Film Auteur Theory

Film Auteur Theory ‘The auteur theory can be summarised most simply as an acknowledgement of the director as the primary and shaping force behind a film (Craig Keller). How is Godards ‘primary and shaping influence detectable, if indeed, it is? Introduction The auteur theory or la politique des auteurs was a principle developed in the 1950s by a group of French film critics namely: Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. These critics wanted to see an end to the â€Å"literary†, â€Å"lifeless† and not â€Å"truly cinematic† conventional cinema of the 1930s and 1940s. Inspired by fellow film critic Alexandre Astrucs camera-stylo theory which argued that â€Å"filmmakers should use their equipment as spontaneously, flexibly and personally as a writer uses a pen† these young critics wanted to break the constraints of conventional cinema. Through the experimentation of different cinematic techniques they began to implement their own personal artistic values in films, as directors. It was therefore their belief that an auteur is â€Å"the single individual most responsible for whatever personal expression (if any) a movie yielded up under critical analysis†. This definition has become the most universally understood of the auteur theory and therefore the one which will be referred to during this essay. Prior to the development of the auteur theory, a large majority of films were produced, shot and edited in a similar style. Large studios, with fixed cameras and the scriptwriter having overall control were the order of the day thus creating a rigid style of film production. The auteurs became the primary shaping force behind a movie, manipulating scenes to fit their style rather than employing the traditional method of following scriptwriters prompts. The auteur theory was initiated in the 1950s by a group of French Film Critics including the likes of Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette. These critics spoke out against la tradition de la qualità © of cinema from the 1930s and 40s a period coined le cinà ©ma de papa claiming it to be â€Å"literary†, â€Å"lifeless† and not â€Å"truly cinematic†. In terms of the auteur theory Jean-Luc Godard was seen as the truly radical auteur. By most he is today seen as one of the most innovative and artistic directors having created his own ‘Gordards style. Whilst for others such as Susan Sontag he is ‘the deliberate destroyer of cinema. Either way Godard epitomizes a director out to challenge traditional cinema. Through his early films, such as Vivre sa Vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962) and Une femme est une femme he began to interrogate and illuminate conventional cinema via new cinematic and artistic techniques. He has since become very much the pivotal protagonist of the auteur theory. Objectives This essay will assess the extent to which Jean-Luc Godards ‘primary and shaping influence is detectable in his films. In the main body of this essay I will consider Godards ability to implement his own cinematic style through several inventive techniques. I will consider his ability to challenge the barriers between off screen and on screen reality through his use of sound and editing techniques. I will however, also argue that any kind of definition of the auteur theory oversimplifies the realities of a film making process and can therefore not be seen as a definitive theory. Andrew Sarris explains, one of the premises for an auteur is that the director must ‘exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style which serve as his signature†¦over a group of his films. It is therefore my intention to make reference to four of Godards films to highlight his during the Nouvelle Vague period. I will, therefore, make reference to four of Godards films: A bout de Souffle (1960), Une femme est une femme (1961), Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962) and Le Mepris (1963) to demonstrate†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ When cosidering these films one of the most common trends noticeable is his need to challenge the barriers of off screen and on screen reality. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, films were predominantly revised novels put on screen. To most directors As Kreidel suggested in 1980 â€Å"[N]o one has yet made a more modern cinema than Godard†. Indeed, Godard through his reaction against traditional realism typifies someone who represents reality with recourse to conventional cinema. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, directors followed very strict rules in their film making process in which they filmed in large studios with artificial lighting and with scripts which prevented improvisation. Godard completely reversed these rules in his films by directing them in a very spontaneous manner. Following the release of A Bout de Souffle actor Jean-Pierre Melville who played Parvulesco in the film said Godards movie was â€Å"anything shot anyhow†. Godard himself confirmed that â€Å"on A Bout de Souffle I used to write the evening before shooting.† According to Godard, the reason for him doing this was because â€Å"I liked to be surprised. If you know in advance everything you are going to do, it isnt worth doing. If a sh ow is all written down, what is the point of filming it? What use is cinema if it trails after literature?† This idea of filmmaking was revolutionary at the time and was a way in which Godard was implementing his own directional style to his movies. One of Godards earliest artistic influences came when directing his first motion picture A Bout de Souffle. Despite the film being a simple naturalistic movie with the camera following the characters in a deliberately real world filming realistic images, several factors led to the film being cut, mainly due to the length of the film. This created one of Godards most innovative filming techniques, the jump shot, and an editing method which would truly show Godard ability as a cinematic artist. The jump shot essentially create discontinuity in his films as it would catapult the action from one scene to the next with no palpable transition. One of the most noticeable examples of Godards jump shots in A Bout de Souffle came in the scene when Jean Seberg who plays Patricia is a passenger in the scene when Jean-Paul Belmondos character Michel drives her round the centre of Paris in a stolen convertible. During this scene there are up to seven jump shots in rapid succession of the position of Patricia head and the streets of Paris. In creating such a deliberately jagged shot Godard reminds the audience that they are watching a film, and not life itself, a concept vital to Godard when directing his films. One of the most innovative ways in which Godards primary and shaping force is evident in his films can be shown through his use of colour. In conventional cinema, colour was generally used in order to increase the commerciality of films. When it was occasionally used, it enhanced the mood in separate scenes. Godard as a notable auteur employed a far more ambitious use of colour. In his first two colour films Une femme est une femme and Le Mà ©pris he predominantly used primary colours due to him being influenced by â€Å"modern art: straight color, ‘pop art†. Godard uses bold primary colours to indicate the characterisation and narrative development in his films but in such a way that it does not act upon the viewer in a directly sensual way. In Godards first colour film Une femme est une femme, Angela is intent on having a child with her husband Emile. Emile however, is not so keen on the idea and comes across as rather blasà © about the subject; he predominantly wear s blue in the film which symbolises his rather laid back nature. After being repeatedly refused by Emile on the topic of having a baby, Angela goes to Emiles friend Albert to have an affair in the hope to conceive. Albert despite being happy to oblige feels no real affection for Angela and this is shown as he mainly wears grey to symbolise his disinterest in her. In Godards second colour film Le Mà ©pris Godard continues the pattern of using colour to represent characters personalities but tends to also use colour thematically. In the opening scene, when Camille is lying in bed with Paul discussing how much they love each other, Godard uses colour filters which are seen as a representative of what is going to happen in the film. If one considers that red symbolises love, white incertitude and blue coldness then it maps out what happens in the film, love to ambivalence to contempt. Furthermore, when examining the colours that are worn by the characters in the film, the reoccurring theme of Godard using colour to represent personality reappears. Paul the scriptwriter in the film is seen in a grey suit with blue specks highlighting his passive personality during the film. Jerry the ambitious American film producer is mostly seen in a blue suit, red tie and driving a red sports car which in turn highlights his dominant greedy and selfish nature. In addition, Camille is shown in several coloured dresses throughout the film so as to emphasize her continual change of emotions. Finally Francesca, Jerrys secretary wears a red jumper in the scene when she seduces Paul which again emphasizes Godards attempt to symbolise emotional currents in the film. It is important to note that several critics have suggested that on top of Godard using colour thematically the primary colours are also a referent to American musicals, a genre which fascinated Godard. This referent is most evidently seen in the opening credits of Une femme est une femme when bold colourful words flash up on the screen like neon lights reflecting the lavishness of the American musical. Furthermore, other critics suggest that the primary colours are a referent to either the French flag or American flag which again represents Godards primary and shaping influence within this film. A pivotal part in defining Godard as the primary and shaping force of his films can be seen in his use of sound. Prior to the Nouvelle Vague, sound was employed in film to replicate audibly the visual emotion of a scene in order to captivate the audience and make a scene appear more ‘realistic. Martin Heidegger highlights this tradition by saying that viewers have become accustomed to sounds â€Å"elegant effects† and thus treats them as real. Godard however, firmly believed that in ‘faking sound to captivate the audience, one is taking away the realism which he wanted in films. A point agreed by Richard Roud who suggested that â€Å"even in the most so-called realist film, sound has always been an exception†. It was therefore Godards intention to restore sound so that it would captivate ‘real life by refusing to edit or remix any previously recorded track, which he defined as sonic realism. One of Godards most notable examples of this was seen in A Bout de Souffle. Due to the sound being naturally recorded there are several scenes in the film when some of the characters conversations are muffled by natural or real noises. The use of natural sound reaches a peak during the scene in Patricias apartment when the noise of the sirens bellowing in through the open window actually drowns out the characters dialogue. Rather than being a distraction that takes the viewer out of the moment, the use of natural sou nd here, and throughout the film, only heighten the realism. After all, in life, it would be unrealistic to sit in a room with an open window in the centre of Paris and not hear any intrusive sounds. Jean Colet praises Godards creation of realism through sound stating â€Å"[Godard applies] to sound the same demands as for the pictures. [He captures] life in what it offers to be seen-and to be heard-directly.† Godards artistic use of sound can also be seen through his use of music in his films. In Godards Une Femme est une Femme he begins to break up music in short bursts. This use of music gives the sense of the film as a sort of assemblage different bits of the material world put together in a particular way. This further exemplifies Godards use of experimentation as when asked about his use of sound and music he said Things are there: but lets see how they work. Second Section It is undeniable that Godard has produced some of the most inspiring and innovative films through his use of story line and cinematic techniques. His exploitation of light, colour, and sound, editing and alienating the audience showed Godard had revolutionised traditional French cinema and in doing so has inspired modern day film directors such as Quentin Tarrantino. However, in using Kellers summary that an auteur is simply the primary and shaping force of his films it is unquestionably oversimplifying the realities of the film making process. As Godard changed so much in his films compared to traditional cinema it is not possible for him to be praised for every aspect of his films creation. Godard said in an interview in 1983: â€Å"I find it useless to keep offering the public the ‘auteur. In Venice, when I got the prize of the Golden Lion I said that I deserve only probably the mane of this lion, and maybe the tail. Everything in the middle should go to all the others who work on the picture: the paws to the director of photography, theface to the editor, the body to the actors. I dont believe in the solitude of†¦the auteur with a capital A†. Furthermore, Godard admitted that him and the likes of Truffaut, Rohmer and Rivette whilst taking the plaudits for the auteur theory, exaggerated the significance of the theory so as to establish personal expression as one of the primary values in Nouvelle Vague films. Several theorists have also raised doubts as to the significance of the auteur. Foulcault and Roland Barthes suggest that all creative ideas are moulded by the social and political forces that surround us. They go on to state that ideas are contrived from the knowledge that one has gained from past experiences. If one puts this in the context of Godards films it would suggest that Godards cinematic ideas and techniques were influenced by what he has learnt from past experiences. An example of this can be seen in his indirect use of Brechtian distanciation. Whilst it is evident that he was inspired by Brechts idea of alienating the audience to prevent them from being passive observers can one really claim that Godards cinematic techniques were not the result of Brechts indirect influence? Furthermore, when analysing many of Godards films, Godard refers to several quotes from the likes of William Faulkner and Edgar Poe. These are quotes which could have been easily edited but instead G odard â€Å"taste for quotation† suggests that he is not the primary and shaping force in his films.

Speech Recognition Software :: Essays Papers

Speech Recognition Software Throughout the past 100 years, we have had visions of what the future would be like thanks to the creative minds behind movies and television shows. Many predictions as to what the future would be like have come true, while others are still far off. One element that can be seen in almost all futuristic fictional forms is that of speech recognition. Right now, developers are hard at work trying to make speech recognition an aspect of every day life. It is far from this final destination, but that’s not to say it isn’t a technology that is being used today. Several elementary products are available now that utilize speech recognition software technology. Speech recognition is a revolutionary technology in software development that will change the way we interact with our digital world. Speech recognition has been created and researched for many valid reasons. The main purpose of the technology is a way for humans to interact with computers and other digital devices by simply speaking. They can not only tell the computer commands, but they can speak normally while the computer converts the speech into text. This improves input speed to the computer because a person can speak much faster than they can use their hands typing or controlling the mouse. This is also an advancement that helps people with disabilities (Connections). People with arthritis, weak bones, or other medial conditions may have a hard time typing and using the mouse. Blind people can’t even see computer screens to check for spelling mistakes or to see where the mouse cursor is on the screen. Speech recognition can help these disabled people interact with computers in ways that were previously impossible. The software itself does most of the work, and the user essentially only has to speak at the speed the program can operate. There are a few different types of voice recognition software, all programmed to interpret a vocal signal inputted by the user. In order to use the software, the user must use a headset or some other microphone-type device that allows for vocal input. The technology works as follows: the analog signal from the voice cones in through the microphone, that signal is converted to digital, and the voice software interprets the digital signal.

Act three of the crucible Essay

This leaves Mary Warren accused, with no way out, as Abigail expands on this statement to make it seem more realistic. Abigail has achieved what she wanted, she has gotten the attention away from herself using her accusations. The tension builds as we don’t know what Abigail is going to do next and we know that she is capable of destroying peoples lives. The Puritan society meant that everything revolved around God, the girls, knowing this, found that the strongest way to act was to accuse people of being against God. It would make them look in a better light as they are doing Gods work by ferreting the evil out of the village. Danforth, Hale and Hathorne believe that God is using the girls to help the village. This constant reference to the Bible and repetition of the puritan beliefs adds to the tension as it shows that they will not doubt the â€Å"messengers of God†. There is also a moment of humour were Proctor forgets one of the commandments, when he is trying to prove his wife’s innocence. Throughout the whole ordeal Proctor stands as the voice of reason, speaking the truth but not being heard over the tumult of lies. He voices sensible faults to Abigail’s accusations. When Abigail sees a yellow bird, Proctor says that he can’t see it and asks Hale the same thing even though he is being quieted by Danforth as he is trying to get the words out. He asks Hale because he thinks that Hale is starting to lose faith in the reliability of the court and calls to him for back up and support. He frantically tries to tell Danforth that the girls are just pretending in order to help Mary Warren, other wise he would feel guilty for Mary’s fate because he brought her there and told her to face up to Abigail and to tell the truth, â€Å"They’re pretending, Mr. Danforth! . . . They’re gulling you Mister! † This again adds to the tension as everyone is shouting over each other and the anger builds. As soon as everyone has been calmed down, once more they begin to yell their accusations over each other. The tension is built in peaks and troughs to keep the audience on edge. It is first built at the beginning when the characters first come on stage. It is lulled by Hale who asks for calm, and as they discuss the proceedings rationally, it is raised once more upon the entrance of Proctor as Parris claims he is there to overthrow the court. Another raise in tension is when Proctors wife is accused of keeping poppets in the house. Proctor cannot, despite the confession of Mary Warren, convince Danforth that it did not belong to Elizabeth. Abigail becomes worried that Danforth is starting to believe Proctor and so to strengthen the girls’ story she pretends she can feel a cold wind which is freezing her. The other girls pick up the act quickly and can also feel the wind. Proctor knows that they are only acting but cannot convince anyone else, as the girls’ have done it so much they start to believe it themselves. Act three – â€Å"Abigail : I – I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (her eyes fall on Mary) Mary : (terrified, pleading) Abby! Mercy : (shivering) Your Honour, I freeze! Proctor : Their pretending! Hathorne : She is cold, Your Honour, touch her! † Abigail makes several attacks like this on Mary, when her and the other girls copy everything that Mary says and the one which finally cracks her, the yellow bird story. All these fantasies which Abigail makes up adds to the tension as we do not know what will happen to Mary if she does not confess. When Mary accuses Proctor she thinks she is doing what Abigail wants her to do but it ruins Abigail’s plan to get rid of Proctors wife so she could be with him instead. This is the end of the climax where Proctor is so angry at the injustice of the events and terrified of what with happen to him that in a moment of outrage that seals his arrest and ultimate hanging when he shouts out, â€Å"I say – I say – God is dead! † In the video the fury of the towns people is shown as they, in a Theocracy, feel very strongly about blasphemy. Proctor has seen the truth as he says that both Danforth and himself are doomed to hell as they have both sinned, â€Å"Proctor : God damns our kind especially, and we will burn , we will burn together! . . . You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore! † Hale has had enough and says he had nothing to do with the court proceedings and the overall verdict and storms out of the court. This is the final climax that Millar was building to the end were Proctor is so angry at Abigail and the court that he doesn’t care any more. When he says, â€Å"I say – I say – God is dead! † He is basically signing his own death warrant as the tolerance for blasphemy in his society was non-existent. Proctor knew this and knew this would anger everyone but he also knew that he couldn’t win. The end of the scene ends in chaos, as Hale storms out, The court falls apart, symbolising the less than perfect world of the Theocracy and their entire beliefs, which do not work when people have the freedom to lie and cause such thing as murder to happen legally and with the authorisation of the courts. I think that the point Arthur Miller is trying to make is that people will only believe what they want to believe. Also, there is not a straight line drawn through right and wrong, how crime and punishment are often influenced by thoughts, feelings and individual ideals. I think he is also trying to say that good doesn’t always conquer over evil no matter how superior their principals, intensions or morals are. Stephanie Moore English – Crucible essay Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

The Effects Of Emotions On The Workplace Essay - 1465 Words

Attention to emotions in the workplace has surfaced in the field of industrial organizational psychology within the past 15 years (Daus, 2016). Prior to the acknowledgement of emotions having an influence in the workplace, it was believed that behaviors, outcomes, and decisions within a company were based solely on cognitive processes. Furthermore, the conceptual sophistication of emotions was considered to be insignificant, and therefore, believed to be inconsequential in the work life. However, recent studies have highlighted the importance of emotions within an organization and how they can positively or negatively affect individuals. Components of emotions, such as emotional labor, affective events theory (AET), and emotional intelligence (EI) will be discussed in further detail in efforts to support the evidence that emotions are relevant in the workplace. An emotion can be defined as a brief, but intense reaction to an event that can cause a positive or negative feeling (Bauer Erdogan, 2012). These experienced emotions can influence a person’s openness to advice or criticism, whether he or she decides to quit a job, or affect how he or she performs individually or within a group. Positive emotions in the workplace, such as joy or surprise, can result from completing a challenging project and receiving high praise from upper management. A company can benefit from positive emotions since these people are generally more creative, which leads to the development of newShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Stress On The Workplace1563 Words   |  7 PagesEmotions in the workplace play a crucial role in how organizations communicate within and to the outside world. Emotional states in the workplace have strong influence on the outcomes and dictates behaviors and attitudes within organizations. Positive emotions help employees attain favora ble outcomes including job enrichment, achievement and higher quality social context. There is smooth relationship in the workplace when there are positive emotions. Negative emotions on the other hand change theRead MoreInterpersonal Behavior Within the Organization1389 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Interpersonal behavior is the interaction between two or more persons. It is imperative to building and maintaining any type of relationship in our social world. However, when looking at interpersonal behavior in the workplace, things become a little more complicated. Interpersonal behavior affects the relationships between coworker and coworker, coworker and supervisor, and even worker and customer. Interpersonal relationships are important in career and job success. PositiveRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Outline The Principles Of Self Regulation And Self Awareness1474 Words   |  6 Pagestheir own emotions as well as others, two understand and manage these emotions successfully in self and others, with being able to effectively manage yourself as well as your relationships. Self-awareness can be considered essentially the bread and butter of all other competencies, it means having the ability to recognise and understand your own emotions while being â€Å"aware’ ’of how these can affect work and life. It is highly accepted that people whom are self-aware of their emotions are betterRead MoreThe Emotional Expression Of The People s Attitudes Towards Objective Things1672 Words   |  7 PagesEmotion refers to the experience of people’s attitudes towards objective things, which is the response of the human brain to the connection between objective external things and subjective needs. It is a psychological process, but also cause a certain physical changes. Janine (2013) stated that emotions arise from individuals, and some emotions may be instinctive, automatically responding to environmental stimuli rather than cognition. However, negative emotions are common in the working environmentRead MoreThe Impact Of Attitudes On The Workpla ce Essay1686 Words   |  7 PagesAttitudes and emotions in the workplace are extremely important because they dictate job performance. The emotions that people go through are something that cannot be avoided; however, they can be manipulated. Managers, leaders, CEO’S of companies learn to do this by experience and training. They manipulate employee’s emotions with the purpose of achieving better performance and satisfy an organization’s goals. Although people have always had different emotions, the notion that managers need to careRead MoreThe Studies Of Psychological Well -being And Its Effects Within The Workplace1501 Words   |  7 PagesWell -Being and its Effects within the Workplace As humans, it’s in our nature to continuously strive to live and be well . We seek to find happiness while we overcome the challenges life may present . Psychological well-being relates to this because it is all about the focus of life going great. According to Wright (2007), Aristotle wrote in great detail about the subject and defines it as â€Å"the product of a life well lived†. Today this definition remains true including the effects of feeling good andRead MorePsychology : Emotions And Moods919 Words   |  4 PagesThis research paper is written on the Chapter 8, Emotions and Moods. My research is based on my work-related experience (direct observation). My organizational issue is Emotions in the Workplace and will be analyzed using the following two core concepts Positive Affect and Negative Affect. I work for the Richland County Sheriff Department and saw different emotions on an everyday basis. With different emotions and moods can cause problems as our motto is to â€Å"Protect and Serve. How can we expect theRead MoreThe Decline Of Civility Within The Workplace859 Words   |  4 PagesThe question was asked, â€Å"Do manners matter?† The Golden Rule states: â€Å"do to others what you would want them to do to you.† The decline of civility in the workplace has been on the rise. Morals are still at the conclusion that this isn’t at any value of importance (Martin). Society assumes that o ne is born with etiquettes and not taught. Judith Martin states that the Original Innocence is â€Å"the idea that people are born naturally good but corrupted by civilization† (Martin). According to the Merriam-Read MoreEmotional Labor : Psychological Stress1115 Words   |  5 PagesI. Introduction Although emotions are difficult to describe, all of the people experience those pleasant or unpleasant feelings that can affect mood and behavior. Emotions are related to personal experiences and are a response to certain situations. Controlling feelings to perform a job is called â€Å"emotional labor†. Acting in a positive way with consumers is a job requirement of many employees; demonstrating high energy, interest, eagerness, joy, and warmth. Always holding a smile and showing kindnessRead MoreConflict Between Interpersonal, Intra Groups And Intra Group Levels1503 Words   |  7 Pagesof viewing conflict as whether undesirable phenomenon or not, it has been widely accepted that the presence of conflict in the workplace is inevitable. According to Rahim (2002, p. 207), conflict could be define as â€Å"an interactive process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities.† As this conflict occurs in the workplace, the existence of conflict is not only limited between people in an organisation, but it is also occurred between organisations