John Singleton and the black new wave
The dictionary definenition of an 'auteur' is 'a film director who is considered as having a dominant creative role'. This is extremely vague, as you could say that almost all directors have a strong role in the creative process of film. If this statement were true then there would be very little debate on whether a director is an auteur. In my opinion, an auteur can be identified by his or hers approach to narrative, by visual style, by the choice of themes and values that run through each film, and the way that he or she becomes a star in their own right.I have chosen to focus on John Singleton. At the time his first film was released Singleton was fresh out of film school, he had grown up surrounded by the everyday death and violence of the South Central Los Angeles district famed for it gangs and its low life expectancy. With the release of 'Boyz
'n' the Hood' Singleton created the black gangster genre of film, this film is the benchmark of Singleton's visual style and his themes. The film deals with racism, the importance of family, tragedy, and the significance of the choices made by the characters and the consequences they hold. One of the strongest themes Singleton expolores is his central characters fear of death as the motivation for the violence. An auteur is often seen as a star in their own right, bringing as much to a film in the form of visual style and content as an actor. But often a director considered an auteur can be seen (credited or un-credited) in their film. Singleton can also be found in his films through brief walk on cameos. Even though the parts could by no stretch of the imagination be seen as significant, they are in the sense of the auteur debate. It shows the directors as stars in thei
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Approximate Word count = 597
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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