story/dialogue are the main focus of the film rather than the camera movement. She prefers a sense of stillness 

In addition to this, she works alongside the director of photography in thinking about how the film should look. For example, as the film Lady Bird, is set in 2002-2003, Gerwig wanted it to have the appearance of a memory, so she worked with director of photography Sam Levy to present her ideas and to achieve the final look. She also wanted the image to appear as though the viewer was slightly removed so that they would feel as though they were watching a memory. 

Fig.2 Film Still of Saoirse Ronan on the floor in 'Lady Bird' (2018)

Greta Gerwig often draws upon inspiration from things such as books, films, TV shows and the world around her. For the character of Lady Bird McPherson in Lady Bird, she knew that she didn't want Lady Bird to be a polished person, setting unrealistic beauty standards. She wanted her to be a realistic teenager, who suffered from things like acne, dyed her hair herself, who wasn't glossy like fashion magazines and the media make people appear to be. 

Gerwig drew upon films such as Romeo + Juliet (1996), Clueless (1995), and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) with regards to demonstrating to Saoirse Ronan, who plays Lady Bird, what her character wanted and would've "cherished" (Gerwig, 2018). 

For Little Women, Gerwig drew upon her love for the book that she grew up reading. She drew upon experiences of how much harder it is for people to get on board when a woman tries to do/achieve something and used and emphasised this within the film for example, throughout the whole process of Jo writing and publishing her novel. 

Gerwig prefers the characters in her film to be equals in terms of not just serving the main character but as if they were a main character as she believes that "If you followed any single character, they would have their own movie" (Gerwig, 2018). 

Decision

I decided to take forward Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird. It was a film that I enjoy watching and felt as though I could adapt to make it my own. I chose the scene that takes place in the gym of Immaculate Heart of Mary (The Abortion Seminar Scene) and the scene that follows on from this and takes place in Lady Bird's family room and consists of an argument between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion. I felt as though I could attempt to put a greater emphasis on the characters in terms of who they are, how they come across, and their relationships through the use of things such as production design and camera shots. 

Bibliography:

Berman, E. (2018) 'How Greta Gerwig Is Leading By Example'  In: Time Magazine At: https://time.com/5180697/how-greta-gerwig-is-leading-by-example/ (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Fig.1 Ryan, J. (2019) Portrait of Greta Gerwig. [Photograph] At: https://variety.com/2019/film/podcasts/greta-gerwig-little-women-hell-bent-on-directing-1203452020/ (Accessed 31/01/2021)

Fig.2 Levy, S. (2018) Film Still of Saoirse Ronan on the floor in 'Lady Bird' (2018) In: Lady Bird. United States: Universal Pictures. (Accessed 11/02/2021)

FilmD. (2020) The Directing and Writing Style of Director Greta Gerwig At: https://www.filmd.co.uk/articles/the-directing-and-writing-style-of-director-greta-gerwig/#:~:text=Acting%20Style,in%20her%20first%20two%20films. (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Giardina, C (2018) 'Cinematography Secrets to 'Baby Driver', 'Lady Bird' and 'Wonder Woman' ' In: The Hollywood Reporter At:https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cinematography-secrets-baby-driver-lady-bird-wonder-woman-1070738 (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Hart, H. (2017) Cinematographer Sam Levy's Shot List Pictured Lady Bird A Year In Advance At: https://www.motionpictures.org/2017/12/cinematographer-sam-levys-shot-list-pictured-lady-bird-a-year-in-advance/ (Accessed 11/02/2021)

IMDB (2021) Greta Gerwig Filmography At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1950086/#director (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Malkin, M. (2019) 'Listen: Greta Gerwig 'Was Hellbent on' Directing 'Little Women' '  In: Variety At: https://variety.com/2019/film/podcasts/greta-gerwig-little-women-hell-bent-on-directing-1203452020/ (Accessed 11/02/2021)

O'Falt, C. (2017) 'How Greta Gerwig's Brilliant Use of Colors Turned 'Lady Bird' Into An Emotional Nostalgia Trip' In: IndieWire At: https://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/lady-bird-greta-gerwig-color-sam-levy-1201907175/ (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Stevens, I. (2018) 'Lady Bird' director Greta Gerwig: 'I'm interested in women, period' ' In: Financial Times 09/02/2018 At: https://www.ft.com/content/245c13d4-f162-11e7-bb7d-c3edfe974e9f (Accessed 11/02/2021)

Directions : Director Research - Steve McQueen

 Director Research - Steve McQueen

Fig.1 Portrait of Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen is a British Director and filmmaker probably most well known for Hunger (2008) 12 Years A Slave (2013), Widows (2018), and most recently, the TV mini-series, Small Axe (2020). He began as an artist and went into directing later on. Before putting his hand to directing, McQueen began as an artist

McQueen's films are often focused on realism. His work is often engrossing and deals with challenging topics (in particular, the truth). He often looks to drag the audience into the experience of the subject/s his work delves in to (McQueen, 2013). McQueen often uses detailed close-ups of the action, allowing the audience to get up-close-and-personal to the action and face the harsh reality of the often challenging subjects of Steve McQueen's films. For example, in the ending scene of the film Hunger (2008), McQueen subjects the audience to a close up of one of the main characters', Bobby Sands (played by Michael Fassbender), eyes as he is dying. It adds to the sense of empathy and allows the audience to experience the final stages of Bobby's life alongside him. Death plays a big part in everyone's lives and often isn't spoken about enough so through this, the audience is made to face up to it vicariously. 

Fig.2 Film Still of a close up of Michael Fassbender's Eye from Hunger (2008)

Through McQueen's use of close ups and focus on realism, I have learnt that it allows for the audience to hold a greater sense of empathy and ensures that the audience faces up to the reality of life.

McQueen is thoughtful when it comes to colour. A good example of his use of colour is the film, Shame. McQueen appears to have used a lot of blues throughout this film, particularly with regards to the exterior shots. This could be to symbolise the fact that he is an isolated sex addict struggling to navigate and deal with life. 

Fig. 3 Still of Michael Fassbender Outside from Shame (2012) 

Fig. 4 A Collection of Stills from Shame (2012)

It could be said that Michael Fassbender is a trademark of McQueen's as he often appears in his work. Fassbender has appeared in three of McQueen's films, Hunger (2008), Shame (2012), and 12 Years a Slave (2013).Long-takes could also be said to be a signature of McQueen's as they appear in the majority of his work. 

The majority of his work tends to contain one or more running scenes. Running scenes take place in Hunger (2008), Shame (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Widows (2018), and the Small Axe series (2020). All of the characters involved in the running scenes are running away from something. In the episode of Education in the Small Axe (2020) series, Kingsley is seen running away from the classroom in the school that he is being forced to attend due to an unlawful segregation policy, denying his right to an equal education. Another example of a running scene is in the film Widows (2018), where we see the character Veronica, running away with the money from the heist and from the scene where she's just killed her husband, who has been having an affair. McQueen's use of running scenes could be representative of the fact that we are often running away from things in life whether it be for good or bad reasons. 

McQueen has used a mixture of digital and film in his work. When shooting the Education episode of Small Axe (2020) 16mm film was used to replicate the films and TV shows of the 70s (the time period in which Education is set). Whereas, the Lovers Rock episode of Small Axe was shot on an Arri Alexa. 

I admire McQueen's realism within his work and his use thoughtfulness, particularly when it comes to thinking about what to film on, whether that be digital or analog. 

Bibliography:

12 Years A Slave (2013) Directed by McQueen, S. [Netflix] At: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70284282?trackId=13752291&tctx=0%2C1%2C7370a791c1d1c50170f2c36bcb594f2b9ef47e13%3Ae75927713609074cdacbd3e413d68f8200b79fbe%2C7370a791c1d1c50170f2c36bcb594f2b9ef47e13%3Ae75927713609074cdacbd3e413d68f8200b79fbe%2C%2C (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Fig.1 Le Segretain, Pascal. (2011) Portrait of Steve McQueen. [Photograph] At: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2588606/mediaviewer/rm369933312/ (Accessed 31/01/2021)

Fig.2 Bobbit, S. (2008) Film Still of a close up of Michael Fassbender's Eye. [Film Still] In: Hunger. London: Film 4. (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Fig.3 Bobbit, S. (2012) Still of Michael Fassbender Outside from Shame. [Film Still] In: Shame. London: Film 4. At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/44613852541498685/ (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Fig.4 Bobbit, S. (2012) A Collection of Stills from Shame. [Film Still] hame. London: Film 4. At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/138063544811789252/ (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Hunger (2008) Directed by McQueen, S. [Netflix] At: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70108808?source=35 (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Hunt, A. (2020) "The Manifesto was: let's trust our heritage, our talent and each other": Shabier Kirchner on shooting Small Axe At:https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/shabier-kirchner-cinematographer-small-axe-steve-mcqueen (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Palmer, L. (2013) 6 Filmmaking Tips From Steve McQueen. At: https://filmschoolrejects.com/6-filmmaking-tips-from-steve-mcqueen-feefb8320c29/ (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Small Axe: Alex Wheatle (2020) [Television Programme] BBC IPlayer 06/12/2020. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000q6rf/small-axe-series-1-alex-wheatle (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Small Axe: Education (2020) [Television Programme] BBC IPlayer 13/12/2020. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000qfb1/small-axe-series-1-education (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2020) [Television Programme] BBC IPlayer 22/11/2020. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000prjp/small-axe-series-1-lovers-rock (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Small Axe: Mangrove (2020) [Television Programme] BBC IPlayer 15/11/2020. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08vy19b/small-axe-series-1-mangrove (Accessed 10/02/2021)

Small Axe: Red, White and Blue (2020) [Television Programme] BBC IPlayer 29/11/2021. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000pzmb/small-axe-series-1-red-white-and-blue (Accessed 10/02/2021)