Friedman: the idea of auteur boils down to personal vision, and no director created an intensely personal cinema on the order of Martin Scorsese’s
Friedman discusses details of Scorsese’s private life: connections between Martin Scorsese’s personal interests and preoccupations and the films he has made
The Cahiers du Cinema writers did not rule out that anyone could, theoretically, be an auteur, but focused most of their attention on the director as auteur.
The director of a film was the person most in control and thus able to stamp his or her own ideas and thoughts on the film: the auteur (usually the director) was the `single organizing intelligence’ behind a work.
French establishment to dismiss American culture in general and Hollywood cinema in particular as ephemeral, junk culture, or simply entertainment
The idea of the auteur is not unique to high cultural forms, but can be applied to other forms, too. Auteur analysis has been applied to the study of advertising, for example it has been argued that Tony Kaye, the advertiser turned artist who directed American History X was a brilliant advertising creative who shaped the Benetton campaigns in the 1990s.
Auteur analysis has been applied to the study of television, where sometimes the auteur is the writer of the drama. Recent Turkish example?
Who is the author of television?’ Marc and Thompson argue that, despite the highly industrial nature of modern media production,the artistic act still thoroughly depends on the conscious effort of the individual creator’ (1995: 4).
The individual creator in the case of television is the producer. Any recent Turkish example?
One of the key ways that films are made and marketed is via the vehicle of the star.
The key work on star studies has been done by Richard Dyer (1982; 1987), who uses a range of sources and methods to analyse the phenomenon of stars
Stars are featured players or principal performers in a film. But they are more than that - there is a whole paraphernalia of literature and publicity devoted to building a star image
Star studies are not concerned with the real Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts - they are concerned with the image of Tom Hanks’ andJulia Roberts’ as saleable, realizable commodities
Star studies are a form of discourse analysis exploring how the star is developed in divergent sources. The primary analysis for such work involves looking at the many places where stars are figured. The primary sources for star studies including the following: ·
The star is an abiding phenomenon and one that continues to be investigated and studied. There are stars who have become inalienably associated with particular genres: Any examples? Or evolving ones?
Public figure
Known as professionals
Known for their performance skills
Aura - distance
More cultural value
Private life – ‘biography’
Less known for professional life
Known for their lifestyle
More relatable
Less cultural value
-Industry
-Audiences
-Actors
Research on:
Economic interest & influence of stars
Compensation trends (upfront salary per film)
“Manufacturing” star image & promoting stars
Research on:
Role of stardom in film spectatorship
Question of spectator identification and perception
How spectators act on their “connection” to stars
PERFORMANCE
Mise-en-scène criticism & performance studies
Acting styles: Representational vs. presentational
Differences between media (e.g. theater stars vs. film stars)
IMAGE
Richard Dyer, Stars (1979): stardom built through
Promotion
Publicity
Performance
Criticism & commentary
What, for example, makes a television star?
Your star study could focus on stars you particularly admire (or hate - but it is a good idea to have some strong feeling). Think about their career and what stage they are in. Select three to six different elements - a performance on television, an interview in a magazine, an album - and analyse what they are saying about themselves and their public personae
Scholars typically conduct work which focuses on the auteur or the genre or star studies. But is that so?
Combine typologies to unpack which elements of a text are the product of its creator, which are attributable to its genre and which are attributable to its performer. This would provide a strong basis for an interesting study of texts from any area of media and culture, including dance, music, television or film.
You may want to conduct some kind of textual analysis in combination with some other method, such as interviews with producers or audiences
Film studies traditionally view stardom as a unique blend of the ‘on-screen’ character and the ‘off-stage’ persona. This duality is central to understanding their cultural impact.
Example: Photoplay magazine featuring Gregory Peck doing mundane tasks like chopping wood reflects how stars maintain a balance between their filmic glamour and everyday life
Geraghty argues that the meaning of stardom has shifted from a cinema-exclusive phenomenon to a broader media presence, influenced by various forms of mass entertainment.
Example: Magazines like Hello! frequently feature celebrities across various domains, indicating that stardom now encompasses figures outside film
The concept of stardom intertwines with theories of semiotics, intertextuality, and audience reception. Dyer’s work established that stars operate as ‘signs’ within a signifying system.
Example: Dyer’s theory that stars are constructed as ‘sites of contradiction and resistance’ allows for audience interpretation beyond the screen, as seen in Jackie Stacey’s analysis of female spectatorship.
The ‘star-as-celebrity’ is characterized by fame based on personal life rather than professional accomplishments.
Example: Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore’s celebrity status is often associated more with their personal lives than their film roles.
The ‘star-as-professional’ is known for consistent, reliable personas across roles, creating a recognizable “brand” for audiences.
Example: Sigourney Weaver’s versatile roles, including Ellen Ripley, exemplify professionalism, though she challenges strict professional categorization by exploring various genres.
The ‘star-as-performer’ emphasizes the star’s acting skills, often associated with method acting.
Example: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino’s approach exemplifies this category. Tom Cruise’s role in Interview with the Vampire was an attempt to align with this type
Each stardom type impacts audience expectations differently. The star-as-celebrity attracts through personal life, while the professional and performer stars are valued for stability and skill.
Example: The contrast in The Bodyguard between Whitney Houston, a singer-celebrity, and Kevin Costner, an actor-performer, illustrates differing audience receptions.
As digital platforms reshape fame, traditional stardom faces challenges. Virtual and influencer celebrities question cinema’s role in cultivating star power.
Example: Virtual influencers and internet personalities represent new categories blurring the lines of traditional and digital fame.
Emre Toros - Media Studies