Top Directors

A director is at the helm when a movie is being produced. A lot depends on how a director guides the actors and technical crew in the filming and post production of a film. It is assumed that a film follows the director’s vision but notable directors have shown varying styles of direction. While some like Ingmar Bergman and Christopher Guest chose to let actors perform in their own way, some like Steven Spielberg, Victor Fleming and James Cameron want their instructions to be followed precisely.

Steven Allan Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg was born in Cincinnati is a well known American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. Steven Allan Spielberg is one of the most influential directors in the history of film making. The talented genius not only directs films but also a screenwriter, producer, video game designer and studio entrepreneur. His interest in films began in his early life. He began with an 8 mm adventure film as a teenager and went on to win an award for his film Escape to Nowhere at the age of 13. Spielberg’s first film was a science fiction named Firefly. Spielberg attended California State University, Long Beach and started his career as an unpaid intern and guest with the editing department of Universal Studios. Steven Spielberg has made many acclaimed films on subject such as science-fiction, adventure, Holocaust, slavery, war and terrorism. He won Academy Awards for Best director for Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan. Box office records were broken by his films like Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. Spielberg likes to watch movies and not only play video games but also design games when he is free. Spielberg founded the Starbright Foundation along with Randy Aduana which was later merged with Starlight Foundation in 2002. He has been listed by Life magazine as the most influential person of his generation.

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in London and in 1920 when Lasky opened a studio, he got a job. In 1923, he got an opportunity to complete the direction of Always Tell Your Wife when the director fell ill. His work was impressive, so he got a film to direct but the studio closed before the film could be completed. Thereafter,he worked for many years as an assistant director before directing The Pleasure Garden in 1925. He soon moved to Hollywood and directed films for more than fifty years. Hitchcock is at his best in the genre of suspense and psychological thrillers. Making a cameo appearance in his film is one of his many trademarks. The Ring, Notorious, Spell Bound, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Suspicion and The Lady Vanishes are some of his popular movies. He won Academy award for his film Rebecca. He also won two Golden globes and Lifetime Achievement Award five times. In 1979, he received knighthood and came to be known as Sir Alfred Hitchcock before his death 1980.

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit. He was brought up by a musician father and mother who was an actress in New York. He studied drama at Hofstra University and at UCLA he did graduate work. He began work by assisting director Roger Corman and his first film as director was Dementia 13 in 1963. Apocalypse Now, The Cotton Club, Gardens of Stone, Jack, Youth without Youth and The Rainmaker are a few of his well known films. Coppola experimented with unconventional themes in his films. His most well known movie is The Godfather which received three Academy Awards. Over the years, he has won many awards for his work. He has also been the producer and screen writer for many films including Patton for which he received Academy Award for Best Writing.

James Francis Cameron

James Francis Cameron was born in Kapuskasing in Canada in 1954. After graduation, Cameron started working as a truck driver but was particularly interested in film technology. Using books and thesis at a library, he taught himself a lot about special effects. Syd field’s book Screenplay inspired him to experiment with science and art in films. He wrote a script and with a few friends rented a camera to make a 35mm film. He found a job as an art director for the movie Battle Beyond the Stars in 1980. Later he directed his first film, Piranha II-The Spawning in 1981. The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2-Judgement Day, True Lies, Avatar and Titanic are a few of his popular movies. He has also made many documentaries including Aliens of the Deep and The Lost Tomb of Jesus. Cameron has received many awards, mainly for editing, sound and special effects. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe award for his film Titanic. Cameron is especially interested in deep sea exploration. His biographer describes him as ‘part scientist and part artist’.

Christopher Nolan

Born in 1970 in London, Christopher Nolan is one of the most talented directors of recent times. Very early, Christopher would make films with a Super-8mm camera belonging to his father. On a small budget, in 1998 Nolan made his first film, Following. It was received well at various film festivals and he was able to find finance for his second film. Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Prestige are films by James Cameron. Characters with a determined attitude or psychological disorder often feature in his films. His film Inception received four Academy Awards in 2010. Viewers are already looking forward to Man of Steel which is to be released in 2013. Nolan owns a production company Syncopy along with his producer wife Emma Thomas.

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