Auteur Theory Christopher Nolan

Introduction Born July 30, 1970 in London, England His mother was from America, his dad was from England Began film making at age 7 with a super 8 camera he got from his father Attended University College London where he studied English literature and graduated in 1993 He calls himself a “jack-of-all- trades and master of none”

Early Film Career Producing Corporate Training Videos Short Films Doodle Bug Tarantella Larceny

Movies Directed Following Memento Insomnia Batman Begins The Prestige The Dark Knight Inception The Dark Knight Rises Interstellar

Nolan’s Plot A mans wife/ girlfriend/ partner dies causing him to become mentally unstable Memento: Wife is murdered, Protagonist develops amnesia Inception: Wife commits suicide, Protagonist feels guilt and repeatedly imagines being killed by her Dark Knight: Girlfriend dies, Protagonist feels guilt and goes into seclusion for eight years

Nolan’s Theme Two Major Themes Duality or Doubling Mentor – Apprentice Relationships These themes are frequently conveyed or contested by theatricality and deception

Nolan’s Style Visual Style Acting and story telling style Expository dialogue Non-chronological stories Characters use florid Language Dark and twisted Atmospheric and obsessive Deception and lies Use of mazes, impossibilities, and paradoxes Repeating cast Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordan-Levitt, Liam Neeson, etc. Visual Style Urban settings Muted Colors Color Patterns Characters wear costumes, heavy make-up, tattoos or business suits Invisible Style Dark Many scenes include elements that obscure vision

Cinematography Realistic Practical Minimal use of CGI Rarely breaks “Rule of Third,” unless he wants us to feel uneasy Shifts points of view Clear points of view, focuses on what he wants us to see Uses all forms of camera movement Beginning scenes uses wide shots then moves into close-ups

Music and Sounds Sound Very little looping Loud Intense Realistic Invisible Style Music Hans Zimmer Scores No modern music

Conclusion Christopher Nolan is considered a beginning director Self taught Repeatedly uses similar Plot, Theme and Style is all his movies Psychological Realistic Dark Obsessive Awesome!

References http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/magazine/the-exacting-expansive- mind-of-christopher-nolan.html?_r=0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pvvG5fktUVM http://gizmodo.com/inside-the-creation-of-interstellars-incredible- sound-e-1660217183 http://tvtroops.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/inception/screenrant/incepti on-plot-details-kofi-39746 http://tvtroops.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/screenrant/batman-dark- knight-trilogy-best-parts/ http://tvtroops.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/screenrobot/philosophy-of- mind-in-memento