The Filmmaker Who Influenced Steven Spielberg Most Didn’t Do So By Directing

Steven Spielberg is a pure visual storyteller.

You can watch most of his movies on mute, and figure out the plot via the meticulous composition of each shot and how it flows into the next.

Since the advent of sound, the number of directors capable of or interested in crafting a film in this manner has gradually dwindled.

Movies nowadays are generally dialogue delivery systems.

So we must savor our Spielbergs, and, if this style of filmmaking interests you, learn from them.Framing and mise-en-scène are critical elements, but guiding your audience from shot to shot is every bit as important.

Cutting from the master to a close up or whatever angle most clearly conveys the story is an art in itself.

So while Spielberg will always cite David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” as “the film that set me on my journey,” he feels equally indebted to a filmmaker from roughly the same era,

Read full article