Authorship Theory

Auteur is a way of reading and appraising films through the imprint of an auteur (author), usually meant to be the director. No matter what the genre or screenplay, a filmmaker can become a true auteur if they exhibit the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73).Auteur Theory suggests that the films will bear their maker’s ‘signature’, which may manifest itself as their individual personality or perhaps even focus on recurring themes within the body of work.

According to Hayward, the origin of “Auteur” or “auteur theory” started in 1913 where Germany coined up the term author’s film (Autorenfilm). The Autorenfilm is one of the responses to the French Film d’Art movement, and it is successful in attracting middle-class audiences to the theatres because of its respectability as art cinema. The German term of Autorenfilm is associated with polemical issue regarding questions of authorship. (Hayward, 2013: 27) The German term Autorenfilm, the films are judged by the work of the author rather than the person responsible directing it.

Through the Cashiers discussion on the politique des auteurs, the group developed the notion of the auteur by binding it closely with the concept of mise-en-scene. (Hayward, 2013: 28) This shift was due to the avid attention of the Cashiers to the flood of American movie was once proscribed during the World War 2. They argued that the auteur status should not be limited as style, also can serve as a purpose to attain the auteur status. The term of 'Auteur' then could refer either to a director’s noticeable style through mise-en-sceneor filmmaking practices, or even the director’s signature was shown in script or scenario on the film products.

Cashiers group praised Hollywood filmmakers for working against the studio system, where mise-en-shot can redeem the lack of control of mise-en-scene. Hence, style and personalized filmmaking transcend content. The 'politique des auteurs' was a controversy argument initiated by the Cashiers group to critique the French cinema on that time that are losing the ability to adapt and also stagnant. They criticized that the auteurism owes so much on the concepts of camera pen and mise-en-scene. The proponents of auteurism believed that the director are the one that responsible on stamping the thematic or narrative and visual stylistic imprints in this works over a period of time despite the odds imposed by the studios and the markets.

Andre Bazin, the film theoretician explained that auteur theory was a way of choosing the personal factor in artistic creation as a standard of reference, and then assuming that it continues and even progresses from one film to the next. 

According Janet Staiger, there are seven approaches in authorship which included origin, personality, sociology of production, signature, reading strategy, site of discourse and techniques of the self. One of the approaches, authorship-as-signature strategy could postulate recurrence of authorship traits only through pieces of artwork. Bordwell Thompson (2013) also states film styles are distinctive patterns of technique that we found in a film. The techniques are including mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, lighting and sound. And to achieve auteur title, ones must consecutively shows the same styles across several films. Everyone has their own habit, this habit that shows consecutively across several films become his personal style. Through the examination on M. Night Shyamalan movies, we found that he shows a very good example as an auteur who reaches his authorship by signature as he shows strong thematic and stylistic consistent throughout his artwork.