Paul Thomas Anderson: An Auteur of Film
Alex Hoffman
IB Film
Mr. Evers
January 10, 2012
Paul Thomas Anderson: An Auteur of Film
There are two types of directors in the world: those who write their movies and those who don’t. This doesn’t mean that one is a better director than the other, but it does however define if a director is truly an auteur of their film. Paul Thomas Anderson dropped out of film school after just 2 days. He went on to spend his savings and college money to produce his first short film Cigarettes & Coffee. It was a hit at Sundance Film Festival, and led to the funding of his first feature film. After establishing his career at a very young age, Anderson went on to create 3 cinematic masterpieces, each of whose scripts were original screenplays by him. These movies are: Boogie Nights, a humanistic insight on the porn industry, Magnolia, a day in the life of 11 individuals, and There Will Be Blood, a look into one man’s journey to wealth in the oil industry. Paul is known, however, for sticking to his guts and not following conventional film making techniques or storyline structures. He has even said, ““I'll rebel against powers and principalities, all the time. Always, I will.” Through a careful examination of his films, one can see that his films are defined by him and him alone. Whether it is through his careful pre-production script writing, or his attention to editing, Anderson has proven that his influence is crucial to his film’s artistic success.
Portion of Magnolia’s script: Lots of attention to detail, especially in terms of shots and framing
Portion of Magnolia’s script: Lots of attention to detail, especially in terms of shots and framing
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of many writer-directors in Hollywood, but the level of detail he brings to his scripts separates him from many of his counterparts. It can clearly be seen how the script translates to the film through Anderson’s carefully explained details of framing and movements of shots, were as many films’ scripts
IB Film
Mr. Evers
January 10, 2012
Paul Thomas Anderson: An Auteur of Film
There are two types of directors in the world: those who write their movies and those who don’t. This doesn’t mean that one is a better director than the other, but it does however define if a director is truly an auteur of their film. Paul Thomas Anderson dropped out of film school after just 2 days. He went on to spend his savings and college money to produce his first short film Cigarettes & Coffee. It was a hit at Sundance Film Festival, and led to the funding of his first feature film. After establishing his career at a very young age, Anderson went on to create 3 cinematic masterpieces, each of whose scripts were original screenplays by him. These movies are: Boogie Nights, a humanistic insight on the porn industry, Magnolia, a day in the life of 11 individuals, and There Will Be Blood, a look into one man’s journey to wealth in the oil industry. Paul is known, however, for sticking to his guts and not following conventional film making techniques or storyline structures. He has even said, ““I'll rebel against powers and principalities, all the time. Always, I will.” Through a careful examination of his films, one can see that his films are defined by him and him alone. Whether it is through his careful pre-production script writing, or his attention to editing, Anderson has proven that his influence is crucial to his film’s artistic success.
Portion of Magnolia’s script: Lots of attention to detail, especially in terms of shots and framing
Portion of Magnolia’s script: Lots of attention to detail, especially in terms of shots and framing
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of many writer-directors in Hollywood, but the level of detail he brings to his scripts separates him from many of his counterparts. It can clearly be seen how the script translates to the film through Anderson’s carefully explained details of framing and movements of shots, were as many films’ scripts