Paul Thomas Anderson - Director Research

Paul Thomas Anderson is in my opinion the greatest American director working today, he is also up there with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and Terrence Malick. A true visionary in every sense of the word, PTA brings some incredibly thought provoking films to the screen. Though his style of storytelling may be considered in-cohesive, his ability to inhabit the worlds he creates with rich characters is unparalleled. I have taken a lot of influence from the crazed characters we see in both The Master and There Will Be Blood, in my opinion PTA's finest films. Both 'protagonists' I say with distain, have such depth and offer some extremely unique characteristics. 

The below shot is from The Master. Incredible performances by both Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead roles. The performance by Phoenix inspired me in creating the character of Oscar, a character who embodies both good and bad qualities which fight against each other. Like Phoenix' character he becomes lost as his madness grows on him, and there is nothing he can do to escape his obsession until it is taken from him. This frame in particular is something I find to be very reflective of character emotion, especially in connection with the content of the scene. We see nothing but the characters, their faces, and the smoke they exhale. They are surrounding in darkness. This heavily connotes the fact they are both lost, or that they are both surrounded by the evil and the unknown. This scene directly influenced the writing process of the dream sequence scene in Nemesis. A character helplessly surrounded by darkness contrasting with smoke. The image catches the eye very well, aswell as having a lot of meaning. 

This shot from There Will Be Blood, comes from what I believe to be one of the greatest ending scenes of any film ever. I've never before seen drama reach such heights and it is done so through impeccable performances from Daniel-Day Lewis and Paul Dano. The sheer madness and selfish brutality of DDLs character inspired many aspects of Oscars character and how going borderline crazy would impact the way he moved and spoke. The scene between Oscar and Claudia when things become hostile is mirrored by this explosive scene from There Will Be Blood. Both characters reach their absolute limit. 

Magnolia is another influence of mine, also directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. This time the influence lies in the subject matter. The idealism represented in the film through family, and how we should treat our loved ones and close relatives. The film asks some bold questions about family ties, including the relationship between Tom Cruises character and his dying grandfather. Despite Oscars grandfather never taking physical form in the film, I feel like this would be unnecessary. I am trying to create a mood and an atmosphere around the character of Oscars dealings with loss, rather than focusing on the actual relationship between the two.