Stylistic Patterning as a Methodology to Establish the Co-author Status of the Cinematographer: A Case Study of Gregg Toland

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractpeer-review

Abstract

Can the authorial contribution of the individual cinematographer to classical, collaborative, narrative-based film, be identified and attributed?

Film authorship remains a contentious field of study. Starting with the basic assumption that single-author theories in collaborative filmmaking are redundant, the challenge for the theorist is to navigate a complex matrix of creative contributions in order to identify and attribute any authorial traits to any individual collaborator. Within this context I elected to examine the co-authorship status of the cinematographer, as they have been historically neglected and sidelined by the dominance of 'director as a single-author' theories. By selecting Toland as the subject of my analysis I intended to highlight this historical neglect, and present a methodology by which the cinematographers' authorial contribution can be determined.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 2016
EventSociety for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image Conference 2016 - Ithaca , New York, United States
Duration: 1 Jun 20164 Jun 2016

Conference

ConferenceSociety for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image Conference 2016
Abbreviated titleSCSMI 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew York
Period1/06/164/06/16

Keywords

  • Cinematography
  • Gregg Toland
  • Film Authorship
  • filmmaking
  • Citizen Kane

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