DIRECTOR RESEARCH - 3 Directors.
TERRENCE MALICK
Much like Marmite, Malick’s Directing style is often divisive and opinions vary greatly. Many who admire Malick’s work, do so because of the naturalistic attributes, the immersive quality of being somewhat of a ‘Will-o-the-wisp’ floating through the worlds that he creates.
Malick is supposedly notoriously difficult to get to open up about his Directorial process or style, which means that much of his work is left for the audience to digest and decipher. That said, there are some clear, consistent and prominent themes in Malick’s work that appear inarguable; those themes are nature and the Human relationship to the natural world, as well as connections between each other. This is something that clearly influences and guides his work and is also a strong part of the visual language of his projects.
After watching many videos dissecting his work, I decided to watch one of his films. Much of his work is shot in a cinéma vérité style, something that reenforces the fabricated realism prevalent in his films and works in harmony with his use of naturalistic lighting. In the example of “Song to Song” (2017) the majority, if not the entire film, is shot on a wide angle lens and is handheld. Even when pushing in close to his Actors, a wide angle lens is used, working effectively to draw the eye to the subject in the foreground whilst also providing for some impressive backdrops.
In the above example from ‘A Hidden Life’, the Actors in frame are emphasised by their surroundings. This helps to connect the viewer not only the story, but with the environments they inhabit and offers a more peripheral view, this helps you feel connected to the story and the world that the Characters inhabit.
Malick does draw criticism for his strong favouring of visual content, which some see as something that comes at the expense of the story. This is something that I agree on, as during my time watching ‘Song to song’, I found it difficult to identify a clear or interesting narrative. Ultimately though, I think that we need filmmakers like Malick. The magic of Terrence Malick lies not in the story-centric realms of mainstream cinema, but in his ability to subvert the confines of filmmaking rules and make exploratory, experimental projects. There’s something visceral and moving about Malick’s work. I feel integral to what’s being presented in front of me; like a spectral observer reviewing a past life, unable to effect, bound only to watch. Perhaps better appreciated within the confines of montage rather than at feature length, Malick’s work is definitely worthy of recognition, however you feel about it.
DEREK CIANFRANCE
Some of my favourite recent films are those that have been made by Cianfrance. For me, his work has a tremendous impact; I feel that he fully understands how to create rich, complex stories and has a considered view on how best to tell them visually.
Like Malick, much of Derek Cianfrance’s films give you a considerable feeling of being on the inside of the story. Although not as avant-garde, Cianfrance does well to create his own unique brand of visual language.
Most noticeably, Cianfrance has a fantastic approach to how colour can affect the mood or feeling of a story, and his films can fluctuate from warm to cold tones depending on what’s happening on screen at the time. His films are usually explorations of relationships, both intimate and familial and often take place in non-linear timeframes. The shifting of these time-frames allows for a clearly motivated use of a shifting colour palette.
In the below screenshots from ‘The Place beyond the Pines’, notice how when telling the story of how the two Characters initially met and fell in love, the palette is warm and the overall brightness of the scene is lifted.
Now, this scene where they are experiencing trouble. It’s much more muted and cold. It appears so simple on the surface of it, but it’s an effective and compelling way to guide the viewer unconsciously.
Enhanced blue hues are prominent throughout Cianfrance’s body of work, something that for me remains an identifiable motif.
More examples here from Blue Valentine:
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