Steven Spielberg is arguably one the wealthiest, successful, and most influential filmmakers in the world today. The director was born in December 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio, remains one of the most prolific, and respected directors of fiction films in Hollywood (McBride, 2012). Spielberg was the only son in a family of four children. His father was an electrical engineer while the mother was a concert pianist. He was an average student that showed little enthusiasm for schoolwork. His career and interest in filmmaking began earlier on as he began using the family camera to shoot movies and short films. As a young man, he began filming family events such as camping trips. Additionally, he commenced shooting narrative movies and added primitive special effects. His ingenuity in filmmaking came to the fore at the age of twelve. At that tender age, he got the opportunity to film a movie for a script and used a cast of actors.
As time progressed, Spielberg developed a profound interest in filmmaking. He became more ambitious and developed the gist to develop and produce movies. His break came at the age of sixteen when he produced a science fiction movie entitled the Firelight , which marked his entry into stardom. His father was integral in his career because he supported him all the way. For instance, the father rented a theater to have his first film shown, which marked his move to fame. Noteworthy is the fact that Spielberg did not make it university because he had poor grades in academic work. His focus was to join the University of Southern California (UCLA), but instead managed to attend California State College. He majored in English because the college had no recognized film program. His interest in film ensured that he regularly attended theater to watch movies of interest. Early on in his career, he produced a film called Amblin that he entered into the Atlanta Film Festival and later won an award at the Venice Film Festival. The film also got Spielberg a seven-year contract that acted as pre-requisite to his call up to the coveted universal Studios. Currently, Spielberg uses the name “Amblin” for his production studio.
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As a professional, Spielberg directed various episodes of different television programs at the Universal Studios. Some of the programs he directed at the time include Columbo and Marcus Welby. Duel was the first movie that Spielberg directed professionally. The movie depicted a battle of intelligence between a truck driver and an ordinary car driver. It was labeled one of the greatest movies ever produced in the United States. It was released as a feature film in Japan and Europe. The production of the film cost about $350, 000, but it grossed $5 million, which was impressive by all standards. The film also earned various awards and marked Spielberg’s entry into the list of most competent directors in Hollywood. The breakthrough ensured that Spielberg got various scripts to direct, but he turned them down due to the poor quality of properties offered. He withdrew from the studio for some time to concentrate on developing his work.
Most Important Films
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) is one of the most influential films by the director. The film is unique since it provides a sneak peek into the loss of the dinosaurs. It is essential because it was one of the grossing movies in Hollywood when it was released. War Horse (2011) is another film by Spielberg that produced important peek into the past that celebrates the love between a boy and a horse during World War I. The two separated during the war but later reunited. The mentioned movie provides elegant and old-fashioned hokum that gets it right in most aspects, including the story and the execution. The Adventures of Tintin (2011) was an adaptation of the famous Tintin comics. The director produced an astonishing and kinetic animated thrill ride. Furthermore, The Bridge of Spies (20115) was an important piece of work that provides a detailed account of a spy’s life during the Cold War. Finally, The Color Purple (1985) is important because it depicts the controversial topic of racism and its manifestation within American society.
Honors and Awards
Steven Spielberg is one of the most decorated directors in Hollywood presently, implying that he has various accolades, honors, and awards to cap his glowing career in Hollywood. Dargis (2016) notes and appreciates Mr. Spielberg’s competence in creating a visually seamless world that seems startlingly real to viewers of his movies . Despite being a director, which means that he does not appear in the screens as the actors do and that his work largely involves behind the scenes, he is arguably one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Spielberg has won an impressive three Academy Awards, which one of the highest honors for the people in the film industry. He has been incredibly nominated for a record seven Academy Awards on the category of Best Director, which shows that he is the master of his craft.
Spielberg received the Distinguished Scout Award as an appreciation of his talent of scouting and nurturing talents in the film industry and service to others and humanity at large. In 1995, the director received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, which an award for the recognition of people who worked tirelessly to redefine and enrich the American culture through television and motion pictures (Wasser, 2010). An annual event honors the people who have had an exemplary contribution in displaying the American culture by using cinema. The Republic of Germany awarded Spielberg awarded the director with the Federal Cross of Merit, which presented by the then president of Germany for the recognition of his work in humanitarian circles. Queen Elizabeth II also appointed Spielberg as an honorary Knight Commander for his work in establishing the entertainment industry in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, in 2005, Spielberg was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, which marked the first non-literacy award since the honor was conceived. Finally, the director has various honorary degrees from various universities and colleges, including Harvard University and Boston University, for his exemplary contribution to the entertainment industry.
Critical Opinion on his work
The most common criticism of Spielberg's work is that it mostly depicts a society that is male-dominated and sexist that marginalizes women and pushes them to oblivion. The critics say that his movies represent women as irrelevant and that his pieces of work do not take into consideration various cosmic issues, particularly the ones that affect women. Nonetheless, one can easily argue on the contrary because the women in most of the films by Spielberg tend to have less emotional representation compared to men. In other words, the women tend to be exceedingly rational and more receptive to supernatural forces in comparison to the men in his films. For example, in Something Evil, a character known as Marjorie Worden played by Sandy Dennis is conscious of the possibility of supernatural activities. Still, the husband cannot perceive the forces and is, therefore, unappreciative. The chosen film proves that the allegations that Spielberg poorly represents women are not factually accurate. As explained, the film by the director accord women characters as many opportunities, if not better, just as the men.
Another common criticism is that they show unconventional faith in the dominant opinion and forces, meaning that the people do not have the power to change the status quo since the dominant ideology is rarely subject to challenge. That way, it is difficult to make any significant intrusions into the status quo. It is imperative to note that the acceptability of such a view is unfounded. Most of Spielberg's films tend to present conspiratorial authority and a paranoid perception of humanity (Slade, 2017). Even at the superficial level, a look at Spielberg's films proves that the director does not show much respect to authority to the point that it feels wrong to challenge it. For instance, the film Jaw shows deep defiance of directives and norms because the beaches remain operational and open to the public despite the raging shark attacks.
Comments on Techniques of at Least Two Films
In the film Munich (2005) , the director created shots with various compositions. The secret of becoming a great director is to avoid the temptation of creating a single shot, meaning that it is important to alternate between compositions. Creating many compositions is one of the trademarks that define Spielberg and puts him above the other directors in the industry. The main functions of multiple shots and compositions are to evoke emotions, keep things interesting, and direct attention. In most cases, the objective is to create a deliberate suspension and a sense of disbelief, particularly to keep the viewers guessing. The secret is to keep the viewer attracted to the moments that define the film and movie's plot.
It is worth noting that jarring often cuts out and risks pulling the viewer out of important moments. The use of various compositions is cinematography technique that is challenging to achieve since it requires various rehearsals and techniques and a talented film crew. In the film Munich (2005, the scene depicting Rome assassination, Spielberg uses fluid camera movement and zooms to make alterations throughout a single camera setup. The scene shifts from a medium close, to a medium shot, to long shot, to full, and back to medium close. It is worth noting that all that happens without cutting. The expert use of the camera by the director makes the viewership enjoy the movie and not get lost in the middle. The assassination scene is one that defines the events in the movie, and the expert use of camera works well to highlight its importance.
The Adventurers of Tintin (2011) , just like the works by Steven Spielberg, begins with production elements, a production technique that sets the tone, creates cinematic energy, and informs the character and setting. The beginning of the film provides a nice visual rest for the viewer and marks the beginning of a new scene. The objective is to provide an overall context to the story, for instance, at the beginning of the mentioned film, it is apparent that the main character, Tintin, sets out on an adventure that will pitch him against hardships, difficulties that include giants. Additionally, the film begins with fossils, meaning that the director intends to include ancient creatures such as giants or even dinosaurs as part of the cast. In terms of visual effects, Spielberg relies mostly on kinetic and sub-textual blocking. The use of visual effects such as music and sound signals emotional information, but the use of a camera to capture actors' physical movements can be the lifeblood for a film. For instance, the director tilts the camera angle when capturing Tintin to show that he was exceedingly smaller compared to the giants.
References
McBride, J. (2012). Steven Spielberg: a biography . Faber & Faber.
Salde, D. (2017). Different Views of Steven Spielberg . Retrieved from http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/Article_Spielberg.html
Wasser, F. (2010). Steven Spielberg’s America . Polity.
Dargis, M. (May 15, 2016). A Word With: Steven Spielberg. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/movies/a-word-with-steven-spielberg.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
