With some directors, you can immediately tell you’re watching a movie they directed just by looking at a still frame without any context. There’s a visual style they stamp on their films, a certain special effect they like, a narrative preference they utilise, basically, a trademark they have. WatchMojo came up with a list of the 10 most famous movie director trademarks in the video below.
In order:
- Quentin Tarantino’s shared universe
- M. Night Shyamalan’s twist endings
- Alfred Hitchcock’s personal cameos and preference for blondes
- Frank Capra’s use of Jimmy the Raven
- Wes Anderson’s symmetrical framing and slow motion
- Sergio Leone’s extreme close ups and drawn-out long shots
- The Wachowski’s bullet time
- Guillermo del Toro’s nightmarish creatures
- Stanely Kubrick’s bathrooms
- JJ Abrams’ lens flares
These tricks are just one tool among many but they’re clearly identified with the director who used ’em enough to become a personal trademark.