![]() They understood each other because they were perfectionists who couldn’t stand mediocrity. I’ve heard when Ford met Kurosawa he observed: “You like rain a lot, don’t you?” The use of wind, fire, rain, and horses are prevalent in both director’s films. The great Akira Kurosawa also was influenced by John Ford. My casting and rehearsal process is outlined in detail in The Ultimate Guide to Dialogue Scenes. Casting hundreds perfectly is incredibly rare. It’s almost as if you could enter that world and live in it, it’s that real.Īsk any director how hard it is to cast one or two actors perfectly. Look no further than The Grapes of Wrath, where almost every actor, every child and every extra feel like they were picked through some magical mode of time travel. And observe how immaculately John Ford did the same. Look at the brilliant way Steven Spielberg cast extras in Schindler’s list, or Munich. I think the greatest way Ford influenced Spielberg is in the casting of extras. In camera movement and blocking, there’s no equal to Spielberg. Of course, Spielberg took it to a whole new level. The way the camera moves gracefully is also something Spielberg inherited. The breathtaking chase sequence in Stagecoach, released in 1939, is textbook cinema. Spielberg was definitely also influenced by the action scenes of John Ford. The frames of both directors are rich with detail. Take note of the depth of composition and blocking. The way tracking shots are constructed are also similar. This ensures the audience can follow every single movement and dialogue, like following breadcrumbs. Each actor doesn’t overlap the other, either by talking or action. In Stagecoach you can see how the actors move in and out of the frame like a choreographed dance. Spielberg made it his own.Ĭomplex blocking is also something Spielberg was influenced by. The camera moving in to a close up of a face at a dramatic moment is also something John Ford did a lot of. Reflections in mirrors is one great example, even when they aren’t necessary. There are many aspects of Spielberg’s style you can attribute to John Ford: John Ford’s influence on Steven Spielberg is common knowledge. John Ford’s influence on Steven Spielberg ![]() Even experimental cinema is over a hundred years old, so there’s little you can do that hasn’t been done before. Everyone is more or less influenced by someone. Important: Just because a director is influenced by John Ford doesn’t mean he or she copied John Ford. He won the Best Director Oscar four times, plus two more for his wartime documentary work, and he hardly attended any award functions. You like him already, don’t you? He made almost one hundred and fifty films in his career. John Ford is the quintessential director’s director. A complete visual representation of the filmmaking process from beginning to end. Exclusive Bonus: Download your FREE Blueprint: How to make a movie.
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