CIN270Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: New Hollywood, Product Differentiation
11 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017
CIN270Y1
CLASS 20
The Director as Superstar: The Cult of the New Hollywood Auteur
Auteurism in 1970’s Hollywood: Why?
• The precarious state of the studios
• Studios thought that maybe their salvation lay in giving more opportunities to young
directors
• Promoting authors: new marketing device
- They see authors slightly differently, as a pivot in their marketing practices (a
marketing device)
• Product differentiation: “name” as “pre-sold” entity (film director becomes one of these
pre-sold properties
• Signatures: a new form of inscription
- Alliance between technology and a more forceful business practice
- Alliance of corporate and aesthetic priorities
Steven Spielberg: Why?
• Spielberg as “author” has been vigorously debated
• THE central figure in industrial American filmmaking for 40 years
• THE embodiment of New Hollywood’s commercialist tactics
• THE figurehead for present-day Blockbuster filmmaking
Because Spielberg…
• High degree of power and control in his work
• Authorship is plausible in such cases
• We might expect to see consistency across his films
• Mise-en-scène/lighting
• Why does he rely in an excessive deployment of light?
“God Light” (as described by Spielberg)
• Film critic Andrew Gordon: Spielberg awes VIEWERS with light
• But he also “awes” us with sound, special effects, framing, blocking
• His images can “overwhelm”
• Like his characters, we feel awe…at what’s given to view and at the director’s evident
proficiency
Religious Miracles?
• Light implies “mystery”
• The existence of something beyond human knowing/reason/logic
• Light: has the effect of “religious miracles”
• Something about our world, this universe, etc., escapes our comprehension
The Daily Mundane
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The director as superstar: the cult of the new hollywood auteur. Auteurism in 1970"s hollywood: why: the precarious state of the studios, studios thought that maybe their salvation lay in giving more opportunities to young directors, promoting authors: new marketing device. They see authors slightly differently, as a pivot in their marketing practices (a marketing device: product differentiation: name as pre-sold entity (film director becomes one of these pre-sold properties, signatures: a new form of inscription. Alliance between technology and a more forceful business practice. Steven spielberg: why: spielberg as author has been vigorously debated, the central figure in industrial american filmmaking for 40 years, the embodiment of new hollywood"s commercialist tactics, the figurehead for present-day blockbuster filmmaking. Religious miracles: light implies mystery , the existence of something beyond human knowing/reason/logic, light: has the effect of religious miracles , something about our world, this universe, etc. , escapes our comprehension.
