Spielberg VS Burton (+ any movie director suggestions)

Personally, I would go for a less talked about filmmaker whose films are still well known or well liked.

Gore Verbinski comes to mind. He did the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films.

There's Luc Besson, who did The Fifth Element and Lucy. His other works are quite strange and interesting to look deeper into.

And there's also John Carpenter, Don Bluth (if animated films count), Ridley Scott, and Jon Favreau.

 

Just play this and leave the classroom.

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Spielberg and Burton are amazing no doubt...

But I think directors like Jim Jarmusch or Wes Anderson are not to be forgotten.

And of course: Kubrick, Kurosawa, Scorsese, and so many more...!!

Depends on what sorts of movies you like too. But I would choose a rather complex and rich movie regarding camera movements and colour...also maybe something you can relate/connect with previous movies or art movements (which always looks good in a school project).

Good luck with it anyway!

 

If you want a very interesting director, you could always do David Lynch.

 

Julia Ducournau just popped up on the scene a few months ago with her indie flick, RAW. People in the showings were passing out from the film. You may want to look into her and other directors who are more indie. What about Ava Duvernay, Danny Strong, or the directors of Moonlight ?

Spielberg and Burton (LOVE Burton) are so well known...it would almost be boring to write about them, no? Lynch, too. I love his work and the way he thinks, but why not look into some directors people don't know that much about, and who raise voices. Even look into documentary filmmakers. Idk, just something to think about!

 

Christopher Nolan is my favourite director. I love his cerebral style and how he can have just the right measure of darkness in his films, while still retaining thoughtful and inspired stories. He is ambitious and has never disappointed me.

Out of the two you mentioned, I prefer Burton because - while he is not as critically acclaimed - I appreciate his uniqueness. He is a unpredictable and I like that. And also a lot of his films have alienated characters which I can relate to.

 

An interesting thing I did for a college Screen History Essay was I compared Tim Burton with David Lynch and analysed who was more influenced by German Expressionist cinema. I thought David Lynch had a mindset and the way he made movies was more similar to German Expressionism while Tim Burton only really follows the German Expressionism style visually, like the curved buildings and really jagged hallways. Yet with David Lynch you mostly have horror and very artistic cinema which I think reflects German Expressionist cinema more than Tim Burton.

Although something to consider maybe go after Directors of Queer Cinema, so that you can have a deeper look at Queer Cinema and the people that make these films and who the influences of these guys and girls are. What visual styles do they have, do they have specific narratives.

 

I would recommend Micheal Bay. Wait wait, don't roll your eyes. Even though many people hate him, even to the point where he's basically a walking meme, I think he's a great director. While he does have many glaring issues (misogyny, racism, overuse of shot and FX) he has a very unique style. Under all the explosions and hate, he is very fun to analyze by himself, but paired with another director to compare with, it would work great. Perhaps James Cameron or someone similar, but Speilberg would also be a great comparison.

 

Darren Aronofsky is a genius in my book. His films are breathtaking with their visuals and are almost poetic with just their visuals. David Cronenberg also comes to mind as well.