Who is Steven Spielberg and why is he famous?
In a brief description Steven Spielberg is a hugely famous director, whose use of cinematography changed the way people view film and people make film, forever.
Background information about Steven Spielberg and his movies. –
Born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Steven Spielberg was an amateur filmmaker as a child. He went on to become the enormously successful and Academy Award-winning director of such films as Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg moved several times growing up and spent part of his youth in Arizona. He became one of the youngest television directors for Universal in the late 1960s. A highly praised television film, Duel (1972), brought him the opportunity to direct for the cinema, and a string of hits have made him the most commercially successful director of all time.
Information sourced at – http://www.biography.com/people/steven-spielberg-9490621#early-career
How he started –
Fun facts About Steven
- The PG-13 movie rating, indicating that only people that are 13 years or above can be granted the right to watch a movie, was suggested by none other than Spielberg himself.
- Spielberg’s dog Elmer, a cocker spaniel, has been a part of a number of his movies more than any other actor has currently.
- Spielberg’s mother Leah once gifted his father, Arnold, a Brownie movie camera for his birthday. However, Spielberg at once took the present away for his own pleasure.
- The first movie ever seen by the now famous moviemaker was back in 1952. The movie was Cecile B Demille’s “The Greatest Show on Earth”, which also won the Oscar for Best Movie the same year
- Steven Spielberg’s love for video games is quite evident. His favorites are action video games like Call of Duty and Half Life. Spielberg gave the idea of a shooting game WWII that later on became a massive hit when it was released on Sony PlayStation in 1999.
- Pop star Michael Jackson’s song “Liberian Girl” features Steven Spielberg in the music video.
- Spielberg, as of now, has the responsibility of seven children.
- Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg have both worked together on a number of projects. However, they do not get along very well, due to their differences of opinion on issues such as Scientology, the use of Ritalin to treat children and other similar issues
Information found at – http://www.celebrityfunfacts.com/steven-spielberg/f23v11/
His future in the film industry –
Films hes most famous for?
Some of his most Iconic moments?
Saving Private Ryan analysis – Variety of continues shots, dark and gritty setting, cold setting, shaky cam builds tension, yelling and panic used throughout, confusion shown through the soldiers body languages, fast switch between the characters again to build tension, raining to show the emotion of sadness, 30 degree switches, smoke on the barrel of the gun showing the heat of the battle and the realism Steven likes to stick with throughout the film, pouring down with rain.
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Jaws analysis – variety of mid shots, fast switching between the shots, lots of different over the shoulder shots, decoy suspense to trick the audience into getting hyped over nothing, calm sounds, children playing, water moving etc, jaws music(very iconic), POV shot from the position of the shark, music intensifies, panic, large panning shot to show how the panic comes across the whole of the beach, emotive expression on their faces
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Jurassic Park analysis – Zoom in to the characters facial expression to show their emotive body language as they look into the distance towards the camera(Towards the dinosaur), dinosaur sounds, pan over to see the huge dinosaur that the character is looking at with a astonished facial expression, man standing below dinosaur to show the size comparison, low angle showing power in size, iconic jurassic park music plays building tension and excitement with the amazing CGI/robotic model, zoom out shot to again show the comparison with size, long panning shot to show the variety of types of dinosaurs.
Link –
An interview with Steven Spielberg –
Within this interview, Steven explains the reasons why he enjoyed making the films he does and how everything started with him, at universal studios. I feel that this video is really effective with Steven telling the story of how close his opportunities were to not happening. Through everything he learned; he was able to become the successful director he is today.
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Steven Spielberg’s advice –
This is Stevens inspirational speech, teaching people to never give up on their dreams; as without his dream, there wouldn’t be some of the most amazing films of our current generation.
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Awards he has won – Spielberg has won 126 awards from 231 nominations, including 3 Oscars, two times for Best Director, 7 Golden Globes two times for Best Director, three times as producer and 11 Emmys.
Information found at – https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=ZkQBVp_NA_Sq8weg3ZSACA&gws_rd=ssl#safe=strict&q=steven+spielberg+What+has+he+won+
Steven Spielberg makes films in such a certain way that helps the audience to understand that they are watching a Spielberg movie, by this I mean, if the audience sees the name, “Steven Spielberg” near the title of a movie; they are certainly going to want to watch the movie more; than a less known director.
Here are a few ways you can be certain you’re watching a Spielberg movie –
Daddy issues
Spielberg’s parents divorced when he was 19 years old, an incident that clearly affected the young man. In films from Close Encounters of the Third Kind to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, fatherhood is something to be feared, avoided and run away from…until it isn’t. An older Spielberg has said that, had he been a father at the time, he would have thought twice about having the main character in Close Encounters abandon his family so quickly.
Streams of light
War Horse is the 13th film that Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski have worked on together, a partnership that began with 1993’s Schindler’s List. In that time, Spielberg’s films have become increasingly full of interior scenes characterized by their backlit windows, with streams of light that pour in and leave the characters in silhouette. But the director has always relied on intense lighting, from above or outside. In speaking of the shot in Close Encounters that opens this video, of the small boy standing against a doorway blasted out with an alien light, Spielberg has said that it is one of the key images of his career, “That beautiful but awful light, just like fire coming through the doorway.
This shot
A character sees something through a window, windshield or other piece of glass. The camera sits on the opposite side so that we see what they are seeing as well as the expression on their face as they see it, without a need for a cutaway shot. We first noticed it in Jaws and have observed it many times since.
The music of John Williams
The most famous film composer of our day, Williams has worked with Spielberg on every one of his films save The Color Purple, which was scored by Quincy Jones. His main themes for the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park, E.T., Close Encounters and Jaws (not to mention the Star Wars and Harry Potter films) are some of the most memorable of the post-Hollywood blockbuster era.
Information found at – http://time.com/3544502/spielberg-movies/
In conclusion; the reason I love to watch Steven Spielberg’s movies so much, is because every single one is different, with unique qualities that make watching them a thrill, and watching them something special. In my personal opinion, Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors of our generation and watching his videos; brings me happiness.
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