Auteur Theory and My Future in Film.

Auteur Theory is the theory that the "director is the author of the film." In a sense this is true; in a sense this is not. In films, there is a joint effort to make the story, between the writers and the director. The director is in charge of interpretation of the writing, and thus should share credit with the writers, but in Auteur Theory, does not. I personally do not agree with this non-sharing.

In the case of my film, since I actually wrote it, I'm both the writer, and the director; however, other people suggested ideas, so I am not the sole author of the film, though I am the main author. Other people had suggestions, and I listened to them, because they were good. I didn't put in every suggestion, and some I tweaked, but ultimately, while I was in charge of authoring the film and its direction, I was not the sole author anymore. I think Auteur Theory is very interesting, and has a lot of truth to it, but at the same time disagree that the director is the only author of the film, since they are not.

I made an effort to make the film being portrayed seem like something that could happen in real life, but because of the subject matter, a hitman, it is unlike everyday life, thus falling into Formalism as well. I think that Auteur Theory does a good basic job of explaining the director's authorship of a film, in general, and would agree that I am the primary author of my trailer, from its writing, to its direction, and with its editing as well. It was portrayed the way it was because of my interpretation, and it was interesting seeing these three theories play out in actual practice.

The project itself was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got to do my first film. It's made me want to make more fake trailers, and go on to doing short films, perhaps even feature length at some point. I'll be working with the same people in the future as I did with this trailer too. It was a lot of work, but wasn't overbearing, and I'm looking forward to what the future holds.

The trailer itself is not perfect, but is a good first step in my journey in film making I think.

For those who wish to see the trailer, just go to Breath Taker under Nathan Yessler on YouTube.

Formalist Film Theory

Formalism is sort of an opposite to Realism. Unlike Realism, Formalism holds that "the art of cinema is possible precisely because a movie is unlike everyday life..." according to Salisbury Edu.

What this means for me, is that the film I'm making, about a hitman, that while it has elements of realism, such as it not being fantastical, and it being grounded in something that could happen, at the same time there are elements of formalism, because this subject  matter is not like everyday life for most people, and may not be realistic in many situations at all, as it is an interpretation of reality. My job as the director is to make this subject matter which is fantastical, appear to be realistic, so that the audience can see this happening in real life, but at the same time is being entertained because it is not something that typically happens in real life.

Realist Film Theory

In Tony McKibbin's article on Realist Film Theory, realism is “a response to the genuine need to see men for what they are, with humility and without recourse to fabricating the exceptional; it means an awareness that the exceptional is arrived at through the investigation of reality," according to Roberto Rossellini. 

In an antithesis to Hollywood and its glamour, realism in this aspect isn't trying to embellish the world. 

What this means for me, in my research, and my application as a filmmaker, is that in exploration of realism, that I try to remain understated in my portrayal of people, but at the same time make the cinematography interesting and stylized without taking away too much from the realism, since I want my trailer to show realism. It's an interesting balance to try and keep, but one well worth the effort I think.