The Steven Spielberg Film Theory

an independent study by angela frugone

Continuing my independent study, I decided to break down the essential elements of blockbuster hits by exploring the film theory of director Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg is considered one of the greats among filmmakers, consistently producing movies that push the boundaries in storytelling. Born and raised in Ohio, Spielberg immediately found an interest in film-making; creating his first feature film at the age of 12. I hope to identify what makes Steven Spielberg commercially superior in his craft. Through the use of lighting and filling the frame, color grading, utilization of suspense, and cinematography, the film practicalities of Steven Spielberg can be explored. I’ve decided to watch the films Jaws (1975) and Jurassic Park (1993) and find commonalities between the two movies to identify Spielberg’s unique stylistic choices.

To start, the first thing that must be taken into consideration in order to analyze the visual storytelling of Steven Spielberg is lighting. The aforementioned director’s fastidiousness in lighting and filling the frame is very important in discussing his overall aesthetic. Harsh shadows and fast fallout are frequently used in his movies. The audience is shown these lighting techniques in the beginning of Jaws, where the audience is shown a silhouette of a woman swimming in the water shown from the shark’s perspective (which will be discussed more in depth later on).

Harsh lighting can create a dramatic mood and mysterious atmosphere. Given the subject matter of his films, lighting is definitely pertinent in relaying the narrative he is trying to portray. The audience can definitely be hinted that something negative is going to happen. When I did my independent study on James Cameron, I learned how sometimes color plays into the events in a scene. For example, in Titanic, when there was an undertone of blue, something bad was going to happen. On the other hand, when there is a slight tint of red in a scene that means something good is happening or about to occur. From my research, this theory can transcend to the work of Spielberg. The water in this film has a connotation of danger. This theory is even more confirmed because in the next scene of Jaws, there is a campfire between teens having fun. The campfire gives off a red hue, signifying something positive and calm is happening. We see extreme lighting and harsh shadows in the movie Jurassic Park as well. Dim lighting with fast fallout on the shadows builds up the intensity of the tone of the film, making it more suspenseful for the events that will play out later in the film, especially when the dinosaurs and humans are placed in a same scenario. Often when the humans are placed in conflict with the dinosaurs, there is dark, harsh lighting; making the situation more intense and action packed. This is important in adding a realistic quality to the dinosaurs.

Through my analysis, I’ve learned that you don’t always need to make a believable scenario but you do need believable characters that have an emotional force. And that’s what sells the story.

Continuing on, another aspect of Spielberg’s work that is a staple to his brand is his utilization of suspense. He enables suspense through a multitude of ways, most notably music, and letting the audience imagine what is happening that is beyond the frame. A good portion of intense conflict that occurs in his films happens out of the visual range of the audience. Scenes of great intensity often includes the point of view that come from the aggressor (shark, dinosaur, etc.). This heightens the high and low points of the film and also favors the budget of the film (because in scenarios such as a shark attack, the actual shark did not necessarily have to be in the shot to convey the situation). Continuing on, a major theme in Spielberg’s movies is the juxtaposition between calamity and serenity. This is used to a large extent in the films of Spielberg. Scenes of high intensity and playful calmness are put back to back to put an emphasis on each. In addition, music is utilized to a large extent in his films. Each respective movie has a very distinguished theme. Jaws opened with the suspenseful shark music, that is now the cliched “shark attack” music in mainstream media today. In the movie Jaws, whenever there was music, that would be a hint to the audience that something bad was going to happen, placing the audience on edge. In Jurassic Park, Spielberg used his theme music to convey a sense of adventure and newfound land that has yet to be charted.

Furthermore, another distinguished aspect of Spielberg’s work is his cinematography. Spielberg’s camera movement is characterized by gradual close ups on the face, perspective shots, and long pans of a location. Something very cool that I discovered and thought was very interesting in developing my own skills as a cinematographer is the scene where the camera is performing a push-pull on the protagonist. It increased the solidarity within the character. It also puts an emphasis on the moment because he was very anxious over the possibility of a shark attack happening and not doing anything about it.

After analyzing the Spielberg-style of storytelling, there are certain things that I can pick out to become a better filmmaker and incorporate into my “Spielberg” short film. I need to explore calamity vs commotion. I must make a large emphasis on the the use of cinematography, music, and extremities in lighting. I also know I should put a large emphasis on how suspense can affect the audience. With this basis of criteria within his work, it will give me a better understanding on what makes films very successful in the commercial business of movie-making.