THE KING OF MOVIES One of the greatest living directors, who is still making movies well into this 70s, director-producer-writer Martin Scorsese has a lot to teach us about the art of film. Film writer Rich Matthews puts on his student cap to learn more...
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artin Scorsese can teach you ÒWHEN I'M MAKING A FILM, everything you need to know I'M THE AUDIENCEÓ about cinema. Whether it’s A A febrile web of faith, family, Americana, Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through masculinity, rock‘n’roll and violence, American Movies, deep diving into the heart of intertwined with the cinema of De Sica, Western moviemaking or the abundant words Kurosawa, Rossellini, Ray, Fellini, Bergman, of wisdom scattered in video clips across the Antonioni, Powell and Pressburger, and more, internet, covering every facet of filmmaking, Scorsese’s point of view is manifestly cinematic. from lenses to montage to the importance of A true auteur akin to Hitchcock, Scorsese’s preservation, Scorsese is a one-man film school. cine-literate camera is active, a character with But, fittingly for a discipline centred on the agency. It shows you what he wants you to see, maxim “show, don’t tell”, the best way to the way he wants you to see it. Technique is understand what he knows about cinema is pronounced but wedded to emotional intent. to watch his movies. Top to bottom – mise en scene, montage, performance, framing, movement, music – everything in the frame is an intricate mechanism to channel your attention, challenge your perspective and bring you into someone else’s life. How else do we readily identify with hedonist banker Jordan THELM A SCHOONM AKER ÒMarty was the teacher and I was the student. I knew nothing about editing. Gradually, over time, as I gained more experience, it has become much more of a collaboration... [This] has deepened greatly with time. It consists of a wonderful give and take of ideas, humour and ScorseseÔs tough high standards for his films.Ó [From EE British Academy Film Awards 2019 brochure Fellowship feature]
Thelma Schoonmaker is ScorseseÔs go-to editor, collaborating with him on 22 of his feature films
TA X I D R I V E R (1976 )
T H E 2019 D A V I D L E A N L E C T U R E
