Poll: Director Trademarks

Results of 1,812 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Owen Wilson, Larry Pine, and Tony Revolori in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

    

   WES ANDERSON Symmetrical framing, vibrant/bright colors, wide angle shots, slow motion, trio of siblings, fast-paced comedy marked by seriousness.
2. 2.
   

   Keir Dullea in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

    

   STANLEY KUBRICK Character isolation, long shots, introductory voice over, satire/black humour, bathroom scenes, POV shots, classical music.
3. 3.
   

   #34

    

   QUENTIN TARANTINO Pop culture references, excessive/graphic violence, foot fetish, scenes of 10 mins plus of dialogue, eclectic soundtrack.
4. 4.
   

   Marvin Campbell and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception (2010)

    

   CHRISTOPHER NOLAN Non-linear storytelling, mind-bending visuals, epic Hans Zimmer score, hero turned anti-hero, compression of time, emotional monologues.
5. 5.
   

   Grace Kelly and James Stewart in Rear Window (1954)

    

   ALFRED HITCHCOCK Cameo appearance, suspenseful music, dark atmosphere, leading blonde, mistaken identity, ordinary people entangled in event.
6. 6.
   

   Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in Corpse Bride (2005)

    

   TIM BURTON Gothic visuals, dark tone, flashback storytelling, blend of fantasy and horror elements, eccentric/misunderstood outcasts.
7. 7.
   

   Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

    

   SERGIO LEONE Extreme close-ups or long shots, Ennio Morricone music, cynical antiheroes, very long scenes without action then very quick action scenes.
8. 8.
   

   Henry Thomas and Pat Welsh in E.T. (1982)

    

   STEVEN SPIELBERG Epic John Williams score, glowing lights in dark scenes, parent issues, reflection shots, that bewildered 'Spielberg' face.
9. 9.
   

   Laura Harring and Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive (2001)

    

   DAVID LYNCH Use of dreams/imagery, surreal visuals, deformity, moving object close ups, fade transitions, ambient noises, dark passages.
10. 10.
    

    Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci in Goodfellas (1990)

     

    MARTIN SCORSESE Profane language, tracking shots, rapid editing, domestic violence, voice over/narration, set in New York City.
11. 11.
    

    Gerard Butler in 300 (2006)

     

    ZACH SNYDER Timeline ramping, action zooms, over the top violence, foreshadowing, slow-mo face punches, particles, a montage introduction.
12. 12.
    

    Brad Pitt in Fight Club (1999)

     

    DAVID FINCHER Dark/neo-noir style of lighting, tracking shots that go through walls/objects, voiceover/narration, single frame insertion.
13. 13.
    

    Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996)

     

    THE COEN BROTHERS A crime gone wrong, black comedy, screaming characters, foolish characters, car tension, rustic with yellow tones.
14. 14.
    

    Lily James and Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver (2017)

     

    EDGAR WRIGHT Quick action montage, stylistic visuals, bar/pub plot element, fence jump fail, repeated dialog.
15. 15.
    

    Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977)

     

    WOODY ALLEN The anti-nihilistic, romantically self-destructive male protagonist (usually played by himself), set in NYC, bathos, heavy use of dialogue, traditional jazz soundtrack, a spring-autumn rom…
16. 16.
    

    Brad Pitt, Jason Flemyng, Michael Hughes, and Liam McMahon in Snatch (2000)

     

    GUY RITCHIE High octane action, quick jump cut sequences, circular and interconnected plots, colorful characters, filtered overlays.
17. 17.
    

    Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)

     

    JAMES CAMERON Pioneering visual effects, strong female leads, machines vs. humans, camera monitoring the situation, the phrase "Lets go!"
18. 18.
    

    Seven Samurai (1954)

     

    AKIRA KUROSAWA Master-deciple relationship, heavy rain, heroic champion, nature vs. human nature, non-linear storytelling, landscape shots.
19. 19.
    

    Keanu Reeves as Thomas

     

    THE WACHOWSKIS Creative transitions, martial arts, male/female dynamic duo, slow motion shots, gravity defying stunts.
20. 20.
    

    Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero in Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

     

    GUILLERMO DEL TORO Detailed creature costumes and makeup, Catholicism and related religious imagery, amber hue, intricate clockwork or insect imagery.
21. 21.
    

    #19

     

    RIDLEY SCOTT Strong female characters, sweeping landscapes or backdrops, bright lights through steam or fog, sketch master, plodding plots.
22. 22.
    

    Setsuko Hara and Chishû Ryû in Tokyo Story (1953)

     

    YASUJIRŌ OZU Static shots, views at objects as a transition between scenes, family dramas, recurring teakettle, camera point of view at low height.
23. 23.
    

    Jonathan Pryce and Michael Palin in Brazil (1985)

     

    TERRY GILLIAM The double-whammy twist at the end, surreal visuals, the wide angle lens, admiration for history, medieval backdrops, same first/last shot.
24. 24.
    

    Hugo Weaving in Transformers (2007)

     

    MICHAEL BAY EXPLOSIONS, military/navy, American flag, product placement, slow motion 360 degrees shots, helicopters at sunrise.
25. 25.
    

    Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot in The Seventh Seal (1957)

     

    INGMAR BERGMAN Black-and-white, characters filmed in shadows, pillow shots, brainstorming over life, god and mortality, closeups on clocks.
26. 26.
    

    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)

     

    BRIAN DE PALMA Long tracking shots, variations of Hitchcock movies, split screens, 360-degree camera pan, over-the-top acting, graphic violence.
27. 27.
    

    Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley, Edward Binns, John Fiedler, E.G. Marshall, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskovec, Jack Warden, and Robert Webber in 12 Angry Men (1957)

     

    SIDNEY LUMET Set in one location, the little guy who summons the courage to challenge the system, social justice, unobtrusive camera.
28. 28.
    

    Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense (1999)

     

    M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN Cameo appearance, Pennsylvania setting, color symbolism, poor looking CGI, twist ending.
29. 29.
    

    Anton Yelchin in Star Trek (2009)

     

    J.J. ABRAMS Lens flares, sparks, the death of a parent, children driving cars, paying homage to past films/plot elements.
30. 30.
    

    Klaus Kinski in Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

     

    WERNER HERZOG Protagonists who are social outsiders and/or descent into madness, voice-over narration, distortion or rejection of reality, struggles against indifferent nature, hypnosis.
31. 31.
    

    #14

     

    TAKESHI KITANO Kitano himself as a stoic protagonist, very long scenes without action, Joe Hisaishi scores, peaceful beach scenes, quick outbursts of violence.
32. 32.
    

    #20

     

    FRANK CAPRA Jimmy the Raven, montage of newspaper headlines, story of a simple man who tries to fight corruption of a society.
33. 33.
    

    Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

     

    JOHN CASSAVATES Improvised dialogue, intimate portrayals of existential crises, pivotal scenes shot in stairs, harrowing hand-held directing.
34. 34.
    

    Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

     

    DANNY BOYLE Voiceovers, focuses on the passage of time, subtle blends of reality and imagination, bright color palette, camera in impossible places.
35. 35.
    

    Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth in Rush (2013)

     

    RON HOWARD Man and machine theme, multiple genres, retelling historic events, water everywhere, casts within family.