Comparison on Directorial Styles

I have picked three directors that have directed different types/genres of films that I have watched. Here I have compared the styles at which they create and identifies the similarities and differences between each one.

The first director I have chosen is Steven Spielberg who is a very well known director and has directed many popular films. A few examples are Jurassic Par, Jaws, ET and Indiana Jones. Although he has directed a fair variety of film genres, his most famous films are quite adventurous and intense.

His directing techniques include a lot of dramatic over the shoulder shots and another example would be when the character approaches the camera to be framed in a close up. This increases the powerfulness of the scene and is very gripping and intriguing for the target audience.

The second director I have chosen is James Cameron and although again, he has directed a variety of film genres, his best are also very well known. Some of his films include; Titanic, Avatar, Aliens and The Terminator.

The most famous probably being Titanic, is a romantic film and a lot of his other films are in the science fiction genre. His first known technique is the use of music, this really sets the mood of the scene and can really make the audience emotions flow. For example in Titanic the song 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion throughout the whole film, this is represented as very meaningful and deep and is often associated with this romantic genre.

This in comparison to Steven Spielberg is quite different because Cameron is quite subtle and pulls on the audiences heart strings, whereas Spielberg approach is much more intense but still as effective.

Finally, the last director I have decided to compare is Harold Ramis. His most popular films include; Ghost Busters, Groundhog Day and some more older films as well.

Ramis' style is often used in humorous films in the comedy genre, but also included action within his selection of films he directed. The difference between the previous two directors I have analysed and Ramis' style, is the fact that he uses effective flash backs which is quite an unusual technique, yet still manages to keep the audience engaged and excited to watch on. He is also quite subtle in his comedy techniques, similar to Cameron, but also sometimes includes dramatic scenes to increase the intensity just like Spielberg.