Filmmakers around the world are inspired by a variety of directors. Certain directors have their own styles such as Quentin Tarantino, other’s focus more on storytelling and atmosphere such as David Fincher. Then, you have directors who love explosive action and visuals such as Michael Bay. There are many different types of directors, and these are the ones who influence my style, storytelling and visuals.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan to me created the definition of cinematic storytelling. You look at films such as Interstellar, Inception and Dunkirk and you see his love for grandiose music, huge IMAX shots and the grounded reality the stories take place in. I love epic films, and three of Christopher Nolan’s films literally blew me away when I first saw them; The Dark Knight, Inception and Dunkirk. Their wide shots, incredible action sequences and intuitive filmmaking techniques are what I inspire towards.
Edgar Wright
When it comes to British Filmmakers, there’s always one that stands out to me and that’s Edgar Wright. The man who gave us films such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver. My favourite film from last year was Baby Driver just because it was really inventive. He synchronised the action with music perfectly, this type of filmmaking feels fresh and exciting. He is known for his sharp cuts and use of music, and that inspires me to find my own tastes in editing and directing.
Stephen Spielberg
The king of cinema, the inventor of the blockbuster, yes it is Stephen Spielberg. Nearly every current filmmaker working in the industry is heavily inspired by Stephen Spielberg, just look at every blockbuster film made in the last decade. He pioneered so many techniques and advances in the filmmaking industry. His love of childlike stories, mixing in horror elements but keeping that innocence is what makes him special. He knows how to balance realism with the magic of cinema, and this year’s Ready Player One shows that he’s still got it. He is my hero in the film industry.
J. J. Abrams
Lastly, there is one last key film director who inspires me, and that is J. J. Abrams. He is the person who brought back Star Trek to the big screen, and reintroduced us to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I mentioned before my love for epic films, and it’s for this love which makes me highly interested in the works of J. J. Abrams. He has not directed many films, but the ones he has made such as Super 8 shows he is influenced by Spielberg as well. He understands the marriage of great storytelling and blockbuster entertainment so well that he continues to find new ways to make audiences scream, laugh and cry. He is a massive influence on me, and I hope one day to make a blockbuster with his style of filmmaking.
There are many more film directors that have influenced me, but the one thing I love the most about them all is they are all so different. I love how different each one is, it guarantees audiences that they won’t see the same film twice when they go to the cinema, and that is what I love about the filmmaking industry.
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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