Quentin Tarantino’s Influence in Filmmaking
Introduction
Growing up in the early 2000s meant I had a range of extraordinary influences in the film industry. From an early age, I had a profound interest in films due to my father, a self-named ‘film buff’. He influenced me to watch a variety of genres and eras of film. Although I had heard of Tarantino, I hadn’t watched his work until COVID-19 hit. During lockdown, I watched all his films in order and on repeat, fascinated by the stories created and the beauty of the cinematography and music. His documentary QT8 interested me, making me more understanding of the inner workings of filmmaking. The documentary surveyed how quickly he rose to become one of the most influential filmmakers of this century. During sixth form, I was lucky enough to study his most prominent film Pulp Fiction, where I went on to explore experimental film and his influential shots and music choices.
Biographical Background
Quentin Tarantino was born in Tennessee on March 27th, 1963. After dropping out of high school at sixteen, he followed his passion for making films and began working in a video store in Manhattan. His first feature length film Reservoir Dogs premiered at 1992’s Cannes Film Festival during a midnight special screening. Richard N. Gladstein, Tarantino’s producer, states that he became a star overnight, “The auteur was born” (2019). Stacey Sherr, producer of Tarantino’s work, mentions that this was “the debut of an extraordinary new voice”. Following this first movie, Tarantino has directed nine more, the best-known being Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. 1994’s Pulp Fiction established his presence as a leading director, through his experimental filmmaking and use of famous actors in new roles. Tarantino has infamously said that he will only make ten films, “Directors don’t get better as they get older, Tarantino told Playboy in 2012”. (Squires, 2024).
Tarantino is known to use the same shots throughout his work. One is the ‘trunk shot’ first used in Reservoir Dogs, where the camera is in the trunk of the car, and the characters peer over, leaving the audience to wonder what they are looking at. This shot is in most of his other films, such as Pulp Fiction and Death Proof. As well as reusing shots, actors are reused throughout his work. Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kurt Russell are among the many actors Tarantino has used in multiple films. Although the actors are recognisable in their multiple Tarantino films, their characters are contrasting in many ways and the actors do incredible jobs of visualising their complexity. His movies are notorious for their violence, profanity and use of gallons of fake blood. As well as long, realistic dialogue and extensive monologues. He has created his own genre within the industry.
Experimental Film
Death Proof, which premiered in 2007, is Tarantino’s most critiqued film. However, it is my favourite. The experimental nature differentiates it from the rest of his work. He celebrates Grindhouse, a 1970’s classic, using poor print quality and old cameras. Grindhouse movies were best known for having two films following one another; within Death Proof, there are two stories centering around the villain ‘stunt man Mike’. These stories mix genres and music, one being a slasher and one being a stunt movie. These both portray Tarantino’s love for different types of genres.
Another film where he mixes genres is Django Unchained (2012). Although a film set in 1800’s America, where black people were still slaves, Tarantino includes rap music from today’s century, written and produced by black artists. His use in the screenplay of the N-Word was experimental within itself. “With more than 110 utterances of the word in his new slave Western, Tarantino reopens a decades-long discussion about racism, art and the fine line between.” (Zakarin 2012). Tarantino’s most well-known work is Pulp Fiction (1994), the experimental techniques exploring a new way to create cinema. The non-linear story with a cyclical narrative was new to movies and confused audiences, yet an effective way to tell a story focused on criminals. The death of a main character halfway through was different to any film of the time. Tarantino has a range of well known elements, one being ultra-violence. The violent and bloody scenes are left uncut, leaving the audience feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable.
He uses an extreme amount of blood in his movies, and during Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003), one scene was changed to black and white due to the amount of blood seen. Another scene within the film portrays a seven-minute manga, the story of O Ren Ishii. The amount of gore within the scene is hidden through the use of manga art. The act of paying homage to asian culture is significant to Tarantino within this movie. “The exaggerated use of classic genres allows Tarantino to deal with topics that are deemed too serious for conventional filmmaking” (Gordon 2014)
Lasting Impacts
Tarantino has impacted screenwriting through long, realistic dialogue and extensive monologues. His characters become more human throughout his screenwriting, influencing filmmakers more by changing the way writers can develop their characters. “I really let the characters do most of the work, they start talking and they just lead the way.” (Tarantino 2013).
His great impacts on the film industry are shown through his Oscar wins. He has won Best Original Screenplay for Pulp Fiction (1994) and Django Unchained (2012). He has also won BAFTA’s and Golden Globes for his filmmaking. One element within his films, which directors such as Stan Lee and M Night Shyamalan also do, is appearing in cameos in their movies. Tarantino’s most infamous roles are in From Dusk Til Dawn (1996) and Pulp Fiction (1994). A particularly impactful aspect of Tarantino’s movies are the brands made within the universe, creating Red Apple Cigarettes and Big Kahuna Burger.
One admirable trait from Tarantino includes his use of strong female characters. Uma Thurman in Kill Bill encapsulates the essence of a strong female lead. “A woman in the driver’s seat of a violent action film that also had critical acclaim and commercial success was new to audiences, but welcomed as a nice change of pace. It was almost cathartic to witness a woman embark on a solo revenge journey and take down everyone that wronged her. The film’s empowering themes resonated with women all around the world.” (Duffy 2022) In QT8, Zoe Bell states “that’s where Quentin is just a priceless ally” due to his continuous triumphs of strong female leads.
Tarantino is known to many as an auteur, due to his recognisable plots, characters, shots and music choices. ”the most cinematically successful films will bear the unmistakable personal stamp of the director.” (Britannica 2024)
Personal Reflection
Personally, Tarantino has impacted my life as a student going into filmmaking. It is a dream of mine to achieve what he has, whether it is just through screenwriting or directing. Creating worlds and stories that stick with people is incredibly important to the world, as filmmaking is such a creative and beautiful art. “‘I steal from every single movie ever made,’” Tarantino once told Empire magazine. “‘If my work has anything, it’s that I’m taking this from this and that from that and mixing them together.’” (Debruge 2013). This is something I wish to do, as do many other filmmakers. Films we have all watched get recycled and paid homage to in future works.
Through writing this biography on Tarantino, I have rewatched the documentary QT8, which has reminded me of my love for his films and my passion for filmmaking. The actors and crew for his films appreciate him greatly, and have shown this through their tremendous hard work when creating a Tarantino film. Zoe Bell, Uma Thurman’s stunt double in Kill Bill, states in QT8 how Uma “was under tremendous amounts of pressure”. As a filmmaker, actors who try their hardest to perform the characters created is essential.
Recently, I have rewatched all of Tarantino’s films again. They help me continue my passion and love for filmmaking. His movies are beautiful; the characters stick with you. Death Proof (2007) is my favourite film of all time. The themes of ‘girl power’ are thorough in this film, especially in the second act. The fact the girls rise from the torment of stunt man Mike and defeat him in the intense car chase scene, referencing Vanishing Point (1971), has stuck with me ever since I first watched it four years ago. Tarantino creates films which still impact people twenty to thirty years on.
Conclusion
Tarantino is without a doubt one of the most influential and prominent directors of our time. His work is loved by many actors and fans. Samuel L. Jackson stated that “his sets have become the most unique set experience you can have.” (QT8 2019). One part of the QT8 documentary that particularly stuck with me was when Tarantino is on set making Inglourious Basterds (2009). Him and the rest of the cast and crew shout: “One more. Why? Because we love making movies!”. His adoration for filmmaking is impactful to future directors, actors and filmmakers alike.
I plan to make movies with his work ethic in mind, and continue to love and watch movies throughout my life. His movies, and many others, are a huge part of my life and help me to dream of becoming a filmmaker one day.
“When I make a movie, I want it to be everything to me; like I would die for it.” (Quentin Tarantino in QT8 2019)
Reference List
QT8: The First Eight, 2019. [film, amazon prime]. Directed by Tara Wood. SIgnature Entertainment.
Squires, B., 2024. Everything We Know About Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Final’ Film, The Movie Critic. Vulture [online]. Available from https://www.vulture.com/article/quentin-tarantino-final-film-movie-critic-everything-we-know.html [27.02.24]
Zakarin, J., 2012. Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Reignites Debate Over N-Word in Movies. The Hollywood Reporter [online] Available from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tarantinos-django-unchained-reignites-debate-402445/ [27.02.24]
Gordon, J., 2014. Royale with Cheese: Quentin Tarantino’s Impact on American Cinema, Medium, October 9 2014 [blog]. Available at https://medium.com/@jonathangordon/royale-with-cheese-quentin-tarantinos-impact-on-american-cinema-9ff1bb5c2c10 [27.02.24]
Bauer, E., 2013. Method Writing: Interview with Quentin Tarantino. Creative Screenwriting [online]. Available from https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/method-writing-interview-with-quentin-tarantino/ [27.02.24]
Duffy, W., 2022. Does ‘Kill Bill’ Still Hold Up as a Feminist Film?. Massachusetts Daily Collegian [online]. Available from https://dailycollegian.com/2022/03/does-kill-bill-still-hold-up-as-a-feminist-film-2/ [27.02.24]
Britannica, T. 2024. Auteur Theory. Editors of Encyclopaedia. (January 11 2024). Encyclopedia Britannica. Available from https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory [27.02.24]
Debruge, P., 2013. Quentin Tarantino: The Great Recycler. Variety [online]. Available from https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/quentin-tarantino-the-great-recycler-1200703098/ [27.02.24]